Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

From hunger to obesity: Developing world faces growing threat to child health

Intan Permatasari's mother simply couldn't refuse her daughter's pleas for food. By the time she was 4, Intan had outgrown all the kindergarten uniforms and had to wear home-sewn clothes to school. Bullied relentlessly by classmates as her struggles with obesity intensified, Intan quit school aged 12 and stayed at home south of Indonesia's capital Jakarta, rarely venturing outside.

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.

US Pentagon issues clinical guidelines on troop testosterone screening to start immediately

The U.S. Pentagon issued detailed guidance on Wednesday for a new, mandatory testosterone deficiency screening policy for active-duty and reserve service members age 30 and older, a follow-up to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's July announcement.

The guidance, which is effective immediately, establishes standardized screening and treatment pathways for men and women that the Pentagon says are aimed at improving military readiness by identifying and managing hormonal and energy-availability issues.

US FDA is working with manufacturers to boost estrogen patch supply amid access concerns

The U.S. health regulator said on Thursday it is working with all six manufacturers to increase the supply of estradiol transdermal patches, used to treat menopause symptoms, after reports of patients having difficulty in readily accessing them.

A surge in demand for estrogen patches has strained supplies and led to shortages.

AbbVie's blood cancer therapy lowers disease progression, death risk in trial

AbbVie said on Thursday its therapy for a type of blood cancer ‌has improved patients' response rate to treatment and reduced the risk of disease progression or death, meeting the main goals of a late-stage trial. As biosimilars chip away at sales of its arthritis treatment Humira, once its top-selling drug, the company is turning to acquisitions and other disease areas such as neuroscience and oncology to drive growth.

Exclusive-Haleon secures better shelf space at Walmart, Target in bid to boost market share

Sensodyne toothpaste maker Haleon has quietly negotiated better spots on shelves at U.S. retailers including Walmart and Target, to gain more visibility at a at a time when mounting grocery bills are hitting shopper spending. The company, which was spun out of GlaxoSmithKline in 2022, told Reuters that it has offered U.S. big box retailers lower prices, better promotions, new products and exclusivity in exchange for securing the improved positions on shelves.

Transgene jumps 20% on positive cancer vaccine data in early trial

Transgene shares surged 20% in early Paris trading on Thursday, after the French biotechnology company reported positive Phase 1 trial data on its vaccine candidate for head and neck cancer. Investors have rewarded encouraging data from other personalised cancer-vaccine programmes as well: Moderna shares more than doubled after its melanoma vaccine data showed a reduction in the risk of recurrence or death.

Regis Healthcare says Australia's aged-care funding rise lags inflation, shares slump

Australia's Regis Healthcare said on Thursday that an increase in the government's funding rate for residential aged care would not keep pace with ‌inflation across the sector and economy, sending its shares to a more than two-year low. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing increased the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) starting price from A$295.64 ($211.83) to A$303.19, effective October 1, on Wednesday, taking the average funding from an estimated A$317 per resident per day (prpd) to about A$325.

Altria sues FDA over tobacco product review system

Marlboro-maker Altria on Wednesday sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, seeking to force the agency to overhaul a product review process that tobacco companies say has stifled their growth in the key U.S. market, a legal filing showed. Under U.S. law, the FDA must review new tobacco products ‌before they can be sold, assessing whether they provide a net public health benefit, such as helping smokers quit, without creating significant risk of new addiction among young people.

US FDA approves Ionis Pharma's therapy to treat rare brain disorder

The U.S. FDA on Thursday approved Ionis Pharmaceuticals' therapy to treat a rare disease that affects the brain's white matter, making it the first treatment to get the nod for the genetic disorder. Ionis' drug zilganersen, branded as Zanvastro, can be used to treat adults and pediatric patients with Alexander disease, a neurological disorder caused by mutations in a gene that can cause seizures and delay physical and intellectual development.

Health officials turn to mobile-phone data to track Ebola spread in Congo

Health officials battling the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are using anonymised mobile-phone data to map population movements and identify areas where the virus could spread next, according to the World Health Organisation and researchers working with it. The approach, which has not been used before in an Ebola response, comes as authorities struggle to contain what the WHO has described as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. Cases have been confirmed in six provinces, with more than 6,250 people infected and 3,039 killed since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to the latest government data.

GoodRx offers health subscription for families, to launch as employee benefit in 2027

GoodRx, a prescription drug savings site, announced on Thursday a family healthcare subscription for access to common medical services and over 250 medications, and it plans to launch the program as part of employer health benefits in 2027. The program, called Companion, offers 250 generic medications for free and discounted access to telehealth, vision, dental and lab services for families paying $24.99 ⁠each month.

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.

Cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan climb to over 14,700, state health officials say

Michigan health officials reported 14,718 cases linked to an outbreak of cyclosporiasis on Thursday, an increase of 208 cases since its last update a week earlier. Here are some details:

Nestle to build infant formula plant in Brazil as part of $393 million investment

Nestle will invest 2 billion reais ($392.73 million) in its nutrition and health division in Brazil through 2028, including 600 million reais for a new infant formula factory in Minas Gerais state, the company said on Thursday. The nutrition and health allocation represents about 30% of the 7 billion reais Nestle has earmarked for Brazil between 2025 and 2028.

Aspen sees Mounjaro Africa sales above $124 million in 2027

Aspen ⁠Pharmacare expects African sales of Eli Lilly's blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drug Mounjaro to exceed 2 billion rand ($124 million) in its current financial year, buoyed by surging demand in South Africa and planned launches in Nigeria and Kenya. The South African company is Lilly's official distributor of Mounjaro in sub-Saharan Africa.

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.

WHO's Tedros says Ebola response must be scaled up to tackle Congo outbreak

The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday said the Ebola response needs to be scaled up to tackle the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with tracking the chains of transmission still posing a challenge. "Until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue and will continue to pose a threat to DRC, its neighbours and the region as a whole," the WHO's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters in Geneva.

Ultragenyx's rare disease drug fails in late-stage trial; shares ⁠plunge

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical said on Wednesday its experimental drug for a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder did not meet the main goal in a late-stage trial, sending its shares down 45% in aftermarket trading. The drug, apazunersen, was tested as a treatment for Angelman syndrome, a condition that affects the nervous system and impairs typical brain development in childhood.

US convenience stores say looming healthy food rule puts food stamps use at risk

Thousands of U.S. convenience stores could stop accepting food stamps unless the U.S. Department of Agriculture delays enforcement of a rule requiring those stores to stock more fresh produce and protein, according to a letter sent this week from nearly 250 stores to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The USDA in May issued a final rule that requires retailers accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also called food stamps, to meet the expanded stocking standards by November 4.

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.

HUTCHMED (China) signs licensing deal with GSK for experimental solid tumour drug

GSK subsidiary GlaxoSmithKline Intellectual Property (No. 4) Ltd will pay a unit of HUTCHMED (China) $110 million upfront for rights to an experimental drug for solid tumours, the Chinese drugmaker said on Thursday. Shares in Hong-Kong-listed HUTCHMED were up about 15% after the announcement.

Canada assesses risks to imports after India raid finds fake labels on food products

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is looking into whether an illegal operation in India that labelled chips and other food products with fake nutrition information and expiry dates represents a risk to the country's imports. Indian authorities raided a Mumbai warehouse last week, seizing products worth nearly $80,000 as well as chemicals and printing machines used to replace old dates and nutritional information on PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola and Unilever products to make them suitable for export. The companies have not been accused of any wrongdoing, and the investigation is focusing on rogue exporters.

Aspen bets on manufacturing rebound, obesity drug push for growth

Aspen Pharmacare forecast ⁠strong double-digit earnings growth for fiscal 2027 on Wednesday, as the South African drugmaker bet on a sharp recovery in its manufacturing business and the global rollout of its generic weight-loss medicines. The company said manufacturing would be the primary driver of growth in the year ahead, and guided for group normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of at least 9 billion rand ($561 million) on a constant currency basis.

More than 1,700 fall sick from Indonesia free school meals in three days

Another 777 students and teachers contracted food poisoning in Indonesia's Central Java after consuming government-issued free meals, a school principal said on Thursday, bringing the total number ⁠of people made ill by the scheme to more than 1,700 within three days. In separate incidents in three other locations this week, 950 Indonesians had fallen ill as a result of food poisoning ⁠linked to the programme, a member of a parliamentary commission overseeing health said.

Ultragenyx shares crater after Angelman syndrome drug fails late-stage trial

Shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical plunged on Thursday after its neurodevelopmental disorder treatment failed a closely watched late-stage trial, dealing a major blow to one of its biggest growth bets. The drug, apazunersen, failed to meet both its main goal of improving cognitive skills and its secondary goals of overall patient response in participants with Angelman syndrome, a rare condition that affects the nervous system and impairs typical brain development in childhood.

Exclusive-Kennedy asked to remove Pennsylvania measles death from CDC tally, sources say

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his new CDC director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s online measles tally after he questioned whether the disease contributed to the fatalities, three sources familiar with the situation said. Kennedy’s request came after CDC staffers had already accepted the state’s characterization of the deaths as linked to measles, a Pennsylvania official said.

Pentagon temporarily rescinds guidance on ‌testosterone screening for US troops

The Pentagon is temporarily rescinding recently published clinical guidance for a new, mandatory testosterone deficiency screening policy for ‌service members aged 30 and older, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Pentagon posted the "Clinical Guidance for Health and Human Performance Optimization" on its website. By Thursday, the memo and an accompanying statement from spokesperson Sean Parnell had been removed.

India's Cipla, China's Qilu partner for US launch of Merck's Keytruda biosimilar

India's Cipla said on Thursday ​its U.S. unit entered an exclusive partnership with China's Qilu Pharmaceutical to license a biosimilar version of Merck's cancer drug Keytruda for the U.S. market. Here are more details: