Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Clorox appoints Unilever executive as its new CEO

Clorox on Thursday appointed Unilever executive Fabian Garcia as its new chief executive officer effective January 5. Here are more details:-

Asia OneHealthcare files draft prospectus for Malaysia IPO

Malaysian hospital operator Asia OneHealthcare has filed a draft prospectus for an initial public offering of up to 4.38 billion ​shares and a planned listing on Bursa Malaysia, the Securities Commission Malaysia's website showed on Wednesday. Reuters reported in April that US-based private equity firm TPG had hired Maybank and UBS to explore options for Asia OneHealthcare, including a domestic listing that ​could value the company at about 30 billion ringgit ($7.4 billion)

Boston Scientific warns of tough 2027 on China pricing, heart-device weakness

Boston Scientific lowered its full-year profit forecast on Wednesday ‌and warned that revenue ​and earnings growth could be challenging in 2027, citing pricing pressure in China and weakness in its key heart-device businesses. Shares of the company were down 5.3% by afternoon.

Health Rounds: Wildfire smoke exposure during pregnancy linked to higher autism risk in children

With wildfires becoming larger and more prevalent, today we report on a study that suggests a link between exposure during pregnancy to harmful particles in smoke from the infernos and autism in the women's children. Speaking of harmful particles, we also feature a study that may have discovered one way in which microplastics in our systems are causing health problems. WILDFIRE SMOKE IN PREGNANCY LINKED WITH AUTISM RISK

GSK pipeline doubts, vaccine underperformance overshadow sales beat

GSK investors punished the British drugmaker on Wednesday despite a third-quarter sales and profit beat, focusing instead on questions over its drug pipeline and weak ‌sales of vaccines, including its shingles shot Shingrix. The company's London-listed shares were down around 4% by 1430 GMT, after tumbling 7.3% earlier in the day, and were on track for their steepest slide since April, largely erasing gains made since CEO Luke Miels took over in January.

UK's Haleon slides as weak flu season, China hit prompt outlook cut

British consumer health group Haleon cut its annual revenue growth outlook to below market forecasts on Thursday, hurt by weak demand for cold medicines and a regulatory setback in China, knocking its shares down nearly 14%. The maker of Advil painkillers and Sensodyne toothpaste now expects full-year organic revenue growth of around 2.5% against a previous forecast of 3% to 5%. Analysts had been expecting 3.2% in a company-compiled poll

Oura to study link between smart ring data and obesity treatment outcomes

Oura said on Wednesday it has launched a clinical trial to study how sleep, heart rate and other measures monitored by the company's smart ring are associated with outcomes of obesity treatments such as GLP-1 drugs and bariatric surgery. The trial will examine whether changes in those measures are linked to outcomes from the treatment such as weight loss, blood sugar control and ‌treatment persistence.

Pennsylvania measles cases near 1,400, state health department says

Measles cases in Pennsylvania have risen to 1,398 as of Wednesday, up 38 from the state health department's last update on Monday, as the state battles its worst measles outbreak in years. Here are more details:

Merck tops third-quarter estimates as Keytruda, Gardasil outperform

Merck posted higher-than-expected third-quarter earnings on Thursday, driven by strong demand for its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda and its HPV vaccine Gardasil. Shares of the company rose nearly 2% in premarket trading.

Geron discontinues late-stage trial of blood cancer drug, shares plunge

Geron ‌said on Wednesday it would halt a late-stage trial of its blood cancer treatment, marking a setback for the company's only commercial product, sending its shares plunging 20% in early trading. The drug, branded as Rytelo, was being evaluated as a treatment for myelofibrosis, a rare type of blood cancer in which scar tissue gradually builds up in the bone marrow.

US Health Secretary Kennedy opens access to some unapproved peptides

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday pushed forward a policy allowing licensed pharmacies and physicians to compound certain unapproved peptides while regulators consider whether to formally permit their use in compounded medicines. Published in the Federal Register as Kennedy's "enforcement discretion policy," it enables US compounding of six peptides, including the popular BPC-157 and TB-500 — often taken together in a combination popularly known as the "Wolverine stack" — without fear of FDA reprisal.

Lilly's retatrutide outshines Ozempic on weight loss, blood sugar control in trial

Eli Lilly said on Wednesday its experimental next-generation obesity drug, retatrutide, outperformed Novo Nordisk's Ozempic on blood sugar control and delivered more than double the weight loss in a diabetes study. The data strengthens the competitive profile of retatrutide, which is widely expected to fuel Lilly's next wave of growth following the success of its Zepbound and Mounjaro.

Generic drugmaker Sandoz cuts sales outlook, shares fall

Swiss generic drugmaker Sandoz lowered its full-year sales growth guidance after short-term biosimilar-supply constraints weighed on third-quarter results, sending shares down as much as 8% ⁠on Wednesday. The company now expects net ​sales to grow by 5-6% at constant exchange rates, from mid-to-high single digit growth expected previously. However, it lifted its core earnings margin forecasts, seeing its ⁠EBITDA margin reaching 23%-23.5% in 2026 compared with the previously forecast increase of around 100 basis points from the 21.7% recorded in 2025.

Research organization IAVI receives US funding for Ebola vaccine development

IAVI, a biomedical research organization, said on Wednesday it was awarded $36 million under a US government contract worth up to $99 million to advance development of its single-dose vaccine candidate against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of Congo has risen above 10,000, government data showed on Tuesday, making the Bundibugyo outbreak the country's largest and deadliest.

FDA warns Amgen over cancer drug promotional video

The US FDA has warned Amgen that a promotional video for its colorectal ⁠cancer drug was misleading because it highlighted the benefits while failing to adequately disclose serious safety risks and patient limitations, according to an update posted on the agency's website on Tuesday. Here are some details:

Bristol Myers raises 2026 revenue forecast, lowers EPS due to charge

Bristol Myers Squibb raised its full-year revenue forecast on Thursday, citing strong sales of its newer medicines, but lowered its 2026 earnings per share projection due to a hefty acquisition-related charge. The US drugmaker said it now expects 2026 adjusted earnings of $6.35 to $6.55 per share on revenue of $49.75 billion to $50.25 billion. That compares with its previous estimates of $6.75 to $7.00 a share and $49 billion to $50 billion in ​revenue. The company took a charge of 58 cents in the quarter.

Swiss biotech firm Molecular Partners to cut nearly half of workforce

Switzerland's Molecular Partners is cutting its workforce nearly in half, it said on Thursday, as it aims to narrow its focus on the booming field of radiotherapeutic medicines. The clinical-stage biotech company, which has partnered with pharma giant Novartis and American AbbVie, is set to reduce its employee headcount by up to 44%, or up to 55 people.

Airline groups urge US CDC ⁠to reconsider Ebola declaration requirements

Major American and foreign airlines urged the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reconsider new rules requiring all US-bound travelers to attest they have not been in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the prior 21 days. The International Air Transport Association and Airlines for America, in separate previously unreported letters reviewed by Reuters, urged the CDC to reconsider the plan announced last week that takes effect on November 3 and is aimed at preventing entry by people exposed to Ebola.

Eli Lilly lifts revenue outlook on weight-loss drug sales, trims profit view on deal charges

Eli Lilly raised its full-year revenue forecast and beat third-quarter earnings expectations on Thursday, propelled by surging demand for injectable weight-loss drugs that ⁠could allay investor ​concerns about price erosion in US government health plans. The Indianapolis-based drugmaker now expects full-year revenue of $91 billion to $92 billion, underscoring its expanding lead in the multibillion-dollar GLP-1 market over Danish rival Novo Nordisk that has propelled Lilly to a $1.2 trillion market valuation.

Dutch government orders poultry to be kept inside due to bird flu

The Dutch government on Wednesday ordered farmers across the country to keep poultry indoors following three reported birdflu outbreaks in recent days. "The risk of further infections is significant. To prevent as much suffering as possible for both animals and business owners, I have decided to implement a nationwide requirement to keep birds indoors or otherwise shielded," Agriculture minister Silvio Erkens said in a statement.

US estrogen supply crunch widens as women seek alternatives to scarce patches

Women in the US struggling to find hormone replacement treatments to manage menopause symptoms are facing shortages beyond estrogen patches amid surging demand, with some injectable and vaginal estrogen products also in short supply. The US Food and Drug Administration has been working with manufacturers since September to boost supplies of estrogen patches after months of shortages. But pharmacies and drug-shortage monitors are reporting problems with ⁠other forms of the hormone.

Screwworm infests dog in Arizona, widening US cases

New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that eats warm-blooded animals alive, has infested a dog in Arizona, widening cases to a third US state, the US Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The first detection in Arizona was in Cochise County, which borders Mexico, according to the USDA.

Supplements brand Rho Nutrition explores sale, sources say

Rho Nutrition, a maker of liquid supplements and vitamins, is exploring a sale that could value the company at over $500 million, according to ⁠three people familiar with the matter. The privately held company is working with investment bank Rothschild & Co on the sale process, which is at an early stage, ⁠said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity since the matter is private. Rho expects to generate around $200 million in revenue this year, the people said.

Global Fund appoints former head Mark Dybul as executive director

The Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has appointed American physician Mark Dybul as the organization's next Executive Director, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Dybul returns to the organization early next year after serving as its head from 2013-2017

Haleon CEO warns staff of 'difficult choices' ahead after sales miss, memo says

Haleon CEO Brian McNamara warned staff on Thursday that the British maker of Sensodyne toothpaste and Beechams cold medicines faced "difficult choices" in coming months, according to a memo seen by Reuters, after the group cut its annual revenue growth outlook. Haleon, which also makes Advil painkillers, earlier posted third-quarter revenue that ‌missed forecasts and reported weaker sales in key market China, knocking its shares down 15% to the lowest ‌since early 2024.

Big Caring launches IPO valuing Malaysian pharmacy chain at $2 billion

Malaysian pharmacy chain Big Caring Group on Thursday launches its initial public offering, which could value the company at about 8 billion ringgit ($2 billion) ahead of a planned November 19 listing debut on Bursa Malaysia. The retailer ​is offering up to 1.9 billion shares at a maximum price of 1.08 ringgit each, Big Caring said in a statement.