Health News Roundup: CDC issues health alert for bird flu infection in US; CDC issues health alert for bird flu infection in US and more

In a late-stage trial, the drug demonstrated "statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement" in both overall survival and slowing the progression of the cancer in patients for whom the disease had not worsened following chemoradiotherapy, according to the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker. US FDA issues warning letters to retailers against underage sale of ZYN nicotine pouches The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it had issued warning letters and filed civil money penalty complaints against retailers engaged in underage sale of various flavors of ZYN nicotine pouches.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Tennessee court weighs blocking abortion ban during pregnancy complications

A Tennessee state court on Thursday weighed a bid by a group of doctors and women to block officials from enforcing the state's near-total ban on abortion in instances when dangerous pregnancy complications arise. Lawyers for seven women who were denied abortions following pregnancy complications and two doctors told the three-judge panel in Tennessee's Twelfth Judicial District Court in Nashville that a medical exception in the state's abortion ban was so vague that physicians were turning away patients seeking emergency care.

Scientists investigate thousands of dead Antarctic penguins for bird flu

Has bird flu already killed hundreds, if not thousands of penguins in Antarctica? That's what researchers are seeking to find out after a scientific expedition last month found at least 532 dead Adelie penguins, with thousands more thought to have died, according to a statement from Federation University Australia.

Bird flu dairy cow outbreak widens in Ohio, Kansas, New Mexico

Bird flu has infected a dairy herd in Ohio for the first time and was detected in additional herds in Kansas and New Mexico, according to the U.S. government, expanding an outbreak in cows that has raised concerns about possible risks to humans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed infections in herds across six states since it first reported cases in Texas and Kansas on March 25.

CDC issues health alert for bird flu infection in US

The U.S. CDC on Friday issued a health alert to inform clinicians, state health departments and the public of a case of avian influenza in a person who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus. The farm worker from Texas was reported to be infected on April 1, making it the second case of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, identified in a person in the United States.

Wider bird flu spread raises concern for humans, animal health body says

The spread of bird flu to an increasing number of species and its widening geographic reach have raised the risks of humans being infected by the virus, the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Thursday. Monique Eloit's comments come after the U.S. government reported cases of the disease in dairy cows in several states and a person in Texas, which she said would only be a strong concern if there had been a transmission between cows, something the U.S. authorities are still investigating.

AstraZeneca's Imfinzi improves survival in late-stage lung cancer trial

AstraZeneca said on Friday its blockbuster cancer drug Imfinzi helped improve survival in patients in the early stages of an aggressive type of lung cancer, making it the first such immunotherapy to meet two key trial goals. In a late-stage trial, the drug demonstrated "statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement" in both overall survival and slowing the progression of the cancer in patients for whom the disease had not worsened following chemoradiotherapy, according to the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker.

US FDA issues warning letters to retailers against underage sale of ZYN nicotine pouches

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it had issued warning letters and filed civil money penalty complaints against retailers engaged in underage sale of various flavors of ZYN nicotine pouches. The FDA said it had issued 119 warning letters to brick-and-mortar retailers and had filed 41 civil money penalty complaints seeking more than $55,000 in total for underage sales of flavored ZYN nicotine pouches, including espressino, black cherry, lemon spritz, and cucumber lime.

J&J boosts heart device business in $13.1 billion Shockwave deal

Johnson & Johnson on Friday agreed to buy Shockwave Medical in a deal valued at $13.1 billion including debt, as it builds its cardiac-health-centric medical devices business to help drive growth. J&J has offered $335 per share in cash that values the equity portion at $12.5 billion, based on Reuters' calculations. The offer also represents a 17% premium to the stock's closing price in late March, when the Wall Street Journal reported J&J's interest in Shockwave, whose shares were currently trading at $326.82.

Boehringer to lay off salespeople as Humira biosimilar sales lag

Boehringer Ingelheim on Thursday said it will lay off some of its U.S. salesforce due to poor sales there of its biosimilar version of AbbVie’s blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira. The German drugmaker said it planned to reduce its customer-facing teams in favor of a hybrid in-person and virtual sales model by June 30, in large part because pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) had kept branded Humira on their lists of medicines for reimbursement.

US FDA allows expanded use of Bristol Myers' cell therapy for blood cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday allowed the use of cell therapy Abecma from Bristol-Myers Squibb and 2seventybio in less severely affected patients with a type of blood cancer. The decision comes after a panel of expert advisers voted in favor of Abecma's use as an earlier treatment for multiple myeloma, a common form of cancer that affects older adults.

(With inputs from agencies.)