Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Lundbeck expresses interest in buying Xeris, Bloomberg News reports

Danish drugmaker H Lundbeck A/S has expressed interest in acquiring Chicago-based Xeris Biopharma, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Lundbeck has been working with advisers to explore a takeover of Xeris, the report said.

California governor signs PFAS pesticide tracking bill

Pesticides containing toxic "forever chemicals" will now be tracked by the ​state of California, the country's largest producer of agricultural products. The legislation, signed this week by Governor Gavin Newsom, requires the state's Department of Pesticide Regulation to indicate whether agricultural pesticides contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, when reporting their use in a public database.

Medicare Advantage ​premiums expected to drop more than 16% in 2027, CMS projects

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates the weighted average premium for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to fall more than 16% next ‌year. The weighted average monthly premium ​across all MA plans, which include MA prescription drug plans and special needs plans, is set to decrease to $12 in 2027 from $14.37 in 2026, the agency said in a release on Monday.

Robert Hunter to be new UnitedHealthcare president

UnitedHealth executive Robert Hunter said in a LinkedIn post on Monday he would take on the role of president of UnitedHealthcare, the company's insurance division. Here are some details:

Roche outlines plans to move towards autonomous AI labs

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche outlined plans to move towards autonomous AI labs to speed up research and development discovery at its pharma investor day on Monday. Roche is committed to "AI independence" in R&D and has recently started building autonomous AI-driven labs, Aviv Regev, executive vice president of Genentech Research and Early Development, said.

Japan to survey animal cafes for first time over welfare and disease concerns

Japan has started its first nationwide survey of animal cafes amid concerns over ‌animal welfare, hygiene and public health, a government official said, bringing greater scrutiny to the popular but lightly regulated sector. The desktop survey, which began this month, will examine the number of facilities, the types of animals they house and the conditions they are held in, and how visitors interact with the animals.

Lilly touts Foundayo advantage over Novo's Ozempic pill in diabetes analysis

Eli Lilly said its oral obesity drug, Foundayo, offers greater weight loss and better blood sugar control than a higher dose of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic pill in adults with type 2 diabetes, citing data from existing studies. The findings were based on an indirect comparison of Lilly's 17.2-milligram dose of Foundayo and Novo's 25-mg Ozempic pill, previously known as Rybelsus, using data from two previous late-stage studies, the US drugmaker said on Tuesday.

Merck licenses SciBrunch cancer drug in deal worth up to $2.13 billion

Merck said on Monday it would pay up to $2.13 billion under a global licensing deal with China's SciBrunch Therapeutics for rights to develop, manufacture and sell an experimental cancer treatment. The deal underscores Merck's efforts to broaden its cancer drug pipeline as it prepares for patent expirations on Keytruda, its top-selling immunotherapy, later this decade.

India's Sun Pharma plans $1 billion local debt sale for loan takeout, sources say

India's Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is ‌planning to raise around 100 billion rupees ($1.04 billion) via a rupee-denominated debt sale to partly fund a bridge loan it took to acquire US healthcare firm Organon & Co., three sources said on Tuesday. Bridge loans are typically short-term loans taken before acquisitions to provide financing for the deal, which can later be replaced with more permanent funding via bonds or loans.

UniQure plunges as Huntington's trial data disappoints investors

UniQure said its gene therapy for Huntington's disease fell short of the goal of slowing disease progression significantly after four years, sending its US-listed shares plummeting 40% on Tuesday. The Dutch company earlier this ‌month applied for US approval of the treatment, AMT-130, after the FDA ended an eight-month-long standoff over the adequacy of data.

Varda raises $250 million at $1.6 billion valuation to scale orbital drug manufacturing

In-space manufacturing startup Varda Space has raised $250 million in a Series D round at a $1.6 billion valuation, the company told Reuters, as it ramps up missions to produce pharmaceuticals in microgravity. El Segundo-based Varda is one of a handful of US companies building a fleet of uncrewed space capsules that can function as orbital laboratories or manufacturing platforms for products whose development in space yields better efficiencies or purities than in the gravity of Earth.

US drug lobby group names former House leader Cantor as CEO

The top US pharmaceutical lobby group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said on Tuesday it had named former US House Majority Leader Eric Cantor as its next president and CEO, as drugmakers face pressure to lower prices. Cantor, a Virginia Republican who served in the US House of Representatives from 2000 to 2014, will take over on November 9, PhRMA said.

Merck says experimental skin disease drug meets main goal in mid-stage study

Merck said on Wednesday its experimental drug met the main goal of a mid-stage study in patients with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic skin disease that causes painful lumps, abscesses and scarring. In the study, 72% of patients who received the highest dose of the drug, tulisokibart, achieved the main goal of at least a 50% reduction in inflammatory skin lesions after 16 weeks, compared with 35% of patients on placebo.

Viruses ⁠run rampant across Havana as water, ​power fails

Cuban housewife Yuamilka Hechavarria was asleep last Tuesday when water rushed into the cistern of the crumbling tenement where she lives in old Havana. She jumped from ⁠bed, scrambling in the darkness of a blackout to top off a bucketful before the tap went dry. It was the first time her building had seen water in two months.

US says two Indian nationals indicted in counterfeit Ozempic smuggling scheme

Two Indian nationals have been indicted by a US federal grand jury for allegedly smuggling and selling counterfeit Ozempic, the weight-loss drug, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday. One of the defendants, Swapnadip Roy, pleaded not guilty after being extradited from Italy while the other, Vicky Ramancha, remains at large, the department said.

Novo says Ozempic shows lower risk of cardiovascular events compared to Lilly's Mounjaro

Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday a real-world study found that adults with type 2 diabetes who took an escalated dose ⁠of its diabetes drug, Ozempic, had a lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared to those who switched to Eli Lilly's Mounjaro. The company said patients who escalated their dose of Ozempic to 2 milligrams (mg) from 1 mg saw a statistically significant 6% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events compared to those who switched to Mounjaro doses of up to 15 mg.

AstraZeneca to invest $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics for cancer drug tie-up

Summit Therapeutics said on Monday that British drugmaker AstraZeneca would invest $2 billion in the company and collaborate on a series of studies testing their cancer treatments together. Summit's shares rose over 15% in extended trading following the announcement.

Novo to pay up to $2.6 billion to China's ​Hengrui for rights to weight-loss pill

Novo Nordisk will pay up to $2.6 billion to Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals for the rights to an experimental weight-loss pill, expanding its pipeline through a second GLP-1 treatment deal with a Chinese partner. The deal helps Novo shore up its competitive position against rivals such as Eli Lilly, with several patents set to expire in the next decade.

Cigna to invest $3 billion in multi-year initiative to improve workflow

Cigna said on Wednesday it will invest $3 billion as part of a multi-year program to focus on modernizing processes and streamlining workflows, ⁠among others, with AI-enabled insights and tools to drive growth. Here are some details:

Lilly's experimental drug cuts weight by 21% in diabetes trial

Eli Lilly said on Tuesday its experimental drug helped adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity lose an average of nearly 21% of their body weight in a late-stage clinical trial.

Amazon, GoodRx target US prescription subscribers as health insurance coverage slips

Amazon.com, GoodRx and other companies offering online subscriptions that charge a flat fee for prescription drugs and other health services are reaping the benefits of Americans looking to combat rising costs and dwindling health insurance options. The prescription plans cost from $5 per month at Amazon to $14.99 at GoodRx and include free access to select generic drugs. GoodRx's program, called Companion, also offers discounts on telehealth and common vision, dental and lab services.

Soaring ⁠cancer rates ​in Iowa emerge as a key US midterms issue

Pacing a stage at the Iowa State Fair, flanked by his wife and four of their six children, Republican US Congressman Zach Nunn spoke passionately about an issue that has emerged as a key concern in his competitive midterms race: cancer. "Look, my mom is a survivor. I know that it has touched all of us, our family, our friends," he said at the August event, touting his efforts to bring more money for cancer screening to Iowa's third congressional district.

Patients switching to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill from shots lose more weight in real-world study

Patients who switched from weight-loss injections to Novo Nordisk's daily Wegovy pill continued to lose weight, according to data unveiled at a medical meeting on Wednesday, as the Danish drugmaker seeks to defend its lead over US rival Eli Lilly in the market for oral obesity treatments. Study participants lost an average of 4.1% of their body weight over three months after transitioning from injectable obesity therapies — including Wegovy and Lilly's Zepbound — to oral semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, as well as Ozempic.

Bayer faces trial test of remaining Roundup claims after US Supreme Court win

Attorneys for three cancer patients told a Missouri jury ⁠on Tuesday that Bayer's Monsanto unit failed to adequately test its Roundup weedkiller before selling it, starting a trial that could help determine the viability of some Roundup lawsuits after a US Supreme Court ruling in Bayer's favor this year. Bayer is facing approximately 65,000 claims in US state and federal courts from plaintiffs who say they developed cancer after using Roundup at home or on the job. The company is seeking to resolve nearly all existing and future claims through a $7.25 billion class action settlement that is under review by a Missouri state court judge ⁠in St. Louis.

US House Democratic Women's Caucus press health secretary on estrogen patch shortages

The Democratic Women's Caucus in the US House of Representatives has asked Health Secretary Robert ⁠F. Kennedy Jr. to address a shortage of estrogen patches to ensure a stable supply of the widely used hormone therapy, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. The 96-member caucus' letter sent to Kennedy and FDA Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas on Monday evening seeks details on the prolonged supply disruption, a timeline for stabilization, and for the agency to consider adding the patches to its list of drugs and treatments in shortage.

Gerresheimer's quarterly sales recovery boosts shares

Gerresheimer reported a sequential recovery in its second-quarter revenue on Wednesday, sending its shares 8% higher in early trading, as demand for its drug delivery devices boosted sales. The German drug-packaging maker reported preliminary revenue of €578 million ($656.09 million) for the second quarter, up from €474.9 million in first quarter of the financial year.

AstraZeneca files for US FDA approval of HUTCHMED lung cancer drug combination

HUTCHMED (China) said on Tuesday that Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca had applied to the ‌US Food and Drug Administration for approval of the ORPATHYS-TAGRISSO combination to treat patients with advanced lung cancer. ORPATHYS is being ‌jointly developed by AstraZeneca and HUTCHMED and is commercialised by AstraZeneca.

US CDC confirms two measles-related deaths in 2026

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday confirmed a second measles-related death in the country this year, as cases continue to rise across the United States. The confirmation, posted on ​the agency's website, did not specify in which states the deaths occurred but showed 3,659 measles infections in the US as of September 24.