Health News Roundup: Biden administration takes abortion pill dispute to US Supreme Court; Analysis-Wegovy launch in UK may underline Novo Nordisk's need to get ahead of Lilly

The drug's manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, also said it filed its appeal on Friday. Analysis-Wegovy launch in UK may underline Novo Nordisk's need to get ahead of Lilly Novo Nordisk's decision to launch its weight-loss drug Wegovy in Britain last week despite severe supply constraints may partly have been motivated by a desire to get ahead of rival Eli Lilly's own similar drug, industry sources said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Biden administration takes abortion pill dispute to US Supreme Court

President Joe Biden's administration took its battle to preserve broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday as it appealed a lower court's ruling that would curb how the drug is delivered and distributed. The Justice Department said it filed its appeal of an August decision by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that would bar telemedicine prescriptions and shipments of mifepristone by mail. The drug's manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, also said it filed its appeal on Friday.

Analysis-Wegovy launch in UK may underline Novo Nordisk's need to get ahead of Lilly

Novo Nordisk's decision to launch its weight-loss drug Wegovy in Britain last week despite severe supply constraints may partly have been motivated by a desire to get ahead of rival Eli Lilly's own similar drug, industry sources said. They said Novo may also have been responding to concerns voiced by the British government and patient advocacy groups over the off-label use for weight loss of its diabetes drug Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy.

(With inputs from agencies.)