Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

BioNTech's mRNA cancer therapy misses first goal in head and neck trial

BioNTech said on Tuesday its experimental mRNA cancer immunotherapy failed to meet the first main goal of a mid-to-late-stage trial in patients with head and neck cancer. US-listed ​shares of the drug developer were down nearly 3% in early trading.

Roche strikes obesity drug licensing deal worth up to $1.16 billion with Chinese Rona Therapeutics

Swiss drugmaker Roche entered a licensing ​agreement worth up to $1.16 billion with Rona Therapeutics for its investigational obesity drug candidate, the Chinese biotech firm said on Tuesday. Roche has ‌been racing to ​break into the obesity drug market dominated by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

Bristol Myers' lung disease drug succeeds at lower dose in late-stage trial

Bristol Myers Squibb said on Monday a lower dose of its experimental drug slowed the progression of a serious lung-scarring disease, putting it on track to be a first-of-its-kind treatment if approved. The late-stage trial enrolled 1,255 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and tested two oral doses of admilparant, which targets a pathway involved in lung scarring by blocking the LPA1 protein receptor.

Pope Leo says he will undergo surgery for small growth on lung

Pope Leo said on Sunday that doctors had detected ‌a small growth on his lung during a recent health check and he would be undergoing surgery this week to remove it, in the first health scare of the 71-year-old pontiff's tenure. Leo told pilgrims in St. Peter's Square for his weekly Sunday prayer that the growth, a small nodule, was "well-contained" and had been spotted early.

CVS settles US Justice Department case over opioid prescriptions for $315 million

CVS Health has agreed to pay $315 million to resolve allegations that the pharmacy chain operator unlawfully filled medically unnecessary prescriptions for addictive opioid painkillers, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday. The settlement resolves a case the department announced in 2024 that sought to hold CVS responsible for its role in dispensing massive quantities of dangerous drugs like opioids that were at the heart of a nationwide addiction epidemic.

J&J posts weak medical device sales, shares fall

Johnson & Johnson reported sales in its medical devices business ‌on Tuesday that fell short of Wall Street expectations, citing geopolitical issues including the Middle East conflict, and its shares fell more than 6%. The results marked the second successive quarter that its MedTech unit missed analysts' estimates.

Pope Leo leaves Vatican for hospital ahead of surgery on lung nodule

Pope Leo left the Vatican on Tuesday in a convoy of vehicles ahead of his expected admission to Rome's Gemelli ‌hospital for surgery to remove a small growth found on one of his lungs, the first major health issue of his 17-month tenure. Leo, 71, said on Sunday that the growth, a small nodule, had been found on a recent check-up, was "well-contained" and had been spotted early.

WHO unsure what caused pneumonia that killed plague-lab worker in Russia

The World Health Organization said on Saturday that it still does not know what caused the pneumonia that killed a Russian lab worker at an anti-plague research center in Siberia this month, and that no case of plague had been registered. The WHO said the Russian state regulator reported that tests of the lab worker and those who came in contact with her were negative for the high-threat pathogens tested, that her contacts still showed no symptoms, and that no further linked cases of severe pneumonia had been identified.

Walmart to offer 250-plus free medications, including GLP-1s, to employees

Walmart on Tuesday introduced a plan to offer employees more than 250 medications, including GLP-1s, insulin and inhalers at no cost, as the retailer ⁠expands healthcare benefits for ​its workforce. Here are some details:

CDC to deploy additional support to Pennsylvania to probe measles outbreak

The US CDC said on Tuesday ⁠it would deploy additional support to Pennsylvania to help investigate the ongoing measles outbreak, as the state formally requested federal assistance through the agency's Epi-Aid emergency response program. Pennsylvania health officials have reported 1,136 measles cases and five deaths linked to the outbreak this year as of October 9, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed two measles-associated deaths nationwide in 2026, without identifying the states involved.

Bristol Myers radiopharma cancer drug slows rare tumor progression in study

Bristol Myers Squibb said on Monday its ⁠experimental radiopharmaceutical cancer therapy significantly delayed disease progression in patients with rare, advanced gastrointestinal and pancreatic tumors that had progressed after earlier treatment. Shares of the drugmaker were up nearly 2%.

US DEA proposes strictest drug controls on kratom-linked products exceeding certain thresholds

The US Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed emergency restrictions placing some products with synthetic opioid-like compounds derived from kratom under the strictest category of federal drug control, if they exceed certain concentrations. The DEA issued two notices of intent on Friday, based ​on recommendations from the US Department of Health and Human Services, to distinguish products containing trace amounts of the substances from intentionally enhanced or concentrated formulations.

Congo's Ebola infections surpass 9,000, government report shows

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen above 9,000, government data showed on Tuesday, as responders struggle to slow transmission in multiple hotspots. The latest situation ⁠report from Congo's public health institute put the number of cases at 9,066 and deaths at 4,381.

UnitedHealth raises profit forecast as turnaround efforts gather pace

UnitedHealth Group raised its 2026 profit forecast on Tuesday and indicated that Wall Street's current estimate for 2027 earnings was too low, saying it would build on restrained medical-cost spending in its health insurance business and improved margins in clinical care. The company has been in turnaround mode for the past two years after it suffered one of the biggest cyber attacks on the industry, missed financial targets ⁠and was ​forced to withdraw its outlook. It was also rattled by the killing of a top executive outside the company's investor meeting in New York nearly two years ago.

Nvidia buys stakes in French tech startups Doctolib, Genesis AI

US chipmaker Nvidia has agreed to buy stakes in French technology startups Doctolib and Genesis AI, the two French companies said on Tuesday. Doctolib said that Nvidia had agreed to buy a minority stake without specifying the size of the stake or its value, though it said the presence of Nvidia would help it to develop artificial intelligence tools.

Pennsylvania coroner reports measles death, toll rises to six

Pennsylvania's Franklin County coroner on Monday reported a measles-associated death in a 39-year-old woman with several health conditions, the state's sixth death linked to the disease. In a statement posted on Facebook, the coroner said the death, investigated on Saturday, met ⁠the Pennsylvania Department of Health's definition of a measles-associated death.

Guinea-Bissau says it has not approved hepatitis B vaccine trial in newborns

Guinea-Bissau's transitional government said Tuesday it has not approved a proposed clinical trial of a hepatitis B vaccine in newborns, denying reports that the study had been authorized.

The denial followed news reports that the Trump administration-funded study to assess the effects of administering the hepatitis B ⁠vaccine at birth would go ahead in the West African country.

Syndax says mid-stage trial of lung disease treatment fails main ⁠goal, ends development

Syndax Pharmaceuticals said on Monday it will stop developing a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung-scarring disease, after a mid-stage trial failed to meet its main goal. Shares of the cancer therapy maker fell about 17% in extended trading.

Martin Shkreli violated lifetime pharma industry ban, FTC and states say

Martin Shkreli has violated a lifetime ban from the pharmaceutical industry by trading stocks and discussing his opinions about companies in the industry, federal and state regulators said on Tuesday. In a court filing, the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of seven states asked US District Judge Denise Cote to hold Shkreli ‌in contempt and issue a fine equal to his profits from trading pharmaceutical ‌company stocks since February 4, 2022.

Agilent to buy pathology software maker Proscia for $240 million

Agilent Technologies said on Tuesday it would acquire pathology software maker Proscia for $240 million in cash, plus up to $30 million tied to future ​performance targets, as the laboratory equipment maker expands its push into AI-enabled diagnostics. Here are some more details: