Global Health Updates: Tackling E-Cigarettes, Tuberculosis, and Innovations

This summary outlines recent health news, highlighting various initiatives like the U.S. task force on illicit e-cigarettes, Olympic athletes using diabetes tech, Indonesia's TB vaccine trials, the EU's avian flu vaccine procurement, Moderna's superior COVID/flu combo vaccine, Abbott’s glucose monitors, and more effective obesity drugs from Eli Lilly.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. unveils new task force aimed at cracking down on illicit e-cigarettes

The U.S. Justice Department and the Food and Drug Administration on Monday launched a new task force that will take aim at the sale and distribution of illicit e-cigarettes, in a move to protect youth from illegal vaping products. The new enforcement effort comes after the FDA issued more than 1,100 warning letters to manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers for illegally selling or distributing unauthorized new tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Olympic athletes turn to diabetes tech in pursuit of medals

Olympians including Dutch marathon runner Abdi Nageeye are using a new tool they hope will boost their medal chances this summer: tiny monitors that attach to the skin to track blood glucose levels. Continuous glucose monitors or CGMs were developed for use by diabetes patients but their makers, led by Abbott and Dexcom, also spy opportunities in sports and wellness.

Indonesia ramps up fight against tuberculosis amid concerns on economic impact

Indonesia plans to run clinical trials of several vaccines to fight surging cases of tuberculosis (TB) this year, with concerns the disease might affect economic growth, ministers said on Monday. The Southeast Asian country has seen TB cases spike during the past few years, with the health ministry estimating there were over 1 million cases in 2023, compared to around 820,000 in 2020.

EU to secure 40 million avian flu vaccines for 15 countries - officials

The EU will sign a contract on Tuesday to secure over 40 million doses of a preventative avian flu vaccine for 15 countries with the first shipments heading to Finland, EU officials said on Monday. The deal secures up to 665,000 doses from vaccine manufacturer CSL Seqirus and includes an option for a further 40 million vaccines for a maximum of four years. The vaccines will be jointly procured by the Commission's emergency health arm HERA and 15 countries in the EU and the European Economic Area.

Moderna COVID/flu combo vaccine superior to separate shots in trial

Moderna said on Monday its combination vaccine to protect against both COVID-19 and influenza generated a stronger immune response in adults aged 50 and over when compared to separate shots against the viruses in a late-stage trial. In the study, the combination using messenger RNA technology generated greater antibodies than currently marketed traditional flu vaccines and Moderna's Spikevax mRNA COVID shot, the company said.

Abbott secures FDA clearance for two over-the-counter glucose monitors

Abbott Laboratories said on Monday the U.S. health regulator had cleared the company's two new over-the-counter glucose monitoring devices, expanding its presence in a fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar market. The devices, one for the health-conscious and another for those with diabetes, follow the company's FreeStyle Libre, which generates over $1 billion every quarter and is sold under prescription for patients with diabetes.

Added health benefits of Wegovy, Zepbound could attract more men, doctors say

Evidence that weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound can cut heart disease risk, treat sleep apnea and address other health issues may help convince more men to use them, five doctors who prescribe the medicines regularly told Reuters. Men prefer to shed extra pounds with diet and exercise changes before reaching for drugs, if they address their weight at all, doctors and three healthcare industry analysts said in interviews.

Eli Lilly exec says seeing out of pocket payments for obesity drug in US

A top Eli Lilly executive said on Monday that more patients are paying the full list price of its obesity drug Zepbound than those who had paid for its predecessor Mounjaro. Patrik Jonsson, President of Lilly Diabetes and Obesity, speaking at a Goldman Sachs healthcare conference, said a mid-single digit percentage of patients paid the full list price out of pocket for Zepbound in the first quarter of 2024 in the U.S., which compares to the low single digits for Mounjaro.

Canada, UK launched joint probe into 23andMe data breach, says Canada

The Canadian and British privacy authorities have launched a joint probe into a data breach at genetics testing company 23andme last year, Canada's privacy commissioner said in a statement on Monday. Last October, 23andMe told some customers of a breach into the "DNA Relatives" feature that allowed them to compare ancestry information with users worldwide.

FDA panel votes in favor of efficacy data for Eli Lilly Alzheimer's drug

Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday unanimously voted that data for Eli Lilly's experimental Alzheimer's drug, donanemab, showed that it was effective in patients with early Alzheimer's disease, ahead of the agency's decision on approving the drug. The panel discussion focused on some unique aspects of Lilly's trial, which differed significantly from the trial design of Eisai and Biogen Leqembi, which won U.S. approval after going through a similar advisory committee meeting.

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