Health News Roundup: Mental health in spotlight in Hong Kong after violent attacks; J&J's $8.9 billion talc settlement faces US bankruptcy test and more

Drugmakers are ratcheting up their research and aiming for new formulations that can be taken as pills, options to deliver higher weight loss or drugs that reduce fat while maintaining muscle. Fresenius Medical Care shares drop on U.S. dialysis payment adjustment Shares in kidney dialysis group Fresenius Medical Care fell as much as 5% on Tuesday after a payment increase proposed by a major U.S. public health insurance body fell short of market expectations.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Mental health in spotlight in Hong Kong after violent attacks

A series of brutal attacks in Hong Kong is shining a light on mental health in a city that has suffered from particularly acute strains while lacking sufficient resources to provide proper care for all who need it, mental health groups say. Violent crime is rare in the financial hub but this month two women were stabbed to death in a busy shopping mall by an attacker who police reported had a history of mental illness.

J&J's $8.9 billion talc settlement faces US bankruptcy test

Johnson & Johnson's proposed $8.9 billion settlement of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc products cause cancer faces a crucial hurdle this week as a U.S. bankruptcy judge in New Jersey considers whether or not a J&J subsidiary may resolve them by filing for bankruptcy a second time. J&J subsidiary LTL Management's first attempt to do that was dismissed in April after a U.S. appeals court ruled that it was not in sufficient financial distress to be eligible for bankruptcy protection.

Reckitt creates 'air sanitizing spray' effective against coronavirus

Reckitt's Lysol disinfectant brand said on Tuesday that it would start selling in the U.S. an "air sanitizing spray" that kills 99.9% of airborne viruses and bacteria. The spray, which Reckitt said helps reduce the spread of airborne pathogens such as cold, Influenza and Coronavirus, has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

First U.S. malaria cases diagnosed in decades in Florida and Texas

Five cases of malaria have been confirmed in Florida and Texas, the first time the potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease has been locally acquired in the United States in 20 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. The four Florida cases, along with one in Texas, have been diagnosed over a period of two months, the agency said.

Obesity drug Wegovy's popularity has US employers rethinking insurance coverage

Shawnte struggled with her weight for years before she was prescribed Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic for weight loss in 2020, helping the former music industry professional from New York lose more than 50 pounds over two years. But last year, the 46-year-old, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect her privacy, was told her health insurance would not cover her weight loss treatment. She said she was directed to take cheaper weight-loss medications, which aren't as effective.

More evidence needed on Lilly's weight loss drug, UK watchdog says

UK's drug cost-effectiveness watchdog on Tuesday did not recommend Eli Lilly's weight loss drug for adults with diabetes, saying more evidence was needed before it could be used by the National Health Service (NHS). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in its draft guidance said it asked the company for more data on whether the drug Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, resulted in better weight loss than other drugs belonging to the same class of treatments.

Merck, Ridgeback withdraw COVID drug application in EU

Merck and Co and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said on Tuesday they had withdrawn their COVID-19 pill application in the European Union, months after the region's regulator did not back the drug citing insufficient data. Merck had requested the regulator's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to re-examine the application for molnupiravir, which is sold under the brand Lagevrio in the U.S. and other countries, after CHMP advised against its market authorization in February.The agency had said the drug could not demonstrate benefits in treating COVID patients who did not need oxygen support and were at the risk of their disease worsening.

Analysis-Weight loss drug candidates multiply, spurring hopes of better outcomes, lower costs

New data on weight loss drugs that could compete with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy are raising expectations there will soon be more options, and possibly lower prices, in an estimated $100 billion marketplace, doctors and pharmaceutical executives say. Drugmakers are ratcheting up their research and aiming for new formulations that can be taken as pills, options to deliver higher weight loss or drugs that reduce fat while maintaining muscle.

Fresenius Medical Care shares drop on U.S. dialysis payment adjustment

Shares in kidney dialysis group Fresenius Medical Care fell as much as 5% on Tuesday after a payment increase proposed by a major U.S. public health insurance body fell short of market expectations. Analysts said the base-rate payment increase of 1.6%, proposed for 2024 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late on Monday, fell short of the 3% to 4% projected by the market.

GSK's gonorrhoea vaccine receives FDA's 'fast-track' designation

GSK's vaccine candidate to treat sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea has been granted a fast-track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the British drugmaker said on Tuesday. The Neisseria gonorrhoeae investigational vaccine is currently at a mid-stage trial and aims to demonstrate efficacy of the vaccine in healthy adults who are at high risk of the infection, the company said in a statement.