Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Exclusive-China plans late entry into WHO leadership race, sources say

China plans to put forward a late candidate to lead the World Health Organization, according to four diplomats and a source familiar with the matter, giving Beijing a chance to expand its influence after the US quit the WHO. Beijing has long sought to take on more responsibility within ​UN agencies and other multilateral bodies, just as the United States under President Donald Trump winds down its engagement with the UN and some of its constituent organisations.

Health Rounds: Experimental approach uses AI to eliminate cold storage for mRNA vaccines

With all the dire ​predictions about AI's potential to wipe out humanity, today we highlight two studies that use the technology for potential medical advances. We also report on a discovery at the ‌cellular level that explains ​how tobacco smoke exposure can lead to lung cancer. ROOM-TEMPERATURE STORAGE OF MRNA VACCINES MAY BE NEAR

Glaukos says late-stage eye disease treatment shows lasting benefits after single dose

Glaukos said on Wednesday patients treated with its late-stage eye disease therapy maintained improvements in vision and corneal shape three years after a single treatment for keratoconus, a disease that can progressively distort vision. The medtech firm said patients who received a single Epioxa treatment did not require additional intervention during the three-year follow-up period.

Russia tells WHO there are no plague cases in Siberian city

Russian authorities told the World Health Organization on Tuesday that it has no cases of plague in the city of Irkutsk in Siberia, where a laboratory worker at a plague research institute died last week, according to a spokesperson for the UN health agency. Moscow, which is required under global health rules to respond to WHO ‌requests within 24 hours, previously told the WHO authorities were investigating whether pneumonic plague caused her death.

Life sciences firm Danaher to launch AI-powered autonomous research lab in 2027

Life sciences company Danaher said on Wednesday it plans to launch its first AI-powered autonomous research lab early next year to make drug discovery and development faster and more efficient. Here are more details:

CDC sees low plague risk, monitors Siberia arrivals after worker death, director says

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Erica Schwartz said on Wednesday the risk to the US from an unconfirmed pneumonic plague case in Siberia was extremely low, but the agency was prepared to monitor and screen travelers. "We are working with Department of Homeland Security, working (with) Department of State, Department of War, and other agencies within the government to make sure that we know exactly if anyone from that area comes into the United States," Schwartz said at the Wall Street Journal's The Future of Health event in Washington.

Russia says plague institute worker's death does not risk an epidemic

Russia's health regulator said on Wednesday there were no risks of an epidemic breaking out in Siberia after a plague institute worker there died, as the World Health Organization pressed Moscow for more ‌information about her cause of death. Russian authorities say the 28-year-old laboratory worker died last Friday from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin, in a case that has prompted international concern, including from US President Donald Trump. Around 200 people were initially placed in quarantine.

US FDA expands use of Novartis drug for chronic skin condition

The US Food and Drug Administration has expanded the use of Novartis' drug to treat adults with a chronic skin condition that causes recurring itchy welts, the Swiss drugmaker said on Wednesday. The condition, called symptomatic dermographism, is a form of chronic ‌hives in which scratching, rubbing or friction on the skin can trigger itchy welts.

Texas AG Paxton probes Fruit of the Loom, Hanes over potential toxic chemicals in children's underwear

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation on Tuesday into whether Fruit of the Loom and Hanes use toxic chemicals in producing children's underwear. Paxton said he sent civil investigative demands to Fruit of the Loom, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, and Hanes, which is owned by Gildan Activewear, citing the chemicals' potential effects on children's health. He did not accuse either company of wrongdoing.

Zealand, Roche's obesity drug helps patients lose up to 9.2% weight in mid-stage trial

Zealand Pharma said on Wednesday its experimental drug helped people who are overweight or obese and have type 2 diabetes lose up to 9.2% of their body weight in a mid-stage trial. The Danish company is developing it with Roche. The 220-patient trial met its main goal, with patients taking the once-weekly petrelintide losing between 7.4% and 9.2% body weight after 28 weeks, depending on the dose, versus 2% with placebo

Halozyme wins court order to block Merck's injected Keytruda in select European markets

Biopharma company Halozyme said on Wednesday that a Dutch patent court ruled in its favor against Merck, ordering the drugmaker to halt the manufacture and sale of injectable Keytruda in eight European markets. Here are some details:

US appeals court weighs block on Kennedy's vaccine panel appointments

A lawyer for the Trump administration told a federal appeals court ⁠on Tuesday that a judge had ​improperly hamstrung an influential vaccine advisory panel by blocking Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked appointees from serving on it. US Justice Department attorney Matthew Zorn argued ⁠at a hearing before the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston that the judge's ruling was preventing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices from meeting due to concerns that any new appointments Kennedy made to it could also be blocked.

How Trump's America First policy hit the Ebola response in Congo

When US doctor Patrick LaRochelle realized in May that he'd been exposed to Ebola in a mining town in Democratic Republic of Congo, he expected to be rushed home for treatment. That's what happened to him during a previous outbreak in 2018. And this time, at least three of the 13 state-of-the-art US biocontainment centers had agreed to treat him and his infected US colleague Peter Stafford.

Most Americans ⁠support switch to Medicare for all health insurance

Most Americans now favor government-paid health insurance for all, according to a new poll, as voters across party lines see major healthcare reforms as a priority less than a month before midterm elections to decide control of the US Congress. Two-thirds of US adults — up from 53% in 2020 — said they are in favor of universal US health insurance often referred to as "Medicare for all," according to a poll conducted by health policy research firm KFF released on Tuesday.

Kennedy offers federal support to New York over measles outbreak

New York Governor Kathy Hochul spoke with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday, and ​he offered federal support as the state responds to a measles outbreak, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday. Kennedy connected Hochul with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Erica Schwartz, while federal health officials stand ready to support New York's outbreak response, HHS said.

AI companies run virtual drug trials, aim to improve success of human studies

Novartis’ experimental del-desiran for a rare type of muscular dystrophy was expected to be a winner, with the Swiss company's CEO predicting annual peak sales of $5 billion. ⁠When a late-stage trial missed its goal last month, shares fell 11%, erasing $30 billion in market value. AI start-up BioinvestGPT was not surprised. In July, it ran a simulated trial to measure how virtual patients would respond to del-desiran and predicted an insignificant clinical benefit.

Pharma lobby sues Trump administration over Medicare drug price cuts

The pharmaceutical industry's top lobby group on Wednesday sued to invalidate the Trump administration's efforts to benchmark US drug prices to lower costs overseas in the Medicare health insurance program, arguing that it is an illegal government overreach. The GLOBE rule intends to set hospital drug prices for Medicare patients. Its final version was published last week on exactly how a "most-favored-nation" pricing system based on what is paid in a group of comparable countries would be integrated ⁠in the ​Medicare Part B program.

PepsiCo, Monster, Reliance win partial reprieve on 'energy drink' label ban in India

PepsiCo, Monster Beverage and Reliance's beverage unit can keep the "energy drink" label on existing stocks in India, a court ruled on Tuesday as it reviewed a ban on the label by the food regulator. The ruling provides a breather for the companies after a months-long dispute they say disrupted operations.

Canada to exclude mental illness as sole reason for euthanasia

Canada’s Justice Minister Sean Fraser said on Wednesday the government will introduce legislation this autumn to exclude mental illness as the sole reason for euthanasia months after a parliamentary committee made a similar recommendation. Fraser said he did not anticipate further restrictions on Canada’s euthanasia legislation, which has created one of the world’s most permissive systems for assisted dying.

Explainer-What do we know about plague institute lab worker's death in Russia?

A laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia fell ill and died in undisclosed circumstances on October 2, prompting authorities to quarantine about 200 people and causing public health fears on social media. Here's what we know about the case, which officials have not linked to her work or plague, and about the disease she studied.

Kenya Ebola ⁠case exposes gaps in border screenings

By the time Kenya's first Ebola patient was whisked to a hospital by relatives straight after landing at Nairobi airport, he was already exhibiting some classic symptoms - fever, chills, muscle pain and bleeding beneath the skin. Two days later he was dead, leaving public health experts to piece together how he had managed to transit through three countries and evade layers of screening meant to stop the ongoing outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo from spreading to neighbouring states.

US government, Google join Zuckerberg-backed Biohub in $1.8 billion ⁠push for AI biology data

The US government and tech heavyweights Meta Platforms and Google parent Alphabet are joining nonprofit Biohub to build open datasets to train AI ⁠models for biological reasearch, bringing total investment in the effort to $1.8 billion, Biohub said on Wednesday. Meta, Google DeepMind and drug discovery startup Isomorphic Labs are jointly investing $300 million. The Department of Energy will invest more than $500 million over five years in laboratory measurement, modeling and computation. The National Institutes of Health will coordinate datasets and repositories built with more than $500 million in earlier federal funding, which Biohub will standardize for AI training.

WHO endorses lifestyle changes over GLP-1 drugs in child obesity fight

The World Health Organization on Wednesday recommended diet, exercise and counseling over popular weight-loss drugs in its first global guidelines addressing rising obesity among younger children. According to UNICEF data, obesity has surpassed being underweight as the most common form of malnutrition in school children and adolescents worldwide.

Factbox-Trump doles out billions to voters ahead of midterm elections

US President Donald Trump is sending $2.35 billion in direct payments ‌to millions of Americans just weeks before the November 3 elections that will determine whether his Republicans ‌will maintain control of the US Congress. Here is a list of Trump's recent giveaways:

Kenya confirms first Ebola case after man who travelled from Congo dies

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case on Tuesday after a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from Democratic Republic of Congo died in Nairobi. Kenya is the fourth ​country to record a case linked to the Ebola epidemic in eastern Congo, the second largest on record with more than 8,000 cases.