Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Viking Therapeutics' obesity drug shows durable weight-loss benefit, shares surge

Viking Therapeutics on Tuesday said patients shifted to a less frequent dosing regimen of its experimental obesity treatment showed superior weight-loss maintenance in a study compared with those on placebo. Shares of the drug developer closed 35.7% higher at $40.85, marking their biggest one-day percentage gain in more than two years.

Pennsylvania measles cases near 800 ​as outbreak grows

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 792 measles cases on Monday, 25 more than on Friday, as the state's outbreak grew further, remaining at the center of the nation's worst measles resurgence in decades. Here are some more details:

Poland watchdog fines Neuca in ​decade-long drug pricing cartel

Poland's competition regulator UOKiK said on Monday it fined pharmaceutical wholesaler Neuca 499 million zlotys ($131 million) for participating in a pricing cartel that lasted more than a decade, sending ‌its shares sharply lower. The ​penalty was the largest in a total 905 million zloty fine against four wholesalers that shared drug pricing data for more than 10 years, UOKiK said. The regulator added that the three largest groups controlled more than 70% of Poland's wholesale drug market.

European drugmakers call for faster trials, more spending to compete with US, China

European drugmakers called for beefed-up government spending on medicines, faster trials and IP protections as they sounded warnings on Tuesday that the continent's pharmaceutical industry risks losing out to the United States and China. Cash-strapped European governments have been under pressure for some time from lobby groups and drugmakers to rethink how they attract, nurture, value and pay for innovative medicines to avoid falling behind in an increasingly competitive world.

Beacon's gene therapy for vision loss condition meets main trial goal

Beacon Therapeutics said on Monday its experimental gene therapy improved the ability to read in low-light conditions in a late-stage trial on ‌people with a form of inherited eye disease that can cause progressive vision loss. Here are some details:

Otsuka, Ionis' experimental ALS drug meets main goal in late-stage study

Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Ionis Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday their experimental drug met the main goal of a late-stage study in patients with a rare inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Here are more details:

Novo Nordisk open to New York listing upgrade, CEO Doustdar tells FT

Novo Nordisk is open to the idea of upgrading its New York listing as part of efforts to raise the Danish weight-loss drugmaker's profile in the country, its chief executive told Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday. "I clearly do see some advantages with that," CEO Mike Doustdar told the newspaper when asked whether Novo would consider a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange, replacing the American depositary receipts that currently provide U.S. investors access to the stock.

Roche's obesity drug boosts blood sugar control, drives 15.5% weight loss in mid-stage trial

Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Tuesday its experimental dual-acting obesity drug helped overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes lower blood sugar levels and lose an average 15.5% of their body weight in a mid-stage trial. Roche is racing alongside large drugmakers, including AstraZeneca and Amgen, to break into the lucrative obesity drug market and ‌challenge leaders Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

'Momnesia' pregnancy forgetfulness linked to brain circuit disruption

It is sometimes called "momnesia," "mommy brain," "pregnancy brain" or "baby brain" — the forgetfulness, mental fogginess and cognitive changes that many women may experience during pregnancy. For instance, a woman might walk into the kitchen and forget why she did, or perhaps misplace her car keys in the bathroom. Scientists know it is a real biological phenomenon, and now have found a possible explanation, identifying a specific brain circuit that becomes disrupted under the sustained high levels of estrogen that accompany pregnancy.

Grail rallies as FDA staff flags no major concerns for multi-cancer ‌test

The US FDA's staff reviewers did not raise major concerns about the accuracy and safety of Grail's blood test designed to detect more than 50 cancers, sending the company's shares soaring 35% on Monday. The findings on the screening test, called Galleri, will be discussed at the FDA's external advisers' meeting on Wednesday to review Grail's request for premarket approval.

Celldex shares slip as safety concerns cloud skin drug trial win

Celldex Therapeutics said on Tuesday its experimental drug significantly reduced disease activity in two late-stage trials of patients with a chronic skin condition, clearing a key hurdle toward a U.S. regulatory filing. Shares of the New Jersey-based company fell nearly 15% as investors focused on two cases of probable anaphylaxis reported in the studies.

J&J's Caplyta meets main goal of bipolar mania study

Johnson & Johnson said on Monday its experimental use of Caplyta for bipolar mania met the main goal of a late-stage study, bringing the drug a step closer to expanding beyond its currently approved uses. J&J gained Caplyta through its $14.6 billion acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies last year to bolster its neuroscience business.

Zuckerberg, Bourla among CEOs to attend Trump's state dinner for Xi, sources say

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Meta Platforms chief Mark Zuckerberg are the latest corporate leaders to confirm plans to attend US President Donald Trump's state dinner at the White House on Thursday for Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to sources familiar with the matter. Trump will welcome the Chinese leader at the White House this week for their second meeting this year, as the two leaders seek stability in ⁠a relationship under pressure over issues ranging ​from trade to Taiwan and Iran, as well as global worries about artificial intelligence.

US halts Obamacare enrollment for over 760,000 enrollees, claiming fraud

The Trump administration is halting enrollment in ⁠Obamacare health plans for more than 760,000 enrollees it believes were fraudulently signed up, Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday, part of an anti-fraud effort he estimated would save $2.2 billion in taxpayer money. The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services canceled about 315,000 plans last month, citing unverified citizenship or immigration documentation and suspected improper enrollments.

Factbox-Weight-loss drug developers line up to tap lucrative market as competition heats up

The weight-loss drug market is booming, with biotech firms racing to capture a slice of the fast-growing sector dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Analysts expect the weight-loss sector to generate about $100 billion in annual sales in the next decade.

Novo Nordisk and UNICEF renew push to prevent childhood obesity

Novo Nordisk and UNICEF have expanded their partnership to help prevent childhood overweight ⁠and obesity, the Danish drugmaker said on Tuesday. The expansion follows UNICEF's 2025 Child Nutrition Report that found childhood obesity had overtaken underweight for the first time on record.

Nvidia, QIA-backed Iambic Therapeutics files for US IPO as biotech boom rolls on

Drug developer Iambic Therapeutics, backed by chip giant Nvidia and Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, filed for a US initial public offering on Monday, bolstering a busy slate of biotech listings in the fall window. While the fall IPO window has gotten off to a rocky start amid uncertainty surrounding the Iran war, AI-led disruptions, rising bond yields and interest rate hikes, analysts say biotech listings have remained relatively insulated from such pressures.

China sets guidelines for fentanyl-related crimes prior to Trump-Xi summit

China ​has issued a set of guidelines for handling criminal cases involving fentanyl-related substances to ensure proper law enforcement, according to its judicial and public security authorities. The guidelines come a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet United States President Donald Trump in Washington for their second summit this year.

China adds drug precursor chemicals to export control list ahead of Trump-Xi summit

China added two chemicals on Tuesday to its export control list for drug precursor chemicals, requiring permits for exports to the US, Mexico and Canada, the commerce ministry ⁠said in a statement. The change came ahead of this week's summit of the Chinese and American leaders in Washington.

Wegovy maker Novo shares slump as management grilled on pricing, M&A

Novo Nordisk shares slid as much as 9% on Monday as executives faced tough questions from analysts over the drugmaker's pricing power and dealmaking strategy ahead of looming patent expiries. Novo aims to launch more than five blockbuster drugs by 2030 and deliver more than 150 billion Danish crowns ($23 billion) in pipeline sales in 2035, CEO Mike Doustdar said at the drugmaker's capital markets day in London.

Exclusive-Anthropic, OpenEvidence partner to bring medical AI worldwide

Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic and medical knowledge platform OpenEvidence are collaborating to bring AI-powered clinical decision support to physicians in regions without access to the technology, the companies said on Tuesday.

OpenEvidence answers doctors' questions ⁠by drawing ​on peer-reviewed medical research and treatment guidelines. The platform is free to clinicians in the United States and Europe.

Drug developer ADARx seeks $1.74 billion valuation in US IPO

ADARx Pharmaceuticals, which develops RNA-based drugs for rare diseases, said on Monday that it was targeting a valuation of up to $1.74 billion, as it joins a wave of biotech companies planning for a US IPO. Drugmaker AbbVie has agreed to invest up to $100 million in a concurrent private placement, which would give it a roughly 4.9% stake post-IPO, ADARx said. AbbVie had paid the company $335 million in May 2025 for a research collaboration.

Novo CEO says pills could capture 50% of weight-loss market by 2030

Weight-loss pills could capture as much as half of the global obesity drug market by 2030, Novo Nordisk's chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday, as the Danish drugmaker positions itself for a shift away from weekly injections. CEO Mike Doustdar said Novo was preparing for a market in which pills play a much larger role. The company has five oral treatments in development after beating rival Eli Lilly to market with the first obesity pill earlier this year.

Novo says CagriSema shows greater weight loss than Lilly rival in diabetes patients

Novo Nordisk said on Monday its next-generation experimental drug, CagriSema, ⁠delivered an estimated average weight loss of 12.4% in a late-stage trial in patients with diabetes, outperforming Eli Lilly's rival drug. It has been viewed as a successor to Novo's blockbuster weight-loss drug, Wegovy, which faces patent expiries after 2030, and could help the Danish drugmaker claw back ground lost to Lilly in the fast-growing weight-loss market.

US Supreme Court denies surrogate's bid to block California parentage ruling

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to halt a judicial ruling declaring a California couple the legal parents of an infant born to their surrogate who refused their request to terminate the ⁠pregnancy after the fetus was diagnosed with a severe cardiac defect and later sought a role in decisions affecting the boy's medical care. The court denied a request by McKenna West, ⁠the woman hired by Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed to serve as a surrogate, to block the ruling by a California court while she appeals the matter to the Supreme Court.

Smart ring maker Oura eyes $15.6 billion IPO valuation in fall listings demand test

Oura kicked off the roadshow for its US initial public offering on Monday, targeting a fully-diluted valuation of $15.62 billion as the smart ring maker tests investor appetite for consumer technology companies after a tepid start to the fall IPO season. The IPO, expected sometime next week, comes as markets have been on edge in recent weeks over uncertainty around the AI trade, rising bond yields and a shifting Federal Reserve rate outlook.

Amgen's autoimmune drug succeeds in late-stage trial

Amgen said on Tuesday its experimental drug to treat an autoimmune disease that attacks the body's moisture-producing glands met the main goal of reducing disease activity in a late-stage trial, sending its ‌shares up 4% in morning trading. Here are some details:

Smaller packs, more protein: AB InBev to adapt drinks ‌to shifting tastes

Anheuser-Busch InBev will sell smaller pack sizes, beers with added protein or electrolytes and push further into drinks beyond beer, executives said on Tuesday, as the top brewer looks to grow amid shifting drinking habits, strained incomes and a trend towards health and wellness. The world's largest brewer by market value will look ​to drive higher beer consumption and grow revenue from non-beer products like canned cocktails and energy drinks, executives told investors at a capital markets event.