Health News Roundup: WHO certifies Belize as being malaria-free; GSK's RSV vaccine shows long-term efficacy in late-stage trial and more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month warned in public guidance about the safety risks of unauthorized versions of Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss drugs, which include Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, in response to reports of adverse health reactions to the "compounded" or custom-made variations. US CDC advisers weigh use of GSK, Pfizer RSV vaccines in older adults A panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday will vote on whether to recommend the use of recently approved vaccines from Pfizer and GSK to prevent severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in older adults.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO certifies Belize as being malaria-free

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Belize as being free from malaria, marking success for the Central American country after 70 years of continuous efforts to eradicate the disease. The number of cases of malaria, which is caused by a bite from an infected Anopheles mosquito, have dropped from about 10,000 cases in 1994 to zero indigenous cases in 2019.

GSK's RSV vaccine shows long-term efficacy in late-stage trial

GSK on Wednesday said its vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which recently won EU approval, showed strong long-term protection in older adults in a late-stage trial. The British drugmaker said a 'Phase III' trial showed vaccine efficacy against RSV-lower respiratory tract disease and severe disease over two full RSV seasons, including in participants with underlying medical conditions.

Infant mortality rises when sovereign debt defaults drag on, study says

Infant mortality rises and life expectancy falls when sovereign debt defaults are not quickly resolved, a study said on Wednesday, as negotiations to restructure the debts of countries including Zambia, Sri Lanka and Ghana drag on. In countries that have come out of default within three years since 1900, infant deaths were 2.2 percentage points higher than if they had not defaulted, according to the study by researchers Clemens Graf von Luckner and Juan Farah-Yacoub.

Exclusive-Gambia tightens rules for Indian drugs after cough syrup deaths - letter

Gambia will make it mandatory for all pharmaceutical products from India to be inspected and tested prior to shipment from July 1, according to Gambian government documents reviewed by Reuters, the first known restrictions on national exports following the deaths of dozens of children linked to Indian-made cough syrups. The new rule highlights how governments are reassessing their reliance on India's $42 billion pharmaceutical industry since the contamination came to light last year. India's industry supplies nearly half of the pharmaceuticals used in Africa. In April, India's government said its officials had held meetings in Africa to ensure its drug exports did not suffer after at least 70 children died in Gambia after ingesting the cough syrup last year.

US FDA approves Eli Lilly-Boehringer's diabetes drugs for children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved Eli Lilly and partner Boehringer Ingelheim's drugs Jardiance and Synjardy to treat type 2 diabetes in children. The drugs were approved as additions to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in children aged 10 years and above with type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.

PTC Therapeutics says interim data for Huntington's disease drug shows promise

PTC Therapeutics said on Wednesday its experimental Huntington's disease drug lowered mutated protein levels that cause the neurological disease, citing interim data from a mid-stage study. At 10 milligrams dose, the study showed as much as 30% dose-dependent reductions of the mutant protein, the company said, adding the treatment was well-tolerated and no serious adverse events were reported.

Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for minors blocked by U.S. judge

A U.S. judge on Tuesday struck down an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery to transgender minors, a victory for families that had sued to challenge the law. "The evidence showed that (gender-affirming care) improves the mental health and well-being of patients and that, by prohibiting it, the state undermined the interests it claims to be advancing," U.S. District Judge James Moody in Little Rock wrote in an order barring the state from enforcing the law.

Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk sues spas over counterfeit drugs

Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk on Tuesday said it had sued some medical spas and wellness clinics in the United States for selling products claiming to contain semaglutide, the key ingredient in its popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month warned in public guidance about the safety risks of unauthorized versions of Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss drugs, which include Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, in response to reports of adverse health reactions to the "compounded" or custom-made variations.

US CDC advisers weigh use of GSK, Pfizer RSV vaccines in older adults

A panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday will vote on whether to recommend the use of recently approved vaccines from Pfizer and GSK to prevent severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in older adults. If the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices backs the vaccines and the agency's director formally signs off on their use as expected, the shots can be rolled out ahead of the RSV season this fall.

US FDA approves Argenx's drug for muscle-weakening disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Argenx SE's under-the-skin injection for the treatment of a muscle-weakening genetic disease called generalized myasthenia gravis, the company said on Tuesday. The drug, branded as Vyvgart Hytrulo, is expected to be available in the U.S. next month and will come at a list price of $15,773, the company told Reuters.