Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US and German scientists win Nobel medicine prize for work on light and brain

American Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for developing optogenetics, ​a technique that uses light to control individual nerve cells in the brain. The Nobel Assembly of Sweden's Karolinska Institutet said Deisseroth, 54; Hegemann, 71; and Nagel, 73, had been selected for ​their "discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics."

Pennsylvania measles cases rise to 1,004 as outbreak spreads

Pennsylvania's health department reported 1,004 measles cases ‌as of ​Monday, as the state grapples with a fast-growing outbreak. Five Pennsylvania residents have died after contracting the highly contagious disease, as cases in the US reach their highest level in more than three decades.

Gate Bioscience expands Lilly drug discovery deal worth more than $870 million

Gate Bioscience said on Monday it expanded a research and licensing agreement with Eli Lilly to develop treatments targeting disease-causing proteins, in a deal potentially worth more than $870 million. The companies' original agreement, announced in July 2025, was worth up to $856 million.

FTC says it urged US hospitals to provide prompt, accurate pricing information to patients

The US Federal Trade Commission said ‌on Monday it has sent letters to 24 of the country's largest healthcare services companies about their legal obligation to provide pricing information to patients. The commission said in a statement that "failing to do so can be an unfair or deceptive practice."

Trump says US will help Russia after Siberia plague institute death

US President Donald Trump on Monday at the White House told reporters that the United States will help Russia after a laboratory worker died at a plague research institute in Siberia. Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Nebraska that the outbreak is a "big problem for Russia."

Dozens quarantined in Siberia after plague institute lab worker dies

A laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia fell ill and died in undisclosed circumstances, prompting authorities to quarantine dozens of people and the head of Russia's health watchdog to fly ‌to the Irkutsk region. The death has sparked public health fears on social media, but the authorities said on Monday the situation was under control.

US advances first government-funded trials of psychedelic drug ibogaine

US health officials are advancing the first government-funded clinical trials of the psychedelic drug ibogaine to treat opioid addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, the FDA said on Monday, as it sought public feedback on safety ‌rules for the studies. The initiative follows an April executive order by President Donald Trump, dedicating $50 million to the federal ibogaine research, as well as recent calls by experts and veterans for strict safety standards on psychedelic treatments.

Genmab, AbbVie blood cancer drug combo cuts risk of progression or death in late-stage study

Danish biotech firm Genmab and US drugmaker AbbVie said on Monday their combination treatment for patients newly diagnosed with a type of lymphoma reduced the risk of disease progression or death in a late-stage study. US-listed shares of Genmab were up about 1.04% in extended trading. AbbVie's shares were flat.

Indonesia's candidate for WHO chief calls on US to rejoin agency

Indonesia's pick to lead the World Health Organization, its health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, told Reuters that the United States should rejoin the agency after its exit at the start of this year. A banker with stints at IBM and major Indonesian bank Mandiri, Budi is one of six candidates seeking to replace Ethiopia's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the WHO's director-general, along with other ⁠nominees from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, ​Spain, Botswana, and Belgium.

AstraZeneca to invest over $1 billion in Massachusetts, boost workforce

AstraZeneca said on Monday it would spend ⁠more than $1 billion in Massachusetts as part of its broader $50 billion US investment plan, a move expected to expand its workforce in the state by more than 50% in the coming years. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker also opened a new research and development center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of the investment.

GE HealthCare to buy Sofie Biosciences for $945 million to strengthen radiopharma business

Medical device maker GE HealthCare said on Monday it would buy privately held Sofie Biosciences for $945 million in cash, in a move that strengthens ⁠its ability to manufacture and distribute PET imaging drugs. The acquisition will give GE HealthCare US rights to FAPI-74, an experimental PET imaging agent in late-stage testing that could be used to detect several types of cancer. GE HealthCare already owns rights to the product outside the US.

Trump says Becton Dickinson to invest $3 billion to expand US medical product manufacturing

American medical technology company Becton Dickinson has agreed to invest $3 billion to bring manufacturing of essential medical products to the ​United States, President Donald Trump said on Monday in a post on the Truth Social website. BD will invest more than $1 billion in Nebraska to ramp up production of numerous products, including needles made with American steel, Trump said.

CSL strikes rare disease drug deal worth up to $1.6 billion with Swiss firm Alentis

Australia's CSL said on Monday it had entered into an agreement ⁠with Swiss drugmaker Alentis Therapeutics to co-develop and co-promote a treatment for rare kidney and liver diseases, in a deal worth up to $1.6 billion, excluding development funding. Under the partnership, CSL will make an upfront payment of $355 million, while Alentis is eligible for up to $1.2 billion in commercial milestone payments.

Alector soars as Roche licenses Parkinson's therapy for up to $1.27 billion

Swiss drugmaker Roche will pay up to $1.27 billion to license Alector's experimental treatment for Parkinson's disease, the US biotech said on Monday, sending its shares surging 72% in premarket trading. Genentech, a ⁠unit ​of Roche, will pay Alector $100 million upfront and up to $1.17 billion more if the treatment reaches development, regulatory and sales targets. Alector is also eligible for royalties.

Democratic lawmakers urge FAA not to drop rule requiring epinephrine on all flights

A group of Democratic lawmakers urged the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday not to relax a requirement that all US airlines keep epinephrine on board flights for medical emergencies, especially severe allergic reactions. "Having multiple doses of epinephrine on every aircraft, in delivery methods that can be easily self-administered by individuals without medical training, is more urgent than ever," said the letter sent by Senators Tammy Duckworth, Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal and Tammy Baldwin, as well as Representative Doris Matsui and more than a dozen other lawmakers.

Mexico says FDA lettuce probe did not conclusively identify contamination source

Mexico's Health Ministry said ⁠on Saturday that a US Food and Drug Administration investigation into the cyclospora parasite outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico did not conclusively identify the source of contamination. Mexico's food-safety regulator Cofepris said tests conducted by its national reference laboratory on raw materials, finished products and water from the facility investigated in the outbreak were negative for the cyclospora parasite.

Reliance sues ⁠India's food regulator over 'energy drink' label ban

Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries has sued India's food regulator for barring it from marketing ⁠its Campa-brand products as "energy drinks", non-public court filings show, the latest beverage maker to challenge the labelling crackdown. The writ petition, dated October 1 and reviewed by Reuters, targets a June 30 order from India's food safety regulator directing makers of high-caffeine beverages sold as "energy drinks" to stop using the description.

UK says it will monitor AI-based medical devices continually

AI-based medical devices will need constant monitoring even after they're approved for use, rather than a single pre-approval safety check, the head of the UK's medicines regulator said on Tuesday. The UK government will accept all 44 recommendations from a report on how such AI ‌tools are approved, it said.

New York declares first US measles disaster emergency ‌since 2025 surge

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency on Monday over a measles outbreak, the first such declaration by a U.S. state since cases began surging in 2025. The state also ​expanded the pool of health professionals allowed to administer measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines as cases rise in rural communities.