Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Ebola case confirmed in rebel-held Congo area far from outbreak's epicentre

A case of Ebola has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province, hundreds of kilometres from the outbreak's epicentre, the rebel alliance that controls the area said on Thursday. The case, in a rural area near the provincial capital Bukavu, signals the spread of an outbreak that experts believe circulated undetected for around two months in Ituri province, several hundred ​kilometres to the north, before being identified last week.

US HHS launches AI initiative to detect fraud and waste in health programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday it has launched a new AI-led initiative to review annual audits to strengthen oversight across federally funded health programs amid concerns around ​widespread fraud. The program, called the Audit Enforcement and Risk Oversight initiative, or AERO, will review at least five years of audit records of HHS-funded programs across all 50 states, the department said.

Ebola likely circulating in Congo ‌for two months, outbreak to grow, ​WHO says

The Ebola outbreak linked to more than 130 deaths in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo likely started two months ago and is expected to continue to grow, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. The outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no vaccine, was declared last Friday and has alarmed experts because of how long it went undetected while spreading across a densely populated area, making it difficult to trace and isolate the contacts of infected individuals.

Soccer-DR Congo forced to change World Cup preparations due to Ebola outbreak

The Democratic Republic of Congo's national team have been forced to cancel World Cup buildup events in Kinshasa due to the Ebola virus outbreak and will instead continue preparations in Belgium, a team spokesperson said. The squad had planned to hold a training session open to fans as well as a send-off ceremony with the country's head of state Felix Tshisekedi on Monday as they prepare for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

India's top condom maker may hike prices on war-linked oil surge

India's Mankind ‌Pharma may raise condom prices if the Middle East conflict drags on further and keeps oil prices elevated, its chief executive told Reuters on Thursday. The company, which makes Manforce condoms and is the market leader with a share of about 30%, has enough stock to last for a few months if the war persists, CEO Sheetal Arora said, but warned that Mankind may have to pass some of the higher costs to customers if oil prices remain elevated.

US working with small biotech firm on experimental Ebola treatment, HHS official says

U.S. officials are working with Mapp Biopharmaceutical to make an experimental Ebola treatment available for people who may have been exposed to the virus, an HHS official said on Wednesday. The privately held biotech firm is working with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, known as BARDA, to supply the treatment for potential use in high-risk individuals as part of coordinated preparedness efforts, the official told Reuters.

Congo's Ebola responders decry lack of medicine, masks, motorbikes

First responders fighting Democratic Republic of Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak say even basic supplies are scarce - from pain medicine, to motorbikes for contact tracing and face masks - complicating efforts to turn the tide on the disease. The rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola circulated for weeks undetected in Congo's remote northeast before the first samples tested positive last week. Aid groups are now scrambling to rush in supplies to Ituri, the conflict-hit province where the outbreak originated.

Family of US man infected with Ebola to join him in German hospital

Family ‌members of a U.S. citizen infected with Ebola who is being treated at a Berlin hospital are being taken to the special isolation ward at the same hospital after a request from U.S. authorities, Germany's health ministry said on Wednesday. The statement did not say whether the man's wife and four children, who had also been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, were showing symptoms.

As Ebola cases rise, Americans returning from DRC must enter US via Washington Dulles

As Ebola cases rise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Americans who have been in that country, Uganda, or South Sudan within the last three weeks must only return to the United States through Washington Dulles ‌for enhanced screening, the State Department said Thursday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Customs and Border Protection are applying enhanced public health screening at Dulles in response to the Ebola outbreak. An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit on Wednesday was ordered diverted to Montreal after a passenger from the DRC boarded "in error," CBP said.

Factbox-Bundibugyo Ebola vaccines and treatments in development

Global health authorities are racing to identify medical options to help contain an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Unlike the more common Zaire strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo.

Lower cost Novo, Lilly weight-loss pills draw patients from compounded drugs, doctors say

Lower prices for weight-loss pills from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are prompting patients to switch from compounded medications to branded Wegovy and Foundayo, according to Reuters interviews with nine U.S. doctors. Prices for the lowest doses of both Novo's oral Wegovy and Lilly's Foundayo tend to be lower than for their injected obesity medicines, and at par with those offered by pharmacies that mix the ingredients themselves and make compounded versions.

Johnson & Johnson says nipocalimab approved in China

Johnson & Johnson's nipocalimab treatment for a type of muscle-weakening disorder received approval from China's National Medical Products Administration, the U.S. drugmaker said on Thursday on WeChat. The drug, acquired by J&J through its $6.5 billion buyout of Momenta in 2020, is expected to bring in blockbuster revenue and drive growth, Reuters has reported previously.

US FDA to hold expert committee meeting to review Moderna's flu vaccine

The U.S. FDA said on Thursday it would hold a meeting of outside experts next month to review Moderna's experimental flu shot. Moderna's mRNA-based seasonal flu 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.

BioMarin's drug shows significant ​growth gains in children in late-stage trial

BioMarin Pharmaceutical said on Wednesday its treatment for a rare condition that leads to short stature helped boost growth in children, meeting the main goal of ⁠a late-stage study and sending its shares up nearly 5% in extended trading. Here are some details:

American Ebola patient evacuated from DRC to Germany is in stable condition, CDC says

A U.S. citizen who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an outbreak of a rare strain of the virus has killed over 130 people, is being treated in Germany and is in stable condition, the U.S. CDC said on Wednesday. Six other high-risk U.S. citizens were currently being moved from the DRC to Germany and the Czech Republic, Dr. Satish Pillai, the incident manager for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Ebola response, said in a briefing.

Medical product maker Convatec warns of higher cost from Iran War

British medical products maker Convatec on Thursday posted slower organic revenue growth for the first four months of 2026 and its CEO warned of higher costs in ⁠2027 due to the Iran conflict, sending shares 8% lower. The war in the Middle East has driven up oil prices sharply, increasing the cost of petroleum-derived plastics and polymers which are used to make Convatec's products that span wound dressings, ostomy bags and infusion sets.

Family of US Ebola patient admitted to Berlin isolation ward

The family of a U.S. citizen who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an outbreak of a rare strain of the virus has killed over 130 people, has been admitted to an isolation ward at the Berlin hospital where he is being treated. The German health ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the wife and four children of the patient "were brought to Germany on a special flight and are considered close contacts."

Congo Ebola outbreak cases are 'top of the iceberg', coalition ​says

A global vaccine coalition official said on Thursday that cases so far identified in the Congo Ebola outbreak represent just the top of the iceberg and it may be hard to develop a safe, effective vaccine within a target time of three months. The outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo encompasses 600 suspected cases and more than 130 suspected deaths so far, with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency of international concern.

Hims offers Apotex's generic semaglutide in Canada after Novo patent expiry

Hims & Hers Health said on Thursday it is now offering Canadians a generic version of semaglutide, the active ingredient in ⁠Novo Nordisk's blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, through its telehealth platform. The generic drug is made by Apotex Inc, the largest Canada-based global health company, Hims said, marking the platform's first international generic GLP-1 offering.

US Health Secretary Kennedy fires heads of key preventive health panel

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the chair and vice chair of the influential task force that decides what preventive medical care should be provided at no cost to patients, according to letters sent earlier this month and seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The Preventive Services Task Force, which typically has 16 members, last met over a year ago after Kennedy canceled its regularly scheduled meetings. New members have not been named to replace the five volunteers whose terms expired in December.

Acting head of US NIH infectious disease institute has left, senators say

The acting director of the U.S. NIH's infectious disease institute has stepped down, two Democratic senators said on Thursday during a Senate hearing, ⁠even as ​the United States scrambles to respond to Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks. Jeffery Taubenberger became acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in April 2025 after President Donald Trump's administration pushed out the previous head.

UK's Advanced Medical Solutions attracts fresh suitor in H.B. Fuller

British medical supplier Advanced Medical Solutions on Thursday said it had received an unsolicited takeover proposal from U.S.-based adhesives maker H.B. Fuller, days after its buyout talks with a private-equity firm ended. Shares of the British company rose as much as 13.5% to 240 pence, giving it a market capitalisation of £528.6 million ($710.02 million).

Congo police fire warning shots in burial dispute after suspected Ebola death

Police fired warning shots and tear gas as part of a dispute in northeastern Congo over the burial of a suspected Ebola victim, a footballer who played for local teams, that saw protesters burn down tents for Ebola patients, Reuters witnesses said. The incident highlighted the struggle Congolese authorities could face to enforce the safe burials of people with confirmed and suspected cases that are required to help contain the outbreak.

EU African swine fever outbreaks jumped in 2025, EFSA says

African swine fever outbreaks in the European Union rose sharply in 2025, increasing by 76 % in domestic pigs and 44 % in wild boar, as the disease reemerged in Spain after more than three decades, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said Thursday. The disease is harmless to humans but can be fatal to pigs and wild boar and ⁠spreads rapidly. Outbreaks can lead to trade bans and movement restrictions.

West Pharma says fully operational after cyberattack, sees no hit to 2026 forecast

West Pharmaceutical Services said on Wednesday it has restored operations across its sites after a cybersecurity attack earlier this month and expects the incident to have no material impact on its 2026 financial outlook. The company said it is continuing its investigation, but has not seen any further unauthorized access.

Eli Lilly says next-gen obesity drug helps patients lose 28% of body weight

Eli Lilly said on Thursday its experimental obesity drug helped patients lose more than 28% of their weight over a year and a half in a key trial that ⁠allows the company to seek regulatory approval and potentially launch the next-generation drug next year. The results were in line with Wall Street expectations and could make retatrutide the most powerful weight-loss drug in the booming obesity ⁠treatment market, where Lilly is competing with Novo Nordisk.

Families weigh moves with gender-affirming care access under assault in US

Confronted with Trump Administration threats to gender-affirming care for young transgender people, American families are weighing moves out of their states to gain access to needed healthcare, according to doctors, patients, policy experts and advocacy groups. Upon taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at limiting access to gender-affirming care for patients under age 19, building on legislation or rules in 27 mostly Republican-led states that restrict such care. The order has been temporarily blocked by a judge but the administration continues to push new bans.

US Senator Durbin urges RFK Jr. to resist easing vape rules

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin urged Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday to resist an easing of rules on flavoured vapes, saying the moves were short-sighted and driven by lobbying and donations from big tobacco companies. Under pressure from the White House, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has in recent weeks softened its stance on flavoured vapes, a ‌shift that contributed to the resignation of Commissioner Marty Makary, raised concerns about political influence at the agency and reignited debate ‌over vaping.

UK commits $26.87 million to contain Ebola outbreak in DRC

Britain has allocated up to 20 million pounds ($26.87 million) in new aid funding to help contain an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UK's Foreign Office said on Thursday. As of Wednesday, there were 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths in Congo. Fifty-one cases have been confirmed ​by laboratory testing in Congo, and two cases have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. The outbreak is expected to continue to grow, the World Health Organization has said.