Reuters Health News Summary

Novo Nordisk has launched its weekly basal insulin injection, Awiqli, in India to treat type 1 and 2 diabetes in adults, reducing injections from 365 to 52 per year.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novo Nordisk launches weekly insulin shot Awiqli in India

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk launched its weekly basal insulin injection, Awiqli, in India on Thursday, aiming to compete with daily-dose options on the market. Awiqli, which Novo describes as the world's first once-weekly basal, or background long-acting, insulin approved for clinical use, is prescribed for the treatment of type 1 and type ​2 diabetes in adults, the company said. It is designed to reduce the number of injections from 365 per year to 52, Novo said.

Ebola outbreak in Congo still spreading, WHO says

The Ebola outbreak in Congo has not yet stabilised and is still expanding ​as population movement fuels transmission, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday. The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 1,561 cases, including 506 deaths, in the worst-ever outbreak of the ‌rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, ​for which there is no proven treatment or cure.

Kailera shares tumble on high nausea rates despite weight-loss drug's success

Kailera Therapeutics' shares dropped 10% on Tuesday after its oral weight-loss drug showed high rates of nausea and vomiting among participants in a late-stage trial in China, overshadowing the experimental treatment's success in meeting the study's main goal. The drug, HRS-7535, was being tested in patients with obesity and diabetes in two separate trials conducted by Kailera's China-based partner Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceutical.

AstraZeneca, Daiichi near UK pricing deal for breast cancer drug, Bloomberg News reports

Drugmakers AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo are nearing an agreement with the UK's pricing regulator for their breast cancer treatment Enhertu, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing multiple people familiar with the matter. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, or NICE, had previously rejected National Health Service funding for Enhertu, saying the treatment was not cost-effective.

Blackstone, TPG seek over $4 billion for ‌Hologic's surgical unit, FT says

Private equity groups Blackstone and TPG are seeking more than $4 billion for medical technology firm Hologic's surgical unit, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Here are more details:

Serbia to cull 11,000 pigs due to African swine fever, Tanjug reports

Serbian authorities have begun culling 11,000 pigs at a farm in the west of the country following an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), the Tanjug news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamocic. The cull at the farm in the village of Hrtkovci is expected to take several days. Tanjug quoted Glamocic as saying the state would compensate the farm's owners.

Moderna wins EU contract for RSV vaccine supply

Moderna said on Thursday it has secured a European Commission contract to supply its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine to six countries in the region. Here are the details:

UnitedHealth says most home-health diagnoses were supported in 2025

UnitedHealth on Tuesday said an audit by an external consulting firm showed nearly 97% of diagnoses identified within its HouseCalls home-health unit, which has faced scrutiny from lawmakers, were supported by a patient's medical record. "We look at this with both a sense of pride, but also humility," said Wyatt Decker, an executive vice president at UnitedHealth, adding the company aims ‌to make sure that documentation practices by nurse practitioners more accurately reflect diagnoses patients receive.

Space station bioprinting experiment advances quest for lab-grown tissues, company says

A biotechnology company says it has successfully used its 3D bioprinter aboard the International Space Station to manufacture structures containing human liver, kidney and cartilage cells, a step it believes could eventually aid production of transplantable tissues in orbit. San Diego-based Auxilium Biotechnologies said a recently completed mission marked the first time liver and kidney tissues have been bioprinted in space. The work was conducted using cells supplied by researchers at Wake Forest University, according ‌to Auxilium co-founder Jacob Koffler of the University of California, San Diego.

Sino Biopharmaceutical, GSK expand alliance with China rights to respiratory drugs

Hong Kong-listed drugmaker Sino Biopharmaceutical said on Wednesday its China unit had secured rights to market two respiratory drugs from British company GSK in mainland China. Here are some details:

Alector and GSK partnership to end after dementia, Alzheimer's drug failures

Alector said on Wednesday that GSK had terminated their neuroscience collaboration agreement covering two experimental antibody drugs after both the drug candidates suffered clinical setbacks. The decision follows the failure of a late-stage study of latozinemab in a rare inherited form of frontotemporal dementia last year and the discontinuation of a mid-stage Alzheimer's disease trial of nivisnebart in April.

New Congo province has suspected Ebola case as deaths hit 600, report says

The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Wednesday that suspected Ebola cases had been reported in a new province, highlighting the expansion of the ongoing outbreak as deaths hit 600. The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,759 people across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to the government's latest situation report published Wednesday night.

Analysis-Trump cut to food security survey could make measuring US hunger harder

President Donald Trump's cancellation last year of a government food security survey could make it difficult to assess whether his cuts to the food stamp program lead to a rise in U.S. hunger, especially among children. Trump's tax and spending law signed last July shifted significant Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending to states ⁠and expanded work requirements, among other changes.

Trump ​CDC nominee Schwartz set for July 15 US Senate confirmation hearing

Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will ⁠appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on July 15 for her confirmation hearing, the committee said on Wednesday. In April, Trump nominated Schwartz, who had served as deputy surgeon general during the COVID-19 pandemic, to become director of the CDC following multiple leadership shakeups at the health agency.

AstraZeneca's Wainua fails key heart disease trial, shares tumble

AstraZeneca's nerve disease drug Wainua, made in partnership with Ionis, unexpectedly failed a pivotal heart-disease trial, hitting the firm's shares on Thursday and casting doubts over the UK-based drugmaker's trial design. The setback dims prospects for a drug analysts predicted could have some $2 billion in peak sales, and is another blow for AstraZeneca after a U.S. regulatory panel in May rejected its breast cancer drug camizestrant ⁠on trial design grounds.

US FDA approves Vera's kidney disease drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had approved Vera Therapeutics' drug to treat patients with a potentially life-threatening kidney disease. The drug, Trutakna, is a self-administered injectable treatment approved for patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy, also known as Berger's disease, which causes abnormal protein buildup in the kidneys and could eventually lead to the organ's failure.

Germany detects swine fever case in wild boar

A case of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in a wild boar in eastern Germany, the country's authorities said on Wednesday. The case, which was detected in the state of Brandenburg within the ASF protection corridor bordering Poland in the ​Uckermark district, is the first case detected in wild boars in the area for more than a year, the state's agriculture ministry said in a statement.

Spire Healthcare takeover deadline for Toscafund extended to August 6

Britain's Spire Healthcare said on Thursday that the deadline for Toscafund Asset Management to make a formal takeover offer for the private hospital operator has been extended for a third time to August 6 from July 9. Here are some details:

AstraZeneca secures ex-China license for Sino Biopharmaceutical's experimental COPD drug

AstraZeneca will pay a subsidiary of ⁠Sino Biopharmaceutical $200 million upfront for the rights outside of China to an experimental chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drug, the Chinese drugmaker said Wednesday. COPD, a progressive lung disease that obstructs airflow and makes breathing difficult, was the third-leading cause of death worldwide with 3.4 million fatalities in 2023, according to the World Health Organization.

India's Torrent Pharma recalls select semaglutide pens after Dr. Reddy's notice

Torrent Pharmaceuticals said on Thursday it was voluntarily recalling select batches of its Semalix semaglutide injection disposable pens after a product recall notification from its manufacturer Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.

Newer style hip implant significantly cuts dislocation risk

We also report on a potentially important discovery on how malaria parasites infect cells, which could lead to future preventions, and a study that adds safety reassurance for combination flu/COVID vaccines. IMPROVING HIP SURGERY OUTCOMES

China adds ⁠second GLP-1 ​diabetes drug to essential medicine list

China will add a second GLP-1 drug, used to treat diabetes, to a list of essential drugs all public hospitals are required to prioritise having in their formulary, a government statement said on Thursday. China, the world's second-biggest pharmaceutical market, has the highest number of adults with diabetes in the world, according to estimates from the International Diabetes Federation.

India's Dr Reddy's delays semaglutide supply, loses $678 million in market value

Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy's Laboratories said on Thursday it will delay supplies of its generic diabetes drug due to an issue with the active pharmaceutical ingredient, erasing $678 million from its market capitalisation. Dr Reddy's, in a statement to exchanges, said that certain batches of semaglutide, the key ingredient in blockbuster diabetes and obesity drugs, were found to be "out of specification".

Exclusive-India finds Adani's Mumbai airport shops sold nicotine pouches in breach of law

An Indian investigation found that Mumbai international airport's duty-free shops run by billionaire Gautam Adani's business group breached the law by selling nicotine pouches, which the government considers a public health hazard, according to documents from the investigation. Adani denies wrongdoing and is asking judges to declare that a law covering drugs and cosmetics does not apply to duty-free shops and nicotine pouches, ⁠according to court papers reviewed by Reuters. Lawyers say the case could set a precedent on how India regulates sales at such outlets and a government win could block sales of one of the world's fastest-growing nicotine products in India's airports.

ResMed to sell software business MatrixCare for $490 million

ResMed said on Tuesday it would sell its software business MatrixCare to private equity firm Frazier Healthcare Partners for $490 million in cash, as the health technology company sharpens its focus on sleep, breathing and home-based care. ResMed, which makes devices to manage sleep apnea, said it ⁠plans to use the net proceeds to return capital to shareholders, including through an accelerated share repurchase program, and for general corporate purposes.

Obamacare insurers ask for second-highest premiums increase in ⁠nearly a decade

Companies offering Obamacare health insurance plans next year are requesting payment rates representing a 14% median increase to premiums over 2026 rates, according to data from health policy research group KFF. The proposed rate for 2027 represents the second-highest increase since 2018, KFF said. Insurers must submit proposals to regulators by July 15, detailing expected costs and planned price changes ahead of the new year.

Congo says number of confirmed Ebola cases rises to 1,708

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has increased to 1,708, including 580 deaths, government data showed on Wednesday.

Healthcare gives Democrats a potent midterms attack line in Iowa and beyond

Shannon Gooden has voted Republican her entire life, including for Donald Trump three times. But the looming closure of the rural Iowa health clinic where she works has her questioning that loyalty ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Her unease over ‌medical costs and access represents an opportunity for Democrats.

Sanofi to stop disparaging rival flu vaccine to stave off ‌EU antitrust fine

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has offered to state publicly that a rival flu vaccine is as effective as its own, EU antitrust regulators said on Wednesday of the company, which faces a fine for allegedly disparaging its competitor. Sanofi's proposal came two weeks after the Commission opened an investigation into ​whether the company disparaged a rival vaccine called "Fluad" made by CSL Seqirus, primarily in France and Germany, which competes with its "Efluelda" flu vaccine.