Health News Roundup: US FDA approves Eyenovia's eye drug, Formosa Pharma says; US urges court to preserve Obamacare mandate to cover cancer screenings, HIV drugs 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 Monday 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 urges court to preserve Obamacare mandate to cover cancer screenings, HIV drugs

President Joe Biden's administration on Monday urged 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. "These are preventive services provisions that are critical and life-saving to millions of Americans," Daniel Aguilar, a lawyer for the government, told a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during arguments in the administration's appeal.

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.

Novo kidney trial finds Ozempic cuts cardiac risks in diabetics

Novo Nordisk's widely used diabetes drug Ozempic delayed progression of chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients, a large late-stage study found, cutting the risk of major cardiac events and death by 24%. Around 40% of people with type 2 diabetes have chronic kidney disease and some 700 million patients are affected globally, according to the Danish drugmaker.

Senior doctors in England to vote on improved pay offer

Senior doctors in England will soon vote on an improved pay offer, which could end months of disruptive strike action, their trade union said on Tuesday, after they narrowly rejected a previous offer from the government in January. The new pay offer includes a 2.85% uplift for those who have been senior doctors for four to seven years, and brings changes to a pay review body in terms of its remit and how it will appoint members said the British Medical Association (BMA), recommending that its members vote to accept the offer.

US FDA approves Eyenovia's eye drug, Formosa Pharma says

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved Eyenovia's eye drops to reduce inflammation and pain in patients who have undergone eye surgery, Taiwan-based Formosa Pharmaceuticals said on Monday. Eyenovia acquired U.S. commercial rights of the drug last August from Formosa.