Health News Roundup: Pfizer pledge for more equal access to RSV shot faces hurdles; US FDA declines to approve Ascendis' hormone disorder therapy and more

The company says it wants to shorten a timeline in which poorer countries often get vaccines many years after they are available elsewhere. US FDA declines to approve Ascendis' hormone disorder therapy Ascendis Pharma A/S said on Monday the U.S. Food & Drug Administration had declined to approve the Danish drugmaker's experimental therapy to treat adult patients with a hormone disorder called hypoparathyroidism, citing concerns linked to manufacturing control of the drug and device combination.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Pfizer pledge for more equal access to RSV shot faces hurdles

Pfizer Inc has pledged to deliver critical new medicines more quickly in low-income nations, but its first such vaccine effort faces hurdles likely to delay distribution in poorer countries by several years, global health officials told Reuters. Pfizer made a commitment on more equitable access last year, following criticism that it prioritized wealthy nations for doses of its COVID-19 shot early in the pandemic. The company says it wants to shorten a timeline in which poorer countries often get vaccines many years after they are available elsewhere.

US FDA declines to approve Ascendis' hormone disorder therapy

Ascendis Pharma A/S said on Monday the U.S. Food & Drug Administration had declined to approve the Danish drugmaker's experimental therapy to treat adult patients with a hormone disorder called hypoparathyroidism, citing concerns linked to manufacturing control of the drug and device combination. The company's U.S.-listed shares surged 19% in premarket trade as the agency did not express concerns about the clinical data submitted and did not seek fresh pre-clinical or late-stage trials in a so-called complete response letter.

Japan's Astellas to buy Iveric Bio for $5.9 billion to expand eyesight treatments

Japan's Astellas Pharma said on Monday it agreed to buy U.S. drugmaker Iveric Bio Inc for about $5.9 billion in its biggest acquisition, giving it access to a range of ophthalmology treatments. The deal marks the fifth major overseas acquisition by Astellas, Japan's third biggest drugmaker by sales, since 2019 in a push to shore up its pipeline as its main sellers lose patent protection.

Pfizer, BioNTech propose EU pays half for each cancelled COVID dose - FT

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's new proposal to the European Union, amid a glut of COVID-19 shots, includes a provision for member states to pay half price, or about 10 euros ($11), for each of about 70 million cancelled doses, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The revised contract would allow the EU to upgrade to newer vaccines tailored to any future COVID-19 variants, the report added, citing people close to negotiations.

Indian cough syrup: mystery middleman may be new clue

An unnamed middleman in Mumbai provided a crucial raw material used in Indian-made cough syrups that have been linked to the deaths of more than 70 children in Gambia, a chemicals trader involved in the supply chain told Reuters. The World Health Organization said last year the syrups, made by Indian manufacturer Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd, contained lethal toxins ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG) – used in car brake fluid. These ingredients can be used by unscrupulous actors as a substitute for propylene glycol (PG), which is a key base of syrupy medicines – because they can cost less than half the price, as Reuters reported in March.

US FDA panel backs restricted use of AstraZeneca's prostate cancer drug (April 28)

A panel of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers on Friday voted for the restricted use of British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc's experimental treatment, jointly developed with Merck & Co, for a type of prostate cancer. The FDA panel voted 11-1 with one abstention, in favor of Lynparza, in combination with other medications – abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone – as a first-line treatment for a type of treatment-resistant prostate cancer in adult patients.

One case of Crimean-Congo fever detected in Senegal

Senegal's health ministry confirmed a case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in a hospital on the outskirts of the capital Dakar, it said in a statement. The case was detected on April 21 in the Dalal Jamm hospital in Guediawaye, the health ministry said in the statement released late on Saturday. A health emergency task force has been activated to oversee the response.

Biopharma firm Acelyrin seeks $1.5 billion valuation in US IPO

Late-stage clinical biopharma company Acelyrin Inc said on Monday that it was seeking a valuation of up to $1.5 billion in its initial public offering in the United States that comes at a time when new listings are testing investors' appetite. The Los Angeles-based company is aiming to raise up to roughly $370 million, by selling 20.6 million shares at nearly the top-end of its proposed price range of $16 to $18 per share, the company said in a filing.