Health News Roundup: Teva Pharm CEO sees $2.5 billion in revenue for Austedo drug by 2027; US FDA panel backs Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine for protecting infants and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 19-05-2023 10:30 IST | Created: 19-05-2023 10:28 IST
Health News Roundup: Teva Pharm CEO sees $2.5 billion in revenue for Austedo drug by 2027; US FDA panel backs Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine for protecting infants and more
Representative Image

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Teva Pharm CEO sees $2.5 billion in revenue for Austedo drug by 2027

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' drug Austedo should reach sales of $2.5 billion by 2027, Chief Executive Richard Francis said on Thursday. Austedo is Teva's branded treatment for Huntington's Disease but the drug also helps those with movement disorder tardive dyskenisa.

US FDA panel backs Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine for protecting infants

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday backed the safety and effectiveness of Pfizer Inc's experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, boosting its chances of becoming the first available maternal shot to protect babies from the illness. The FDA's advisory committee voted unanimously that available data supported the vaccine's efficacy for giving the shot to women in their second or third trimesters of pregnancy to prevent lower respiratory tract infection and severe disease in infants up to 6 months of age.

Exclusive-India considers policy change after cough syrup deaths - Modi's office

India is considering a change to its pharmaceutical industry policy after cough syrups made in the country were linked to the deaths of children overseas, according to a document from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office, which noted that "important things" about the industry had been "overlooked". A brainstorming session was held in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad "to find a solution to exported cough syrups that killed children," Modi's office said in the document dated May 15 and reviewed by Reuters.

FTC effort to stop Amgen's Horizon takeover faces uphill fight

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) faces an uphill battle in its fight against Amgen Inc's $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics with an untested argument before a Trump-appointed judge, three antitrust experts said.

Furthermore, the FTC's complaint, unsealed late Tuesday, expresses concern about deals struck between drug companies that give discounts to pharmacy benefit managers and insurers in return for making their medicines easier to get for their customers.

WHO recommends new COVID shots should target only XBB variants

A World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group on Thursday recommended that this year's COVID-19 booster shots be updated to target one of the currently dominant XBB variants. New formulations should aim to produce antibody responses to the XBB.1.5 or XBB.1.16 variants, the advisory group said, adding that other formulations or platforms that achieve neutralizing antibody responses against XBB lineages could also be considered.

Amputees could feel warmth of human touch with new bionic technology

Fabrizio Fidati, who lost his right hand in an accident 25 years ago, had not experienced the sensation of temperature in his missing digits until trials for a bionic technology unlocked the cool of iced water and heat of a stove burner for him. Eventually, the researchers hope it could lead to a more natural feeling of loved ones when he is wearing his prosthetic.

Those at high risk of mpox should get 2 doses of Bavarian Nordic vaccine, US CDC says

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people at high risk of mpox to get two doses of Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos vaccine, based on new evidence from a U.S. study showing that the regimen is more effective at preventing infection than one shot. The study, published on Thursday, offered some of the first evidence on the efficacy of the Jynneos vaccine, which was deployed last year during a global outbreak of mpox that affected more than 30,000 people in the United States.

Brazil investigates suspected bird flu case in human

Brazil is investigating a suspected case of avian influenza A (H5N1) in a person living in the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, where this week the first ever confirmed cases in wild birds were detected, the Health Ministry said. A 61-year-old man, who worked at the park where three wild birds tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), is being monitored and in isolation after he showed mild flu symptoms, the ministry said in a statement.

Amgen agrees not to seek quick close to Horizon acquisition

Amgen Inc has agreed not to quickly close on its $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit to block the deal. A U.S. district court judge issued a temporary restraining order late on Wednesday after the two companies and the FTC reached an agreement that both sides said in a joint filing would permit a full briefing and "less-compressed consideration" by the court of the FTC request.

U.S. Supreme Court rules against Amgen bid to revive cholesterol drug patents

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Amgen Inc in its bid to revive patents on its cholesterol-lowering drug Repatha in a legal clash with French rival Sanofi SA. The 9-0 ruling upheld a lower court's decision that had invalidated Amgen's patents on the grounds that the Thousand Oaks, California-based drugmaker had failed to provide a roadmap for recreating, or "enabling," the full scope of its claimed innovation.

(With inputs from agencies.)

Give Feedback