Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bird flu detected in wild goose in eastern Germany, ministry says

Bird flu has been detected in a wild goose in Brandenburg, the eastern German state's farming ministry said ​on Friday, urging poultry farmers to strictly adhere to biosecurity measures. The infected goose was found in the state's Oder-Spree district, the ministry added.

Humana lifts annual ​profit forecast as medical costs ease

Humana raised its full-year profit forecast on Friday after reporting lower-than-expected medical ‌costs as ​the health insurer positions itself for a return to improved profit margins by 2028, sending its shares up 3.2% in morning trading. The company, one of the largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans for older adults and people with disabilities, is bucking an industrywide pullback by expanding enrollment in these plans while rivals broadly retreat.

Denmark's Leo Pharma could postpone IPO amid market turmoil, Berlingske reports

Danish drugmaker Leo Pharma is considering postponing its planned initial public offering until 2027 due to the ongoing turmoil in ‌global financial markets, daily Berlingske reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources. A company spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

Health Rounds: New blood test matches gold standard for liver disease diagnosis

Today we feature two studies being presented at The Liver Meeting, the annual gathering of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, which got underway on Thursday in Denver. “LIQUID BIOPSY” STAGES LIVER DISEASE FROM BLOOD SAMPLE

Lilly to sell obesity drugs directly on Hims & Hers site

Eli Lilly said on Friday it struck a deal to allow Hims & Hers Health to sell obesity drugs Zepbound and Foundayo directly on its platform, sending the telehealth company's shares up more than 7% in premarket trading. The Lilly drugs were previously ‌available to patients on Hims & Hers only if they left the site and went to Lilly's own cash-pay platform LillyDirect.

US measles cases climb above 5,000 for first time since 1991

US measles cases have surged to 5,182 so far this year, the highest annual total recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and ‌Prevention in 35 years, as the disease continues to spread across the country. The vast majority of infections were among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, accounting for 96% of cases in 2026, the CDC's data showed.

FDA probes tumour risk tied to Novartis gene therapy

The US Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it was investigating a risk of neoplasia, or tumour formation including malignancy, associated with Novartis' gene therapy Zolgensma. The Swiss drugmaker earlier in the day disclosed two cases in which tumours in children showed evidence of being linked to its gene therapy drug used to treat patients less than 2 years old with spinal muscular atrophy.

Swiss dental startup vVardis eyes $4.4 billion valuation in US IPO

Dental health company vVardis said on Friday it was targeting a valuation of up to $4.37 billion in its ⁠US initial public offering, ​seeking to capitalize on demand for treatments that can repair early-stage tooth decay without drilling. The ⁠Zug, Switzerland-based firm is looking to raise up to $228.6 million by offering 9.5 million shares priced between $21 and $24 each.

Ro launches healthcare research unit, plans to offer data to drugmakers

Telehealth firm Ro announced on Friday it is launching a healthcare research lab powered by artificial intelligence to study patient outcomes and potentially offer insights to drugmakers. Chief Executive Zach Reitano said increased data could provide insights for insurers weighing ⁠coverage of expensive medications, allow drugmakers to identify which patients benefit from a specific treatment, and improve health outcomes for individuals on its platform.

GSK, Moderna settle patent dispute over Moderna COVID, RSV shots

British drugmaker GSK has settled lawsuits that accused Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE and RSV shot mResvia of infringing its patents, the companies said on Friday. Moderna said in a Friday press ​release that it settled GSK's patent litigation in the US and Europe on October 28 and that the companies "granted patent cross-licenses in the field of infectious disease and are not obligated to make payments of any kind in connection with such licenses."

FDA grants J&J accelerated approval for head and ⁠neck cancer treatment

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted accelerated approval to Johnson & Johnson's treatment for patients with an advanced form of head and neck cancer whose disease has worsened after chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The drug, Rybrevant Faspro, is approved for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a hard-to-treat cancer for which effective treatment options remain limited, the FDA said.

India's Gland Pharma beats quarterly estimates on ⁠strong Europe, ​US sales

India's Gland Pharma reported a bigger-than-expected 58.3% jump in second-quarter profit on Friday, boosted by strong sales in its key European and US markets. The Hyderabad-based company's consolidated net profit of 2.91 billion rupees ($30.9 million) was up from 1.84 billion rupees a year ago, beating analysts' average estimate of 2.75 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG.

J&J's once-daily pill eases psoriatic arthritis symptoms in late-stage trial

Johnson & Johnson said on Saturday its once-daily pill eased symptoms in more patients with psoriatic arthritis than a placebo in a late-stage trial, potentially supporting expanded use of the drug. The company said 58% of patients who took icotrokinra, branded as Icotyde, saw a 20% improvement in ⁠tender and swollen joint counts, as well as improvements in other measures of disease activity after 16 weeks. That compared with 41% who received a placebo in the 552-patient trial.

Trial failures of Novartis, Novo Nordisk heart drugs leave experts guessing

An experimental Novartis drug designed to treat a genetic cause of heart disease ⁠failed to reduce deaths and non-fatal heart attacks, dashing hopes for the first of several such ⁠drugs in clinical trials. Despite a 78% reduction of the blood particle commonly known as Lp(a), a monthly dose of the Novartis drug, pelacarsen, over nearly five years had no effect in preventing a second heart attack, or reducing the risk of stroke or need for emergency procedures to unblock clogged arteries in the trial of more than 8,300 patients, according to detailed results.

Moderna lifts annual revenue forecast on strong COVID vaccine demand overseas

Moderna lifted its full-year revenue forecast on Friday after strong international ‌COVID-19 vaccine demand and payments from partnerships helped the biotech ‌swing to profit in the third quarter, sending its shares up over 10%. The rally builds on a blockbuster year for Moderna, whose stock has skyrocketed more than eightfold, largely ​fueled by encouraging late-stage data from its personalized cancer vaccine candidate developed with Merck.