Health News Roundup: US FDA approves expanded use of BeiGene's blood cancer drug; Novo Nordisk expects China to approve Wegovy this year and more

"But right now, I am confident that this legislation will provide the assurances our IVF clinics need and will lead them to resume services immediately," she said. Novo valuation surpasses Tesla on experimental obesity drug data Novo Nordisk on Thursday surpassed Tesla Inc in market valuation after the maker of the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy announced positive early trial data for a highly anticipated new obesity drug.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novo Nordisk expects China to approve Wegovy this year

Novo Nordisk said on Thursday it expects Wegovy to be approved for sale in China this year and plans to soon launch the popular weight-loss drug in the largest Asian market with capped volumes. The upcoming launch in China will initially focus on patients paying out-of-pocket for Wegovy, the head of Novo's business in China, Christine Zhou Xiaping, told an investor meeting at the company's headquarters outside Copenhagen.

GSK's blood cancer drug meets main goal in late-stage trial; analysts tout comeback

GSK said on Thursday a study showed its experimental drug Blenrep helped extend survival in patients with a type of blood cancer without symptoms worsening, marking a potential comeback for the drug after several setbacks. Shares in the drugmaker rose as much as 2.6% to 17.17 pounds by 1132 GMT - their highest level since August 2022.

Alabama IVF clinics resuming operations after governor signs law protecting industry

Two Alabama in vitro fertilization clinics are resuming treatment after the governor signed into law a measure aimed at protecting IVF in light of a state Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos should be considered children. In a statement on Wednesday night, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said IVF was "a complex issue, no doubt," and anticipated there would be more work to come. "But right now, I am confident that this legislation will provide the assurances our IVF clinics need and will lead them to resume services immediately," she said.

Novo valuation surpasses Tesla on experimental obesity drug data

Novo Nordisk on Thursday surpassed Tesla Inc in market valuation after the maker of the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy announced positive early trial data for a highly anticipated new obesity drug. Shares surged more than 8% to record highs, shooting Novo Nordisk up in global rankings to the 12th most valuable company from 14 previously, after it told investors a Phase I trial of the pill version of experimental drug amycretin showed participants lost 13.1% of their weight after 12 weeks.

UnitedHealth hack clouds outlook for insurers' medical costs

The hack at UnitedHealth's tech unit has led to uncertainty around when high medical costs for health insurers will subside as the cyberattack leads to prolonged delays processing insurance claims, Wall Street analysts said. While UnitedHealth said most of its pharmacy services operations, which were also taken down in the Feb. 21 attack, are expected to come back online as early as Thursday, the company has said its medical claims network will take longer to be restored.

Astra-Sanofi's RSV therapy 'highly effective' against infant hospitalizations, CDC study shows

AstraZeneca and Sanofi's antibody therapy was 90% effective in protecting infants from hospitalizations associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Thursday. (This story has been refiled to correct a typo in the agency's name in paragraph 1)

US FDA approves expanded use of BeiGene's blood cancer drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval for the expanded use of BeiGene's combination drug to treat certain patients with a type of blood cancer, the health regulator said on Thursday. The oral drug, Brukinsa, in combination with Roche's Gazyva was approved to treat relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma in patients who have received at least two prior lines of treatment.

Lilly finds bacteria, other impurities in Mounjaro, Zepbound knockoffs

Eli Lilly said on Thursday it has found bacteria and high levels of impurities in products claiming to be compounded versions of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in its popular diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight loss treatment Zepbound. The U.S. drugmaker has sued several medical spas, weight-loss clinics and compounding pharmacies to stop them from selling products purporting to contain tirzepatide.

Sexually transmitted infections surge in Europe, latest data shows

Sexually transmitted infections surged across Europe in 2022, with reported cases of gonorrhoea jumping by nearly a half, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said as it released its most recent data on Thursday. Syphilis cases rose by 34% from the previous year, to more than 35,000, chlamydia cases by 16% to more than 216,000. Gonorrhoea cases jumped by 48% to more than 70,000.

Japan's Eisai says US introduction of Alzheimer's drug Leqembi slower than expected

Japanese drugmaker Eisai on Thursday said the distribution of its Alzheimer's drug Leqembi in the United States has proceeded slower than it expected. The company expects to reach 90% of its target for integrated delivery networks (IDNs) used to administer the drug in the U.S. in the fiscal year ending this month, Chief Executive Haruo Naito said.