Health News Roundup: Pfizer considers cost cuts as demand for COVID products falls; Incyte beats estimates on high demand for cancer drug Jakafi and more

Daiichi Sankyo submitted the vaccine, known as DS-5670 with the brand name Daichirona, to regulators in January, proposing the shot as a booster after regular immunisation. Merck raises 2023 sales forecast as top drugs beat Street estimates Merck & Co raised its full-year revenue forecast on Tuesday as second-quarter sales of its top-selling products, cancer immunotherapy Keytruda and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil, sailed past Wall Street estimates.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Thermo Fisher settles Henrietta Lacks lawsuit over 'HeLa' cell line

Laboratory equipment maker Thermo Fisher Scientific has settled a lawsuit brought by the estate of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have fueled biomedical research for decades, lawyers for the estate said on Tuesday. The story of Lacks, a young African-American woman who died in Baltimore in 1951, was made famous in Rebecca Skloot's 2010 best-selling book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," which became a feature film in 2017.

Promising new Alzheimer's drugs may benefit whites more than Blacks

Groundbreaking treatments for Alzheimer's disease that work by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain may benefit whites more than Black Americans, whose disease may be driven by other factors, leading Alzheimer's experts told Reuters. The two drugs – Leqembi, from partner biotech firms Eisai and Biogen, and an experimental treatment developed by Eli Lilly, donanemab - are the first to offer real hope of slowing the fatal disease for the 6.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's.

Zimmer Biomet's downbeat 2024 view hits shares after forecast raise

Zimmer Biomet Holdings on Tuesday raised its full-year profit forecast after beating second-quarter estimates on demand for its medical devices but shares fell more than 5% as investors focused on the company's comments for 2024. Expectations were high heading into the results following strong reports from Abbott Laboratories and Johnson & Johnson as a resumption of non-urgent procedures and easing staffing shortages at hospitals boosted demand.

Japan's Daiichi Sankyo gets approval for COVID vaccine, first for country

A Japanese health ministry panel recommended approval for Daiichi Sankyo's mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in what would be the nation's first home-grown shot for the coronavirus. Daiichi Sankyo submitted the vaccine, known as DS-5670 with the brand name Daichirona, to regulators in January, proposing the shot as a booster after regular immunisation.

Merck raises 2023 sales forecast as top drugs beat Street estimates

Merck & Co raised its full-year revenue forecast on Tuesday as second-quarter sales of its top-selling products, cancer immunotherapy Keytruda and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil, sailed past Wall Street estimates. Merck said Keytruda sales for the quarter jumped 19% to $6.3 billion, surpassing analysts' average estimate of $5.9 billion.

Vertex Pharma raises full-year revenue forecast on cystic fibrosis treatment strength

Vertex Pharmaceuticals raised its full-year sales forecast on Tuesday, banking on strong demand for its cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment. The company now sees full-year sales from its CF treatments to be between $9.7 billion and $9.8 billion, from a prior forecast of $9.55 billion to $9.7 billion. This compares with $9.75 billion as estimated by analysts.

India orders drugmaker linked to Cameroon cough syrup deaths to stop manufacturing

The Indian government has ordered a drugmaker whose cough syrup was linked to the deaths of at least six children in Cameroon to stop manufacturing, it said on Tuesday, the fourth Indian company to face a crackdown over tainted medicines. The move comes as Indian regulators step up inspections at drugmakers after cough syrups made in the country were linked to the deaths of dozens of children overseas, denting India's image as the "pharmacy of the world".

Pfizer considers cost cuts as demand for COVID products falls

Pfizer on Tuesday said it will launch a cost-cutting program if its COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral treatment keep underperforming expectations in the coming months due to plunging demand. Pfizer said it anticipates more clarity on the future size of the COVID market later this year as infection rates rise in the autumn and the U.S. switches to a commercial market from government contracts for the vaccine.

Judge blocks Idaho prosecution of out-of-state abortion referrals

A U.S. judge on Monday blocked the state of Idaho at least temporarily from prosecuting doctors who refer patients out of state to get an abortion, finding that would violate a medical provider's right to free speech. U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill agreed with a challenge led by Planned Parenthood that Republican Attorney General Raul Labrador's interpretation of the state's criminal abortion law was "chilling" to providers' First Amendment rights.

Incyte beats estimates on high demand for cancer drug Jakafi

Incyte Corp on Tuesday reported second-quarter profit and revenue above Wall Street estimates as demand for its blood cancer drug Jakafi and skin disorder drug Opzelura picked momentum. Jakafi, the company's biggest-selling drug, brought in sales of $682.4 million, compared with Refinitiv IBES estimates of $$655.2 mln.

(With inputs from agencies.)