Health News Roundup: Geneos cancer vaccine shrinks liver tumors in small trial; US FDA declines to approve Supernus' Parkinson's combination again and more

This is the second time the regulator has refused to approve, dealing a blow to the company's years-long effort to market its pump-based treatment. Trump says abortion laws should be decided by US states Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that abortion laws should be determined by U.S. states, stopping short of proposing a national ban that could have imperiled his chances with swing voters in the November election.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US CDC says bird flu risk low, but asks states to be ready with rapid testing

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday bird flu risk to the public remains low even as it asked the state public health officials to be prepared to respond. The agency asked for plans to quickly test and provide treatment to potentially impacted farm workers following positive results among cattle herds.

Vatican rejects gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy in new document

The Vatican on Monday reaffirmed its opposition to gender-affirming surgery, "gender theory" and surrogate parenthood, drawing criticism from advocates for LGBTQ Catholics. The declaration by the Vatican's doctrinal office (DDF) comes four months after another document in which it supported blessings for same-sex couples, triggering fierce conservative pushback, especially in Africa.

EU regulator to review reports of suicidal thoughts and weight loss drugs

A European Medicines Agency committee will this week hold a meeting related to its probe into reports of suicidal thoughts after taking diabetes and weight loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, an agenda showed on Monday. The agency began its review into the class of weight loss and diabetes drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, last July after Iceland's health regulator flagged three cases of patients thinking about suicide or self-harm after using Novo's drugs – diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Saxenda.

Geneos cancer vaccine shrinks liver tumors in small trial

Nearly a third of patients with advanced liver cancer who received a personalized vaccine developed by Geneos Therapeutics along with an immunotherapy drug in a small, early trial saw their tumors shrink, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday. The result was roughly twice the response typically seen with the immunotherapy alone, the researchers said.

Exclusive-Synchron, a rival to Musk’s Neuralink, readies large-scale brain implant trial

Synchron Inc, a rival to Elon Musk's Neuralink brain implant startup, is preparing to recruit patients for a large-scale clinical trial required to seek commercial approval for its device, the company's chief executive told Reuters. Synchron on Monday plans to launch an online registry for patients interested in joining the trial meant to include dozens of participants, and has received interest from about 120 clinical trial centers to help run the study, CEO Thomas Oxley said in an interview.

Argentina faces rising dengue epidemic risk as mosquitoes hatch early

Mosquitoes are hatching earlier in Argentina and reaching cooler regions than before, as rising temperatures drive the country's worst outbreak of dengue fever and raise the risk of more regular epidemics of the insect-borne virus, scientists said. So far in the 2023/24 season, the South American nation has recorded 232,996 cases of the disease sometime known as "break-bone fever" for the severe muscle and joint pain it can cause, along with high fever, headache, vomiting, and skin rash.

US FDA declines to approve Supernus' Parkinson's combination again

Supernus Pharmaceuticals said on Monday the U.S. FDA declined to approve its drug-device combination to treat movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease, sending its shares down 9% in early trade. This is the second time the regulator has refused to approve, dealing a blow to the company's years-long effort to market its pump-based treatment.

Trump says abortion laws should be decided by US states

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that abortion laws should be determined by U.S. states, stopping short of proposing a national ban that could have imperiled his chances with swing voters in the November election. Trump previously signaled support for a ban beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy but said political considerations were paramount in the first presidential election since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, ending a nearly 50-year federal right to the procedure.

Novo Nordisk parent refiles US application on Catalent deal

The parent of Wegovy producer Novo Nordisk has refiled an application to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for approval of a $16.5 billion deal to buy manufacturing subcontractor Catalent, a spokesperson said on Monday. Novo Nordisk Foundation said last month it had agreed to buy Catalent to boost output of the weight-loss drug Wegovy. After the deal closes, it would sell three of Catalent's fill-finish sites on to Novo Nordisk for $11 billion.

(With inputs from agencies.)