Health Headlines: Fauci's Testimony, Egg Freezing in Japan, Big Verdicts and More

The latest health news covers Fauci denying suppressing the COVID lab leak theory, a massive Bayer verdict reduced, Japanese runner Tomomi Bitoh freezing her eggs, Johnson & Johnson's talc case verdict, and Alphabet's new CFO. Also included are updates on weight-loss drug approvals, a rejected PTSD treatment, Annexon’s GBS drug success, bird flu in Australia, and issues following a UnitedHealth cyberattack.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Fauci denies suppressing COVID lab leak theory before US House panel

Former top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci strongly denied suppressing the theory that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak in China, telling lawmakers he never influenced research on the origins of the virus. In his first time addressing the allegations publicly since a 14-hour hearing held behind closed doors in January, Fauci also reiterated that he believes the most likely origin of the pandemic was animal-to-human transmission.

Judge cuts Bayer $2.25 billion Roundup verdict to $400 million

A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday slashed a $2.25 billion U.S. verdict against Bayer to $400 million for a Pennsylvania man who said he developed cancer from exposure to the company's Roundup weedkiller. A jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas found that John McKivison's non-Hodgkins lymphoma was the result of using Roundup for yard work at his house for several years, and it ordered Bayer to pay $250 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages.

As Japan's birthrate drops, runner freezes her eggs to sustain motherhood dream

Japanese champion runner Tomomi Bitoh completed a 170-km (106-mile) race in the Himalayas last November, and immediately made a beeline for a Tokyo clinic to begin freezing her eggs, hoping to keep alive her dream of becoming a mother. The 33-year-old former childcare worker is one of a growing number of Japanese women joining in a trend authorities in the world's most advanced ageing society hope will stem further declines in the birthrate.

J&J must pay $260 million in latest talc trial, Oregon jury says

Johnson & Johnson must pay $260 million to an Oregon woman who said she got mesothelioma, a deadly cancer linked to asbestos exposure, from inhaling the company's talc powder, a jury found on Monday. The verdict in the 4th Judicial District Circuit Court in Portland comes as the company continues to pursue a proposed $6.48 billion settlement of most talc-related lawsuits against it through a prepackaged bankruptcy. The jury's award includes $60 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages, and includes damages for both the plaintiff and her husband.

Alphabet names Lilly veteran Anat Ashkenazi as finance chief

Alphabet named Anat Ashkenazi as its chief financial officer on Wednesday, leaning on the two-decade veteran of drugmaker Eli Lilly to help steer the Google parent in the generative artificial intelligence era. Ashkenazi will succeed Ruth Porat, the long-time Alphabet CFO whose transition to the role of investment chief was unveiled in July 2023 after years of strong growth at the company.

Britain considers offering Lilly weight-loss drug on better terms than Wegovy

Britain's medical costs regulator on Tuesday recommended Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Mounjaro for some patients with obesity and suggested not placing a time limit on the medicine's use as it had for rival Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. Once approved, the draft recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) would provide a roadmap under which Britain's National Health Service (NHS) could offer Mounjaro as an alternative to Wegovy.

US FDA panel votes against first MDMA-based PTSD treatment

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday voted against a therapy based on the mind-altering drug MDMA for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, marking a setback to the nascent field of psychedelic treatments. The panel voted 10-to-1 against the first MDMA-based PTSD treatment, saying the benefits did not outweigh its risks, while nine members said the available data did not show its effectiveness in PTSD patients.

Annexon's neurological disease drug succeeds in late-stage study

Annexon said on Tuesday a late-stage study showed its experimental drug helped improve motor functions in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disease in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves and can cause paralysis and even death. Shares of the company rose 29% to $5.93. The drug, ANX005, was tested in 241 patients with GBS and met the main goal of the study.

Highly pathogenic H7 bird flu found on fourth poultry farm in Australia

A highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza has been found on a fourth poultry farm near Melbourne near two other properties where the virus had already been detected, the government of Australia's Victoria state said on Wednesday. "Avian influenza virus has been confirmed at a fourth Victorian poultry farm," the government said in a statement.

Community health centers still bogged down by red tape after UnitedHealth hack

More than three months after a cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group's technology unit, some community health centers, which serve 30 million low-income and uninsured patients, are still wading through red tape to receive back payments and struggling with operations issues. Change Healthcare, a unit of the largest U.S. health insurer, processes about 50% of all medical claims in the U.S., for around 900,000 doctors, 33,000 pharmacies, 5,500 hospitals and 600 labs. It also runs other support services like call centers.