Health News Roundup: China grapples with respiratory illness spike, WHO says no unusual pathogen found; Novo Nordisk invests $2.3 billion in France to boost obesity drug production and more

The investment will significantly increase production capacity for current medicines including Ozempic and Wegovy as well as other obesity treatments that are being developed, the Danish drugmaker said. Novo to launch Wegovy in Asia with February roll-out in Japan Novo Nordisk will launch its hugely popular anti-obesity drug Wegovy in Japan on Feb. 22, its first launch in Asia, the company said on Thursday, even as it struggles to keep up with demand in existing markets.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Don't press 'pandemic panic button' scientists caution on China pneumonia report

Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children. "We have to be careful," said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who advised the WHO on COVID-19. "We really need more information, particularly diagnostic information."

Bayer holds call with bond investors after raft of bad news

Bayer held a call with investors on Monday after a raft of bad news led some of them to question whether the German group had been upfront about its prospects ahead of a $5.75 billion bond issuance, three sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. The bad news prompted some bond investors to question whether Bayer should sweeten the terms of the deal or outright pull it, one of the sources said.

China grapples with respiratory illness spike, WHO says no unusual pathogen found

China called for vigilance on Friday as a surge of respiratory illness hit schools and hospitals and the World Health Organization, which has asked the government for disease data, said no unusual or novel pathogens had been detected. China is grappling with a spike in respiratory illnesses as it enters its first full winter season since it lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in December, with cases among children appearing especially high in northern areas like Beijing and Liaoning province where hospitals are warning of long waits.

Hong Kong to cull 1,900 pigs after reporting second swine fever case in a month

Hong Kong has ordered the culling of almost two thousand pigs after confirming a second case of African swine fever (ASF) in a month. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on Thursday said it planned to cull around 1,900 pigs from one herd on Nov. 25 after the virus was discovered at a local pig farm.

UN agencies hope truce will allow aid to flow to northern Gaza

U.N. agencies voiced hope that a shaky truce that got underway between Israel and Hamas on Friday would allow aid to flow to northern Gaza for the first time in weeks, while the World Health Organization said it is working on further hospital evacuations. Aid agencies have said they are aiming to deliver supplies to northern part of the Palestinian enclave where hospitals have collapsed due to bombings and lack of fuel and where there are major concerns about deyhydration and disease outbreaks.

Novo Nordisk invests $2.3 billion in France to boost obesity drug production

Novo Nordisk on Thursday announced a $2.3 billion investment to boost production of its wildly popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs at a site in Chartres, France as it races to meet soaring demand. The investment will significantly increase production capacity for current medicines including Ozempic and Wegovy as well as other obesity treatments that are being developed, the Danish drugmaker said.

Novo to launch Wegovy in Asia with February roll-out in Japan

Novo Nordisk will launch its hugely popular anti-obesity drug Wegovy in Japan on Feb. 22, its first launch in Asia, the company said on Thursday, even as it struggles to keep up with demand in existing markets. The Danish company has picked Japan as the sixth country in which to launch Wegovy despite obesity being a much smaller problem in the Asian country relative to the West.

Indonesian court papers reveal chain of events that led to cough syrup deaths

Indonesian court documents have revealed for the first time the chain of events that led to toxic ingredients being used in cough syrup that was among the products blamed for the deaths of more than 200 children in the country last year. According to the previously unreported 373-page court ruling in a criminal case of officials at Indonesia drugmaker Afi Farma, the seeds of the tragedy were sown in 2021 during a global shortage of pharmaceutical grade propylene glycol (PG), a key base for syrupy medicines.

US lawmakers ask SEC to scrutinize Musk comments on Neuralink

Four U.S. lawmakers have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Elon Musk committed securities fraud by allegedly misleading investors about the safety of a brain implant being developed by the billionaire’s firm Neuralink, according to a letter to the regulator. The request for an inquiry came from Democratic House Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, and Barbara Lee and Tony Cardenas of California, according to the letter sent to the SEC on Tuesday and reviewed by Reuters.

Macron to unveil 2.1 billion eur Novo Nordisk pharma investment in France

French President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday inaugurate a 2.1 billion euro ($2.3 billion) investment by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in France, his office said, pitching it as a sign of newly restored French industrial competitiveness. The investment, for which no detail was provided by Macron's office, will be based in Chartres, west of Paris, where Novo already employs nearly 2,000 people. Novo is known for its hugely popular anti-obesity drug Wegovy.

(With inputs from agencies.)