Health News Roundup: Philip Morris develops zero-tobacco heat stick that may avoid regulations; Gritstone bio wins $433 million US contract for COVID vaccine study and more

J&J said on Thursday it expects the combination to become a first-line treatment for non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a type of mutation in EGFR protein that causes rapid tumor cell growth. Philip Morris develops zero-tobacco heat stick that may avoid regulations Philip Morris International (PMI) on Thursday unveiled a zero-tobacco stick for use with its "heat-not-burn" device IQOS, which may help the company avoid tax and other regulations that affect its tobacco products in some markets.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

J&J's lung cancer therapy succeeds in head-to-head study with AstraZeneca's drug

Johnson & Johnson said its cancer drug combination increased the time patients with a type of non small-cell lung cancer live without the disease worsening compared to AstraZeneca's Tagrisso in a late-stage study. J&J said on Thursday it expects the combination to become a first-line treatment for non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a type of mutation in EGFR protein that causes rapid tumor cell growth.

Philip Morris develops zero-tobacco heat stick that may avoid regulations

Philip Morris International (PMI) on Thursday unveiled a zero-tobacco stick for use with its "heat-not-burn" device IQOS, which may help the company avoid tax and other regulations that affect its tobacco products in some markets. IQOS heats up small packets of ground up tobacco resembling cigarettes but does not burn them, a process the company says potentially results in fewer health risks compared to smoking.

GSK lifts growth target for HIV business on demand for long-acting drug

GSK on Thursday lifted its medium-term growth forecast for its HIV drugs business ViiV, encouraged by strong sales of long-acting injections that aim to replace daily pills for preventing and treating the infection. The ViiV business, in which Pfizer and Shionogi hold small stakes, is a key element of a push by group CEO Emma Walmsley to improve investor confidence in the strength of GSK's drug development pipeline, which has lagged that of its rivals.

Gritstone bio wins $433 million US contract for COVID vaccine study

Gritstone bio on Wednesday secured a $433 million contract by the U.S. government to conduct a mid-stage study of its self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The contract is a part of "Project NextGen," an initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to advance a pipeline of new, innovative vaccines and therapeutics providing broader and more durable protection against COVID-19 infection.

Newer antibiotic effective against deadly staph infection in trial

An antibiotic already in use in Europe to treat pneumonia controlled deadly bloodstream infections with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria just as effectively as the most powerful antibiotic currently in use, according to data from a late-stage trial. Ceftobiprole from Swiss drugmaker Basilea Pharmaceutica appeared to be equally effective as the older drug daptomycin in the roughly one-in-four patients who had particularly difficult to treat methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections, researchers reported on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Wegovy, other weight-loss drugs scrutinized over reports of suicidal thoughts

Dawn Heidlebaugh felt trapped in a disturbing pattern while taking Ozempic, the popular drug used to treat diabetes and obesity. Each Sunday for more than a year, the 53-year-old Ohio real estate agent took her weekly injection to help control her blood sugar. Then every Tuesday, she felt lethargic, depressed and sometimes suicidal, thinking her husband and four children might be better off without her. These feelings would last a few days, and the cycle repeated every week — except when she skipped a dose.

Schott Pharma shares jump 16% in Frankfurt trading debut

Shares in medical vials manufacturer Schott Pharma rose 16% in their trading debut on Thursday in Germany's largest initial public offering (IPO) so far this year. Shares in the company closed at 31.30 euros ($33.08) in Frankfurt, up from the 27 euros paid by investors in the IPO, adding to signs that Europe's IPO market is picking up.

Merck's blood vessel disorder therapy receives US FDA's priority review

Merck said on Thursday the U.S. health regulator will review its experimental therapy to treat a type of progressive blood vessel disorder on a priority basis. The drugmaker had gained rights to the therapy, sotatercept, through its $11.5 billion acquisition of Acceleron Pharma in 2021.

German court suspends mRNA patent trial against BioNTech

A German court on Thursday suspended a patent trial against BioNTech over the use of mRNA technology in the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German company together with its U.S. partner Pfizer. The Duesseldorf regional court said it needed further clarification and suspended the case, brought by BioNTech competitor CureVac, pending decisions by the German and the European patent offices on a legal challenge filed by BioNTech.

S.Africa's RCL Foods culls 410,000 chickens amid bird flu outbreak

South Africa's RCL Foods said on Thursday its poultry unit Rainbow has culled 410,000 chickens due to the country's worst outbreak of avian flu, heightening fears of chicken meat and egg shortages. The outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), a bird flu which spreads rapidly in an infected flock causing a high death rate, has already impacted table egg supplies in the country and producers have warned of chicken meat shortages in the coming weeks.

(With inputs from agencies.)