Reuters Health News Summary

The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a hub for governors and public health officials to share best practices, exchange data and collaborate on emergency response, vaccine policy and other technical issues, according to a joint statement from the coalition. Becton Dickinson's CFO to depart Becton Dickinson said on Wednesday that its Chief Financial Officer Chris DelOrefice will depart the company, effective December 5, to pursue a new professional opportunity.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New US COVID guidelines add confusion, complications for Americans seeking shots

Americans headed to pharmacies for COVID-19 vaccines are running into roadblocks and confusion due to new U.S. guidance that abandoned broad support for the shots, contributing to the lowest vaccination rates since they were introduced. For the four-week period ended October 3, COVID immunizations were down about 25% nationally, according to IQVIA data in analysts' research notes.

BioCryst deepens rare diseases focus with $700 million deal for Astria

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday it would buy Astria Therapeutics in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $700 million, strengthening its rare diseases portfolio. The offer implies a per-share value of $13, a premium of about 54% over Astria's last close. Its shares surged nearly 40%, while BioCryst fell nearly 7%.

Iraq reports bird flu among poultry in north, animal health agency says

Iraq has reported an outbreak of severe bird flu among poultry in the north of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Tuesday. The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, was detected among flocks in the town of Bashiqa and had killed 12,000 birds, Paris-based WOAH said, citing a report from Iraqi authorities. Neighbouring Iran also declared an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu this month.

Nordic Capital-led consortium raises takeover price for Bavarian Nordic to $38.94 per share

Bavarian Nordic said on Wednesday a consortium led by Nordic Capital and Permira has raised its offer price for the vaccine maker to 250 Danish crowns ($38.94) after its initial bid was not accepted by a sufficient number of investors. Innosera, a newly formed entity controlled by the consortium, had offered to buy Bavarian Nordic in July for 233 crowns per share, or around $3 billion in total, with the biotech's board unanimously recommending the offer to its shareholders in August.

Kaiser Permanente says workers have begun a five-day labor strike

Healthcare conglomerate Kaiser Permanente said on Tuesday that it is facing a labor strike called by the Alliance of Health Care Unions over wages, but has plans in place to continue operations without interruption. The strike that began earlier in the day is scheduled to end at 7 a.m. on October 19, Kaiser Permanente said.

US state governors launch alliance to bolster coordination on public health

A coalition of 15 U.S. state governors representing more than a third of the country's population has launched a new bipartisan alliance on Wednesday, aimed at improving public health coordination and emergency preparedness. The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a hub for governors and public health officials to share best practices, exchange data and collaborate on emergency response, vaccine policy and other technical issues, according to a joint statement from the coalition.

Becton Dickinson's CFO to depart

Becton Dickinson said on Wednesday that its Chief Financial Officer Chris DelOrefice will depart the company, effective December 5, to pursue a new professional opportunity. The company said it is conducting a search to identify a permanent successor and named Vitor Roque, senior vice president of finance, business units, as the interim CFO.

Humana loses challenge to 2025 Medicare Advantage ratings

A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected Humana's bid to challenge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' 2025 ratings for its Medicare Advantage plans, which could cost the health insurance company millions of dollars in bonus payments from the government. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, sided with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Humana's lawsuit over a reduction in the so-called star ratings for its Medicare Advantage plans, saying CMS properly evaluated the plans.

Trump administration says 4,108 workers have been fired since shutdown began

The number of U.S. federal worker layoffs as a result of the government shutdown was revised downward on Tuesday, suggesting the Trump administration's initial statement about sweeping job cuts was too ambitious. The Trump administration has dismissed 4,108 employees since October 1, the day the U.S. government shutdown began, according to a statement filed Tuesday in court by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Justice Department last week in a separate court filing estimated the figure was at least 4,278.

UK watchdog proposes sweeping reforms of $8 billion vet sector

Britain's competition regulator proposed sweeping reforms to the country's $8 billion veterinary services market on Wednesday, saying pet owners often lack clear information on prices and overpay for medicines. However, the Competition and Markets Authority's provisional findings from a review of the sector were broadly as expected and did not include any negative surprises, analysts said, alleviating uncertainty that has pressured shares of vet services groups.

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