Exploring Major Health News Updates: Abortion Pill Law, Bird Flu Vaccines, and Weight-Loss Drugs

Latest health news includes Louisiana's reclassification of abortion pills as controlled substances, the effectiveness of bird flu vaccines in laying hens, and rising forecasts for weight-loss drug sales. Other updates cover M&A deals, CEO retirements, Neuralink's brain implant study, and WHO's push for pandemic response rules.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

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.

Merck nears $1.3 billion cash deal for eye-drug company EyeBio, WSJ reports

Merck & Co is nearing a $1.3 billion cash deal to buy ophthalmology biotechnology company Eyebiotech in an agreement that could see an additional $1.7 billion in milestone payments, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The deal could be announced as early as Wednesday, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Neurocrine founder-CEO Gorman to retire in October

Neurocrine Biosciences CEO Kevin Gorman will retire on Oct. 11 after three decades with the company that he founded and will be succeeded by insider Kyle Gano. Gorman founded Neurocrine in 1992 and held several leadership positions before being appointed CEO in 2008. Gorman will continue to serve on the company's board.

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

Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain-chip company, aims to enroll three patients to evaluate its device in a study expected to take several years to complete, according to details on the U.S. government's clinical trials database. The company had sought to enroll 10 patients when it applied to U.S. regulators to begin clinical trials, Reuters reported last year. Neuralink is testing its implant designed 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.

US FDA approves Amgen's biosimilar to AstraZeneca's rare blood disorder treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Tuesday Amgen's Bkemv, the first biosimilar to AstraZeneca's rare blood disorder treatment Soliris. Amgen's drug will be marketed under the name Bkemv. Biosimilars are close copies of complex biological drugs.

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.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)