Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Australia clears Kimberly-Clark's acquisition of Kenvue but requires Carefree, Stayfree divestment

Australia's competition regulator on Wednesday approved Kimberly-Clark's proposed $40 billion takeover of Kenvue, on condition the company divests Kenvue's Carefree and Stayfree period care brands in the country to address competition concerns. Here are the details:

UK regulator suspends rare-disease drug Tavneos for new patients over unreliable data

Britain's medicines regulator on Tuesday suspended the use and sale of Amgen's ​rare-disease drug Tavneos to new patients, saying the main study supporting its approval was unreliable. Sold as Avacopan Vifor in Britain by CSL Vifor, the drug is used with other medicines to treat severe autoimmune diseases that cause inflammation in small blood vessels and can damage the kidneys and ​lungs.

India busts firm faking expiry dates, nutrition labels on PepsiCo, Nestle food exports

Indian authorities have raided an illegal operation in Mumbai that faked expiry dates and nutritional information on original food products manufactured ‌by PepsiCo, Nestle , Coca-Cola ​and Unilever so they could be exported to other countries. Reuters got exclusive access to the warehouse last week as food officers conducted a six-day investigation and seized goods worth nearly $80,000. A photographer saw chemicals used to remove manufacturers' original expiry dates and ingredient labels, machines to print and apply replacements and scores of label packs for products including Lay's potato chips and Maggi noodles.

Mead Johnson wins US federal bellwether trial over preterm infant formula Enfamil

A U.S. federal jury sided with Reckitt Benckiser's Mead Johnson on Monday in a test trial over claims the company's Enfamil infant formula for preterm babies caused necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a dangerous bowel disease. The Illinois jury concluded Enfamil formula did not cause a preterm baby boy to develop NEC. The case was brought by Alexis Inman, the mother of the boy who died soon after being born prematurely at 29 weeks.

UnitedHealthcare to drop prior authorization requirements for range of conditions from Oct. 1

UnitedHealth's insurance unit said on Tuesday that ‌a broad range of conditions will no longer need prior approval, effective October 1, as it aims to eliminate prior authorization for 30% of healthcare services by the end of this year. Here are the details:

Novartis MS pill beats older drug in trials, boosts pipeline hopes

Swiss drugmaker Novartis said on Tuesday its oral drug remibrutinib outperformed an older treatment in reducing relapses in patients with a form of multiple sclerosis, boosting hopes the medicine could become a blockbuster product. The trial results mark the first success from three closely watched Novartis pipeline programmes due to deliver data this year. Investors are focused on remibrutinib, heart drug pelacarsen and gene therapy del-desiran, which together are seen generating more than $10 billion nL4N43H0Z6 in peak annual sales and underpinning the company's long-term growth.

GSK to advance mRNA flu vaccine to late-stage trial

GSK said on Tuesday it will advance its mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccine candidate to a late-stage trial after mid-stage data showed it generated stronger immune responses than currently approved standard- and high-dose shots in younger and older adults. The British drugmaker said it would be the first late-stage trial of an mRNA flu vaccine designed to target two key surface proteins, haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, an approach GSK said could improve protection and reduce transmission.

Bayer says Crop Science unit makes progress on product launches

Bayer said on Wednesday its Crop Science business had introduced two out of 10 planned ‌new products with peak annual sales of at least €500 million ($579 million) each and mapped out further market launches. Holding an investor event for the division, the German group also said it made significant progress on cost reductions, amounting to almost €400 million to date.

UK pledges additional £50 million to help contain Ebola outbreak in Congo

Britain said on Tuesday it would provide more than £50 million ($67.56 million) in new funding to support efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where confirmed cases have surpassed 6,000 in the country's largest-ever epidemic. Britain allocated up to £20 million to the Ebola response in May, and the latest funding brings ‌its total contribution to £78 million.

Health Rounds: Scientists find genes linked to OCD, raising the prospect of new treatments

We also report on a study that may have found a way to prevent liver damage caused by fatty liver diseases, which affect millions of people. GENETIC DISCOVERY MAY LEAD TO TREATMENTS FOR OCD AND TICS

Novo Nordisk launches Wegovy weight-loss pill in Germany

Novo Nordisk has launched its Wegovy pill in Germany, a spokesperson for the Danish drugmaker said on Tuesday, with investors keenly focused on the oral weight-loss treatment in light of intensifying competition with U.S. rival Eli Lilly. Novo was first to bring a highly effective GLP-1 weight-loss injection, Wegovy, to the U.S. market, but is under pressure to regain ground lost to Lilly's Zepbound in a business that analysts expect will be worth more than $100 billion a year by 2030.

Irish health service operator fined for storing data in disused bathroom, turf shed

Ireland's health service operator was fined a record amount for an Irish public body by the country's data regulator for storing medical records in "profound disarray" in areas including a turf shed and a disused bathroom that in some cases were contaminated by animal droppings. The Data Protection Commission imposed the €645,000 fine on Wednesday after inspecting 12 storage sites to determine if personal data breaches at two former disused and "mould contaminated" psychiatric hospitals where medical records were being stored were systemic issues.

Trump names pastor to advise administration on tobacco health

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Pastor Darrell Scott will serve his administration as an adviser for tobacco health issues on a committee that advises the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "For far too long, ⁠tobacco-related disease has taken an enormous ​toll on American Families, including Communities that have too often been overlooked and underserved," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Congo's Ebola outbreak kills more than 3,000, government figures show

The ⁠number of deaths in Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has surpassed 3,000, government data showed on Wednesday, as the country's worst-ever epidemic continues to spread across its northeast. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, became the largest and deadliest in Congo's history after surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic.

Alumis eyes late-stage lupus study despite trial miss

Alumis said on Tuesday it plans to advance its experimental drug for a type of immunity-related condition in a smaller subset of patients, even after the treatment failed to meet the main goal of a mid-stage trial. Its shares slumped more than 55% in premarket trading, as Wall Street had viewed the study as an important test in a disease long seen as a drug-development graveyard.

Indonesian officials suspect food poisoning from free school meal after more than 500 ⁠fall ill

More than 500 students in Indonesia's East Java were hospitalised with food poisoning suspected to have been caused by free meals provided by the government, and an investigation is underway, national and regional officials said on Wednesday. President Prabowo Subianto launched his multibillion-dollar programme last year to eradicate under-nutrition by giving free meals to tens of millions of children, but the scheme has suffered from controversies such as food poisoning, corruption allegations, leadership changes and a burdensome price tag.

Teva's immune disorder drug meets main goal in mid-stage trial

Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said on Wednesday its experimental drug helped prevent gluten-related intestinal damage in adults with celiac disease, meeting the main goal of a mid-stage trial. U.S.-listed shares of the company were up over 4% in premarket trading.

Exclusive-US ​refusals of crucial newborn vitamin spike, raising risk of dangerous bleeding

The percentage of parents and caregivers in the United States refusing a standard vitamin K shot for infants at birth has accelerated sharply this year, an exclusive data analysis for Reuters found, putting more newborns at risk of life-threatening bleeding episodes. The data confirms what a dozen pediatricians, neonatologists and pediatric critical care specialists told Reuters is a top concern: rising refusals of a life-protective shot and a growing wave of mistrust toward vaccines and other newborn interventions.

US states' lawsuit seeking to curb abortion drug access paused for now

A ⁠federal judge paused a lawsuit by Florida and Texas seeking to severely limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide while President Donald Trump's administration completes a review of the drug's safety. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, said on Monday that because the states' Republican attorneys general and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is conducting the review, had agreed to put the case on hold, it was reasonable to do so.

Roche signs global licensing pact for Simcere's experimental blood cancer drug

Switzerland's Roche will pay $75 million upfront to Simcere Pharmaceutical Group for rights to an experimental blood cancer drug, the Chinese drugmaker said Tuesday. SIM0660 targets B-cell malignancies, Simcere said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Medtronic boosts fiscal 2027 forecasts on heart device demand

Medtronic raised its fiscal 2027 revenue growth outlook and the lower end of ⁠its profit ​forecast on Tuesday, banking on strong demand for its heart devices used in complex cardiovascular procedures. Medtech firms have been riding a wave of increased adoption of newer technologies and robust surgery demand.

Oncology firm Novocure says cyberattack exposed US patient records

Oncology company Novocure said on Tuesday a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain information systems in mid-August exposed internal records of more than 1,400 U.S. patients. The breach adds to a growing number of cyberattacks on the healthcare sector, including medical device makers Abbott, Stryker Medtronic and Boston Scientific, drugmaker Novo Nordisk and drug-delivery equipment supplier West Pharmaceutical Services.

Owkin signs AI drug discovery deal with Boehringer for cancer, immunology

AI company Owkin said on Wednesday it has signed a licensing deal with Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, giving the drugmaker access to its AI research platform and patient data to speed up discovery of drugs for cancer and immunity-related diseases. The deal adds Boehringer to a growing list of drugmakers using Owkin's AI technology, "K Pro". AstraZeneca licensed it in May, while Sanofi expanded its partnership with a five-year agreement in June.

Aspen posts higher annual profit as Mounjaro boosts pharma unit

South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare reported a 22% rise in annual normalised earnings on Wednesday, helped by strong demand for obesity and diabetes treatment Mounjaro, which it distributes, and improving profitability in its manufacturing business. The drugmaker said normalised headline earnings per share (NHEPS) ⁠from continuing operations rose to 801.5 cents in the year ended June 30 from 659.2 cents in the previous year. On a constant currency basis, NHEPS rose 28%.

Novartis signs deal worth up to $3.2 billion for Alteogen's drug delivery technology

South Korea's Alteogen said on Wednesday it has signed a deal with Novartis worth up to $3.22 billion, giving the Swiss drugmaker access to its technology to make injectable versions of intravenous drugs. Here are the details:

EU to suspend Brazilian meat imports from September 3, citing antimicrobial rules

The European Union will suspend meat imports from Brazil from September 3 after the South American country ⁠failed to guarantee its compliance with EU rules on the use of antimicrobial substances, an EU Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday. The EU had announced in May that Brazil was set to ⁠be removed from a list of compliant countries exporting certain animal products to the bloc.

AstraZeneca-Hutchmed drug combination shows promise in advanced lung cancer study

AstraZeneca and China's Hutchmed said on Tuesday that a late-stage trial of a combination of their cancer drugs Tagrisso and Orpathys significantly improved progression-free survival when given early for a type of lung cancer. Cancer therapies make up nearly half of AstraZeneca's sales and Tagrisso is one of its best-selling drugs, while Orpathys is being developed along with Hutchmed as the British drugmaker pursues its goal of $80 billion in overall annual sales by 2030.

uniQure seeks US approval for Huntington's gene therapy after FDA reversal

Dutch gene therapy developer uniQure said on Wednesday it had applied for U.S. approval of its experimental treatment for Huntington's disease after the FDA reversed its earlier position on the drug, sending the company's shares up 5% in premarket trading. Huntington's disease is a rare inherited brain disorder that causes movement difficulties and triggers behavioural changes and ‌cognitive decline. No approved drugs currently exist that help slow progression.

Novartis MS pill beats older drug in trials, boosts ‌pipeline hopes

Swiss drugmaker Novartis said on Tuesday its oral drug remibrutinib outperformed an older treatment in reducing relapses in patients with a form of multiple sclerosis, boosting hopes the medicine could become a blockbuster product. The trial results mark the first success from three closely watched Novartis pipeline programmes due to deliver data this year. Investors are focused on ​remibrutinib, heart drug pelacarsen and gene therapy del-desiran, which together are seen generating more than $10 billion in peak annual sales and underpinning the company's long-term growth.