Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bayer seeks bigger role in fast-growing Latin American biologicals market

Bayer said on Wednesday it will launch 17 new biological products in Latin America by 2030, including biopesticides and crop performance enhancers, as it targets a market growing faster than the global average. Bayer currently has more than 40 such products in Latin America, home of agricultural powerhouses including Brazil ​and Argentina

Novo loses share in Brazil to cheaper generics, but holds up in Canada and India

Novo Nordisk is losing market share in Brazil after its semaglutide patent expired, driving a 3% decline in emerging market sales in the third quarter, CEO Mike ​Doustdar told Reuters, while the drugmaker has largely held its ground in Canada and India. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo’s blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes medicine Ozempic, lost patent protection ‌in Brazil in March ​this year, opening the market to cheaper copies.

Sino Biopharmaceutical, Boehringer ink cancer drug deal worth $7 billion in milestones

Sino Biopharmaceutical said on Wednesday it had entered into an option and license agreement with Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim for six preclinical oncology programs that could generate $7 billion in milestone payments. Here are some more details:

AbbVie expands Oxford R&D facility as part of £120 million-plus investment

AbbVie has expanded its UK research and development facility in Oxford as part of a more than £120 million ($161 million) investment, the US drugmaker said on Wednesday. The investment comes a few months after the US and Britain finalised an agreement aimed at increasing UK medicine prices in line with President Donald Trump's new US pricing policies.

CVS will split up its pharmacy and insurance business into two companies, WSJ says

CVS Health plans to break up its $117 billion business, separating its retail pharmacies from the Caremark pharmacy benefit management operations and ‌the Aetna insurance company it bought nearly a decade ago, the Wall Street Journal quoted the company as saying on Tuesday. CVS Health, which is set to report quarterly results on Wednesday, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

How CVS built a healthcare empire it now plans to split

CVS Health said on Wednesday it would split its retail pharmacy business from its insurance and pharmacy benefit operations, unwinding years of expansion that turned the drugstore chain into one of the largest US healthcare conglomerates. Here is a timeline of the healthcare giant's more than six-decade history:

India's Apollo Hospitals posts higher quarterly profit

India's Apollo Hospitals Enterprise quarterly profit rose by nearly a third on Wednesday, broadly in line with analysts' estimates, as strong demand for complex procedures drove growth in its core healthcare services business. The Chennai-based hospital operator's consolidated net profit rose to 6.30 billion indian rupees ($66.52 million) in the quarter ended September 30, from 4.77 billion rupees a year earlier. Analysts, on average, expected 6.36 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG.

India's Alembic Pharma profit jumps on strong US sales

India's Alembic Pharmaceuticals posted an 81% rise in second-quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by strong sales in the US market, sending its shares surging 20%. ‌The company reported a consolidated profit of 3.35 billion rupees ($35.37 million) for the quarter ended September 30, up from 1.85 billion rupees a year earlier

Family doctors in England to use blood tests to spot cancer early in world first

A clinical trial in England will for the first time assess whether family doctors can use simple blood tests to help diagnose some of the most common cancers earlier and boost patients' chances of survival. The tests, developed by the University of Birmingham, will look for signs of several cancers in a blood sample and suggest ‌where in the body they come from

Merck gets US FDA emergency use nod for treatment of screwworm in dogs

The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an emergency use authorization for Merck's Bravecto tablets to treat New World screwworm in dogs and puppies, expanding treatment options to combat the parasite. Here are more details:

Nurix says Sanofi discontinues autoimmune disease drug program

Nurix Therapeutics said on Tuesday that Sanofi has decided to discontinue development of an experimental treatment for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, eliminating potential future milestone payments and royalties related to the program. Shares of Nurix plunged 38% in extended trading.

CVS Health to split in two, separating pharmacy business from insurance

CVS Health said on Wednesday it will split into two companies, separating retail pharmacy from its insurance and pharmacy-benefit operations in a major unwinding of the healthcare conglomerate it spent years building through acquisitions. The split comes amid growing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators of vertically integrated healthcare companies such as CVS.

Smith+Nephew cuts outlook after failed orthopaedics deal talks with J&J

Smith+Nephew cut its full-year revenue and profit forecast on Wednesday as the British medical device maker also confirmed that talks about a potential merger with Johnson & Johnson's orthopaedics unit have ended. The forecast cut follows weaker-than-expected third-quarter growth in Smith+Nephew's biggest orthopaedics business, which has been plagued by years of weak performance, prompting it to seek options for the business, including with J&J.

Teva profit beats forecasts, raises 2026 revenue estimates

Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries reported a higher-than-expected third-quarter profit on Tuesday, as ⁠strong sales of a trio of ​its branded medicines offset declines in generic drugs. Teva raised its 2026 forecasts and Chief Executive Richard Francis said he expects continued growth in 2027, led by the company's branded ⁠drugs. Generic drugs are also expected to grow as its large pipeline of biosimilars come to market.

Novo Nordisk hikes 2026 outlook again as Wegovy pill beats forecasts

Obesity drugmaker Novo Nordisk raised its 2026 outlook for the third time this year on Wednesday as quarterly sales of its Wegovy pill beat forecasts, bolstering the Danish firm's efforts to recover ground lost to US rival Eli Lilly. Novo, which is clawing back into the obesity drug race after sliding sales and shares in recent years, raised its full-year adjusted sales and operating profit forecast to between 2% growth and a 2% decline at constant exchange rates, up from flat to a 6% fall.

Fresenius lifts 2026 expectations after strong Q3

Healthcare group Fresenius ⁠lifted its full-year expectations on Wednesday after reporting higher-than-anticipated third-quarter results, as strong performance at the Kabi and Helios divisions supported earnings. The company now expects an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margin above 11.5%, compared with around 11.5% previously, and 2026 constant-currency core earnings per share (EPS) growth in the upper end of its 10%-15% range.

Ebola survivors comfort sick children in Congo's isolation wards

Whenever Jerkis Mahamba hears a child cry out in the Ebola ward in Butembo, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, he puts on protective gear and rushes to their side. He has a very good idea of what they are going through. Mahamba caught the highly infectious disease himself in September and recovered after 18 ​days of treatment at the same centre. His ordeal gave him immunity from the strain of the virus coursing through Congo, meaning he can work with young patients when their own parents aren't allowed to touch them.

GLP-1 drugs help control prediabetes better than current standard medicine

Today we feature a trio of interesting studies that will be presented in detail at the American Heart Association scientific sessions in Chicago this weekend. GLP-1 DRUGS MAY OUTPERFORM METFORMIN FOR PREDIABETES

Kenya discharges five Ebola patients, no new cases reported

Kenya on Tuesday ⁠discharged five Ebola patients from hospital after laboratory tests confirmed they had cleared the virus. The country has sought to limit cases to a single infection cluster by tracing and quarantining contacts of patients. The health ministry said in a statement that the country's two remaining Ebola patients were continuing to receive treatment in Nairobi hospitals

Thousands of pregnant women at risk in Yemeni city of Taiz, UN agency says

Fighting and access restrictions in and around the Yemeni city of Taiz have left more than 13,000 pregnant women without essential healthcare and are leading to more miscarriages, the United Nations Population Fund said on Tuesday. Taiz has been largely isolated for a month, with fighting preventing humanitarian supplies from entering and civilians from leaving, following an escalation in clashes between ⁠the Saudi-backed government ​and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Bayer raises 2026 profit outlook as pharma business beats expectations

German pharmaceuticals and agriculture group Bayer raised its 2026 profit outlook on Tuesday, citing a better-than-expected performance at the company's pharmaceuticals business in the third quarter. The upgrade sent Bayer's shares up 5% by 1044 GMT.

Amgen posts higher-than-expected third quarter results, but shares dip

Amgen on Tuesday said third-quarter sales rose 8%, led by cholesterol drug Repatha and newer medicines Imdelltra for lung cancer and rare disease therapy Uplizna, as the company moves ahead with development of its high-profile experimental weight-loss drug MariTide. But sales of some older drugs fell sharply and the company's shares, which dipped nearly 1% in regular trading, were down more than 2% at $450 after hours.

Philips reaches DOJ agreement over device recall, books €288 million provision in Q3

Philips has reached a preliminary agreement with the US Department of Justice to end investigations linked to the Dutch company's 2021 global recall of sleep and respiratory-care devices, it said on Tuesday. The healthcare technology manufacturer recalled millions of devices in 2021 over concerns that sound-reducing foam could degrade and potentially become toxic.

Pfizer raises 2026 forecasts as Eliquis, cancer drugs drive third-quarter results

Pfizer raised its full-year profit and revenue ⁠forecasts on Tuesday as strong demand for its recently acquired cancer drug Padcev and blockbuster blood thinner Eliquis led to higher-than-expected third-quarter results. Pfizer is now targeting annual sales of $62 billion to $64 billion, up from the prior forecast of $60.5 billion to $62.5 billion, and earnings of $2.95 to $3.05 per share, compared with its previous outlook of $2.80 to $3.00 a share.

Swiss pharma industry behind in technology and clinical trials, index shows

Switzerland's pharmaceutical and chemicals industries are slipping behind when it comes to technology and clinical trials, a yearly Global Industry Competitiveness Index showed on Wednesday. While the country continued to rank ⁠third overall in the index of most competitive locations, behind the US and Ireland, industry lobby scienceindustries, which funded the study conducted by BAK Economics, said there was ⁠still cause for concern.

Several French blood banks hit by a cyberattack on Nov 2, Health Ministry says

Several regional blood banks were hit by a cyberattack on November 2, the French health Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that the situation was now under control and that there was no impact on the blood products stored in these centers.

India's Dr Lal PathLabs posts higher quarterly profit on strong diagnostic test demand

Dr Lal PathLabs posted a more than 27% rise in second-quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by higher test volumes and demand for preventive health packages. The Indian lab operator's consolidated net profit for the three months ended September 30 rose to 1.92 billion rupees ($20.27 million), from 1.51 billion rupees a year earlier.

Chinese drugmaker Ganzhou Hemay delays Hong Kong listing on market conditions

Chinese drugmaker Ganzhou Hemay Pharmaceutical said on Wednesday that it has postponed its global offering and the planned ‌listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, citing current market conditions. Here are some more details: Last week, the firm ‌launched its global offering, aiming to raise about HK$1.04 billion ($132.56 million), at the maximum offer price of HK$18.9 per share

India's Zydus Lifesciences posts lower profit as expenses outpace revenue growth

Indian drugmaker Zydus Lifesciences reported a 26.6% fall in second-quarter profit on Wednesday, as rising expenses outweighed stronger demand, pushing its ​shares about 4% lower. Consolidated net profit fell to 9.26 billion rupees ($97.77 million) for the July-September quarter from 12.61 billion rupees a year earlier.