Health News Roundup: US FDA panel weighs makeup of next COVID vaccine; US drug overdose deaths top 109,000 in the past year and more

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 halts enrollment in Mersana's cancer drug studies, shares drop Mersana Therapeutics said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had paused enrollment in two studies of its ovarian cancer drug after five deaths in bleeding-related events, sending shares of the company tumbling.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US FDA panel weighs makeup of next COVID vaccine

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were meeting on Thursday to 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 halts enrollment in Mersana's cancer drug studies, shares drop

Mersana Therapeutics said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had paused enrollment in two studies of its ovarian cancer drug after five deaths in bleeding-related events, sending shares of the company tumbling. Mersana said the cause of the bleeding events was under investigation, but patients who are already enrolled in the studies will continue to receive the treatment.

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.

Coherus resolves part of dispute with AbbVie over Humira biosimilar

Coherus BioSciences said on Thursday it had agreed to retract a restraining order against AbbVie as the two fight over the terms of launching a lower-priced version of blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira. Earlier this month, Coherus had said it would launch a biosimilar version of AbbVie's Humira, 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 a common allergic eye disease met the main goal of a late-stage study, paving the way for it to become an alternative to over-the-counter eye drops. The liquid eye drop formulation, reproxalap, which is being developed to treat allergic conjunctivitis helped reduce itchiness, redness and tearing caused due to the disease, compared with placebo, the company said.

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.

Hip, knee replacements back on track, boosting device makers

Older adults are catching up on missed hip and knee replacements and other non-urgent surgeries, a shift that will benefit medical device makers this year, Wall Street analysts said after insurer UnitedHealth warned of higher costs due to a spike in some procedures. While heart-related surgeries have returned to pre-pandemic numbers after delays due to lockdowns and hospital staffing shortages, orthopedic surgeries had initially lagged as older Americans chose to postpone them.