Reuters Health News Summary

The Danish drugmaker presented the new long-term data on Tuesday at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy, in a new analysis from a large study for which substantial results had been published last year. Merck stops testing combo drug for skin cancer as more patients discontinue Merck said on Monday it had discontinued an experimental combination treatment testing a new type of immunotherapy in patients with a severe form of skin cancer after side effects led to high discontinuation.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sanofi pledges new 1 billion euros worth of investments in French production sites

Sanofi on Monday announced it would invest over 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to create new medicines and vaccine production capacities at three of its French sites. The announcement came ahead of this year's "Choose France" event - an annual summit aimed at attracting foreign investment to France.

Bayer's first-quarter adjusted profit falls less than expected

Bayer beat first-quarter analyst forecasts as it reported a slight drop in adjusted earnings on Tuesday, providing a respite for the CEO's turnaround efforts. The group also lowered its full-year earnings outlook, citing negative currency effects, but retained its operating forecast.

US FDA declines to approve expanded use of Dynavax's hepatitis B vaccine

Dynavax Technologies said on Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to approve the expanded use of its hepatitis B vaccine in patients undergoing hemodialysis, citing insufficient safety and effectiveness data.

The FDA, in its so-called "complete response letter", stated that the data was insufficient as a third-party clinical trial site operator had destroyed data source documents for about half of the subjects enrolled in the vaccine's trial, according to the company.

New breast cancer genes found in women of African ancestry, may improve risk assessment

Twelve breast cancer genes identified in women of African ancestry in a large study published on Monday may one day help better predict their risk for the disease and highlights potential risk differences from women of European descent. Studies to identify genetic mutations linked with breast cancer have previously mainly focused on women of European ancestry.

Wegovy users keep weight off for four years, Novo Nordisk study says

Patients taking Novo Nordisk's Wegovy obesity treatment maintained an average of 10% weight loss after four years, potentially boosting the drugmaker's case to insurers and governments to cover the cost of the effective but expensive drug. The Danish drugmaker presented the new long-term data on Tuesday at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy, in a new analysis from a large study for which substantial results had been published last year.

Merck stops testing combo drug for skin cancer as more patients discontinue

Merck said on Monday it had discontinued an experimental combination treatment testing a new type of immunotherapy in patients with a severe form of skin cancer after side effects led to high discontinuation. This is the latest setback for the experimental drug, vibostolimab, and the related promising new class of immunotherapies called anti-TIGIT.

Turkey arrests spider smuggler said to be American Museum of Natural History curator

Turkish police arrested a man suspected of trying to smuggle valuable poisonous spiders and scorpions out of the country, with state media identifying the suspect on Monday as a curator at New York's American Museum of Natural History. Police arrested the suspect at Istanbul Airport on Sunday and seized dozens of bags from his luggage containing some 1,500 scorpions and spiders, including tarantulas, as well as dozens of plastic bottles containing unspecified liquids, police said.

Japan's Shionogi says COVID treatment did not meet endpoint in late-stage trial

Japan's Shionogi & Co said on Monday its pill-based treatment for COVID-19 did not meet the primary endpoint of showing a statistically significant reduction of 15 common symptoms of the illness in a global, late-stage trial. The company's pivotal Phase 3 study (SCORPIO-HR) of ensitrelvir did however demonstrate a potent antiviral effect compared to placebo, the company said.

Denmark faces Wegovy shortage due to rising demand

Denmark faces a supply shortage for two doses of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy weight-loss drug in the coming months due to rising demand, the Danish Medicines Agency said on Monday. The hugely popular Wegovy is given by weekly injection and belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes.

US reclassification could drive fresh research funding into pot sector

The U.S. pot sector could see an influx of medical research funding from healthcare investors amid renewed interest from pharmaceutical firms, should a proposal to reclassify cannabis as a lower-risk substance be approved, industry experts said. The current classification as a Schedule I substance has limited research into cannabis due to restricted access to cannabis products, regulatory hurdles and funding limitations.