Reuters Health News Summary

A decision is expected by August 5. Explainer-What is the hantavirus that killed three cruise ship passengers? Three people have died in an outbreak of hantavirus aboard a luxury cruise ship, with another five confirmed or suspected cases reported, but the World Health Organization has said the wider threat to public health remains low.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Promising Revolution Medicines pancreatic cancer drug has high rate of mostly manageable side effects

An experimental drug from Revolution Medicines that nearly doubled survival time for patients with advanced pancreas cancer in clinical trials comes with a high rate of mostly low-grade side effects, researchers reported on Wednesday. The report from a first-in-human trial of ​daraxonrasib is the first peer-reviewed paper to show safety data for what analysts say could become the next standard of care for previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Italy's Angelini to buy US Catalyst Pharma in $4.1 billion state-backed deal

Angelini Pharma said on ​Thursday that it would acquire U.S. rare-disease drug maker Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a $4.1 billion deal, marking the Italian drugmaker's entry into the U.S. pharmaceutical market. The Italian group specialises in drugs ‌treating brain diseases ​and its CEO Sergio Marullo di Condojanni said the deal would establish it as a "relevant global player in neurological rare diseases," expanding Angelini's scale and capabilities.

Argentina to test rodents at origin point of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Argentina's health ministry will carry out rodent trapping and analysis in the southern city of Ushuaia, the origin point of a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Officials are always reconstructing the itinerary of Dutch citizens who traveled in Argentina and Chile and later presented symptoms of hantavirus on the cruise, the statement said.

CDC says monitoring US travelers on cruise ship after hantavirus outbreak

The United States is closely monitoring the situation with U.S. travelers on board the luxury cruise ship that was hit by a hantavirus outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control ‌and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday. Three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - have died in the outbreak on the MV Hondius. Eight people, including a Swiss citizen, are suspected to have contracted the virus, according to the World Health Organization.

Lilly commits additional $4.5 billion in Indiana manufacturing sites

Eli Lilly said on Wednesday it would invest $4.5 billion more across two of its three manufacturing sites in Indiana, bringing the U.S. drugmaker's total capital expansion commitments in the state since 2020 to more than $21 billion. The additional investment aims to support planned production of Foundayo, Lilly's newly approved once-daily oral weight-loss pill, and retatrutide, its next-generation obesity candidate in late-stage development.

Global crackdown on illicit pharmaceuticals sees $15.5 million in seizures

Interpol said on Thursday an operation across 90 countries and territories has resulted in the seizure of 6.42 million doses of unapproved and counterfeit pharmaceuticals worth $15.5 million. Operation Pangea XVIII led to 269 arrests and the dismantling of 66 criminal groups involved in the illicit pharmaceutical trade, the organization said.

Novo Nordisk weight-loss pill powers profit beat in race to catch Eli Lilly

Novo Nordisk beat first-quarter profit forecasts and nudged up its full-year outlook on Wednesday, helped ‌by stronger-than-expected sales of its new weight-loss pill in the United States as it seeks to regain ground on rival Eli Lilly. Shares in the Danish drugmaker were up 5.4% at 1253 GMT and were on track for their biggest daily jump so far this year, after a sharp slide in the last two years saw it lose its crown as Europe's most valuable firm, earned on booming early obesity drug sales.

CVS Health raises 2026 forecast after improving medical cost controls

CVS Health significantly raised its full-year ‌profit forecast on Wednesday, and reported higher first-quarter earnings from the pharmacy management business and strong medical cost controls in its government-sponsored health plans. Shares of CVS, which also runs a large retail pharmacy chain, rose over 9% in morning trading.

Siemens Healthineers cuts 2026 outlook on Chinese market woes

Siemens Healthineers cut its full-year revenue growth outlook for the 2026 financial year on Thursday, with the company's diagnostics division struggling in China prompting spin-off considerations. Shares of the company fell 3.3% after the results were announced.

Passengers on hantavirus-stricken ship sway between fear, boredom

It was billed as an Atlantic odyssey to some of the most remote islands in the world. Instead, the cruise on the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius was left stranded off Cape Verde with passengers in their cabins, medics in protective suits tending to the sick and the ship's operator seeking a safe port.

The outbreak has left three dead and eight confirmed or suspected cases linked to the Dutch-flagged expedition ship. Passengers, some of whom have been aboard since March 20, have reported moods swinging between fear and boredom: empty lounges, quiet decks, hot drinks, face masks, medical checks, and the uncertainty of not knowing when and how their journey will end. On Wednesday, specialist teams evacuated three people as the vessel prepared to extend its voyage to Spain's Canary Islands with the consent of local authorities. After four days stationed off the ⁠West African archipelago, the ship set sail ​late Wednesday toward the Canary island of Tenerife, where around 150 remaining passengers and crew may finally disembark under medical supervision. It is not ⁠clear whether they will be quarantined on arrival.

US FDA flags shortage of neurosurgical pads and sponges, expects disruption through 2026

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday acknowledged ongoing supply disruptions of certain sterile pads, sponges and strips used in neurosurgery, warning the shortage could last through the end of 2026. Here are some details:

Canarians worry arrival of hantavirus cruise ship will bring repeat of Covid quarantines

The arrival this weekend of a cruise ship hit by an outbreak of hantavirus is reviving memories for residents of Spain's Canary Islands of the quarantines they experienced during the Covid pandemic. The MV Hondius, carrying 150 people, is expected to reach Tenerife on Saturday, where ⁠it will dock after Spain agreed to requests from the World Health Organization to receive it despite protests from the local government.

US FDA grants new fast-track voucher to Partner Therapeutics' bile duct cancer drug

Private biotech firm Partner Therapeutics said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a priority review voucher to its experimental bile duct cancer drug as part of a new fast-track review program. The antibody drug, Bizengri, is under review for adults with advanced cholangiocarcinoma whose tumors carry a rare genetic mutation and whose disease has worsened after prior treatment.

Entrada shares sink after Duchenne drug falls short of expectations

Entrada ​Therapeutics' drug for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy fell well short of analyst expectations in an early-to-mid stage trial, sending its shares down more than 50% in premarket trading on Thursday. The company tested the drug, ENTR-601-44, in ambulatory patients aged six to 17 who have a form of Duchenne caused by a gene mutation that can be treated by skipping exon 44.

Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine outperforms standard shot in late-stage trial

Moderna's mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine worked better than conventional ⁠flu shots in a late-stage international trial of more than 40,000 adults aged 50 and older, researchers reported on Wednesday. The vaccine is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after the agency rejected the company's initial application. A decision is expected by August 5.

Explainer-What is the hantavirus that killed three cruise ship passengers?

Three people have died in an outbreak of hantavirus aboard a luxury cruise ship, with another five confirmed or suspected cases reported, but the World Health Organization has said the wider threat to public health remains low. WHAT HAS HAPPENED ON THE CRUISE SHIP?

Countries scramble to track passengers of virus-hit cruise ship

Countries worldwide on Thursday scrambled to prevent further spread of the hantavirus, after ⁠an outbreak ​on a cruise ship, by tracking those who had already disembarked before the virus was detected and anyone in close contact with them since. Three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - died in the outbreak on the MV Hondius. Eight people, including a Swiss citizen, are suspected to have contracted the virus, which is usually spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted among people, the World Health Organization said.

Switzerland's Roche agrees to acquire US-based PathAI

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said on Thursday it had agreed to acquire U.S.-based digital pathology and AI-powered technology firm PathAI in a deal worth $750 million upfront plus further milestone payments of up to $300 million. The acquisition builds on a five-year partnership between Roche and PathAI that was scaled up in 2024 to include the development of AI-enabled companion diagnostic algorithms.

Fake rumors, real killings: Inside Congo's deadly health misinformation crisis

In Tshopo, a northeastern Congolese province blanketed in rainforest, rumours rippled through villages late last year claiming a mysterious illness had caused men's genitals to atrophy. Within days, testimonials proliferated on social media that amplified the imaginary threat, triggering ⁠a real-life panic that turned deadly before the government could react.

Hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads to Spain after three people evacuated

A luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and marooned since Sunday off the coast of Cape Verde left for Spain on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said, after three people, two of them seriously ill, were evacuated. The MV Hondius, with nearly 150 people on board, is expected to dock in Spain's Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, within three days, Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia said, ⁠adding that those still on board were not presenting any symptoms of the disease.

Amazon to carry Ozempic at US kiosks, offer same-day delivery

Amazon.com said on ⁠Thursday its pharmacy will stock Novo Nordisk's Ozempic pill to treat type 2 diabetes at its kiosks and offer same-day delivery of the drug Novo's Ozempic uses the active ingredient semaglutide to control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, where the body either fails to produce or resists insulin, the hormone regulating blood sugar. Amazon has been stocking Novo's weight-loss drug Wegovy, which uses the same active ingredient as Ozempic, since January. It announced in April it would also stock rival Eli Lilly's Foundayo pill for weight-loss.

Becton Dickinson raises annual profit forecast on strength in drug delivery devices

Becton Dickinson raised its annual profit forecast on Thursday, riding strong demand for its drug-delivery devices and surgical equipment, and appointed Vitor Roque as its chief financial officer. Shares of the company, which makes and distributes medical and ‌surgical products such as needles, syringes and disposal units, rose 3% in premarket trading after it also ‌beat estimates for second-quarter results.

Zealand unveils buyback, Roche payments; shares rise

Danish drug developer Zealand Pharma on Thursday unveiled share buyback plans and flagged expected milestone payments from Roche, easing investor concern about how it will fund late-stage obesity trials. Shares in Zealand rose as much as ​18% after the company announced a $200 million buyback and said it expected to book $700 million in milestone payments from Roche this year.