Reuters Health News Summary

GLP-1 drugs on the market include Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, its weight-loss treatment Wegovy and Eli Lilly's obesity drug Zepbound. US judge bars Trump administration from cutting NIH research funding A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from carrying out steep cuts to federal grant funding for research that universities and Democratic-led states warn would lead to layoffs, lab closures and a curtailment of scientific and medical studies.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US FDA expands use of ARS Pharma's allergic reaction nasal spray in 15-30 kg patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the expanded use of ARS Pharmaceuticals' nasal spray for severe allergic reactions in patients who weigh between 15 and 30 kilograms, the company said on Wednesday. Shares of the company were up 5.2% in extended trading.

WHO says Uganda's Ebola caseload rises to 12

Uganda's Ebola virus caseload has risen to 12, up from 10, with two people who died early last month being considered probable cases, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

On Saturday WHO reported the death of the latest victim of the outbreak, a four-year-old boy who died last week at the country's national referral hospital, Mulago.

J&J to stop studies of depression drug due to low effectiveness

Johnson & Johnson will stop late-stage studies of its experimental drug to treat major depressive disorder due to a lack of sufficient efficacy, the drug and medical device maker said on Thursday. The company was testing its once-daily drug, aticaprant, as an add-on treatment for patients with depression who experience anhedonia, a condition that makes it hard to feel pleasure or interest in activities that were once enjoyable.

Merck KGaA sees forex-adjusted earnings growth of up to 8% this year

Merck KGaA on Thursday forecast currency-adjusted operating earnings growth of up to 8%, helped by demand for semiconductor chemicals and for lab equipment in biotech drug production. The German group said in a statement that 2025 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), adjusted for special items, would likely reach between 6.1 billion euros ($6.6 billion) and 6.6 billion euros.

Some malaria, HIV, TB programme cuts reversed by US, groups say

Some lifesaving health projects that had their U.S. funding contracts abruptly terminated last week have received letters reversing that decision, several of the groups told Reuters. The aid recipients said the decisions were promising, but that their work remains in limbo as funding for their projects from the world's biggest donor had not yet restarted.

US judge bars copies of Lilly weight-loss drug

A U.S. federal judge has refused to allow compounding pharmacies to keep making copies of Eli Lilly's popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro in the United States. The decision was filed late on Wednesday in response to an October lawsuit from a compounding industry group against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision last year that there was no longer a shortage of the medicines' active ingredient, tirzepatide.

Novo Nordisk to explore how GLP-1 drugs can help patients with addiction

Novo Nordisk will explore how GLP-1 drugs could help patients struggling with addiction, its head of development Martin Holst Lange told an online press conference on Thursday. GLP-1 drugs on the market include Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, its weight-loss treatment Wegovy and Eli Lilly's obesity drug Zepbound.

US judge bars Trump administration from cutting NIH research funding

A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from carrying out steep cuts to federal grant funding for research that universities and Democratic-led states warn would lead to layoffs, lab closures and a curtailment of scientific and medical studies. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston issued a nationwide injunction at the request of 22 Democratic state attorneys general, medical associations and universities that argue the National Institutes of Health's planned funding cuts were unlawful.

Trump administration drops Biden lawsuit over emergency abortions in Idaho

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday dropped a lawsuit that had been filed by the previous Biden administration in a bid to stop Idaho from enforcing its near-total abortion ban in medical emergencies. The ban still remains blocked in emergencies due to a similar lawsuit brought by a hospital system.

US FTC sues to block private equity purchase of medical company

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued on Thursday to block medical device coatings maker Surmodics' acquisition by private equity firm GTCR, saying the deal would contribute to high healthcare costs. The FTC said the deal would give the combined company more than 50% of the market for suppliers of hydrophilic coatings used to smooth surgical and internal medical devices such as catheters.

Washington state prevails over church in abortion coverage appeal

A divided U.S. appeals court on Thursday rejected a suburban Seattle church's bid to void a Washington state law requiring insurers that offer maternity coverage in employee health plans to also cover abortions. In a 2-1 decision, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland lacked the necessary standing to challenge the state's Reproductive Parity Act because some insurers still offer group plans that exclude coverage for abortion services.

Trump's FDA nominee tepidly backs role for vaccine advisers in guarded Senate appearance

Martin Makary, President Donald Trump's nominee to run the U.S. FDA, told lawmakers on Thursday he would convene a committee of vaccine advisers but said he would reevaluate which scientific issues require their input. It was one of several issues on which Makary, a Johns Hopkins physician, kept his cards close to his chest while facing the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for two hours.

German court rules Pfizer, BioNTech violated Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine patent

A German court on Wednesday ruled that Pfizer and its partner BioNTech violated a COVID-19 vaccine patent held by Moderna. In a statement, the court in the city of Duesseldorf said that Pfizer and BioNTech would have to provide information on earnings derived from the use of the patent and that they owe Moderna appropriate compensation, though the ruling can still be appealed to a higher court.

Novo Nordisk to sell Wegovy for $499 a month to cash-paying US customers

Novo Nordisk said on Wednesday it would begin selling its weight-loss drug Wegovy at a discounted price of $499 per month to patients paying cash, as it grapples with shifts to the competitive dynamic of the U.S. obesity drug market. The move comes just over a week after rival Eli Lilly cut the price for vials of its weight-loss drug Zepbound by $50 or more and expanded the range of doses sold online through its direct-to-consumer website.

Trump pick to lead NIH Bhattacharya vows to tackle chronic disease

President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, told a U.S. Senate panel he plans to focus the agency on chronic diseases, improve research integrity, and foster scientific dissent. Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor who was a vocal critic of COVID-19 lockdowns, is expected to be confirmed for the role. His five key goals also include supporting innovative biomedical research and regulating high-risk studies.

Latin American activists warn of pushback on reproductive rights

Latin American rights activists on Thursday warned of growing political threats to reproductive rights across the region, as the United States rolls back access to abortion. "What we are seeing is a lot of backlash of progress after many years of human rights struggles," Paula Avila-Guillen, executive director of the Women's Equality Center told a conference. "What happens in one country has repercussions."

Walgreens to be taken private by Sycamore in $10 billion deal

Walgreens Boots Alliance will be taken private by Sycamore Partners for $10 billion, the firms said on Thursday, closing out nearly a century of trading on public markets for the U.S. pharmacy giant. The price is a fraction of the $100 billion the second-largest U.S. pharmacy chain was worth a decade ago. Its fortunes collapsed as drug margins fell and as consumers turned to cheaper rivals such as Amazon and Walmart to fill their prescriptions and purchase toiletries.

Italy's Amplifon reports 2024 margin below guidance, shares plunge 16%

Italian hearing aid company Amplifon on Thursday reported a core profit margin below annual guidance and a drop in net profit, pushing its shares down as much as 15.7%, the lowest level since May 2020. Amplifon, which cut the initial 24.6% margin target twice over the past year to 24.0%, posted a 2024 margin of 23.6%, citing a lower operating leverage due to market softness in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region and strong investments ahead.

Unvaccinated New Mexico adult tests positive for measles after death

A New Mexico resident who has died, tested positive for measles, the state health department said on Thursday, marking the second measles-related death in the United States in more than a decade. The unvaccinated adult patient did not seek medical care before death, and was the first measles-related death in the state in more than 40 years, according to David Morgan, Public Information Officer for the New Mexico Department of Health.

From fighting HIV to interpreters, USAID cuts wide swath of programs

The Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development has targeted a huge range of programs for cuts, from a few thousand dollars for an interpreter in Ukraine to multimillion-dollar efforts to fight diseases like malaria in Myanmar. Reuters reviewed a copy of a 368-page document that showed the most extensive list to date of the thousands of USAID programs and contracts that have been canceled as President Donald Trump on January 20 announced a sweeping freeze on almost all U.S. foreign aid to ensure the funding was in line with his "America First" policy.

USAID cuts put tuberculosis response in peril, WHO says

The Trump administration's decision to pause U.S. foreign aid would undo progress made in containing tuberculosis (TB) infections across low- and middle-income countries, putting the lives of millions at risk, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. "Without immediate action, hard-won progress in the fight against TB is at risk. Our collective response must be swift, strategic, and fully resourced to protect the most vulnerable and maintain momentum toward ending TB," said Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHO's Global Programme on TB and Lung Health.

Canada reports increase in measles cases, urges vaccination

Canada is seeing a noticeable increase in measles cases this year, with more reported in the first two months of 2025 than all of last year, the country's health agency said on Thursday and urged citizens to get vaccinated. The Public Health Agency of Canada said it has recorded 227 measles cases as of March 6, with many patients requiring hospitalization.

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