Health News Roundup: U.S. farm agency to better verify antibiotic use claims on meat; US FDA panel to weigh makeup of next COVID vaccine and more

The figure is up 0.7% from 108,825 overdoses recorded in the 12-month period ending January 2022, according to U.S. data. US doctors' group adopts new policy on healthy weight assessment The American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday said it will advise doctors to pay less attention to body mass index (BMI) in determining if a patient is at a healthy weight, saying the measure does not predict disease risk equally well across racial and ethnic groups.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. farm agency to better verify antibiotic use claims on meat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will take steps to better verify antibiotic-free labels on meat and poultry products after receiving petitions challenging its existing process for not being rigorous enough, the agency announced Wednesday. Consumer, food safety and environmental groups have long warned that the overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming can contribute to human antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization in 2017 recommended that the food industry curtail antibiotic use to fight resistance.

US FDA panel to weigh makeup of next COVID vaccine

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday will discuss and vote on whether to recommend targeting one of the currently dominant XBB coronavirus variants in updated COVID-19 shots being developed for a fall vaccination campaign. FDA staff reviewers in documents released this week said available evidence suggests this year's shots should target an XBB variant. XBB and its offshoots, which now account for most U.S. infections, are descendents of the Omicron variant that caused COVID cases to surge to record levels early last year.

US FDA puts Mersana Therapeutics' ovarian cancer drug studies on partial hold

Mersana Therapeutics Inc said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had put a partial clinical hold on its ovarian cancer drug studies and paused patient enrollment, citing safety concerns. Shares of Mersana Therapeutics fell 54.3% to $4.20 in premarket trading on the news.

Health insurers slammed after UnitedHealth says more surgeries driving up costs

Health insurer stocks dropped sharply on Wednesday after UnitedHealth Group said its costs were on the rise due to an increase in surgeries among older adults. Shares of UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. healthcare provider by market value, closed down 6.4% at $459.86, wiping out roughly $29 billion from the industry bellwether's market capitalization.

US drug overdose deaths top 109,000 in the past year

More than 109,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending January 2023, a slight increase from the previous year, according to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on Wednesday. The figure is up 0.7% from 108,825 overdoses recorded in the 12-month period ending January 2022, according to U.S. data.

US doctors' group adopts new policy on healthy weight assessment

The American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday said it will advise doctors to pay less attention to body mass index (BMI) in determining if a patient is at a healthy weight, saying the measure does not predict disease risk equally well across racial and ethnic groups. BMI, a ratio of weight to height, has long been used to define underweight, "normal" weight, overweight, obesity and morbid obesity, despite mounting evidence that it is an inaccurate predictor of health risks on an individual level.

Sudan's war exacts deadly toll on dialysis patients, leaves bodies rotting

Kidney dialysis patients are dying and dead bodies have been left to decompose in a morgue and in city streets as Sudan's war rages on, despite efforts by volunteers and aid workers to keep critical healthcare running. Sudan's health sector was already on the edge of collapse due to a lack of resources before the conflict, and it has been shattered by nearly two months of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across the country.

Abbvie, Coherus agree to resolve dispute over Humira biosimilar

Coherus BioSciences Inc said on Thursday it had agreed to resolve a dispute over its plans to launch a lower-priced version of AbbVie Inc's Humira, its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug. Earlier this month, Coherus had said it would launch a biosimilar version of the world's biggest selling drug, at an 85% discount to the list price of about $6,922, and partnered with Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company to sell it at $569.27.

Aldeyra Therapeutics eye treatment meets late-stage study main goal

Aldeyra Therapeutics said on Thursday its treatment for an inflammatory eye disease met the main goal of reducing itching in a late-stage study, sending its shares up 16% in premarket trading. The liquid eye drop formulation, reproxalap, is being developed to treat allergic conjunctivitis that leads to swelling in a tissue lining the eyelids and white layer of the eye.

Beijing to cover IVF, other fertility treatments for couples from July

Beijing's government on Thursday announced that it would cover 16 types of assisted reproduction technology under the city's health care system from July 1, the latest move by authorities to boost China's flagging birth rate. In-vitro fertilisation, embryo transplantation, freezing and storing semen are some of the treatments that would be included under basic insurance, said Du Xin, deputy director of Beijing's Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau.