Global Health Highlights: Billion-Dollar Acquisitions, Drug Price Debates, and Bird Flu Vaccinations

This summary highlights key health news, including Johnson & Johnson's acquisition of a skin disorder drug, Novo Nordisk's defense of drug prices in the U.S., Louisiana's new abortion pill law, and updates on bird flu vaccinations and U.S. tariffs on Chinese medical imports. Also featured are significant acquisitions and international health projects.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

J&J acquires rights to skin disorder drug for $1.25 billion

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it had agreed to acquire the rights to an experimental skin disorder treatment from privately held Numab Therapeutics for about $1.25 billion. The drug, NM26, is currently in mid-stage development for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, a chronic disease that causes inflammation, redness and irritation of the skin.

Novo blames US health system after criticism over Wegovy price, Bloomberg reports

Novo Nordisk said it retains about 60% of the list price of its popular diabetes and obesity drugs - Ozempic and Wegovy - after rebates and fees paid to middlemen in the United States, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday. The Danish drugmaker's comments, made in a letter to Senator Bernie Sanders on Friday, come amid an ongoing investigation by a U.S. Senate committee into the higher prices of the drugs in the United States compared to other countries.

Explainer-What does Louisiana's new abortion pill law mean for patients?

The Louisiana Senate's vote on Thursday to reclassify the two drugs used in medication abortion as controlled substances marks the latest development in a nationwide battle over abortion pills. Here is a look at what the law does, and what might happen next.

Analysis-US tariffs on Chinese medical imports face industry doubt as alternative suppliers emerge

Higher U.S. tariffs on medical gloves, syringes and face masks from China are unlikely to make U.S. producers more competitive, as other low-cost suppliers are expected to rush in to fill the gap, industry executives said. Earlier this month, Washington announced steep tariff hikes on an array of Chinese imports including medical goods as part of a broader strategy to fuel domestic production and safeguard against supply shortages seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bird flu vaccines for laying hens prove effective in practice

Bird flu vaccines for laying hens are effective in practice, the Dutch government said on Tuesday, while confirming plans to vaccinate poultry against the virus that ravaged flocks around the world and is raising fears about human transmission.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has killed or caused the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry globally in recent years, most of them laying hens, which sent egg prices rocketing.

Analysis-Weight-loss drug forecasts jump to $150 billion as supply grows

As millions seek access to weight-loss drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, increasing supplies, possible wider usage and a growing number of would-be rivals are leading some experts to raise annual global sales forecasts for the treatments to about $150 billion by the early 2030s. A year ago, top sales estimates were in the $100 billion range.

US, European nations consider vaccinating workers exposed to bird flu

The United States and Europe are taking steps to acquire or manufacture H5N1 bird flu vaccines that could be used to protect at-risk poultry and dairy workers, veterinarians and lab technicians, government officials said, moves influenza experts say could curb the threat of a pandemic. U.S officials last week said they were moving bulk vaccine from CSL Seqirus that closely matches the current virus into finished shots that could provide 4.8 million doses of vaccine. European health officials told Reuters they were in talks to acquire CSL's prepandemic vaccine.

Asahi Kasei to buy Swedish drugmaker Calliditas for $1.1 billion

Asahi Kasei offered to buy Swedish drugmaker Calliditas Therapeutics for around $1.1 billion on Tuesday as the Japanese maker company looks to turn itself into a global player in pharmaceuticals. A maker of specialised chemicals, including those used in batteries, the firm is best known in Japan for its building materials, such as insulation used in housing. It has a pharma division but is not heavyweight in the industry.

France's Soubeyran elected head of world animal health body

Emmanuelle Soubeyran, head of France's veterinary services, was elected director general of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on Tuesday, succeeding her compatriot Monique Eloit as the world grapples with a severe outbreak of bird flu. Soubeyran, who had been chosen as the candidate for the European Union as a whole, is also France's deputy director general for food.

EU okays $1.5 billion state funded joint hydrogen project, $1.1 billion joint healthcare project

EU competition regulators on Tuesday approved a 1.4-billion-euro ($1.52 billion) joint hydrogen project funded by seven EU countries and a separate 1-billion-euro ($1.1 billion) joint healthcare project funded by a group of six EU countries. Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain will provide up to 1.4 billion euros in public funding, for the hydrogen project which is expected to unlock an additional 3.3 billion euros in private investments, the European Commission said in a statement.