Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Pentagon revives testosterone testing after pause, excludes women

The Pentagon is reinstituting a mandatory testing program for testosterone deficiency among US service members age 30 and older, a spokesperson said on Thursday, bringing back a program that medical experts have described as unnecessary and potentially harmful. The latest clinical guidance applies only to male service ​members, establishing uniform screening and treatment pathways for testosterone deficiency. The Pentagon said it will issue separate guidance for female service members at a later date.

US CDC works on standard definition for measles deaths as cases rise

The US Centers ​for Disease Control and Prevention is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop a standardized case definition for measles deaths, the agency ‌said Friday, as the ​outbreak grows across the country. Here are the details:

Researchers find genetic answer to lung cancer in those who never smoked

Today we feature an important genetic discovery that could help identify never-smokers at high risk of developing lung cancer. We also report on a study that aimed to make a common gynecological procedure less painful. GENE VARIANT HELPS PREDICT LUNG CANCER IN NON-SMOKERS

Xenon pauses new enrollment in depression drug trials over side-effect concerns

Xenon Pharmaceuticals on Thursday said it has temporarily paused enrolling new patients in clinical studies testing its experimental drug for major and bipolar depression, following reports of mental and nervous system-related side effects. Shares of the drug developer tumbled more than 25% in after-hours trading.

Exclusive-US weighs allowing most pharma licensing deals with China, sources say

The US is working on rules ‌for pharmaceutical companies investing in China that would likely preserve their ability to strike most licensing deals for Chinese drugs, according to three people who have been briefed on the process. That would mark a departure from the Trump administration's tightening of business with China for other industries under new national security legislation, and would be looser than restrictions sought by some lawmakers.

US pharmacy chain Walgreens plans tech centre in India's Chennai, expected to create 250 jobs

US-based pharmacy chain Walgreens plans to establish a new Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Chennai, the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A pact with Walgreens India is expected to create more than 250 jobs in its first year, the statement said.

US Health Secretary Kennedy Jr. adds eight new members to key health committee

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday named eight new members to the advisory panel that decides which preventive medical care, such as routine cancer screening or HIV prevention, should be provided at no cost under health insurance plans. The Preventive Services Task Force, which typically holds three annual meetings and has 16 ‌members, last met a year ago.

US Senate panel sets hearing for Trump's FDA pick

The U.S. Senate health committee will hold a confirmation hearing next week for Dr. Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the embattled Food and Drug Administration, the panel said on Thursday. The hearing will take place on September 24, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee said in a statement. Trump nominated Overton, a White House policy aide, in August, turning to an "America First" ally to steady an ‌agency shaken by staff losses, low morale and fights over vaccines, the abortion pill and drug approvals.

Two hospital systems settle US probe over transgender care billing for $9.5 million

Two major US hospital systems have agreed to pay nearly $9.5 million combined to settle a US Department of Justice probe into claims that the medical centers were improperly billing for gender-affirming care provided to minors, the department said on Friday. Under the agreements, the New York University Langone Health system and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will cease providing such transgender-related care as puberty blockers, hormone treatments and surgical procedures to patients under age 18, the department said.

Screwworm infests US horse before port reopens to Mexican livestock

The U.S. confirmed a case of New World screwworm in a horse in New Mexico on Thursday, as the federal government prepared to resume imports of Mexican livestock into the state after blocking trade in an attempt to keep out the flesh-eating parasite. Screwworm infested a horse in Grant County, New Mexico, in the southwest corner of the state near the Mexican border, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website. It was the state's second confirmed case since screwworm entered the U.S. from Mexico in June.

Retension Pharmaceuticals, TRex Bio file for US IPO as biotech momentum continues

Drug developers Retension Pharmaceuticals and TRex Bio filed their paperwork ⁠for U.S. initial public offerings on ​Friday, reinforcing the biotech pipeline for the fall IPO window. The listings would be the latest in a string of biotech IPOs this year, ⁠which analysts say has been supported by a wave of acquisitions by large drugmakers.

Dr Reddy's signs India distribution deal for Takeda's Qdenga dengue vaccine

Dr Reddy's Laboratories said on Friday it had signed an agreement with Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical to promote and distribute the Qdenga dengue vaccine in India. The deal comes months after India's drug regulator approved Qdenga for use in both children and adults, making it the first dengue vaccine cleared for the country.

Tokyo court blocks Toho poison pill in test of anti-activist defences

A Tokyo court blocked on Friday drug wholesaler Toho Holdings' takeover defence against an activist shareholder, in a closely watched case ⁠as Japanese companies increasingly turn to 'poison pill' strategies against activist investors. The Tokyo District Court granted an injunction to Singapore-based hedge fund 3D Investment Partners, Toho's largest shareholder, blocking the issue of warrants that would dilute the fund's stake if it raised its holding above 24%.

Trump says he will demand some childhood vaccines be split into five shots

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration plans to demand vaccine makers split certain childhood shots into five separate doses, which he believes will result in a massive reduction in autism, an idea repeatedly debunked by scientists. Trump did not provide ​any scientific evidence linking vaccines and autism. Nor did he say which vaccines the administration plans to split into smaller doses.

Galderma mindful of focus while eyeing product range expansion, CEO tells FuW

Galderma's CEO said the Swiss skincare firm plans to expand its product range at some point but would remain cautious not to lose its focus, speaking in an interview with Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft published on Friday. CEO Flemming Ornskov said he would favour bolt-on deals in aesthetics ⁠or consumer goods, but warned that buying too many products may cause companies to lose focus. "It's better to do a few things well than many poorly."

Exclusive-Anthropic quietly sets up biology lab as it ramps AI drug program

Anthropic has quietly set up a laboratory to do physical biology work as it pushes its artificial-intelligence ambitions into the world of drug science. At a time when fears of AI are gripping the public, the startup has built a wet lab, or place for physical experiments, in the San Francisco Bay Area, two people familiar with the matter said. Anthropic has said it wants to unlock treatments for rare diseases, and its biology work has gone beyond "in ⁠silico" ​or computer evaluations.

Zealand Pharma's short bowel syndrome drug wins backing from EU panel

Zealand Pharma received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommending approval of its drug candidate Zeydovio for the treatment of short bowel syndrome, the Danish company said on Friday. The positive opinion marks the first major advancement in short bowel syndrome treatment in Europe in more than a decade, the drugmaker added.

Jana urges Cooper to replace CEO, explore asset sales after performance setbacks

Activist investor Jana Partners on Friday urged Cooper Companies to launch an external search for a new CEO and consider asset sales, arguing recent missteps have hurt investor confidence and weighed on the medical device maker's market value. Cooper had lowered its annual forecasts last week and ended a review of options for its CooperSurgical unit without a sale.

All 50 states sign up for Trump's Medicaid most-favored-nation plan

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will participate in his most-favored-nation drug pricing scheme for the Medicaid program for low-income Americans. According ⁠to the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the drug pricing push could save state governments $27.6 billion and the federal government $36.6 billion over the next decade.

Suspected alcohol poisoning kills 49 in Nigeria's Ondo state

At least 49 people have died and 182 others were hospitalised after suspected alcohol poisoning in Nigeria's southwestern Ondo state, the state's health commissioner said on Friday. The health emergency was first reported on September 5 with authorities saying 29 people had died within the first week of consuming ⁠the alcohol. Ondo health commissioner Banji Ajaka said the death toll had jumped to 49 by Friday.

WHO flags growing health workforce gap as workers ⁠and patients age

The World Health Organization warned on Friday of a gap in the medical workforce around the world in the 2030s, with a quarter of doctors set to retire in the next decade. "In many countries both our populations and health workers are ageing at the same time. This can intensify the projected global shortage of 11.1 million health workers by 2030," the WHO said in a statement accompanying a major report on workforce trends based on data from over 100 countries.

US FDA approves Lilly's breast cancer drug combo

The US FDA has approved Eli Lilly's drug combination to treat adults with a type of advanced breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, the drugmaker said on Friday.

Here are some details:

Exclusive-Kennedy names new ‌chair for US autism advisory panel

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named an ally, ‌Dr. John Gaitanis, to lead a key federal advisory panel on autism on Friday, replacing a chair who had just steered through a new strategic plan, a health department spokesperson told Reuters. Gaitanis, a pediatric neurologist appointed last month as director of the National Institutes ​of Health's child health institute, takes over from Dr. Sylvia Fogel, who has chaired the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee since January.