Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Mankind Pharma's quarterly profit jumps 39% on strong chronic drug demand

Indian drugmaker Mankind Pharma reported an over 39% jump in second-quarter profit on Monday, ​helped by strong demand for chronic therapies such as diabetes and cardiac treatments, Here are the details:

Obesity drug developer Corxel to go ​public in US via SPAC deal

Obesity drug developer Corxel Pharmaceuticals will go public in the US ‌through ​a merger with special purpose acquisition company Amanat Acquisition Corp, the companies announced on Monday. The success of newer weight-loss therapies has spurred a wave of investments by biotechs looking to capture a slice of the fast-growing sector dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly

China approves Bayer blood thinner asundexian

China's drug regulator said on Monday it approved the blood thinner asundexian from Bayer, a potential boost for the German drugmaker in the world's ‌second-largest pharmaceutical market as it moves to counter competition from generic medicines. Bayer is betting on asundexian to offset declining revenue from older blockbuster drugs, such as its blood thinner Xarelto, which has faced increased competition from cheaper generics since losing patent protection.

Roche says divarasib cut risk of death 44% in lung cancer trial

Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Sunday its experimental lung cancer drug divarasib reduced the risk of death by 44% compared with existing treatments in a phase III study. • Roche said patients with previously treated KRAS G12C-mutated non-small cell lung cancer who received divarasib had median overall survival of nearly 18 months, compared ‌with 12 months for those treated with sotorasib or adagrasib

Ebola scientists to probe Nigeria case origin, Africa CDC says

A team of leading Ebola scientists will travel to Nigeria to help investigate how the country’s first patient in more than a decade got infected, Africa CDC Director-General Jean ‌Kaseya said. Their task will involve trying to work out how the female patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, caught the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. Her travel documents show she had not visited the outbreak epicentre in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kaseya said in an interview with Reuters in London.

Bon Secours nears $6 billion takeover of Bain-backed Surgery Partners, FT reports

US based not-for-profit health system Bon Secours Mercy Health is in late-stage talks to buy a majority stake in Surgery Partners in a deal which would value the company at roughly $6 billion including debt, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Here are a few details:

Regeneron extends US agreement for additional supply of Ebola treatment

Regeneron said on Monday it extended ⁠its agreement with ​a US health authority to provide additional supply of its Ebola treatment, amid a ⁠growing outbreak in Africa. Here are some details:

Johnson & Johnson's prostate cancer drug shrinks tumors in early-stage trial

Johnson & Johnson on Saturday said its experimental once-daily oral prostate cancer drug caused tumors to disappear or shrink in an early-stage trial. J&J had gained access to the drug through its $3.05 billion deal to buy Halda Therapeutics last year.

Uganda imposes 21-day quarantine on citizens returning from Congo

Ugandan ⁠citizens returning to the country with a history of travel to Democratic Republic of Congo will be quarantined for 21 days, Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said on Sunday as Uganda tightened Ebola precautions. Uganda says it is Ebola-free after declaring an end to its latest outbreak in July but there has been concern among health experts after ​two people who had recently passed through the country later tested positive in Kenya and Nigeria.

AstraZeneca's stomach cancer drug extends overall survival, late-stage trial data finds

AstraZeneca's experimental drug sone-ve helped patients with advanced stomach cancer who had received at least two prior treatments to live ⁠longer than analysts had expected, according to late-stage trial data presented on Sunday. Patients on the drug lived a median of 10 months, compared with 5 months on their doctor's choice of chemotherapy, a 53% reduction in the risk of death.

Takeda to seek Japan approval for gastric cancer drug next year

Takeda Pharmaceutical plans to seek regulatory approval in Japan next year for its gastric ⁠cancer ​drug, after it extended overall survival and delayed disease progression in a late-stage study, a company executive told Reuters. The drug, arcotatug tavatecan, or TAK-921, met both those main goals of the trial in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer who had received at least two prior therapies.

Brazil detects second Newcastle disease outbreak in Santa Catarina

Brazil has identified a second Newcastle disease outbreak in Santa Catarina state at a poultry farm in Coronel Freitas, the Agriculture Ministry said late on Sunday. The new case lies within an existing restricted area, requiring only a small adjustment to the containment zone ⁠after an initial case was reported last week at a turkey farm in the nearby city of Nova Itaberaba, the ministry added.

Senior doctors in England set to strike over pay offer in November

Senior hospital doctors in England are set to stage a two-day strike in November, ⁠the British Medical Association said on Monday, following a government recommendation of a below-inflation pay ⁠rise. The strike, due to take place on November 25 and 26, is the latest example of disputes over pay and working conditions across Britain's National Health Service which have led to more than a dozen rounds of industrial action since 2023.

Amgen drug combined with immunotherapy extends survival in lung cancer trial

Amgen's Imdelltra used in combination with AstraZeneca's immunotherapy Imfinzi reduced the risk of death by 58% compared to the Astra drug alone in ‌patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, according to ‌data from a study presented at a major medical meeting on Saturday. Imfinzi is currently the standard of care following chemotherapy for patients with this very ​aggressive and hard-to-treat disease whose cancer does not worsen after initial chemotherapy.