Health News Roundup: Novartis to cut 680 jobs in product development; Arizona's top court revives 19th century abortion ban and more

Pfizer said it plans to submit its findings from the trial to seek expanded approval of the vaccine in adults ages 18 to 59, but did not give a time frame for when it expects the data to be considered by regulators. Arizona's top court revives 19th century abortion ban Arizona's top court revived a law dating to 1864 on Tuesday that bans abortion in virtually all instances, another setback for reproductive rights in a state where the procedure already was barred starting at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novartis to cut 680 jobs in product development

Novartis is to cut up to 680 jobs in its development organisation, which helps bring its drugs to market, the Swiss pharmaceuticals company said on Tuesday. Around 440 jobs will go in Switzerland and up to 240 in the United States over the next two to three years, the Basel-based company said.

Illumina CFO Goswami to depart, former Summit Therapeutics exec Dhingra to succeed

Illumina said on Tuesday Chief Financial Officer Joydeep Goswami would leave the gene sequencing company and would be succeeded by former Summit Therapeutics' executive Ankur Dhingra. Goswami, who has more than two decades of experience in the life sciences industry, was the CFO since early 2023 and will serve as an adviser till June 30, the company said.

Pfizer RSV shot meets goals in trial of high-risk adults under age 60

Pfizer said on Tuesday its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Abrysvo was well tolerated and generated an immune response in higher risk adults under the age of 60 similar to that in older adults, for whom the shot is already approved. Pfizer said it plans to submit its findings from the trial to seek expanded approval of the vaccine in adults ages 18 to 59, but did not give a time frame for when it expects the data to be considered by regulators.

Arizona's top court revives 19th century abortion ban

Arizona's top court revived a law dating to 1864 on Tuesday that bans abortion in virtually all instances, another setback for reproductive rights in a state where the procedure already was barred starting at 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled 4-2 in favor of an anti-abortion obstetrician and a county prosecutor who took up defense of the law after the state's Democratic attorney general declined to do so.

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.

Experts recommend legalising abortion in Germany, media reports say

Germany should legalise abortions within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a government-appointed commission has recommended, several media outlets reported on Tuesday. The health ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the media reports.

Moderna jumps as vaccine shows benefit in head and neck cancer in early study

Moderna shares rose 8% to a three-month high on Tuesday after the company's individualized cancer vaccine developed with Merck showed positive response in an early-stage trial in patients with a type of head and neck cancer. The vaccine, designed to train the immune system of patients to recognize and attack specific mutations in cancer cells, earlier showed promise in treating melanoma in a mid-stage study.

US FDA declines to approve Supernus' Parkinson's combination again (April 8)

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.

More produce, less dairy for low-income families under US nutrition program changes

Nearly 7 million low-income women and children will be able to purchase more fruits and vegetables but less dairy after the U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized changes to a key federal nutrition program on Tuesday. The updates to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the first since 2014, were made to better align the program's food packages with the best dietary science, USDA said.

(With inputs from agencies.)