Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New Zealand court strikes down puberty blocker ban

New Zealand's High Court has struck down regulations banning new prescriptions of puberty blockers for adolescents with gender dysphoria, ruling that the measures were made unlawfully and amounted to unjustified discrimination. Justice Dale La Hood set aside the regulations, introduced in late 2025, which barred new ​patients under 18 from receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues for gender dysphoria or gender incongruence

Microsoft develops AI tool that can diagnose 'sequentially' like a doctor

Microsoft researchers say an AI tool that diagnoses patients step by step, as doctors do, was more ​than twice as accurate as general physicians at solving complex medical cases, according to a study published on Thursday in Science. The model identifies and coordinates the questions that ‌should be asked ​of a patient, as well as the exams and tests that should be ordered, using an "orchestrator" that organizes how AI will tackle a problem by employing a simulated panel of clinical experts collaborating to solve diagnostic cases, according to the report.

Nigeria reports Ebola case as outbreak reaches West Africa

Nigeria reported its first Ebola case in more than a decade on Tuesday, becoming the fourth African country and the most populous yet to be affected by an outbreak that health officials have described as the fastest-spreading on record. The Ebola species behind the outbreak kills about half of those infected and has no approved treatment or vaccine. Since the first cases were confirmed in Democratic Republic of Congo in May, the disease has killed 4,646 people. Health officials fear misinformation and funding shortfalls could fuel further spread within ‌the region and across borders.

AstraZeneca says FDA approves drug for rare kidney disease in adults

AstraZeneca said on Wednesday the US Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for its treatment for adults with immunoglobulin A nephropathy, a rare kidney disease that can lead to renal failure. Here are more details:

Merck/Moderna cancer vaccine cuts melanoma death or recurrence risk by 42%, shares fall

Moderna and Merck said on Thursday that their mRNA cancer vaccine when combined with Merck's widely used immunotherapy cut the risk of melanoma death or recurrence by 42% in a large trial, potentially paving the way for a new era of personalized treatment. Moderna shares have soared since the companies in August announced the trial's success without the actual data, nearly quadrupling through Wednesday's close. They closed more than 17% lower after the results leaked on an oncology website earlier on Thursday. Merck shares closed down about 1.8%.

Explainer-What is Shamonda virus and what are the risks to humans and animals?

France has reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus in a patient who died, raising questions about the risks posed by a livestock virus that has reached Europe this ‌year decades after first being detected in Nigeria. WHAT IS SHAMONDA VIRUS?

Vor Bio says its experimental drug slowed loss of kidney function in late-stage study

US biotech company Vor Bio said on Thursday its experimental kidney disease drug slowed the loss of kidney function and reduced the risk of disease progression in a late-stage study. The study included patients with IgA nephropathy, a disease that can eventually lead to kidney failure.

First human case of livestock virus Shamonda unlikely to lead to wider spread, WHO says

The World Health Organization said ‌on Thursday it was unlikely that the first documented human case of the Shamonda virus disease, which is usually found in livestock, would spread further, adding that it was monitoring the situation. "Based on current information and knowledge of the transmission of closely related viruses, this is an isolated human case and it is unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time," the WHO told Reuters in a statement.

How cheap Chinese antibiotics threaten Europe's last major penicillin plant

Tucked away in the green foothills of the Austrian Alps, the last fully integrated European penicillin plant faces an uncertain future in the shadow of rising Chinese industrial power. The reason: China is churning out the same antibiotics and ingredients as the Sandoz factory in Kundl, Austria, at much lower cost for the European market.

Moderna sheds about $24 billion as cancer vaccine data triggers 'sell-the-news' retreat

Moderna's shares sank over 25% on Thursday as late-stage trial data for its personalized melanoma vaccine, developed with Merck, triggered what analysts called a "sell-the-news" reaction after a months-long stock surge. The selloff wiped out about $24 billion from the drugmaker's market value, halting a massive rally that has lifted the stock over 500% this year.

Factbox-Pharma sector doubles down on AI to slash costs, timelines

Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to accelerate research and development, betting on new modeling tools and automated labs to improve efficiency across their pipelines. Industry ⁠forecasts suggest that the use of ​machine learning to optimize target discovery, design molecules and streamline clinical trial planning could halve early-stage development timelines and costs within the next three to five ⁠years.

US to tighten Ebola screening with new air passenger declarations

The US government will increase measures aimed at preventing entry by people exposed to Ebola with a new requirement for US-bound air travelers to attest they have not been in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the prior 21 days, according to a memo on Thursday seen by Reuters. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May adopted rules barring airline passengers who have been in the DRC, the center of the 2026 outbreak, in the prior three weeks. The restrictions were extended to US citizens in July.

What is Shamonda virus and what are the risks to humans and animals?

France ⁠has reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus in a patient who died, raising questions about the risks posed by a livestock virus that has reached Europe this year decades after first being detected in Nigeria. WHAT IS SHAMONDA VIRUS?

UNICEF and Gavi agree to cut Mosquirix malaria vaccine price by 40%

UNICEF and Geneva-based global vaccine group Gavi said on Thursday that they have reached an agreement to cut the price of the Mosquirix malaria vaccine by about 40%. Here are more details:

Laboratory operator Quest reports cyber breach affecting patient records

Quest Diagnostics on Thursday said it learned of unauthorized access to its Quanum LSM system, ​which some clients use to place test orders, receive and look up results. The breach adds to a growing number of cyberattacks on the healthcare sector, including those on medical device makers Abbott, Stryker, Medtronic and Boston Scientific. Drugmaker Novo Nordisk and drug-delivery equipment supplier West Pharmaceutical Services have also faced threats.

Beauty giants target 'Ozempic face' as boom in obesity drugs opens new market

Swiss skincare firm Galderma, Brazilian cosmetics group Natura and beauty giant L'Oreal are testing treatments for consumers worried about facial sagging ⁠and volume loss, looking to capitalise on a growing market tied to the boom in obesity drugs. The companies are targeting concerns known as "Ozempic face," a term that emerged as the diabetes drug became widely associated with weight loss. Experts say the loss of facial volume is linked to rapid weight loss rather than GLP-1 drugs themselves.

Roche beats revenue estimates, shares slip as copycats eat into Xolair sales

Swiss drugmaker Roche beat third-quarter sales expectations on Thursday, supported by steady demand for key medicines such as Ocrevus to buy time as it looks abroad to restock a pipeline facing looming patent expiries. Group revenue rose 7% at constant exchange rates to 16.13 billion Swiss francs ($19.61 billion), exceeding a company-compiled consensus ⁠forecast of 15.75 ​billion francs ($19.15 billion).

Ozempic wave boosts US cobblers and tailors as Americans tighten their belts

Lorraine Scott has spent at least $300 to tailor her pants and jeans since losing 60 pounds on weight-loss drugs over the past year. "Most of the things in my closet didn't fit anymore," she said. The 42-year-old Atlanta resident, who is known as Lorraine Kamesha to her YouTube followers, has opted to alter her favorite pairs of pants instead of investing in new ones as her weight fluctuates, while turning to fast fashion for the rest of her wardrobe.

Ebola patient in Nigeria believed to have contracted disease in Uganda, Switzerland says

The Ebola patient in Nigeria, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, is believed to have contracted the disease while travelling in Uganda, a Swiss government statement to Reuters said on Thursday. Nigeria reported the case, its first Ebola case in more than a decade, on Tuesday, becoming the fourth African country and the most populous yet to be affected by an outbreak that was announced in Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May and has since become ⁠the fastest-spreading on record.

Late detection in Nigeria raises alarm as Ebola spreads across Africa

Nigeria's first Ebola patient in over a decade was not tested for the disease until 13 days after falling ill, officials said, a delay that raises questions about authorities' ability to contain an outbreak already spanning four African nations. The epidemic, first detected 3,000 km away in Democratic Republic of Congo in May, is the second-largest on record and had already hit Uganda and Kenya before the Nigerian case was confirmed on Tuesday — the ⁠widest known spread on the continent.

Gilead to buy PepStar's inflammation drug program in $1.28 billion deal

Gilead Sciences said on Thursday it will acquire PepStar Therapeutics' oral inflammation drug ⁠program, including an experimental bowel disease treatment, for $1.275 billion in cash upfront. The deal follows positive mid-stage results for Gilead's experimental pill for chronic bowel disease, emvistegrast, on Monday and adds the new inflammatory bowel disease candidate to its portfolio.

Nigeria says Ebola case remains isolated, urges calm

Nigeria's health minister said on Thursday authorities had no evidence that the country's recently confirmed Ebola case had spread into the wider community, describing it as a single, contained infection. Nigeria reported its first Ebola case in more than a decade on Tuesday, becoming the fourth African country and the most populous yet to be affected by an outbreak that health officials have described as the fastest-spreading on record.

AbbVie's skin disease drug reduces lesions in trial, company eyes weight-loss combination

AbbVie said on Thursday its experimental drug significantly reduced inflammatory lumps and ‌abscesses in patients with a chronic skin disease, meeting the main goal of a late-stage study. AbbVie is ‌betting on the drug, lutikizumab, to broaden its immunology franchise, and supplement the growth from its blockbuster drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq.

BioNTech, Gilead to test drug combination in advanced breast cancer trial

Germany's BioNTech said on Thursday it had teamed up with Gilead Sciences to test its experimental ​cancer therapy in combination with the US drugmaker's approved treatment in patients with a form of advanced breast cancer. Here are some details: