Health News Roundup: EU medicines regulator backs Biogen's ALS drug; Analysis-Prices for new US drugs rose 35% in 2023, more than the previous year and more

Following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week that allowed parents to sue for wrongful death of their minor children, including embryos, several of the state's fertilization clinics halted their work on in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is the creation of embryos by mixing eggs and sperm in a lab dish. Rotech says patients likely impacted by hack at partner Philips' unit U.S.-based medical devices provider Rotech Healthcare said on Friday it was reviewing a list of patients who may have been impacted due to a cybersecurity breach experienced by its partner Philips' Respironics unit.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Alabama's attorney general won't prosecute IVF clinics, families

The Alabama Attorney General's office had "no intention" of prosecuting providers of in vitro fertilization or families who use their services, it said on Friday after the state's top court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children. Following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week that allowed parents to sue for wrongful death of their minor children, including embryos, several of the state's fertilization clinics halted their work on in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is the creation of embryos by mixing eggs and sperm in a lab dish.

Rotech says patients likely impacted by hack at partner Philips' unit

U.S.-based medical devices provider Rotech Healthcare said on Friday it was reviewing a list of patients who may have been impacted due to a cybersecurity breach experienced by its partner Philips' Respironics unit. Orlando-based Rotech said in a statement that Respironics, which sells breathing devices and ventilators to treat sleep apnea, was made aware on June 5 of a privacy incident where an unauthorized third-party exploited a software to access information stored on its server.

South Korean hospitals extend working hours to tackle doctors' protest

Public hospitals in South Korea will extend working hours, the prime minister said on Friday, while expanding use of telemedicine to alleviate growing strain on healthcare services after a mass walkout by thousands of trainee doctors this week. Hospitals have turned away patients and cancelled surgeries after about two-thirds of the country's young doctors walked off the job to protest against a government plan for more admissions to medical schools, prompting fears of further disruption.

Hack against Change Healthcare 'resulting in delays', says American Pharmacists Association

Many pharmacies across the U.S. could not transmit insurance claims for their patients after UnitedHealth Group's Change Healthcare reported a hack earlier this week, the American Pharmacists Association said on Friday. "This is resulting in delays in getting prescriptions filled," the association said in a statement.

Travere drug for rare kidney condition recommended for EU approval

Vifor Pharma and partner Travere Therapeutics on Friday won an endorsement for approval from the European Union's drug regulator for their drug Filspari, part of an industry race to treat a rare, serious kidney condition known as IgAN. The regulator's opinion provides the basis for the European Commission’s final decision, Vifor said in a statement.

Three Alabama providers halt IVF after high court rules embryos are children

At least three Alabama providers of in vitro fertilization have halted treatments since the state Supreme Court on Friday said frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children, casting doubt on future access to the procedure in the state. The ruling by the court, whose elected judges are all Republican, has left doctors and patients wondering how to legally store, transport, and use embryos in Alabama.

What Alabama ruling means for patients with frozen embryos: one woman's story

Three of Kristia Rumbley's embryos created at a clinic became her 7-year-old twins and 2-year-old son, while three have sat in freezers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for eight years in case she and her husband decide to have another kid. After Alabama's supreme court ruled on Feb. 16 that embryos were children, leaving it unclear how to legally store, transport and use them, Rumbley, 44, is seeking legal and medical advice on sending her last two embryos out of state as soon as possible.

EU medicines regulator backs Biogen's ALS drug

Europe's medicines regulator on Friday recommended granting a marketing authorization to Biogen's drug for the deadly and progressive neurodegenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The drug, Qalsody, received accelerated approved in the United States in April last year, based on preliminary data that showed it reduced levels of a neurofilament protein that scientists believe is tied with progression of the disease.

Analysis-Prices for new US drugs rose 35% in 2023, more than the previous year

Pharmaceutical companies last year launched new U.S. drugs at prices 35% higher than in 2022, reflecting in part the industry's embrace of expensive therapies for rare diseases like muscular dystrophy, a Reuters analysis found. The median annual list price for a new drug was $300,000 in 2023, according to the Reuters analysis of 47 medicines, up from $222,000 a year earlier. In 2021, the median annual price was $180,000 for the 30 drugs first marketed through mid-July, according to a study published in JAMA.

New York attorney general urges stronger safety warning on asthma drug Singulair

The attorney general for one of the most populous U.S. states this week urged federal drug regulators to address safety risks associated with the widely used asthma and allergy medicine Singulair, saying current warnings on the drug's packaging are insufficient, particularly for children. In a letter dated on Wednesday, the New York state attorney general's office urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to further investigate and warn consumers and healthcare providers about harmful neuropsychiatric side effects of Singulair, also known by its generic name montelukast.

(With inputs from agencies.)