Health News Roundup: US FDA expands use of Bristol Myers' cancer therapy; Blinken calls for closer global cooperation on tackling synthetic drugs and more

Some 6,000 fewer Wegovy prescriptions were filled in the United States that week, but Novo maintained its lead for total weekly prescriptions over Zepbound by 25,307, according to the data published by JPMorgan in a weekly note. US FDA panel unanimously backs expanded use of J&J's CAR-T therapy Advisers to the U.S. health regulator on Friday unanimously voted in favor of allowing the use of Johnson & Johnson's cell therapy as an earlier treatment, paving the way for its use in less severely affected patients with a type of blood cancer.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Merck's Keytruda combo succeeds in late-stage trial for cervical cancer treatment

Merck said on Friday its blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, in combination with chemoradiotherapy, met the main goal of improving overall survival for newly diagnosed patients with a form of cervical cancer in a late-stage study. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had in January approved the expanded use of the combination to treat patients who have advanced cervical cancer and had not previously received surgery, radiation or systemic therapy.

US FDA expands use of Bristol Myers' cancer therapy (March 14)

(This March 14 story has been corrected to say third approval for treatment, not second approval, in paragraph 1, and to say the initial approval was in February 2021, not June 2022, in paragraph 2. Both errors were there in a previous version of the story) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday expanded the use of Bristol Myers Squibb's cell therapy, Breyanzi, for a type of slow-growing blood cancer, marking the third approval for the treatment.

Reckitt unit hit with $60 million verdict in Enfamil baby formula case in Illinois

An Illinois jury has ordered Reckitt Benckiser unit Mead Johnson to pay $60 million to the mother of a premature baby who died of an intestinal disease after being fed the company's Enfamil baby formula. The jury in an Illinois state court in St. Clair County on Wednesday found that Mead Johnson was negligent and that it failed to warn of the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The disease, which causes the death of bowel tissue, mostly affects premature newborns and has a fatality rate of about 15% to 40%.

Blinken calls for closer global cooperation on tackling synthetic drugs

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called for greater international cooperation to fight the booming trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, the leading cause of overdose deaths in his country. He was speaking at an annual meeting of the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which reviews global drug regulation and each year adds new so-called precursor chemicals - ingredients used to make illicit drugs - to international lists known as schedules to place strict controls on their trade.

Lilly weight-loss drug Zepbound new US prescriptions surpass Wegovy for first time

Eli Lilly's powerful weight-loss drug Zepbound hit 77,590 new prescriptions in the U.S. for the week ending March 8, surpassing Novo Nordisk's rival obesity medicine Wegovy for the first time since it was launched, according to data from IQVIA. Some 6,000 fewer Wegovy prescriptions were filled in the United States that week, but Novo maintained its lead for total weekly prescriptions over Zepbound by 25,307, according to the data published by JPMorgan in a weekly note.

US FDA panel unanimously backs expanded use of J&J's CAR-T therapy

Advisers to the U.S. health regulator on Friday unanimously voted in favor of allowing the use of Johnson & Johnson's cell therapy as an earlier treatment, paving the way for its use in less severely affected patients with a type of blood cancer. All eleven voting members of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) advisory panel agreed that benefits of J&J's Carvykti outweighed the risks of the therapy when given as an earlier treatment.

Madrigal Pharma surges after drug wins first approval for fatty liver disease NASH

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals shares jumped as much as 23% on Friday after its oral drug became the first approved treatment for a fatty liver disease known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The drug, Rezdiffra, was approved by the U.S. health regulator on Thursday without the need for a liver biopsy for diagnosis, paving the way for wider acceptance and creating a blockbuster opportunity.

CMS urges states to make interim payments to providers hit by Change Healthcare hack

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said on Friday it has urged U.S. states to make interim payments to healthcare providers that were hit by the cyberattack at UnitedHealth's unit Change Healthcare.

Diasorin 2023 revenue drops 14%, in line with guidance; shares fall

Italian medical diagnostic group Diasorin on Friday reported a double-digit drop in revenue for 2023, in line with its revenue guidance for the year, but shares dropped as much as 7.3%. The group's 2023 revenue decreased 14% year-on-year at constant exchange rates to 1.15 billion euros ($1.25 billion), while revenue increased 3% when excluding its COVID-related business.

Gilead CAR-T cancer therapy capacity to quadruple by 2026

Gilead Sciences will be able to quadruple production of its cell therapy cancer treatments by 2026 due to improvements in the U.S. biotech's manufacturing processes, an executive in charge of that business told Reuters. Cindy Perettie, executive vice president of Gilead's Kite cell therapy unit, said these changes have already allowed the company to increase the number of patient treatments it can produce to 10,000 annually from 6,000 last year.