Health News Roundup: Tunisia's bad economy hits coeliac sufferers with rice shortage; Nestle divests peanut allergy business Palforzia and more

Nestle said it has offloaded Palforzia to Stallergenes Greer, a biopharmaceutical company which specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. Wegovy weight-loss drug will cost 199-299 pounds for private UK patients -Simple Online Pharmacy Simple Online Pharmacy, a UK-based online pharmacy chain, will charge patients with private insurance or those paying out of their own pockets between 199 pounds and 299 pounds ($251-$377) for a month's supply of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Tunisia's bad economy hits coeliac sufferers with rice shortage

For Siwar Derbeli a national rice shortage is not just another inconvenient symptom of Tunisia's stretched national finances but a source of hunger because the coeliac disease she suffers from means it is one of the few staples she can comfortably eat. Shortages of imported goods sold at subsidised rates have been increasing in Tunisia since last year, with wheat, sugar, cooking oil and dairy products periodically disappearing from supermarket shelves along with some medicines.

Nestle divests peanut allergy business Palforzia

Nestle has divested its peanut allergy treatment business Palforzia, the Swiss food company said on Monday, following its strategic review of the division. Nestle said it has offloaded Palforzia to Stallergenes Greer, a biopharmaceutical company which specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies.

Wegovy weight-loss drug will cost 199-299 pounds for private UK patients -Simple Online Pharmacy

Simple Online Pharmacy, a UK-based online pharmacy chain, will charge patients with private insurance or those paying out of their own pockets between 199 pounds and 299 pounds ($251-$377) for a month's supply of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy. It was the first indication how much the popular weekly injection would cost private patients in Britain after Novo announced it had launched Wegovy earlier on Monday.

Factbox-Launches of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy

Novo Nordisk is pushing ahead with the launches of weight-loss drug Wegovy in Europe even as it struggles to keep up with demand. The Danish drugmaker is working to convince European governments and insurers to reimburse the drug, seeking to position it as more than a lifestyle drug. Below are the countries where Wegovy has been launched so far:

Weight-loss drug Wegovy debuts in UK even as Novo Nordisk struggles with supplies

Novo Nordisk launched its weight-loss injection Wegovy in Britain on Monday, expanding into a second major market in Europe in just over a month even as it struggles to keep up with soaring demand. The Danish drugmaker said in a statement that the weekly injection would be available in the United Kingdom "through a controlled and limited launch".

France to ban disposable e-cigarettes, PM says

France plans to ban disposable electronic cigarettes, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on radio station RTL on Sunday. "It's an important public health issue," said Borne, adding that the government is drawing up plans for a national programme to fight tobacco use that she said was responsible for 75,000 deaths a year in France.