Health News Roundup: GSK's new HIV drug formula could support longer dosing intervals; US court to weigh Obamacare mandate to cover HIV drug, cancer screenings and more

Data on the ultra-long-acting cabotegravir was presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections by GSK's HIV-focused unit, ViiV Healthcare, which plans to conduct large-scale clinical trials later this year. Drugmakers send counter offers for U.S. Medicare price negotiations, Biden says The manufacturers of 10 high-cost drugs selected for the U.S. Medicare program's first-ever pricing negotiations have submitted counter offers to the U.S. government's initial proposal, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Physician group asks US to make funds available to doctors hurt by Change hack

Influential U.S. doctors' group the American Medical Association (AMA) on Thursday asked the Biden Administration to make emergency funds available to physicians hurt by ongoing problems created by the hack of UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare unit. The AMA said the cyberattack on Change, which provides healthcare billing and data systems, has led to disruptions of numerous administrative and billing processes at physician practices. They said that many practices have not been able to submit insurance claims for reimbursement since the hack was disclosed on Feb. 21.

GSK's new HIV drug formula could support longer dosing intervals

GSK said on Monday a new formulation of its HIV prevention and treatment drug could potentially be administered at least every four months, an improvement from the previous requirement of dosing every two months. Data on the ultra-long-acting cabotegravir was presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections by GSK's HIV-focused unit, ViiV Healthcare, which plans to conduct large-scale clinical trials later this year.

Drugmakers send counter offers for U.S. Medicare price negotiations, Biden says

The manufacturers of 10 high-cost drugs selected for the U.S. Medicare program's first-ever pricing negotiations have submitted counter offers to the U.S. government's initial proposal, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday. The negotiation program, passed as part of 2022's Inflation Reduction Act, allows Medicare to negotiate prices for the high-cost drugs. Medicare covers Americans aged 65 and above.

US court to weigh Obamacare mandate to cover HIV drug, cancer screenings

President Joe Biden's administration on Monday is set to urge a U.S. appeals court to preserve a federal mandate that requires health insurers to cover preventive care services including HIV-preventing medication and cancer screenings at no extra cost to patients. The preventive care mandate, which covers a wide range of services chosen by a federal task force, is part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare because it was championed by then-President Barack Obama.

Akero's fatty liver disease drug lessens scarring in mid-stage trial

Akero Therapeutics' experimental drug for a type of fatty liver disease significantly reduced scarring after nearly two years in a mid-stage study, it said on Monday, as the company targets a potential multi-billion-dollar market. The company's shares rose 19% to $33.09 in morning trade and at least one analyst said the drug showed the most benefit in the small study compared with any other treatment tested in separate trials for the disease.

India's Serum boosts supply of cervical cancer shots ahead of government's mass drive

Serum Institute of India aims to significantly boost supply of its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as it gears up to provide its shots to the government at cheaper rates for an immunisation campaign this year against the cancer-causing virus. Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the world's biggest vaccine maker by the number of doses, told Reuters that he expects the vaccine to be a part of the government's programme by year-end.

French lawmakers make abortion a constitutional right

France on Monday enshrined the right to abortion in its constitution, a world first welcomed by women's rights groups as historic and harshly criticised by anti-abortion groups. MPs and senators overwhelmingly backed the move, by 780 votes against 72, in a special joint vote of the two houses of parliament, under the gilded ceilings of Versailles Palace, just outside Paris.

Spain's Catalonia hands out free reusable menstruation products

Spain's Catalonia region began providing free reusable menstrual cups, period underwear and cloth pads at pharmacies on Monday, in one of the first initiatives of its kind in the world. The programme is part of a drive by the regional government to reduce "period poverty" after a survey found around 44% of women using menstruation products in Catalonia could not afford their first-choice product and 23% said they had to reuse products designed for single use.

Walgreens CEO says no plans to sell specialty pharmacy unit

Walgreens Boots Alliance's CEO rejected a media report, saying the company does not plan to sell specialty pharmacy unit Shields Health Solutions at least for now The pharmacy chain is instead looking for ways to drive "the most value" for the business, CEO Timothy Wentworth said at a conference on Monday.

Gambian parliament to discuss bill to decriminalise female genital mutilation

A bill seeking to repeal Gambia's ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) was presented in the West African country's parliament on Monday and will be discussed by lawmakers later this month. Former president Yahya Jammeh banned the practice in 2015 and introduced steep fines and jail sentences for perpetrators.

(With inputs from agencies.)