Health News Roundup: Icahn scores partial Illumina win amid pressure to defend investment acumen; BioNTech is proceeding with COVID-shot in line with WHO guidance and more

He will take the seat of board Chairman John Thompson, who failed to win reelection. Elon Musk's Neuralink says has FDA approval for study of brain implants in humans Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink on Thursday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the green light to its first-in-human clinical trial, a critical milestone after earlier struggles to gain approval.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Icahn scores partial Illumina win amid pressure to defend investment acumen

Carl Icahn secured a seat on Thursday for one of his three nominees to the board of gene sequencing machine maker Illumina Inc, a partial victory for the activist investor who is struggling to burnish his credentials following a shortseller attack on his company. Illumina said Icahn nominee Andrew Teno won enough shareholder votes for election, confirming an earlier Reuters report. He will take the seat of board Chairman John Thompson, who failed to win reelection.

BioNTech is proceeding with COVID-shot in line with WHO guidance

Germany's BioNTech said it was on track to introduce a COVID-19 shot by the early fall in the northern hemisphere that is adapted to currently dominant virus variants in line with recommendations by the World Health Organization. BioNTech was targeting regulatory approval by the end of the summer to allow for a seasonal vaccination campaign to start in early autumn, CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin told shareholders at the biotech firm's annual general meeting on Thursday.

Elon Musk's Neuralink says has FDA approval for study of brain implants in humans

Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink on Thursday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the green light to its first-in-human clinical trial, a critical milestone after earlier struggles to gain approval. The FDA nod "represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people," Neuralink said in a tweet. It did not elaborate on the aims of the study, saying only that it was not recruiting yet and more details would be available soon.

South Africa cholera outbreak re-ignites anger over service delivery

When a cholera outbreak was confirmed in Hammanskraal, just north of South Africa's capital Pretoria, it was hardly a surprise to many of its residents queuing up for handouts of bottles of clean water and soap. "If you drink the (tap) water, your stomach is running," Joyce Tshweau, 51, said, after braving the long line for the clean water meant to help curb an epidemic that has already killed 21 people.

Two US citizens dead after catching meningitis in Mexico hospital

Two U.S. citizens died after contracting meningitis while getting treatment in a hospital in the northern Mexican border city of Matamoros, authorities said on Thursday, as they investigated some 400 suspected cases. "A contamination caused these deaths," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a regular press conference when asked about reports of 10 deaths and 300-400 people being possibly affected by contamination in hospitals at Matamoros, a city across the border from Brownsville, Texas.

Fresenius lifts 2023 outlook for hospital drugs unit Kabi

German healthcare group Fresenius SE lifted its earnings target for generic hospital drugs unit Kabi, citing demand for blood plasma products and clinical nutrition and the planned launches of generic biotech drugs in the United States. Kabi's 2023 sales, adjusted for currency swings, would likely grow by a "mid-single-digit" percentage, where it had previously predicted a "low-to mid-single-digit" gain, Fresenius said ahead of an investor event on Thursday.

Stars at Cannes take break from red carpet to support AIDS research

Celebrities including Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Wright and Heidi Klum escaped the Cannes Film Festival's crowded Croisette Boulevard for a night to attend a fundraiser for AIDS research at a secluded luxury hotel in the nearby resort town of Antibes.

"I wanted to be here tonight because I think it's such a beautiful charity and just to be able to do what I can," said Bebe Rexha, one of the stars performing at the Thursday event.

Denmark wants to lower abortion age without parental consent to 15

Denmark wants to lower the age of abortion without parental consent to 15 years from 18 currently, in line with the country's age of consent, minister for gender equality Marie Bjerre said on Wednesday. The majority government announced its decision to support the proposal on the day marking the 50th anniversary of a law granting women the right to chose abortion.

Pfizer's COVID antiviral Paxlovid gains full US approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to Pfizer's oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid, clearing the way for the drugmaker to sell it at market rates once U.S. government supplies dwindle. Paxlovid initially received emergency use authorization from the FDA in late 2021, when there was a desperate need for effective COVID treatments. The agency on Thursday approved the two-drug therapy to treat adults at high risk of progression to severe disease.

Medtronic's profit forecast hit by stronger dollar, inflation

Medtronic Plc on Thursday forecast annual profit below Wall Street estimates, as a strong U.S. dollar and persistently high costs of raw goods weighed on the medical device maker's earnings, sending its shares down more than 4% in early trading.

The company warned in February that rising raw material prices and high wages due to stubbornly high inflation would continue to impact its full-year profit.

(With inputs from agencies.)