Health News Roundup: Pfizer agrees to pay $93 million to settle Lipitor antitrust lawsuit; US FDA approves first treatment for severe frostbite and more

The lawsuit, filed in the California Superior Court, also includes Alphabet's YouTube, Snap Inc's Snapchat and ByteDance's TikTok and alleges that the companies intentionally designed their platforms to "purposefully manipulate and addict children and teens to social media applications." Britain sees launch of Lilly's weight-loss drug Mounjaro Eli Lilly's Mounjaro is being launched in Britain this week, two pharmacy companies said on Wednesday, making the UK the fourth European country to introduce the highly-anticipated obesity drug.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Cancer test firm Freenome raises $254 million in fresh funding

Blood test developer Freenome said on Thursday it has raised $254 million in a new funding round led by Swiss drugmaker Roche, to develop tests that can potentially detect multiple early-stage cancers. The company did not disclose the valuation at which the funds were raised.

New York Mayor sues social media firms for fueling youth mental health crisis

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday that his administration has filed a lawsuit against social media companies including Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram for fueling mental health crisis among the youth. The lawsuit, filed in the California Superior Court, also includes Alphabet's YouTube, Snap Inc's Snapchat and ByteDance's TikTok and alleges that the companies intentionally designed their platforms to "purposefully manipulate and addict children and teens to social media applications."

Britain sees launch of Lilly's weight-loss drug Mounjaro

Eli Lilly's Mounjaro is being launched in Britain this week, two pharmacy companies said on Wednesday, making the UK the fourth European country to introduce the highly-anticipated obesity drug. British pharmacy and beauty chain Superdrug said on Wednesday that eligible private patients could seek prescriptions for Mounjaro, also approved for diabetes, through its Online Doctor service from Thursday.

Cholera vaccine stocks 'empty' as cases surge

The emergency global stockpile of cholera vaccines is empty with all available doses for this month already allocated to countries battling major outbreaks, two United Nations agencies told Reuters. The rest of this year will see a predicted shortfall of at least 50 million doses between demand and supply, a UNICEF official added, as cases continue to surge worldwide.

GSK completes acquisition of Aiolos Bio for up to $1.4 billion

GSK said on Thursday it had completed the acquisition of Aiolos Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on respiratory and inflammatory conditions. GSK will pay $1 billion upfront and up to $400 million in success-based milestone payments.

Pfizer agrees to pay $93 million to settle Lipitor antitrust lawsuit

Pfizer has agreed to pay $93 million to settle antitrust claims by wholesale drug distributors that accused it of conspiring with India's Ranbaxy Laboratories to delay sales of less expensive, generic versions of the cholesterol drug Lipitor. Attorneys for Lipitor purchasers including Rochester Drug Co-Operative Inc and Puerto Rico's Drogueria Betances LLC disclosed the agreement in a filing on Wednesday in U.S. court in Trenton, New Jersey.

Alvotech settles with J&J to launch Stelara biosimilar in Europe, Canada

Alvotech said on Thursday it has reached settlement agreements with Johnson & Johnson for launching a biosimilar of the pharmaceutical giant's blockbuster psoriasis drug Stelara in Japan, Canada and Europe this year. The deals allow Alvotech's biosimilar, or near copies of a biological drug, to enter the Canadian market in the first quarter of this year and Japan in May. Entry to the first European markets is expected after late July.

US FDA approves first treatment for severe frostbite

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Eicos Sciences' injection, making it the first-ever treatment to treat severe frostbite in adults. The treatment, which will help reduce the risk of amputation, will be sold under the brand name Aurlumyn and is expected to be available in Spring 2024, although its pricing has not yet been determined, the company said in an e-mailed statement.

Medical equipment maker West Pharmaceutical forecasts weak annual results

West Pharmaceutical Services forecast full-year results below analysts' estimates on Thursday after the company missed fourth-quarter revenue expectations, hurt by weak demand for its medical equipments used to make COVID-19 vaccines. The company, whose sales have taken a hit in recent quarters on falling demand for COVID-19 vaccines and related therapies, expects headwinds to be more pronounced during the first quarter and less impactful in subsequent quarters.

Exclusive-US families begin to embrace weight-loss drugs for their children

A small but rapidly growing number of U.S. adolescents began treatment with Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy last year, a powerful new tool to address record rates of pediatric obesity, according to data shared exclusively with Reuters. In the first 10 months of 2023, 1,268 children ages 12 to 17 with an obesity diagnosis started taking Wegovy, according to U.S. insurance claims data compiled by health technology company Komodo Health.

(With inputs from agencies.)