Critical Health Alerts and Legislative Hurdles: FDA Warnings, Failed Contraception Bill, and Bird Flu Spread

The latest health news includes the FDA's warning about allergic reactions to sulfite-containing drugs, the failure of a U.S. Senate bill to protect contraception access, and the spread of bird flu to dairy herds. Additionally, clinical trials progress for generic Ozempic in China and a study highlights food scarcity for Gazan children.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US FDA warns on risks linked to sulfite-containing compounded drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it had alerted healthcare professionals, drug compounders and patients about the risk of allergic reactions to sulfite-containing compounded drugs. The FDA said it had received reports of complaints of conjunctivitis or pink eye, itchy eyes, swollen eyelids and

Democratic contraception access bill fails in US Senate

A bill to safeguard access to contraceptives failed to advance in a U.S. Senate vote on Wednesday, after congressional Democrats forced the vote in a bid to focus public attention on reproductive rights ahead of the November election. The Right to Contraception Act, which would protect birth control access nationwide, got 51 votes in support and 39 against, but fell short of the chamber's 60-vote threshold for advancing to a full debate.

Bird flu reported in Iowa dairy herd, expanding US outbreak in cows

A U.S. outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows expanded to a tenth state as Iowa reported its first infection in a herd on Wednesday. The United States has confirmed cases in more than 80 herds nationwide since late March and three dairy workers have tested positive.

Factbox-Chinese drugmakers developing generic drugs of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic

At least 11 generic versions of Novo Nordisk's popular diabetes drug Ozempic are in the final stages of clinical trials in China, as developers seek to profit from an early patent expiry of the therapy's active ingredient semaglutide in China.

COMPANIES WHICH COMPLETED PHASE 3

COVID shots should target variants with JN.1 lineage in 2024-25 campaign, US FDA advisers say

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday unanimously voted in favor of recommending that COVID-19 vaccines for 2024-25 should target a strain within the lineage of the JN.1 variant that has been dominant this year. The 16 advisors did not vote on whether to favor the original JN.1 variant or one of its successors like the currently dominant KP.2 strain.

South Africa regulator finds no toxin in recalled cough syrup

An investigation into two recalled batches of children's cough syrup made in South Africa by Johnson & Johnson found no trace of a toxin, and no adverse events have been reported from consuming the syrup, the country's drug regulator said on Wednesday. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority issued the recall in April, days after Nigeria's regulator recalled the medicine - a batch of Benylin Paediatric Syrup made in South Africa - over an unacceptably high level of a potentially deadly toxic substance, diethylene glycol.

Amgen's drug meets main goal in late-stage study for rare disease

Amgen said on Wednesday its drug helped to reduce the risk of flares in patients with an immune system-related condition, meeting the main goal of a late-stage study. The drug, Uplizna, was being studied for the treatment of Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD), which is characterized by periods of remission and unpredictable disease flares.

UNICEF finds 90% of Gazan children lack food needed for proper growth

UNICEF said on Thursday that nine out of 10 children in Gaza could not eat nutrients from enough food groups to ensure their healthy growth and development. "In the Gaza Strip, months of hostilities and restrictions on humanitarian aid have collapsed the food and health systems, resulting in catastrophic consequences for children and their families," UNICEF said.

Person with bird flu died in Mexico, WHO says

A person with prior health complications who had contracted bird flu died in Mexico in April and the source of exposure to the virus was unknown, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. WHO said the current risk of bird flu virus to the general population is low.

Novo Nordisk braces for generic challenge to Ozempic, Wegovy in China

Novo Nordisk is facing the prospect of intensifying competition in the promising Chinese market where drugmakers are developing at least 15 generic versions of its diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss treatment Wegovy, clinical trial records showed. The Danish drugmaker has high hopes that demand for its blockbuster drugs will surge in China, which is estimated to have the world's highest number of people who are overweight or obese.

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