Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AstraZeneca made $10 billion offer for obesity drugmaker Rhythm, sources say

AstraZeneca made an offer of about $10 billion to acquire obesity drugmaker Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, according to three people familiar with the matter. AstraZeneca offered as much as $134 a share in the non-binding proposal, including payments for milestone achievements, the people said.

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.

Pennsylvania reports sixth measles-linked death as cases rise

Pennsylvania health officials on Wednesday reported the state's sixth measles-associated death this year as the outbreak continued to spread. The state has emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for a substantial share of infections reported nationwide.

India proposes instant manufacturing licence suspension for drugs failing quality tests

India has proposed rules requiring regulators to immediately suspend manufacturing licences for medicines that fail specified quality standards in government testing, tightening oversight of one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical industries. The rules would apply if government testing finds the drug fails quality standards for impurities or sterility or assay, which measures the amount of active ingredient, or dissolution, which assesses how the drug releases that ‌ingredient.

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

Doctors in England launch primary-care trial of blood tests for spotting cancer early

A clinical trial in England will assess whether family doctors' use of simple blood tests that detect multiple common cancers actually result in earlier diagnosis and improved chances of survival. Several such tests, developed by the University of Birmingham and its partners, will be trialed for their ability to detect 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 to break up $117 billion business, separating pharmacies from insurance; shares fall

CVS Health said on Wednesday it will split in two, separating its retail pharmacies from the Aetna insurance business and pharmacy-benefit operations in a major unwinding of the $117 billion healthcare conglomerate it spent years building. The company forecast 2027 adjusted earnings of at least $8.65 per share, ahead of analysts' estimates of $8.53 per share. But Kevin Gade, chief operating officer at Bahl & Gaynor, said that forecast compared unfavorably to rivals, some of which are more focused on government-sponsored plans that could receive more political backing ⁠next year, after Democrats decisively won control ​of US Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections.

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.

India's Aurobindo Pharma's quarterly profit rises by a third on strong US demand

Indian drugmaker Aurobindo Pharma reported a nearly 33% rise in second-quarter profit on Wednesday, led by strong demand and volume gains in its US market. Here are more details:

Novo hikes outlook again as it speeds up Wegovy pill rollout

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.

3M stock soars following $7.35 billion 'forever chemicals' settlement

Shares of 3M hit an 8-1/2-year high on Wednesday after the industrial products company agreed to pay $7.35 billion to settle litigation by people who said its "forever chemicals" injured them, and 3M officials predicted enough claimants would join for the settlement to take effect. Payouts would cover personal injury claims related to firefighting foam made by 3M and be distributed over nine years to as many as 120,000 ​people, the St. Paul, Minnesota-based company said on Wednesday. It announced the settlement on Tuesday after US markets closed.

British healthcare worker with Ebola to be evacuated from Congo to UK, document shows

A British healthcare worker infected with Ebola is being medically evacuated from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Britain for specialist treatment, according to an official document seen by Reuters. The patient is in a stable condition and is expected to arrive in Britain on Wednesday or Thursday, before being transferred by a specialist ambulance to a high-consequence infectious disease unit, the document showed.

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.

Health Rounds: 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

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.

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.

Health insurers, hospitals rally after sweeping midterm win for Democrats

Shares of Medicaid-focused US health insurers and hospital operators rose in early trading on Wednesday as Democrats' sweep of the Senate and House of Representatives in the midterm elections fueled hopes of sector-friendly policy changes. Centene shares climbed over 8% to $73.12, Elevance Health about 3% to $4 and Molina Healthcare about 6% to $220.99. Hospital stocks, such as HCA ⁠Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare and Universal Health Services gained between 6% and 8%.

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.

French blood banks hit alongside cyberattack on European supermarkets

The refrigerators at three regional blood banks in France were hit by a cyberattack overnight between Sunday and Monday, at the same time hackers struck supermarkets from Sweden to Belgium. "Several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) were affected by a cybersecurity incident that impacted certain cold storage room monitoring and control systems," the health ministry said in a statement.

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

Evommune licenses Hinova autoimmune drug in up to $1.1 billion deal

Evommune said on Wednesday it had ​licensed rights to an experimental autoimmune disease treatment from China's Hinova Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth up to about $1.1 billion in milestone payments. Here are some details: