Health News Roundup: UNICEF warns of food shortages at overcrowded Haiti camp; Eli Lilly to buy immunology drug developer Dice for $2.4 billion and more

Republican-controlled legislatures in numerous states passed restrictive legislation, with near-total abortion bans now in place in 14 states even as opinion polls show that a majority of Americans want abortion legal in all or most cases. Weight loss drug Wegovy slower to launch in new markets - Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk's launch of obesity drug Wegovy in most of Europe will be slower than planned and the drug will likely not be sold in developing nations for a very long time, executives said on Tuesday, as demand booms in the United States.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UNICEF warns of food shortages at overcrowded Haiti camp

Haitian children face a severe lack of food, medical support and education, the head of the United Nation's children's agency UNICEF said in the capital Port-au-Prince on Monday, hours after heavy shooting rang out near a packed camp of displaced persons. Heavily armed gangs have expanded their turf and now control communities accounting for some two million people, according to U.N. estimates, mostly women and children living amid frequent extra-judicial killings and sexual violence.

Eli Lilly to buy immunology drug developer Dice for $2.4 billion

Eli Lilly and Co agreed to buy Dice Therapeutics Inc for about $2.4 billion in cash on Tuesday, bolstering its immune disease-related portfolio with a largely oral drug developer. Dice's lead drug DC-806, which is currently in a mid-stage trial, is an immunology drug for a skin condition called psoriasis and other diseases.

Abortion rights supporters and opponents mark one year without Roe v. Wade

Abortion rights advocates and opponents are set to mark this week's one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized the procedure nationwide with events to rally voters and highlight the ongoing fights over access. The ruling, whose anniversary comes this Saturday, had a swift impact by freeing states to ban abortion. Republican-controlled legislatures in numerous states passed restrictive legislation, with near-total abortion bans now in place in 14 states even as opinion polls show that a majority of Americans want abortion legal in all or most cases.

Weight loss drug Wegovy slower to launch in new markets - Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk's launch of obesity drug Wegovy in most of Europe will be slower than planned and the drug will likely not be sold in developing nations for a very long time, executives said on Tuesday, as demand booms in the United States. "Short term we are challenged because we cannot fully meet demand. But everyone can rest assured that we are strongly committed to make sure that patients over time will get the medicine they expect," Chief Executive Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen told a news conference. Wegovy, which launched in the U.S. in mid-2021, has propelled the company to record sales and its current position as the third biggest pharma company globally by market capitalisation, according to Refinitiv data. A weekly injection of Wegovy leads to an average weight loss of around 15%, alongside changes to diet and exercise. Its impact is transforming the obesity market. But the Danish drugmaker is unable to keep up with demand even as it spends billions of dollars to increase its production capacity.

For groups fighting U.S. opioid crisis, settlement money can be hard to come by

Companies accused of fueling the U.S. opioid crisis have so far paid out more than $3 billion to compensate states, but has any of the money reached the people who need it? It depends where you live. Yes, if you're in Massachusetts; no, in Texas. A series of landmark settlements since 2021 with top drug distributors, pharmacies and drugmakers including Johnson & Johnson set compensation at a total of more than $50 billion nationwide.

Former PM Cameron says Britain was prepared for flu-like pandemic rather than COVID

Former prime minister David Cameron told an inquiry on Monday that Britain was prepared for a flu-type pandemic but not enough work was done in advance to confront an asymptomatic disease similar to COVID-19. Britain is holding an inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic after Britain recorded one of the world's highest death tolls. More than 175,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus had been reported by July last year.

AstraZeneca planning China business spin off -FT

Drugmaker AstraZeneca is drafting a plan to spin off its China business, and listing a separate unit in Hong Kong is being viewed as an option, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. A separation might not ultimately take place, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter, with one of them saying listing the entity in Shanghai was also possible.

UK high-sugar promotion ban delay angers health campaigners

Britain's decision to further delay rules banning multi-buy deals on food and drinks high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) has dismayed health campaigners who say it will not help families trying to save money. The UK government said on Saturday that rules banning multi-buy deals on HFSS foods and drinks, including buy one get one free (BOGOF) deals, will be delayed until October 2025.

Analysis-New rules set to shake up China's shrinking infant formula market

China's introduction of the world's strictest nutrient standards for infant formula are likely to see scores of brands give up on a market that is shrinking along with the country's falling birth rates, industry executives and analysts say. New rules imposed in February force infant formula makers to invest heavily to re-make, test, certify and re-register their products for China, before potentially conducting new marketing campaigns.