Reuters Health News Summary

In total, nearly 60,000 cases were reported by European Union and European Economic Area countries over the period, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Wednesday, with 11 deaths in infants and eight among older adults. Viagra maker Viatris misses revenue estimates on weak demand for older drugs Drugmaker Viatris narrowly missed first-quarter revenue estimates on Thursday, hurt by weak sales for its older drugs such as cholesterol medication Lipitor and Norvasc for high blood pressure.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UK refuses to sign global vaccine treaty, The Telegraph reports

Britain is refusing to sign the World Health Organization's (WHO) pandemic accord because the country says it would have to give away a fifth of its vaccines, the Telegraph reported on Wednesday. According to a draft of the pandemic accord being negotiated at the WHO, richer countries should be asked to pull their weight in helping the world cope with pandemics, including reserving 20% of tests, treatments and vaccines for the WHO to distribute in poorer countries during emergencies.

Pfizer agrees to settle over 10,000 Zantac lawsuits, Bloomberg News reports

Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal. The agreements cover cases in U.S. state courts but don't completely resolve the company's exposure to Zantac claims, the report said, adding that financial details of the deals were not immediately available.

Merck's endometrial cancer therapy fails trial

Merck said on Thursday its therapy being tested in certain patients with a type of cancer in the uterus lining failed a late-stage trial. The drugmaker's Keytruda therapy in combination with chemotherapy was being evaluated in about 1,095 patients with high-risk endometrial cancer after surgery.

AstraZeneca to withdraw COVID vaccine globally as demand dips

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a "surplus of available updated vaccines" since the pandemic. The company also said it would proceed to withdraw the vaccine Vaxzevria's marketing authorizations within Europe.

Whooping cough epidemic sweeps Europe, health agency says

European countries have reported a surge in whooping cough cases in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, with 10 times as many identified as in each of the previous two years. In total, nearly 60,000 cases were reported by European Union and European Economic Area countries over the period, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Wednesday, with 11 deaths in infants and eight among older adults.

Viagra maker Viatris misses revenue estimates on weak demand for older drugs

Drugmaker Viatris narrowly missed first-quarter revenue estimates on Thursday, hurt by weak sales for its older drugs such as cholesterol medication Lipitor and Norvasc for high blood pressure. Net sales in its branded drugs unit, which makes up two-thirds of the company's total revenues, also fell 4.5% to $2.31 billion.

Japan's Takeda Pharma to restructure after annual profit slump

Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical announced a restructuring on Thursday after annual profit slid by more than half following the loss of patent protection of major sellers. Japan's biggest drugmaker said it will incur restructuring costs of about 140 billion yen ($899 million) this fiscal year as part of a plan to optimise its workforce, cut costs and strengthen technology.

Teva Pharm to launch Humira biosimilar as Q1 profit misses estimates

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said it was set to launch its long awaited biosimilar of AbbVie's blockbuster arthritis drug Humira in the coming weeks after it posted mixed results in the first three months of 2024. The drugmaker also said late-stage results for a new drug for schizophrenia met its primary endpoints, helping to push its New York-listed shares up more than 13% to their highest level since 2019 in late morning trade. It is developing the monthly injection with France's Medincell.

US FDA advises healthcare facilities to switch from Getinge's heart devices

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday advised healthcare facilities to move away from using Getinge's heart devices in patients as they faced safety and quality concerns despite a string of recalls. The recommendation is based on concerns that the company has not sufficiently addressed the problems and risks with the recalled devices, it added.

Novo Nordisk ties up with Metaphore to develop new obesity drugs

Novo Nordisk signed a research tie-up with U.S. biotech firm Metaphore on Thursday to develop next-generation obesity drugs. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

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