Global Health Advances: BioNTech, Weight-loss Drugs, and Pandemic Treaties

The health sector sees significant developments: BioNTech secures $145 million for African vaccine plants, weight-loss drug forecasts rise to $150 billion, and Neuralink aims to enroll patients for brain implant studies. Additionally, pandemic response rules are being debated at the WHO meeting as the US health secretary pushes for key reforms.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

BioNTech gets $145 million funding for African vaccine plants

COVID-19 vaccine maker BioNTech has secured up to $145 million in funding from a global coalition against infectious diseases to build a production network in Africa for shots based on cutting-edge messenger-RNA (mRNA) technology. BioNTech and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the financial support was part of an expanded partnership as the German biotech firm builds an mRNA vaccine factory site in Rwanda's capital Kigali.

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.

J&J's treatment for depression succeeds in late-stage study

Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday its experimental drug, seltorexant, met all main and secondary goals in a late-stage study evaluating it in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and insomnia symptoms. The drug was given to adult and elderly patients as a supplemental treatment to antidepressants in the study.

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.

Exclusive-Nicotine-like chemicals in U.S. vapes may be more potent than nicotine, FDA says

Nicotine alternatives used in vapes being launched in the U.S. and abroad, such as 6-methyl nicotine, may be more potent and addictive than nicotine itself, though the scientific data remains incomplete, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and independent researchers. The synthetic substances - which have a chemical structure similar to that of nicotine - are not subject to U.S. tobacco and vaping regulations that are designed to control traditional nicotine, a highly addictive drug.

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.

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.

U.S. health secretary sees pandemic treaty deal as close

The top U.S. health official said on Wednesday it would be "tragic" for the world to miss out on key reforms to the global pandemic response and that a treaty deal was within reach, with no major differences between negotiators. Health officials are meeting in Geneva this week to try to wrap up more than two years of negotiations on a pandemic treaty and a series of updates to existing International Health Rules (IHR). However, countries have failed to finalise the treaty at this assembly and countries are considering an extension.

Merck to buy eye-focused drug developer EyeBio for as much as $3 billion

Merck on Wednesday agreed to acquire privately held biotech EyeBio for as much as $3 billion, the latest in a string of deals by the US drugmaker to bolster its future growth. It agreed to pay $1.3 billion in cash and another $1.7 billion in future milestone-based payments for EyeBio, and will gain access to its retinal disease drug Restoret as part of the deal.