Health News Roundup: Spain makes masks mandatory in healthcare centres amid flu, COVID peak; India pledges 'appropriate action' after completing cough syrup bribe probe and more

Over 3.7 million people who have signed up for the 2024 plans are new enrollees, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed. Novo CEO expects patients to stay on Wegovy longer than older weight loss drugs Novo Nordisk's CEO said on Tuesday he expects patients will stick with the company's popular obesity drug Wegovy for far longer than those using older treatments.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Oxford starts human testing of Nipah virus vaccine

The University of Oxford said on Thursday it had begun human testing of an experimental vaccine against the brain-swelling Nipah virus that led to outbreaks in India's Kerala state and other parts of Asia. There is no vaccine yet for the deadly virus. Nipah was first identified about 25 years ago in Malaysia and has led to outbreaks in Bangladesh, India and Singapore.

US sets enrollment record for Obamacare plans

More than 20 million Americans have so far signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) marketplace for this year, the highest since the inception of the law, according to data released on Wednesday. Over 3.7 million people who have signed up for the 2024 plans are new enrollees, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed.

Novo CEO expects patients to stay on Wegovy longer than older weight loss drugs

Novo Nordisk's CEO said on Tuesday he expects patients will stick with the company's popular obesity drug Wegovy for far longer than those using older treatments. "We know from all medical interventions, stay time is not like a 100%... but I think we will see a significantly higher stay time than what we have seen so far on obesity treatment," said Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen at the JPMorgan Healthcare conference in San Francisco.

Ohio House of Representatives overrides veto of bill banning gender-affirming care

Ohio's House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to override the governor's veto of a bill that bans gender-affirming healthcare for minors, one of dozens of bills under debate this year that would restrict transgender rights across the U.S. In this presidential election year, the number of bills has already surpassed last year's record-setting pace, extending a contentious cultural debate in the United States. Democrats say transgender people and parents of transgender kids should determine treatment, as endorsed by the medical consensus, while Republicans portray that stance as medically radical and dangerous to children.

AbbVie expects Botox to maintain market share as competition heats up

AbbVie expects Botox's market share in the aesthetics space to remain strong even as rivals launch competing anti-wrinkle injections, a company executive said on Wednesday.

Botox sales, especially for aesthetic use, have been under pressure over the last few quarters due to economic uncertainties. Investors have also been concerned about potential market share losses to new entrants such as Revance Therapeutics' Daxxify and Evolus' Jeuveau.

Drugmakers plot way into obesity market with deals and development

Pharmaceutical executives from Amgen to Pfizer are plotting to break into the lucrative obesity market by developing or cutting deals to acquire better drugs that will compete with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Zepbound from Eli Lilly. At stake is a market that is now estimated to reach $100 billion at a minimum by the end of the decade, as consumers flock to the new treatments that have been shown to reduce weight by as much as 20%. Drugmakers are testing these drugs for other health benefits such as lowering cardiovascular disease risk and obstructive sleep apnea.

US FDA allows import of syphilis drug to address shortages

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will temporarily allow the import of a syphilis drug made by France's Laboratoires Delbert, the company said on Wednesday. Laboratoires Delbert said it was coordinating with the health regulator to bring extencilline into the United States to address syphilis drug shortages, according to a letter on the FDA's website.

Spain makes masks mandatory in healthcare centres amid flu, COVID peak

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia made wearing masks mandatory in healthcare centres around the country from Wednesday as the country faces a peak of flu and COVID-19 infections. "What we have to do is protect the most vulnerable people," she told reporters. "It's just common sense."

India pledges 'appropriate action' after completing cough syrup bribe probe

India will take "appropriate action" after completing an investigation into a complaint that a drug regulator helped switch samples of cough syrup linked to the death of children in Gambia in return for a bribe, two officials said on Wednesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) linked the syrups made by India's Maiden Pharmaceuticals to the deaths of 70 children in 2022, though India's government said subsequent tests at an Indian government laboratory showed the syrups were not toxic.

Pakistan seizes poisonous solvent used in cough syrup

Pakistan has seized a batch of contaminated propylene glycol solvent that was labelled as manufactured by Dow Chemical, Thailand, the nation's drug regulatory authority said on Thursday. Dow Chemical, Thailand did not respond to a request for a comment.