Health News Roundup: Australia launches 'national wellbeing' dashboard to measure prosperity beyond GDP; WHO seeks help from India in latest toxic syrup case and more

Demand for medical devices and non-COVID-19 testing is expected to rise this year, as older adults in particular get more comfortable visiting hospitals and staffing shortages at those facilities ease. As cell-cultivated meat hits menus, investors see scaling as next hurdle Cell-cultivated meat companies could receive new investment since U.S. regulators cleared the product's sale last month, but the sector must scale up and lower costs to seriously challenge conventional meat, said investors and major food companies.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Australia launches 'national wellbeing' dashboard to measure prosperity beyond GDP

Australia on Friday launched a "national wellbeing" dashboard of indicators to measure progress on issues like health, education and the environment, one that it hopes will lead to a better balance between economic and social objectives.

It will track indicators across five categories - healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive, and prosperous - that can be viewed on an online dashboard and will be updated annually.

WHO seeks help from India in latest toxic syrup case

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked the Indian authorities for help in establishing the origins of a contaminated cough syrup that has been linked to children's deaths in Cameroon. The U.N. agency issued a warning on Wednesday about a syrup branded as Naturcold, which was sold in Cameroon and linked by authorities there with at least six children's' deaths. The syrup contained extremely high levels of the toxic contaminant diethylene glycol, the WHO said.

Vir Biotech slumps to over 3-year low as flu prevention therapy fails trial

Vir Biotechnology's shares plunged 45% to a more than three-year low on Thursday after the company's experimental antibody therapy to prevent a type of flu failed to meet its goals in a mid-stage trial. The biotechnology firm, which came into prominence through its COVID-19 antibody therapy sotrovimab developed in partnership with GSK plc, lost over $1 billion in market capitalization in early trade hit by the therapy's failure.

US FDA approves Emergent BioSolutions' anthrax vaccine

Emergent BioSolutions said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its anthrax vaccine for use in adults aged 18 through 65. The vaccine, Cyfendus, has been approved for use following suspected or confirmed exposure to a type of bacteria and has to be administered together with antibacterial drugs.

Japan's Daiichi Sankyo gets US FDA nod for blood cancer treatment

Daiichi Sankyo said the U.S. health regulator has approved its drug for treating newly diagnosed patients suffering from an aggressive type of blood cancer, pitting the treatment against those from rivals Novartis and Astellas. The drug, which is already approved in Japan has faced a long path to the U.S. market, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declining to approve it in 2019 in a different set of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and then extending its review by three months earlier this year.

Ramsay, Sime Darby tap BofA, Deutsche to sell $1.3 billion Asia healthcare venture - sources

Australia's Ramsay Health Care and Malaysia's Sime Darby have hired Bank of America and Deutsche Bank to sell their $1.3 billion healthcare joint venture, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. The companies could launch the sale of Selangor, Malaysia-based Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care within the next two months depending on market conditions, one of the sources said.

J&J spinoff Kenvue forecasts upbeat annual profit on self-care boost

Kenvue, the former consumer health unit of Johnson & Johnson, forecast full-year profit above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, betting on resilient demand for its skincare and self-care products such as Neutrogena and Tylenol. Shares of the company still fell as much as 10% after J&J, which owns 90% of Kenvue's outstanding shares, said a tender offer to sell the stake could start as early as the coming days.

Abbott's strong medical device sales drive upbeat quarter as surgeries rebound

Abbott Laboratories on Thursday beat quarterly profit expectations as a rebound in surgical procedure volumes drove demand for medical devices despite high inflation-driven costs, sending shares up by nearly 4%. Demand for medical devices and non-COVID-19 testing is expected to rise this year, as older adults in particular get more comfortable visiting hospitals and staffing shortages at those facilities ease.

As cell-cultivated meat hits menus, investors see scaling as next hurdle

Cell-cultivated meat companies could receive new investment since U.S. regulators cleared the product's sale last month, but the sector must scale up and lower costs to seriously challenge conventional meat, said investors and major food companies. Several startups have developed the technology to grow meat from harvested animal cells, hoping to court meat-eaters seeking a more environmentally friendly option and vegans or vegetarians who avoid meat for moral reasons.

J&J upbeat on 2023 as devices rebound post-COVID, shares jump

Johnson & Johnson on Thursday expressed optimism for strong growth this year, saying it expected to surpass profit estimates with joint replacement and other surgeries rebounding after COVID-19 and inflation tempering, as its shares rose 6%. J&J also told investors it was banking on strong demand for its cancer drugs, with protections in place for its blockbuster arthritis drug also bolstering its pharmaceutical portfolio.