Health News Roundup: EU announces deal with Pfizer, others to reserve vaccines for future pandemic; US FDA approves BioMarin's gene therapy for hemophilia A and more

Aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks, will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm, the sources told Reuters. Analysis-New Humira rivals likely to hit US market with small discounts in July At least four drugmakers are expected to launch new copycat versions of AbbVie's top-selling rheumatoid arthritis drug, Humira, over the next week, but experts expect little change in prices for the treatment even with the new competition.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

EU announces deal with Pfizer, others to reserve vaccines for future pandemic

The European Commission has contracted Pfizer and several European companies to reserve capacity to make up to 325 million vaccines per year in case of a future global health emergency, it said on Friday. The agreement, first reported by Reuters earlier in the day, covers mRNA, vector-based and protein-based vaccines and does not relate to existing COVID-19 vaccine agreements between the EU and vaccine makers including Pfizer.

US FDA approves BioMarin's gene therapy for hemophilia A

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved BioMarin Pharmaceutical's gene therapy for severe hemophilia A, the company said, giving patients with the inherited bleeding disorder an alternative to regular injections of missing blood proteins. It priced the one-time therapy, Roctavian, at $2.9 million. Pivotal trial results showed that Roctavian reduced bleeding events, but its durability is not known, and the company said it would include a warranty to health insurers.

Britain outlines new workforce plan for strained health service

Britain set out on Friday a new workforce hiring plan for England's state-run National Health Service (NHS), seeking to tackle staff shortages that have exposed the system to huge pressures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A beloved institution at the centre of Britain's post-war national identity, the NHS has endured a winter of crisis, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made cutting patient waiting lists one of his five priorities for the year.

Spanish researchers aim to 'trick nature' with artificial womb

Researchers in Barcelona are trying to "trick nature" by creating an artificial womb for extremely premature babies after tests on animals kept foetuses alive for 12 days. Their artificial placenta prototype recreates a protective environment with a translucent container made of biocompatible material inside which the foetus' lungs, intestines and brain can continue to develop.

Consumers, food-makers face choice as WHO cancer agency set to warn on aspartame sweeteners

Consumers, food companies, retailers and restaurants need to decide whether to fight back or find alternatives to one of the world's most common artificial sweeteners, as a leading global health body prepares to declare it a possible carcinogen. On Thursday, Reuters reported that aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gums, will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm. The IARC ruling does not take into account how much of a product a person can safely consume. This advice for individuals comes from a separate WHO expert committee on food additives, known as JECFA (the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization's Expert Committee on Food Additives), alongside determinations from national regulators. Several consumer industry trade bodies - whose members use aspartame - on Thursday rejected the IARC's assessment. "The headlines could have a negative impact on sales volumes of lower-calorie sodas, which is really a function of how much attention the story garners," Garrett Nelson, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, said.

Hold the Ozempic before surgery, US doctors say

People taking popular diabetes and weight loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy or Eli Lilly's Mounjaro should temporarily stop taking them before having elective surgery to avoid possible serious complications, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) said on Thursday. The group has received anecdotal reports from across the country that patients taking the drugs may be at increased risk of vomiting and aspirating food into the lungs and airways during general anesthesia or deep sedation, Dr. Michael Champeau, president of the ASA, said in an interview.

Exclusive-WHO's cancer research agency to say aspartame sweetener a possible carcinogen -sources

One of the world's most common artificial sweeteners is set to be declared a possible carcinogen next month by a leading global health body, according to two sources with knowledge of the process, pitting it against the food industry and regulators. Aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks, will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm, the sources told Reuters.

Analysis-New Humira rivals likely to hit US market with small discounts in July

At least four drugmakers are expected to launch new copycat versions of AbbVie's top-selling rheumatoid arthritis drug, Humira, over the next week, but experts expect little change in prices for the treatment even with the new competition. Drugmakers Boehringer Ingelheim, Sandoz and Organon are expected to launch their biosimilars on Saturday, adding to U.S. competition for the drug that started when Amgen released its copy in January. Germany's Fresenius plans to release its copycat version on Monday, according to the company.

US abortion pill access could hinge on whether doctors had right to sue

A prominent U.S. lawsuit to ban the abortion pill mifepristone has focused on the drug's safety and approval process. But the outcome may ultimately rest on a different issue: whether Ingrid Skop, an anti-abortion doctor in Texas, and other physicians behind the lawsuit can justify suing in the first place. That's because of the legal concept known as standing, which holds that plaintiffs must have suffered harm or face an imminent injury traceable to the defendant — in this case, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approved the pill in 2000.

Indian hospitals set investors' pulses racing in post-COVID boom

In Pune city, Indira IVF is teeming with patients ready to spend $1,300 on fertility treatments that few government hospitals offer, reflecting the huge demand for private health care sweeping India, fueled partly by the scary pandemic experience. Spotting the trend, global investors are scouting the Indian market, and banking and industry sources counted at least nine healthcare chains that are currently in talks to sell stakes.