Health News Roundup: Pfizer, Valneva say 'positive' result for Lyme disease vaccine candidate booster; Philips settles one category of U.S. claims over respirator recall and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Pfizer, Valneva say 'positive' result for Lyme disease vaccine candidate booster

Pfizer and French pharmaceutical peer Valneva announced on Thursday that a phase 2 study for its VLA15 Lyme disease vaccine candidate showed a "strong immune response" in both children and adolescents a month after a booster shoot. "The Phase 2 booster results emphasize the vaccine candidate’s potential to provide immunity against Lyme disease in paediatric and adolescent populations," the two companies said in a statement.

Philips settles one category of U.S. claims over respirator recall

Philips said on Thursday it has reached a settlement to resolve one category of legal claims against it following a major recall of the Dutch medical equipment maker's sleep apnea and respiratory devices. The company said it has struck a deal to settle U.S. class action "economic loss" claims. Philips will make an initial payment of $479 million to a fund to cover payments claimants covered by the settlement, which will vary depending on the type of device they had.

Explainer-Do I need to worry about COVID again?

New data from scientists and vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech suggests that a newer, highly mutated variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is not as alarming as some experts had feared when it was first detected several weeks ago.

Nicknamed "Pirola" on social media, the BA.2.86 Omicron subvariant is being tracked by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Lilly's diabetes drug gains backing of UK watchdog -Bloomberg News

Eli Lilly's drug Mounjaro has won the backing of Britain's drug cost-effectiveness watchdog as a diabetes treatment, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Mounjaro is expected to become a blockbuster treatment if it is also approved to treat obesity and a U.S. decision on its use for weight loss is expected later this year.

Insulet shares slump on concerns of sales hit from new diabetes drugs

Insulet Corp's shares hit an over three-year low on Thursday on concerns that strong demand for a new class of diabetes drugs that also aid in weight loss could hit sales of its insulin pumps. CEO James Hollingshead said at the Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference that GLP-1 drugs, which are used to treat type-2 diabetes and obesity, could delay the onset of insulin dependency in diabetes patients.

Astellas withdraws lawsuit challenging Medicare drug price negotiation plans

Japan-based Astellas Pharma on Wednesday withdrew a lawsuit filed against the U.S. government, days after its prostate cancer drug was spared from the first list of drugs that will be subject to Medicare price negotiations. The U.S. government, late last month, selected the first 10 drugs, including the top-selling blood thinner Eliquis from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, which will face price negotiations as part of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

Massachusetts top court allows electric shock therapy for disabled patients

A Massachusetts institution for the developmentally disabled can continue to use controversial electric shock devices to address aggressive or self-harming behavior in residents, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, though it left the door open to future challenges. In a unanimous ruling Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld a 2018 lower court ruling that the state acted in bad faith in regulating the Canton-based Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. JRC, which provides education and treatment to people with development disabilities and behavioral disorders, is the only institution in the country to use the treatment.

Israeli scientists create model of human embryo without eggs or sperm

Scientists in Israel have created a model of a human embryo from stem cells in the laboratory, without using sperm, eggs or a womb, offering a unique glimpse into the early stages of embryonic development. The model resembles an embryo at day 14, when it acquires internal structures but before it lays down the foundations for body organs, according to the team at Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science.

Britain's Superdrug says Wegovy received is "very small fraction" of waiting list

British health and beauty chain Superdrug said on Thursday that the amount of weight-loss drug Wegovy it has so far received is "a very small fraction" of what would be needed to fulfil its swelling waiting list. More than 20,000 people had registered an interest in buying Wegovy from Superdrug even before Novo Nordisk launched the drug in Britain on Monday, and the waiting list has increased since then, a spokesperson told Reuters.

Alnylam's gene-silencing drug cuts blood pressure in mid-stage trial

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals said on Thursday its experimental gene-silencing therapy helped significantly reduce high blood pressure in patients in a mid-stage trial. The therapy, zilebesiran, helped reduce the average systolic blood pressure - which builds up in arteries as the heart beats - by 15 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) over a 24-hour period in the third month of the study.