New Health Task Force Targets E-Cigarettes, Olympic Tech & More

Recent health updates include the U.S. introducing a new task force to tackle illicit e-cigarettes, Olympic athletes using diabetic technology for performance enhancement, and several drug announcements, including Eli Lilly's obesity pill trials. Other updates cover avian flu vaccines in the EU and new rulings on GSK's Zantac cases.

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.

Eli Lilly exec expects obesity pill data in April 2025

Data from Eli Lilly's late stage trial on experimental obesity pill orforglipron is expected in April 2025, a top Eli Lilly executive said on Monday. The pill is part of a class of drugs known as incretins designed to mimic the action of the GLP-1 hormone, which helps regulate blood sugar, slow the rate at which the stomach empties of food and decrease appetite.

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.

GSK asks to appeal Delaware ruling allowing Zantac cases to go forward

GSK and other drugmakers on Monday asked a Delaware court for permission to appeal a ruling allowing more than 70,000 lawsuits claiming that heartburn drug Zantac causes cancer to go forward. If Judge Vivian Medinilla of Delaware Superior Court grants the petition, which is also joined by Pfizer, Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim, the appeal will go directly to the Delaware Supreme Court. If she denies it, GSK said, the companies will ask the Supreme Court directly to hear the case.

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.

US FDA grants accelerated approval to Genfit and Ipsen's liver disease drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to French drugmakers Ipsen and Genfit's drug for a chronic inflammatory liver disease, Iqirvo, the companies said on Monday. Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) causes inflammation of the small bile ducts in the liver and eventually destroys them. It primarily affects women aged 30 to 60, impacting 75,000 in the United States.

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.

Lilly Alzheimer's drug gets unanimous backing from FDA advisory panel

Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday voted unanimously that the benefits of Eli Lilly's experimental Alzheimer's treatment donanemab outweighed its risks, and agreed that trial data showed it was effective in patients with an early stage of the memory-robbing disease. The vote clears the way for a final FDA decision on the treatment, which initially had been expected earlier this year before the agency called for the meeting so its independent panel of experts could weigh in.

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