Health News Roundup: Altria seeks US import ban on Juul e-vapor products; US FDA approves Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine to protect infants and more

In a complaint filed on Friday in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, the privately-held German drugmaker said the program violates the U.S. Constitution by giving federal regulators too much power to dictate drug prices. US FDA approves Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine to protect infants The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Pfizer's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for use in women during the middle of the third trimester of pregnancy to protect their babies.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Altria seeks US import ban on Juul e-vapor products

Marlboro maker Altria Group said on Tuesday that its subsidiary e-cigarette firm NJOY has filed a complaint against rival Juul Labs with the U.S. International Trade Commission, seeking a ban on the import and sale of Juul products. The move escalates a dispute between the two e-cigarette makers after Juul filed a similar patent infringement case against NJOY at the ITC in June.

US FDA approves Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine to protect infants

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Pfizer's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for use in women during the middle of the third trimester of pregnancy to protect their babies. The approval allows the vaccine to be given to women 32 to 36 weeks into a pregnancy to prevent lower respiratory tract infection and severe disease in infants until they are six months old, the company said.

US govt awards $1.4 billion for development of new COVID therapies, vaccines

The U.S. government said on Tuesday it had awarded $1.4 billion for the development of new therapies and vaccines against COVID-19, including a $326 million contract with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for a next-generation antibody therapy for prevention of infections. The funding to Regeneron is a part of a $5 billion initiative dubbed "Project NextGen" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

3M names Bryan Hanson as CEO of its health care business

3M Co said on Tuesday that Bryan Hanson would be the chief executive officer of the healthcare company it plans to spin off. 3M last year disclosed plans to spin off its healthcare business into a listed company, in which the U.S. industrial giant would retain a 19.9% stake. The company expects to complete the spinoff by the end of 2023.

US FDA panel backs Otsuka's blood pressure treatment device

A panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday recommended the use of a device made by a unit of Otsuka Holdings in a type of surgery to treat high blood pressure. The FDA panel backed the use of the device made by the Japanese company's unit ReCor for renal denervation, which is indicated for use in patients whose hypertension, or high blood pressure, cannot be controlled with drugs.

Novavax's updated COVID shot shows immune response against subvariant Eris

Novavax Inc said on Tuesday its updated protein-based COVID-19 vaccine generated an immune response against emerging forms of coronavirus such as the "Eris" subvariant in small studies in animals. COVID infections and hospitalizations have been rising in the United States, Europe and Asia, with more cases in recent months attributed to the EG.5 subvariant — nicknamed "Eris" — a descendant of the Omicron lineage that originally emerged in November 2021.

Indivior to pay $30 million to settle health plans' Suboxone claims

Indivior has agreed to pay $30 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in a U.S. court by health plans accusing the drugmaker of illegally suppressing generic competition for its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone. The settlement, disclosed on Saturday in a filing by lawyers for the health plans in federal court in Philadelphia, must still be approved by a judge. Indivior is still facing claims by drug wholesalers that bought Suboxone from the Virginia-based company directly, with a trial scheduled in October.

US FDA puts Gilead Sciences blood cancer drug studies on hold

Gilead Sciences said on Monday the U.S. health regulator placed a clinical hold on studies of its blood cancer drug, just a month after the company scrapped a late-stage trial due to efficacy concerns. The company gained access to the drug, magrolimab, with its $4.9 billion buyout of Forty Seven Inc in March 2020.

Boehringer latest to sue US over drug price negotiation plan

Boehringer Ingelheim sued the U.S. government in an attempt to block a program that gives the Medicare health insurance plan the power to negotiate lower drug prices, joining other drugmakers and business groups claiming that it would stifle development of new medicines. In a complaint filed on Friday in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, the privately-held German drugmaker said the program violates the U.S. Constitution by giving federal regulators too much power to dictate drug prices.

Medtronic raises profit forecast as surgeries return to pre-pandemic levels

Medtronic on Tuesday raised its annual profit forecast as the return of non-urgent surgery volumes to pre-pandemic levels boosted demand for its medical devices, sending its shares up 3%. Medtronic, which makes pacemakers, catheters and other tools used in heart and gastrointestinal surgeries, joins rivals, including Abbott Laboratories, Stryker and Boston Scientific, on benefiting from a rise in non-urgent surgeries.

(With inputs from agencies.)