Health News Roundup: FibroGen's neuromuscular disorder therapy fails late-stage study; Merck sues US government to halt Medicare drug price negotiation and more

The company was evaluating the efficacy and safety of pamrevlumab in a late-stage trial in patients with non-ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), where upper limb function of the patients are affected, versus a placebo. World's first vaccine against deadly swine fever nears approval in Vietnam Vaccines against African swine fever being tested in Vietnam are close to approval, global and U.S. veterinary officials said, in what would be a major breakthrough to tackle the deadly animal disease that regularly ravages pig farms worldwide.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

FibroGen's neuromuscular disorder therapy fails late-stage study

FibroGen Inc said on Wednesday its therapy to treat a muscle-wasting disorder has failed to improve the upper limb performance in patients, sending its shares down 7% in premarket trading. The company was evaluating the efficacy and safety of pamrevlumab in a late-stage trial in patients with non-ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), where upper limb function of the patients are affected, versus a placebo.

Merck sues US government to halt Medicare drug price negotiation

Merck & Co sued the U.S. government on Tuesday, seeking to halt the Medicare drug price negotiation program contained in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which it argues violates the Fifth and First Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. This is the first attempt by a drugmaker to challenge the law, which the pharmaceutical industry says will result in a loss of profits that will force them to pull back on developing groundbreaking new treatments.

World's first vaccine against deadly swine fever nears approval in Vietnam

Vaccines against African swine fever being tested in Vietnam are close to approval, global and U.S. veterinary officials said, in what would be a major breakthrough to tackle the deadly animal disease that regularly ravages pig farms worldwide. African swine fever has for years disrupted the $250 billion global pork market. In the worst outbreak in 2018-19, about half the domestic pig population died in China, the world's biggest producer, causing losses estimated at over $100 billion.

Planned Parenthood sues Kansas over abortion reversal claims

Planned Parenthood on Tuesday sued to block a new Kansas law requiring healthcare providers to tell patients that medication abortion can be reversed, a potentially dangerous claim not supported by evidence. The lawsuit in the District Court of Johnson County, filed against state and local authorities on behalf of a group of doctors, also challenges older mandates requiring providers to warn patients that abortion is linked to breast cancer, and to wait at last 30 minutes after meeting with a patient to perform an abortion.

Sanofi-AstraZeneca's preventive RSV therapy appears safe- FDA staff

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's staff reviewers said on Tuesday Sanofi and partner AstraZeneca's experimental therapy to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in infants appeared safe and effective. The RSV prevention antibody, nirsevimab, showed an overall favorable safety profile in clinical trials, the FDA staff said in documents published ahead of the health regulator's advisory committee meeting on Thursday to discuss the therapy's marketing application.

White House vows an improved effort against drug overdoses

President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday pledged an improved effort to combat drug overdoses that claimed the lives of about 100,000 Americans last year, using a White House summit to tout a multifaceted approach to tackle synthetic and illicit drugs such as the powerful opioid fentanyl. "Today's summit is needed because the global and regional drug environment has changed dramatically from just even a few years ago," Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the summit, being held jointly with public health officials from Mexico and Canada.

Moderna, Pfizer hit with new patent lawsuits over COVID vaccines

Biotech firm Promosome LLC sued Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech in federal court in San Diego, California, on Tuesday, accusing their COVID-19 vaccines of infringing a patent related to messenger RNA technology. The lawsuits add to a web of patent disputes between biotech companies over technology used in the coronavirus shots, including a case brought last year in Massachusetts by Moderna against Pfizer and its partner BioNTech.

Weight-loss drugs pilot to begin in UK amid uncertainty over Wegovy launch

Britain will launch a pilot programme to explore how new weekly weight-loss shots such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy can be given to obese patients outside of limited specialist services even as the drug's market launch remains unclear. The government's 40 million pound ($50 million) pilot programme comes after drug cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE in March recommended the use of Wegovy in adults with at least one weight-related condition and a body mass index of 35, but only within the National Health Service's (NHS) specialist weight management scheme.

EU approves its first vaccine for common respiratory virus RSV

European regulators have approved the region's first vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes thousands of hospitalisations and deaths annually. The shot, called Arexvy, is made by British drugmaker GSK and is designed to protect people aged 60 and over.

EU Commission allocates $1.3 billion to tackle mental health 'silent epidemic'

The European Commission said on Wednesday it would allocate 1.23 billion euros ($1.3 billion) to mental health initiatives across the 27-member European Union and make mental health a pillar of health policy. "Today marks a new beginning for a comprehensive, prevention-oriented and multi-stakeholder approach to mental health at EU level," Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for health and food safety, said in a statement.