Global Health Trends: From Weight-Loss Breakthroughs to Climate Risks

This summary covers various current health news topics, including Novo Nordisk's pricing defense, Louisiana's new abortion pill law, bird flu vaccine efficacy, and significant industry moves like Asahi Kasei's acquisition of Calliditas. It also discusses Neuralink's clinical trials, Grupo SURA's health business dismantlement, and climate change risks for Caribbean hospitals.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

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.

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.

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.

Musk's Neuralink seeks to enroll three patients in brain implant study

Elon Musk's brain-chip startup, Neuralink, seeks to enroll three patients to evaluate its device in a study that is expected to take several years to complete, according to details on the U.S. government's database of clinical trials. Neuralink is testing its implant to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone, a prospect that could help people with spinal cord injuries.

Subsidiary of Colombia's Grupo SURA plans to dismantle health business

A subsidiary of Colombian conglomerate Grupo Sura said on Tuesday it has asked for regulatory permission to dismantle its health business, in the latest blow to Colombia's healthcare system. The government of President Gustavo Petro last month took control of two major insurers - Sanitas and Nueva EPS, which had some 16 million clients combined - alleging they failed to provide adequate care.

Western states push for deal on pandemic response rules at WHO meeting

Western countries led by the United States, France and Germany pushed for a deal to bolster pandemic response rules at a major World Health Organization meeting on Tuesday after states failed to finalise a pandemic treaty. No agreement was reached on the treaty last week in time for this week's World Health Assembly with deep divisions and occasional acrimony between rich and poorer countries on issues like vaccine-sharing and funding that could take months or even years to hash out.

Climate change threatens low-lying Caribbean hospitals, UN says

Tens of millions of people living in coastal areas around the Caribbean and Latin America face imminent risks to healthcare and key infrastructure as climate change brings more severe weather events, according to a United Nations report on Tuesday. According to the report by the U.N. sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), some 41 million people - 6% of all people living in the overall region - live in low-lying coastal areas at risk of storm surges, flooding and hurricanes.