Health News Roundup: US FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID shot, shares rise; AstraZeneca to pay $425 million to end US lawsuits over heartburn drugs and more

The infants died on Sunday and were among 24 deaths recorded that day at the Shankarrao Chavan Government Hospital in the Nanded district, some 600 km (373 miles) from India's financial capital Mumbai, hospital officials and local media said. Court tosses $223.8 million verdict against J&J in talc cancer case A New Jersey appeals court on Tuesday threw out a $223.8 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson that a jury had awarded to four plaintiffs who claimed they developed cancer from being exposed to asbestos in the company's talc powder products.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novo Nordisk owner readies for big Wegovy windfall

The CEO of Novo Holdings said on Tuesday the controlling shareholder of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk was ready for a huge windfall from the runaway success of weight-loss drug Wegovy. Novo Holdings invests and manages the wealth and assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, whose newly bulging coffers could make it a major philanthropist and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investor.

Sanofi in agreement with Janssen to develop E. coli the vaccine candidate

Sanofi on Tuesday announced it had reached an agreement with Janssen, a part of Johnson & Johnson, to develop and commercialize a vaccine candidate for extra-intestinal pathogenic E.coli. Under the terms of the deal, both parties will co-fund current and future research and development costs. Sanofi will pay $175 million upfront to Janssen, followed by development and commercial milestones.

French agency curbs use of weedkiller due to children's health concerns

French health security agency ANSES restricted the use of common weedkiller prosulfocarb on Tuesday, mainly due to a risk of skin reaction in children, and threatened to ban it next June if producers cannot prove the new rules are effective. Mainly used on cereals like wheat, barley and rye, as well as root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, prosulfocarb has become the second-largest weedkiller behind glyphosate in France, the European Union's biggest crop grower.

Twelve infants die in a day at Indian hospital, opposition alleges negligence

Twelve infants died in one day at a hospital in the Indian state of Maharashtra, sparking a political storm on Tuesday with opposition politicians accusing the regional government and hospital authorities of negligence. The infants died on Sunday and were among 24 deaths recorded that day at the Shankarrao Chavan Government Hospital in the Nanded district, some 600 km (373 miles) from India's financial capital Mumbai, hospital officials and local media said.

Court tosses $223.8 million verdict against J&J in talc cancer case

A New Jersey appeals court on Tuesday threw out a $223.8 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson that a jury had awarded to four plaintiffs who claimed they developed cancer from being exposed to asbestos in the company's talc powder products. The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division found that a lower court judge should not have allowed some of the scientific expert testimony the plaintiffs presented to jurors at trial.

US FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID shot, shares rise

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it authorized an updated version of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in individuals aged 12 years and older, and the company's shares closed 8% higher. The Maryland-based company, whose COVID vaccine is its lone marketed product, has adopted cost-cutting measures and is counting on commercial sales of its updated shot to help it stay afloat. The company has said it may not be able to remain solvent otherwise.

AstraZeneca to pay $425 million to end US lawsuits over heartburn drugs

Britain's AstraZeneca has agreed to pay $425 million to settle about 11,000 lawsuits in the United States that claimed its heartburn drugs Nexium and Prilosec caused chronic kidney disease. AstraZeneca did not admit wrongdoing under the settlement, part of broader litigation against makers of a class of heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Its shares dipped 0.4%.

Amgen's late-stage data for lung cancer drug 'not adequate' - FDA staff

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers said on Tuesday Amgen's late-stage study might not be sufficient to confirm the effectiveness for its lung cancer drug, as the firm pursues a traditional nod for the treatment. The assessment comes ahead of a panel meeting of expert advisers to the U.S. health agency, who will vote on the reliability of the data on Thursday.

WHO says no new cases of Nipah virus detected since Sept 15

No fresh cases of the deadly Nipah virus have been detected since Sept. 15 in India's southern state of Kerala, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. In its sixth outbreak in the country since 2001 this year, the virus, known for its 70% mortality rate, has claimed two lives out of the six who were infected in a span of few days in September, sending the state government scrambling to contain the spread.

Over 60 Jamaican school kids hospitalized after eating cannabis rainbow candy

More than 60 Jamaican primary school kids were hospitalized after eating potent rainbow-colored cannabis candy, the Caribbean country's education minister said on social media platform X, causing them to vomit and hallucinate. "I feel confident that together we will strengthen our safety and security regime to combat the unconscionable sale of marijuana infused products to children," Fayval Williams said on Tuesday, noting the "most unfortunate" circumstances under which she met parents and stakeholders of Ocho Rios Primary School.

(With inputs from agencies.)