Reuters Health News Summary

The US cyclosporiasis outbreak has claimed its first known deaths, two people in Michigan, who had underlying health conditions that may have been exacerbated by the disease.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Michigan reports first US deaths in cyclosporiasis outbreak

A cyclosporiasis outbreak that has grown into the largest on record in the United States has caused its first known deaths, two people in Michigan, the state's health department said on Monday. Cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, is generally not life-threatening. Michigan, citing medical records, said ​the two who died had significant underlying health conditions that may have been affected by the disease and related dehydration.

Novo outlook hike falls flat as high Wegovy pill hopes unmet

Novo Nordisk beat second-quarter profit forecasts and raised its full-year outlook on Wednesday, ​but shares in the drugmaker fell 6% as investors focused on underwhelming sales of its Wegovy weight-loss pill. The Danish drugmaker is battling to claw back lost ground from Lilly ‌in the lucrative obesity drug ​market, as investors look for signs its turnaround can last and its new Wegovy pill can support longer-term growth.

CDC expands largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states, Washington Post reports

The U.S. CDC is adding six more states to the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce, widening the number of affected states to 15, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing three individuals familiar with the investigation. An FDA investigation linked the outbreak that has expanded to nine states to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants and sourced from privately held Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico.

Afghan child malnutrition surges as aid cuts force clinics to turn families away, WFP says

Child malnutrition in Afghanistan has reached critical levels and aid shortages are forcing health workers to turn away millions of children and mothers — six in seven of those in need — the ‌U.N. World Food Programme said on Tuesday. Child wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan's provinces, while the number of children being admitted to health centres is rising sharply, WFP's country director in Afghanistan, John Aylieff, told reporters in Geneva.

A single US measles outbreak can cost millions of dollars, study estimates

The overall cost of containing a 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico was nearly $5.4 million, a new study estimates. The figure includes expenses for medical care, public health services and lost productivity, not just for the 57 adult patients and for caregivers of the 43 infected children but also for 205 exposed and quarantined contacts and 133 public health responders.

FTC takes closer look at Cencora-Covetrus animal health merger, Bloomberg News reports

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is taking a closer look at a proposed $3.5 billion acquisition that would combine two of the leading national suppliers of veterinary products, Cencora's MWI Animal Health and privately held Covetrus, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. The antitrust agency sent information demands last month to customers and rivals of Covetrus Inc and MWI Animal Health, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Pathos AI to license experimental breast cancer drug from China's Jiangsu Alphamab ‌Biopharmaceutical

New York City-based Pathos AI will pay $125 million upfront to a subsidiary of Alphamab Oncology for rights to an experimental drug for a type of breast cancer, the Chinese oncology specialist said Tuesday, as it competes with bigger rivals. Triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, is an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer that tends to grow and spread faster and has fewer treatment options. It accounts for about 10% to 15% of all breast cancers.

Gilead second-quarter sales rise 8%, beating Wall Street estimates

Gilead Sciences on Tuesday reported second-quarter product sales rose 8%, led ‌by double-digit gains for its HIV drugs, but it posted a quarterly loss due to costs related to a series of acquisitions. The company's overall revenue rose 10% to $7.8 billion, beating Wall Street expectations of $7.4 billion, according to LSEG data. Gilead cited strong sales of HIV products, cancer drug Trodelvy and liver disease drug Livdelzi for the results.

Amgen second-quarter sales rise 9%, profit tops Street view

Amgen on Tuesday reported second-quarter sales rose 9%, driven by demand for cholesterol drug Repatha, bone drug Evenity and medications for rare diseases, as the company continues to develop experimental weight-loss drug MariTide. The California-based biotech said it has discontinued development of a different obesity candidate known as AMG 513, which was in early-stage clinical testing.

Revvity raises annual profit, revenue forecasts on strong diagnostics demand

Medical equipment maker Revvity raised its annual profit and revenue forecasts on Tuesday, after topping Wall Street estimates for the second quarter helped by improving demand for its drug-development tools and diagnostic testing products. "It appears that our pharma and biotech customers are beginning to return to more normalized patterns, while increasing AI-related work is creating incremental demand which did not exist in the past," said Chief Financial Officer Max Krakowiak in a call with analysts.

BioNTech lowers 2026 sales outlook as COVID vaccine demand softens

German vaccine maker BioNTech significantly lowered its full year sales outlook range on Tuesday due to softer-than-expected COVID-19 vaccine demand, as second quarter revenue fell by more than half and its net ⁠loss more than doubled. Shares were down ​5.5% at 1106 GMT following the results.

Merck posts better-than-expected second-quarter results on Keytruda strength

Merck reported higher-than-expected second-quarter sales on Tuesday and raised its full-year revenue forecast ⁠on the strength of its top-selling cancer treatment Keytruda. The U.S. drugmaker reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, up 5% from a year earlier and above analysts' average estimate of $16.36 billion, according to LSEG data.

Congo Ebola response hit by worker protests over late pay

Ebola response workers in eastern Congo have staged protests this week to call for the government to pay salaries and allowances that they say are nearly three months overdue, as security incidents continue to hamper efforts to contain the outbreak. Dozens of health workers gathered outside Ebola treatment centres in Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu, all in Ituri province, on Sunday and Monday, calling for immediate payment of the salaries and allowances, protesters said.

Rhythm's drug shows ⁠promise for brain tumor-related weight condition in small study

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday its experimental weekly injectable drug helped reduce body weight in patients with a rare form of obesity caused by damage to the brain, according to preliminary data from an ongoing 11-patient study. Here are the details:

Eli Lilly to offer early access to next-gen obesity drug to some patients

Eli Lilly said on Monday it would allow a limited number of patients to have early access to its experimental obesity drug, retatrutide, before its U.S. FDA approval. "For a limited number of patients who meet specific medical criteria and cannot enroll in a clinical trial, we believe it is medically appropriate ​to make authentic retatrutide available before FDA approval, consistent with FDA's guidance," a company spokesperson said.

India pharma sector to miss 2030 sales target amid tariff and shipping woes, trade body says

India's pharmaceutical industry is likely to miss its sales target for the end of the decade as U.S. tariff uncertainty and Middle East shipping disruptions weigh on exports, the head of a government-backed trade body told Reuters. The sector is now expected to reach $80 billion to $90 billion by 2030, well below an industry target of $130 billion ⁠set in April last year, Namit Joshi, chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India, said.

FAA proposes giving airlines flexibility on flight emergency medical kits

The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday proposed giving airlines flexibility in requirements for emergency medical kits on commercial flights. The FAA is proposing moving from a prescriptive checklist of medical items and instead setting performance-based standards requiring carriers to have sufficient resources to manage nine life-threatening conditions.

Chipotle pulls jalapenos from some restaurants amid salmonella probe

Chipotle Mexican Grill said on Tuesday it had removed jalapenos from all its restaurants in Minnesota and other locations that received the product after identifying the peppers as a potential common ingredient in a salmonella outbreak under investigation by public health authorities. Shares of Chipotle fell as much as 8.5% ⁠to $35.20, ​as investors weighed the impact of another food-safety investigation on the burrito chain that has faced more than a few foodborne disease outbreaks in the past.

UK's Convatec expects higher second-half margin, launches $200 million buyback

British medical products maker Convatec on Tuesday forecast its second-half operating margin to be materially higher than the first half, and pointed to accelerating demand for its infusion care products. Here are some more details:

UK's Smith+Nephew cuts 2026 revenue view on weak US knee implant demand

Smith+Nephew cut its forecast for annual revenue growth on Tuesday after missing second-quarter expectations, knocking its shares, as the British medical products maker grapples with weak knee implant demand and skin graft prices. After three years of cost cuts and sales initiatives, Smith+Nephew is banking on newer products to shore up revenue as soft knee and hip implant demand and reimbursement policies for skin substitutes weigh on returns from the U.S., its largest market.

Pfizer beats earnings estimates, targets $2.5 billion in additional cost cuts

Pfizer reported better-than-expected second-quarter results on Tuesday, powered by strong demand for blood thinner Eliquis and recently acquired drugs, and announced plans for an additional $2.5 billion in cost-cutting. The New York-based drugmaker expects $9.7 billion in total net savings ⁠from its cost reductions through 2029 as it seeks to offset declining COVID-related revenue and restore sustainable growth.

Moderna begins first human trial of Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine

Moderna on Tuesday said it has begun its first human trial of an experimental vaccine to protect against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a strain of Ebola that has killed more than 1,650 people so far and currently has no approved vaccine. Health Canada has cleared an early-stage study and the first volunteers have already received the shot, called mRNA-1469, acording to the vaccine maker. The experimental ⁠shot uses the same mRNA technology behind Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.

Cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan climb to 11,508 in ongoing outbreak

Michigan health officials on Tuesday reported 11,508 cases linked to ⁠a cyclosporiasis outbreak, up by more than 200 from the previous day's update. The state also reported the first two deaths associated with the outbreak, noting that both individuals had significant underlying health conditions.

Treatment trials for Ebola strain behind Congo outbreak show promise, WHO says

Testing of experimental treatments, preventive medicines and vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola behind Democratic Republic of Congo's ongoing outbreak is advancing rapidly, the U.N.'s World Health Organization said on Tuesday. The epidemic - the second-largest and fastest-spreading on record - was caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.

Explainer-What to know about the US outbreak of cyclosporiasis intestinal illness

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and dozens of states are investigating a surge in cases of cyclosporiasis intestinal illness. Michigan, the hardest-hit state, has now ‌reported two deaths and more than 11,000 cases as it searches for links beyond the initial cases tied ‌to lettuce. The outbreak, one of the largest U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreaks in recent years, has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Yum Brands' Taco Bell restaurants in nine states. Investigations are continuing into other sources.

Goldman Sachs-backed Attovia eyes $731.5 million valuation in upsized US IPO

Biopharmaceutical company Attovia Therapeutics said ​on Tuesday it was targeting a valuation of $731.5 million in its upsized initial public offering, signaling strong demand for biopharma listings. Here are some details: