Health News Roundup: Moderna seeks US FDA authorization for updated COVID vaccine; US to spend $502 million on future bird flu response and more

Malta is the only country in the European Union which does not allow any form of termination, and the original bill had raised a storm of protest, with anti-abortion campaigners saying the definition of what constituted a health risk was too wide. US files first-ever charges against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals over allegations they illegally trafficked the chemicals used to make fentanyl - a highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in the United States.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sarepta slumps as concerns emerge around upcoming gene therapy data

Sarepta Therapeutics shares slumped 11% on Friday as some analysts voiced concerns that upcoming confirmatory trial data for its gene therapy to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) may not be enough to secure approval for expanded use. The stock hit a seven-month low and was set to drop $1.4 billion in market value if losses hold.

Wyoming judge blocks ban on abortion pills -report

A Wyoming judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a law banning medication abortion in the Western state, delaying what could be the nation's first such ban while a lawsuit challenging it makes its way through the courts, the Casper Star Tribune reported. Wyoming's ban, one of numerous abortion restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers in U.S. states in the year since the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion by overturning the 50-year-old Roe vs. Wade decision, was set to go into effect July 1.

Malta govt backs down on abortion bill after protests

Malta's government on Friday backed down on a bill which would have allowed the abortion of pregnancies when the mother's health was at serious risk, saying instead that terminations would only be allowed when the mother's life was in danger. Malta is the only country in the European Union which does not allow any form of termination, and the original bill had raised a storm of protest, with anti-abortion campaigners saying the definition of what constituted a health risk was too wide.

US files first-ever charges against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals over allegations they illegally trafficked the chemicals used to make fentanyl - a highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in the United States. The indictments mark the first time the U.S. has sought to prosecute any of the Chinese companies responsible for manufacturing precursor chemicals used to make the painkiller.

Biden to sign executive order expanding access to contraception

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will sign an executive order designed to protect and expand access to contraception, after a Supreme Court ruling last year overturning the constitutional right to abortion raised fears that birth control could also face restrictions. Biden senior adviser Jen Klein told reporters that the order will increase ways for women to access contraception and lower out-of-pocket costs.

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).

US to spend $502 million on future bird flu response

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend $502 million to ensure its rapid response to any future bird flu cases as the country's worst-ever outbreak of the virus levels off, the agency said Friday. Bird flu has killed 58.7 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds across 47 states since January 2022, a record number in the U.S., according to June 7 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

UnitedHealth unit to add Boehringer's Humira biosimilar to reimbursement list

Boehringer Ingelheim's biosimilar of AbbVie Inc's blockbuster arthritis drug Humira will be included in the reimbursement list of UnitedHealth Group Inc's OptumRx unit, the German drugmaker said on Friday. The addition of the drug, Cyltezo, comes ahead of its U.S. launch on July 1. It will be offered on OptumRx's commercial formulary as a preferred brand, Boehringer said.

GSK soothes investors by settling first Zantac cancer lawsuit due for US trial

GSK agreed to settle a U.S. lawsuit alleging its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, the British drugmaker said on Friday, preventing the first such case from going to trial next month. The company said it had reached a confidential deal with California resident James Goetz who alleged he developed bladder cancer from taking the drug. The trial was due to start on July 24, and would have been the first test of how Zantac cancer claims would fare before a jury.

Moderna seeks US FDA authorization for updated COVID vaccine

Moderna said on Thursday it has completed a submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking authorization for its updated COVID-19 vaccine to target the XBB.1.5 subvariant. The submission from the company follows the FDA's advice last week to manufacturers that are updating their COVID-19 vaccines to develop monovalent shots to target XBB.1.5.

(With inputs from agencies.)