Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Boston Scientific hit by cyberattack, global operations affected

Boston Scientific said on Wednesday that a cybersecurity incident had disrupted global operations, including some information systems used to process and ship customer orders. The medical device maker said it detected the incident on Aug. 25 and had activated incident-response procedures, working with third-party cybersecurity specialists to investigate and contain the threat.

US FDA ​expands approval for J&J's drug for rare blood disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the expanded use of Johnson & Johnson's drug to treat a rare blood disorder, the company said on Monday. The approval makes Imaavy the first treatment cleared for warm autoimmune ​hemolytic anemia, or wAIHA, and covers patients aged 12 and older who are currently or were previously treated with steroids.

Cyclosporiasis cases in US climb to 17,180, CDC says

The Centers ‌for Disease Control and ​Prevention on Tuesday reported 17,180 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the United States, an increase of 1,464 cases from a week ago. Here are some details:

US lawmakers question Health Secretary Kennedy on vaccine settlement disclosures

A group of U.S. senators said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent explanation for how he disposed of a financial stake in litigation involving Merck's Gardasil vaccine conflicts with earlier answers he gave in written testimony and federal ethics filings, a letter reviewed by Reuters shows. The letter, sent on Monday by four Democratic senators, notes that Merck earlier this year agreed to pay $50 million to settle litigation over Gardasil, which prevents cancers caused by the human papillomavirus.

FDA places clinical hold on Regenxbio's gene therapy for Hunter Syndrome

Regenxbio said on Monday the U.S. FDA has placed its experimental gene therapy for a rare inherited disorder on clinical hold after spinal scans found abnormalities in five study participants, ‌sending its shares down more than 24% in premarket trading. The therapy, RGX-121, was being developed as a one-time treatment for Hunter Syndrome, also known as MPS II, which can cause progressive damage to the brain and other organs and tissues.

China's Hansoh Pharma posts 36% rise in first-half profit helped by innovative drug sales

China's Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, a Roche partner, reported a near 36% rise in first-half profit on Wednesday driven by strong growth in sales of innovative medicines and higher investment income. The oncology and metabolic disease specialist posted net profit of 4.26 billion yuan ($633.90 million) for the six months ended June 30, up from 3.13 billion yuan in the year-ago period and beating an HSBC Qianhai Securities forecast of about 2.9 billion yuan.

As US border reopens to Mexican cattle, concerns persist over screwworm spread

Mexico is bolstering its screwworm containment campaign in northern border states where recent cases have been detected, heightening scrutiny of livestock exports as cross-border trade resumed on Monday under a phased U.S. reopening. The reopening marks the first easing of a U.S. ban imposed more than a year ago to keep out the flesh-eating pest, as imports resumed initially through Arizona.

West Nile virus infection causes one death in the Netherlands

A person has died in a Dutch hospital ‌after contracting the West Nile virus in the Netherlands, the country's public health institution RIVM said on Wednesday. The RIVM reported last week the first West Nile virus infection contracted in the Netherlands since 2020 and said the number of infections that had likely occurred inside the country had now risen to three.

Bristol Myers ends blood cancer drug deal with cell therapy maker Cellares

Bristol Myers Squibb has ended its partnership with cell therapy startup Cellares to expand the manufacturing of its personalized blood cancer therapy, a company spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday. Bristol Myers determined that Cellares' cell therapy ‌manufacturing platform, Cell Shuttle, could not meet the requirements to make its CAR-T therapy, Breyanzi, at commercial scale, the spokesperson said.

Health Rounds: Flu vaccine made in baker's yeast could yield longer protection, streamline manufacturing

We also cover a method for improving speech after a brain injury and a finding on how blood vessels form following a heart attack. COULD FLU VACCINES BE “BREWED” IN YEAST?

US plans to appoint two new FDA deputy commissioners for tech and drugs, CNBC reports

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is planning to appoint two new deputy commissioners at the Food and Drug Administration, CNBC reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. One role would focus on technology, including healthcare and AI, while the other would oversee drugs, according to two people familiar with the plans.

What to know about US measles cases on the rise

Two Pennsylvania residents have died due to measles, health officials said on Tuesday, the first U.S. deaths from the disease reported in 2026 and the first in the state in 35 years.

A decline in vaccination among U.S. children in recent years, fueled by unscientific claims that the shots are unsafe, has triggered larger outbreaks. Here is what you need to know about measles:

Record salmonella outbreak in Belgium infects at least 306

A record salmonella outbreak in a Belgian chicken farm has infected at least 306 people after they ate eggs, the food safety agency said on Tuesday. The agency said those who developed symptoms had been contaminated by a strain found ⁠at the farm, though many more ​may have contracted the disease but not been tested as they had shown only mild or no symptoms, said a spokesperson for the agency, known as AFSCA.

Pennsylvania ⁠reports first US measles deaths this year as outbreak grows

Two Pennsylvania residents died after contracting measles, health officials said on Tuesday, the first such deaths this year in the United States, which is contending with the highest number of cases of the highly infectious disease in more than three decades as vaccination rates drop. Both people were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which did not release additional details, citing privacy concerns.

NFL-At least one in four former players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, study shows

At least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 was found to have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to a study released on Tuesday. Out ⁠of the 878 former players who died during that time frame, 235 donated their brains, researchers said, with 215 of those donated brains found to have CTE, a degenerative disease that can only definitively be diagnosed after death.

Hungary foreign ministry files report on $964 million pandemic-era ventilator deals

Hungary's Foreign Ministry has filed a report with prosecutors on suspected fraud and other crimes involving the 2020 purchase of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic under the previous government, Foreign Minister Anita Orban said on Tuesday. The report on the purchase of nearly 17,000 ventilators worth a combined 300 billion forints ($963.82 million) says the ministry bought thousands of surplus ventilators that could not be used realistically at inflated ​prices, Orban told reporters.

More US employers to drop weight-loss drugs in 2027, as healthcare costs increase

About 14% of employers in the United States have already or plan to drop GLP-1 drugs in 2027, as companies see rising healthcare costs, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the Business Group on Health. Healthcare costs are set to increase 9.2% if employers do not make changes to manage costs in 2027, up from 8.5% in 2026, the group said. Two-thirds of employers surveyed said they saw rising utilization of ⁠the drugs.

U.S. court orders Guardant to pay $245 million in DNA sequencing patent dispute

A U.S. court has ordered Guardant Health to pay more than $245.2 million to TwinStrand Biosciences and the University of Washington after finding that the company infringed patents covering DNA sequencing technology, TwinStrand said on Monday. Here are the details:

FDA authorizes Abbott's wearable to monitor ketone and glucose in diabetes patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it authorized Abbott Laboratories' glucose monitor, making it the first device that continuously monitors both ketone levels and blood sugar. Here are some details:

Exclusive-US produce supplier Taylor Farms frequently fails to disclose workplace injury tallies, records show

Taylor Farms, the produce company at the center of a U.S. cyclospora outbreak, frequently failed to submit federally required workplace injury logs in recent ⁠years, including ​for at least four facilities where workers suffered fatal or otherwise serious injuries, a Reuters review of federal records found. Over the past five years, five to seven Taylor Farms facilities filed the annual report within the following year, with some showing injury rates above industry averages, while others recording below-average rates. From 2021 to 2025, at least 17 facilities required such filings based on the number of employees and nature of the work, according to a review of intermittent U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection filings.

Explainer-How the Merck/Moderna cancer vaccine works and possible barriers to wide use

The personalized cancer vaccine being developed by Moderna and Merck has boosted hopes that mRNA technology could open up a new avenue of treatment, but the available evidence is still limited. Interim data from a large trial showed the experimental vaccine, when combined with Merck's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, helped reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence and spread in patients whose tumors have been surgically removed.

McKesson strikes $2.25 billion Precision Medicine deal in clinical research bets

McKesson said on Tuesday it would buy privately held Precision Medicine Group in a deal valued at about $2.25 billion, as part of a years-long effort to strengthen its higher-growth businesses. The U.S. drug distributor has been reshaping ⁠its portfolio by exiting non-core assets and streamlining its operations while investing in businesses such as oncology and specialty care to drive long-term growth.

Biohaven licenses epilepsy drug to South Korea's SK Biopharmaceuticals for up to $795 million

Biohaven has entered into a licensing agreement with South Korean drug maker SK Biopharmaceuticals for Biohaven's epilepsy drug platform, including Opakalim, for up to $795 million, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday.

Capricor's Duchenne drug gets three-month FDA extension after new data submission

Capricor Therapeutics said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had extended the review ⁠period for its experimental cell therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy by three months. The delay follows Capricor's submission of new 24-month data from its late-stage study, along with extra analyses, to ⁠support a refined proposed indication focused on upper limb function, the trial's main goal.

Roche, Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's blood test gets FDA clearance

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Roche and partner Eli Lilly's blood test to help identify signs of Alzheimer's disease in people aged 55 and older with cognitive decline. The test, Elecsys pTau217, is a biomarker blood test that can help doctors identify patients who are likely or unlikely to have Alzheimer's-related brain changes, Roche said on Monday.

India wanted red flags on chip packets and soda. Big Food fought back

A can of Fanta sold in London has 63 calories. Buy the same brand in India, and it contains three times as much sugar. It also includes artificial dye, whose presence in food products in Europe requires a prominent health warning. In India, the colorant’s presence is noted merely in small print on the back of ‌the can. That suits some of the world’s biggest companies, which have long resisted Indian efforts to mandate ‌nutritional warnings on the front of packaged products.

Medicover India hospitals to be profitable in 18 months, eyes 20-25% margins

Swedish healthcare provider Medicover's India business is on track to have all 25 hospitals in its network become profitable within 18 months, driven by rising occupancy and demand for specialised care, a top ​executive said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, global investment firm KKR signed a deal to buy Medicover's India business for €1.2 billion ($1.40 billion), pending regulatory approvals.