Reuters Health News Summary

The U.S. government since last week has reported cases of the disease in seven dairy herds in Texas and one person who had contact with cows, making it the state most affected by the country's first-ever outbreaks in cattle.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novo says Ozempic starter kits still not available in Germany in Q2

Novo Nordisk has warned that starter kits of its popular diabetes drug Ozempic will still not be available in Germany during the second quarter, as shortages in Europe due to the drug's slimming effect drag out. In a statement by Novo posted on the website of German healthcare regulator BfArM on Tuesday, Novo urged physicians to only issue prescriptions for patients already on the therapy. The Danish drugmaker also reiterated that doctors should only prescribe Ozempic for its approved use in diabetes, saying that there were sufficient supplies of Wegovy, the obesity drug that is based on the same active ingredient.

Kenyan doctors reject government's offer to end strike

Kenyan public hospital doctors rejected a government offer aimed at ending a weeks-long strike that has severely disrupted health services, their union chairman said late on Tuesday. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which represents more than 7,000 members, went on strike on March 15 to demand payment of their salary arrears and the immediate hiring of trainee doctors, among other grievances.

Lack of immunity raises risk of bird flu pandemic, EFSA says

The EU's Food Safety Agency (EFSA) warned on Wednesday of a large-scale bird flu pandemic if the virus becomes transmissible between people as humans lack immunity against the virus. This comes a day after Texas reported that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, had been detected in a person who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus.

Lenz Therapeutics' eye disease drugs meet main goal of late-stage study

Lenz Therapeutics said on Wednesday its experimental drugs to treat loss of near vision met the main goal of a late-stage study, sending its shares up nearly 23% before the bell. The company said it has identified one of the drugs, LNZ100, as its lead product candidate as it showed statistically significant improvement in patients' ability to see details at a distance of 20 feet at three hours post-treatment.

Biden and Senator Sanders to highlight efforts lower cost of asthma inhalers

U.S. President Joe Biden will host a White House event with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday to highlight their efforts to cut the cost of inhalers for asthma suffers. Sanders and other lawmakers in January criticized four manufacturers of inhalers sold in the U.S. — AstraZeneca, Boehringer, Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA.TA), and GSK (GSK.L), — over prices that were much higher in the U.S. than in other countries.

Cancer biotech firm Alterome Therapeutics raises $132 million in Goldman Sachs-led round

Biotechnology firm Alterome Therapeutics said on Wednesday it has raised $132 million in a series B financing round, which was led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The series B financing, which brings its total funding to nearly $232 million to date, also saw participation by Canaan Partners, Driehaus Capital Management, Invus, Digitalis Ventures, Blue Owl Capital, and existing investors.

Abbott's heart valve repair device gains US FDA approval

Abbott Laboratories said on Tuesday the U.S. FDA has approved its heart valve repair device for patients with a potentially fatal heart disease, just months after rival Edwards Lifesciences received the regulator's nod for its device. The Abbott device, TriClip, aims to treat tricuspid regurgitation (TR), which occurs when the valve separating the right lower chamber of the heart from the right upper does not close properly, causing blood to flow backwards.

Lawsuit demands menthol cigarette ban following White House delays

The U.S. government was sued on Tuesday by anti-smoking groups that want a ban on menthol cigarettes and blame the Biden administration for delaying it. Found naturally in peppermint and similar plants, menthol is used disproportionately by Black smokers, in part because of tobacco companies' marketing efforts and also appeals to younger smokers.

Bird flu hits Texas dairy cows, hens, human as ducks migrate

Migratory waterfowl are to blame for widening avian-flu outbreaks in Texas cows and poultry, and wild birds carrying the virus should be heading north soon, state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said on Tuesday. The U.S. government since last week has reported cases of the disease in seven dairy herds in Texas and one person who had contact with cows, making it the state most affected by the country's first-ever outbreaks in cattle. Texas is the biggest U.S. cattle producer.

Drugmaker seeks approval for China's first biosimilar Ozempic

A drugmaker in China has developed a biosimilar version of Novo Nordisk's popular diabetes drug Ozempic and applied for approval to sell it there, in a potential challenge to Novo's expansion plans in the country. Hangzhou Jiuyuan Gene Engineering said on Wednesday in a post on its official social media account that it was seeking approval to sell the drug, which it calls Jiyoutai, to control blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)