Health News Roundup: US FDA approves Basilea Pharmaceutica's antibiotic, Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound to face supply crunch through April-end, US FDA says and more

The Switzerland-based company was seeking approval of its antibiotic ceftobiprole for the treatment of three conditions - Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. Explainer-What to know about bird flu in dairy cows and the risk to humans Texas officials reported on Monday that a farm worker tested positive for H5N1, or bird flu, that has spread to dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Michigan and Idaho - the first time the virus has infected cattle.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Moderna shares fall after judge sides with Arbutus in patent fight

Shares of Moderna fell 4% on Wednesday after a U.S. judge issued an order that strengthened Arbutus' arguments in a patent infringement lawsuit related to Moderna's blockbuster COVID-19 vaccines. Roivant's shares gained 4% in afternoon trading, while its subsidiary Arbutus rose more than 17%.

US FDA approves Basilea Pharmaceutica's antibiotic

The U.S. health regulator approved Basilea Pharmaceutica's antibiotic for bacterial infections including multidrug-resistant strains, the FDA said on Wednesday. The Switzerland-based company was seeking approval of its antibiotic ceftobiprole for the treatment of three conditions - Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.

Explainer-What to know about bird flu in dairy cows and the risk to humans

Texas officials reported on Monday that a farm worker tested positive for H5N1, or bird flu, that has spread to dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Michigan and Idaho - the first time the virus has infected cattle. Health officials and scientists say the risk to humans remains low, but many questions remain.

Colombian senate committee rejects Petro government health reform

A senate committee on Wednesday rejected a health reform proposed by the government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in a new defeat for the leftist, who has struggled to push new laws for his cornerstone promises through the Andean country's Congress. The reform was aimed at stripping power from insurers and expanding access to healthcare, according to the government, while detractors warned it would open the door to corruption.

Costco offering members access to weight-loss programs including medication

Costco Wholesale will offer its members access to weight-loss programs, including prescription drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, from online healthcare services provider Sesame, as the companies expanded their partnership. The wholesale retailer's members can subscribe to Sesame's weight-loss program for $179 for three months, compared with $195 for non-members, Sesame said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Sanofi to settle 4,000 Zantac cancer lawsuits in US state courts

Sanofi has reached an agreement in principle to settle 4,000 U.S. lawsuits linking the discontinued heartburn drug Zantac to cancer, the company said on Wednesday. Sanofi did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. The agreement, which still needs to be finalized, will resolve most of the lawsuits against the French pharmaceutical company in U.S. state courts, with the exception of Delaware where the majority of the cases are pending.

Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound to face supply crunch through April-end, US FDA says

Two doses of Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound are expected to remain in short supply through April-end, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website showed on Wednesday, as demand for the powerful obesity drug soars. The U.S. FDA's website noted limited availability of the injection's 5 milligram (mg) and 12.5 mg doses. Its 2.5, 7.5, 10 and 15 mg doses were listed as available.

Study finds mercury contamination in Brazil's Yanomami people

Indigenous people from nine villages in Brazil's Yanomami territory were found to be contaminated by mercury, with those living closer to illegal gold mining sites presenting higher levels of contamination, a study released on Thursday found. The study by Brazil's state-run Fiocruz institute collected hair samples from about 287 Indigenous people in October 2022. They all tested positive for contamination by mercury, with around 11% of the samples presenting high levels of the heavy metal, which is used by wildcat miners in Brazil to separate gold from ore and earth.

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. 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.

(With inputs from agencies.)