Health News Roundup: 'Critical' to catch up on measles vaccinations to stem outbreaks, says WHO; Kyowa Kirin's gene therapy most expensive US drug with $4.3 million price tag and more

The annual World Happiness Report, launched in 2012 to support the United Nations' sustainable development goals, is based on data from U.S. market research company Gallup, analysed by a global team now led by the University of Oxford. New Zealand government to ban disposable e-cigarettes The New Zealand government said on Wednesday it will ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, increase fines on retailers that sell to those younger than 18 years old and better regulate retailers.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

EU lawmakers vote to extend exclusivity period for new medicines, softening Commission proposal

Lawmakers in a EU parliamentary committee on Tuesday voted to extend the exclusivity period for new medicines compared to an initial draft, seeking to address concerns expressed across the bloc's pharma industry as part of a wider regulatory overhaul. Committee members adopted the draft position published earlier this month before a final plenary vote scheduled for April 11 by a large majority.

Valneva guides for nearly double product sales by 2026

France's Valneva on Wednesday said it expects to nearly double its annual product sales by 2026 and edged up its 2024 product sales guidance as it banks on growth from its travel vaccines and the launch of its Ixchiq vaccine. The biotech firm expects travel vaccines Ixiaro and Dukoral to drive mid-term sales, it said, including Ixiaro sales posting double-digit growth for at least the next three years.

'Critical' to catch up on measles vaccinations to stem outbreaks, says WHO

Vaccinating children who missed their measles shots during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical, a senior World Health Organization official said on Tuesday, as outbreaks of the infectious disease increase worldwide. More than 50 countries have experienced "large and disruptive" measles outbreaks in the last year, twice as many as in 2022, said Kate O'Brien, WHO director of immunisation, at a virtual press conference.

Kyowa Kirin's gene therapy most expensive US drug with $4.3 million price tag

Orchard Therapeutics, a unit of Japan's Kyowa Kirin, priced its newly approved gene therapy for a rare, life-threatening genetic disease on Wednesday at $4.25 million, making it the most expensive drug in the United States. The therapy was approved on Monday, in a first for children with a rare disorder called metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), which causes damage to the nervous system and is estimated to affect one in every 40,000 individuals in the United States.

Bristol Myers' Opdivo-Yervoy combo meets main goal in liver cancer trial

Bristol Myers Squibb said on Wednesday a combination of Opdivo and Yervoy met the main goal of a late-stage study evaluating it as an initial treatment for a type of liver cancer. The results bolster the company's efforts to expand the use for the blockbuster drugs that are set to lose their market exclusivity before the end of the decade.

Gloomy youth pull US and western Europe down global happiness ranking

Rising unhappiness among younger people has caused the United States and some large western European countries to fall down a global wellbeing index, while Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots. The annual World Happiness Report, launched in 2012 to support the United Nations' sustainable development goals, is based on data from U.S. market research company Gallup, analysed by a global team now led by the University of Oxford.

New Zealand government to ban disposable e-cigarettes

The New Zealand government said on Wednesday it will ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, increase fines on retailers that sell to those younger than 18 years old and better regulate retailers. The New Zealand government has received significant criticism for rolling back a world-first law banning tobacco sales for future generations. It has said it is committed to reducing smoking but is just taking a different approach, including further regulations around vaping.

After earnings plunge, BioNTech pins hopes on cancer drug launches

Germany's BioNTech, whose COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with Pfizer was widely used during the pandemic, reported on Wednesday a plunge in 2023 revenue and earnings as its focus shifts towards cancer drug development. The Mainz-based company posted revenues of 3.819 billion euros ($4.14 billion), down by more than three-quarters compared to 2022, and net profit of 930.3 million euros, 90% lower than a year earlier.

More than 60% of US abortions in 2023 were done by pill, study shows

The proportion of U.S. abortions administered by medication rose to more than 60% in 2023, following a dramatic decline in surgical abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a report said on Tuesday. The Supreme Court's 2022 decision to end abortion rights allowed more than a dozen states to ban abortion with limited exceptions and close clinics, restricting access to surgical abortion procedures.

UnitedHealth hack takes toll on healthcare providers to the nation's poor

The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth that has disrupted payments to U.S. doctors and healthcare facilities nationwide for a month, has taken an especially harsh toll on the community health centers that serve more than 30 million poor and uninsured patients. Many large healthcare centers have been able to resume receiving payments and making claims after the hack by using alternative technology, UnitedHealth says.