Health News Roundup: US FDA finds control lapses at Catalent plant being sold to Novo; AstraZeneca to invest $300 million in US facility for cell therapies and more

Its shares rose over 3% to $76.26 in morning trading. US FDA puts hold on Gilead's blood cancer therapy trials Gilead Sciences said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had put a hold on trials testing the company's blood cancer drug following increased risk of patient death in some studies.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US FDA finds control lapses at Catalent plant being sold to Novo

U.S. drug regulators in November found quality control lapses at the Bloomington, Indiana factory of contract drug manufacturer Catalent, including discovery of a "pest" on the manufacturing line, according to an inspection report. Novo Holdings, the parent company of Novo Nordisk, on Monday announced it was buying Catalent in a $16.5 billion deal that included its Bloomington plant, which it plans to sell to Novo Nordisk to help it produce its popular weight-loss drug Wegovy.

Dengue spreads fast in Brazil prompting emergency health measures

Dengue fever has surged in Brazil's hot rainy season, forcing health authorities to take emergency measures and start mass vaccination against the mosquito-borne illness. In the first five weeks of this year 364,855 cases of infection have been reported, the Health Ministry said, four times more than dengue cases in the same period of 2023.

American Healthcare REIT to raise about $672 million in US IPO

American Healthcare REIT said on Tuesday it will raise about $672 million in an initial public offering (IPO) in New York and plans to use most of that to pay down debt. The real estate investment trust said it plans to sell 56 million shares priced at $12 each, the lower end of its targeted range of $12 to $15.

EU watchdog looking into impact on drug availability from Catalent-Novo deal

The European Union's drugs regulator said on Wednesday it will investigate any risks to the availability of medicines processed at Catalent sites that will be sold to Novo Nordisk, part of its mandate to prevent drug shortages. The European Medicines Agency told Reuters in a statement that its Medicine Shortages Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Working Party will liaise with member states to gather data on the products manufactured at the sites.

U.S. publisher retracts studies cited by Texas judge in suspending abortion pill's approval

A U.S. scientific publisher has retracted two studies, largely due to their methodology, that a Texas judge cited last year in his ruling suspending federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone in response to a lawsuit by anti-abortion doctors and medical associations. The retraction Monday by Sage Publications came less than two months before the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal by President Joe Biden's administration in that case. Mifepristone, the first in a two-pill regimen for medication abortion, remains available while the appeal is pending.

Eli Lilly to offer low-cost insulin, donate to clinics in Minnesota settlement

Eli Lilly agreed to provide low-cost insulin to patients and donate free insulin to clinics, to settle a lawsuit by Minnesota that accused the three largest insulin makers of deceptively raising the price of the diabetes treatment. The settlement filed on Wednesday in a New Jersey federal court calls for Lilly to offer patients in Minnesota who pay out-of-pocket the ability to pay no more than $35 a month for its insulin products.

Canada's Conservative leader supports ban on puberty blockers for minors

Canada's Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday expressed support for a gender identity policy that would forbid minors in the Western province of Alberta from receiving hormonal treatments like puberty blockers. Alberta's guidelines, which were announced last week and are expected to be implemented later this year, would be the strictest in Canada. They would ban hormonal treatments for children who are 15 and under, and require parental consent for 16- and 17-year-olds.

AstraZeneca to invest $300 million in US facility for cell therapies

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it will invest $300 million in a facility in Rockville, Maryland, for discovery and development of cell therapies. More than 150 jobs will be created at the site in the United States to initially focus on manufacturing the cell therapies to enable clinical trials to be conducted, the company said, adding that the site may expand its focus to support other disease areas.

CVS cuts 2024 profit forecast as medical care drives costs higher

CVS Health lowered its adjusted profit forecast for 2024 on Wednesday after an increase in medical procedures among older adults in the United States fueled costs in its insurance business in the fourth quarter. The company beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit, however, on strength in its drugstores and its pharmacy benefits management (PBM) unit, which negotiates drug prices between insurers and manufacturers. Its shares rose over 3% to $76.26 in morning trading.

US FDA puts hold on Gilead's blood cancer therapy trials

Gilead Sciences said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had put a hold on trials testing the company's blood cancer drug following increased risk of patient death in some studies. The company will stop testing the drug, magrolimab, for all blood cancers and will review its safety across other studies such as those in patients with colon and breast cancers.