Health News Roundup: FDA ordered to reconsider denial of approval for vape products; Canada approves Pfizer's gene therapy for bleeding disorder; Lilly says it stands against cosmetic use of its weight-loss drugs and more

The ruling by a unanimous panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes amid a wave of lawsuits focusing on when abortions can be provided in states whose abortion bans have exceptions for medical emergencies. CVS will remove AbbVie's Humira from some drug reimbursement lists in April CVS Health said on Wednesday it will remove AbbVie’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira from some of its lists of preferred drugs for reimbursement as of April 1, and will recommend biosimilar versions of the medicine instead.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Texas can ban emergency abortions despite federal guidance, court rules

The U.S. government cannot enforce federal guidance in Texas requiring emergency room doctors to perform abortions if necessary to stabilize emergency room patients, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday, siding with the state in a lawsuit accusing President Joe Biden's administration of overstepping its authority. The ruling by a unanimous panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes amid a wave of lawsuits focusing on when abortions can be provided in states whose abortion bans have exceptions for medical emergencies.

CVS will remove AbbVie's Humira from some drug reimbursement lists in April

CVS Health said on Wednesday it will remove AbbVie's blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira from some of its lists of preferred drugs for reimbursement as of April 1, and will recommend biosimilar versions of the medicine instead. CVS said Hyrimoz and an unbranded version of Humira, both from Swiss drugmaker Sandoz, will be covered across all its formularies, while branded and unbranded near copies of the drug from India's Biocon will be covered on some reimbursement lists.

FDA ordered to reconsider denial of approval for vape products

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its decision barring two makers of flavored liquid for e-cigarettes from marketing their products, saying the agency had been arbitrary and capricious in refusing to consider the companies' marketing plans. The 9-5 decision by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a July 2022 decision by a three-judge panel of that court.

Mask mandates return at some US hospitals as COVID, flu jump

Hospitals in at least four U.S. states have reinstated mask mandates amid a rise in cases of COVID, seasonal flu and other respiratory illness. Healthcare facilities in New York, California, Illinois and Massachusetts have made masks mandatory among patients and providers.

Record-breaking doctors' strike piles pressure on England's health service

Junior doctors in England started a six-day walkout over pay on Wednesday, the longest strike in the 75-year history of the state-run National Health Service (NHS), which will hit patient care during a seasonal winter peak in demand. As in other key sectors over the past year, junior doctors represented by the British Medical Association (BMA) have staged a series of walkouts to demand better pay in the face of soaring inflation.

Canada approves Pfizer's gene therapy for bleeding disorder

Pfizer said on Wednesday that Canada's health regulator approved its gene therapy for the treatment of a rare inherited bleeding disorder called hemophilia B ahead of a U.S. decision. The approval was based on late-stage trials that showed a single dose of the therapy, to be sold under the brand name Beqvez, was superior to the current standard of care which involves replacing a blood-clotting protein called factor IX.

Lilly says it stands against cosmetic use of its weight-loss drugs

Eli Lilly and Co said on Thursday it does not promote the use of its obesity and diabetes drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound outside of their approved purposes, and said it stands against their use for "cosmetic weight loss". The company in September filed lawsuits against 10 U.S. medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Brazilian city begins first mass vaccination against dengue

The city of Dourados in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul on Wednesday began the country's first mass vaccination against dengue, the city's government said. The initiative aims to vaccinate around 150,000 residents of the city between the ages of 4 and 59 using the recently approved Japanese drugmaker Takeda's vaccine QDENGA.

Consumer Reports finds 'widespread' presence of plastics in food

Consumer Reports has found that plastics retain a "widespread" presence in food despite the health risks, and called on regulators to reassess the safety of plastics that come into contact with food during production. The non-profit consumer group said on Thursday that 84 out of 85 supermarket foods and fast foods it recently tested contained "plasticizers" known as phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic more durable.

Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk enters research tie-ups with US biotech firms

Blockbuster weight-loss drug maker Novo Nordisk announced on Thursday research collaborations with two U.S. biotech firms, part of its efforts to stay ahead in big pharma's race to develop more treatments for cardiometabolic diseases. Novo, a Danish drugmaker whose share price rose 49% last year due to soaring demand for its weight-loss medicine Wegovy, said the partnerships with Omega Therapeutics and Cellarity Inc could lead to new treatments for people living with obesity and a type of liver disease known as MASH.