Health News Roundup: US FDA approves Sarepta's gene therapy for rare muscular dystrophy in some kids; US appeals court vacates travel mask mandate ruling and more

Under the plan, Medicare, the government health plan for Americans 65 and older, would require physicians to take part in a data collection effort, known as a patient registry, that would be run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Pharma lobby group warns EU could lose edge with proposed law Europe's pharmaceutical sector could lose out to increased competition from emerging markets, China and the U.S. in terms of research and innovation if a proposed European Union health package is not amended, its key industry group said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US appeals court vacates travel mask mandate ruling

A U.S. appeals court panel Thursday vacated an April 2022 ruling that had declared unlawful a government order requiring masks on airplanes and other transportation modes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Justice Department had asked 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to declare the issue moot after President Joe Biden ended the COVID-19 public health emergency in May. "There is not a grain of evidence that the CDC has any plans to promulgate an identical mandate," the court ruled.

U.S. court strikes down Florida transgender health rule

A U.S. judge on Wednesday struck down a Florida rule and a statute that banned state Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare, marking the second defeat in two weeks for anti-transgender legislation in the state. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle declared the state's practices invalid, saying they violated the constitutional right to equal protection under the 14th amendment in addition to violating the federal Medicaid statue and the Affordable Care Act's prohibition of sex discrimination.

Risk of mosquito-borne diseases rising in Europe- health agency

Europe recorded almost as many locally caught cases of dengue in 2022 as it had over the previous 11 years, new figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show. There were 71 cases of the disease - which generally causes fever and muscle pain but can be more severe and even sometimes fatal - last year, mainly in France. Between 2010 and 2021, there were 74 cases.

US FDA approves Sarepta's gene therapy for rare muscular dystrophy in some kids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted accelerated approval to Sarepta Therapeutics' first-of-its-kind gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an inherited progressive muscle-wasting disorder that almost always affects young boys. The FDA's approval for children aged between 4 and 5 years who can walk comes after several delays as well as questions over the therapy's effectiveness.

Tesco sticks to plan to avoid high-sugar promotions despite UK govt rule delay

Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket, said on Thursday it would continue to keep multi-buy deals on food and drinks which are high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) off its shelves, despite a government delay to rules banning such promotions. The British government said on Saturday that rules banning multi-buy deals on HFSS foods and drinks, including buy one get one free deals, will be delayed until October 2025, because families were already struggling with high food bills.

Medicare offers details on reimbursement for new Alzheimer's drugs

The U.S. Medicare health plan on Thursday offered details of plans to collect patient data as a condition for reimbursement for Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc's new Alzheimer's drug Leqembi, should it win traditional U.S. approval as expected by July 6. Under the plan, Medicare, the government health plan for Americans 65 and older, would require physicians to take part in a data collection effort, known as a patient registry, that would be run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Pharma lobby group warns EU could lose edge with proposed law

Europe's pharmaceutical sector could lose out to increased competition from emerging markets, China and the U.S. in terms of research and innovation if a proposed European Union health package is not amended, its key industry group said on Thursday. The EU Commission presented a proposal to overhaul a wide range of rules governing health and medicines in the 27-member bloc in April, but the move has met with backlash from the industry.

Novo Nordisk says EMA raised safety signal on drugs including semaglutide

A thyroid cancer safety signal was raised by the EU's drugs watchdog last month over several Novo Nordisk products including semaglutide, which is used in popular diabetes and obesity medicines Ozempic and Wegovy. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) raised the safety signal, which is a way to monitor potential adverse events from the use of approved drugs, Novo Nordisk said. Such a signal from the EMA does not mean that the medicine is the cause of any reported adverse events.

Pharmaceutical trade group sues US over Medicare drug price negotiation plans

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the leading industry lobby group, and two other organizations on Wednesday said they were suing the U.S. government to block enforcement of a program that gives Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. In a complaint filed in a federal court in Texas, PhRMA along with the National Infusion Center Association and the Global Colon Cancer Association, which counts PhRMA and some drug companies as members, said the drug price negotiation program was unconstitutional.

Study reveals how immune system of astronauts breaks down

Evidence is growing about the many ways that traveling in the microgravity environment of space tampers with the human body, with new research showing how it dials down the activity of genes in white blood cells crucial to the immune system. A study involving 14 astronauts who spent 4-1/2 to 6-1/2 months aboard the International Space Station found that gene expression in these cells, also called leukocytes, quickly decreased when they reached space and then returned to normal not long after returning to Earth, researchers said on Thursday.

(With inputs from agencies.)