Reuters Health News Summary

The drug distributor said it expects to partially offset the impact of losing the OptumRx contracts through a combination of new customer wins and growth in its specialty pharmacy business. Health-harming heat stress rising in Europe, scientists say Europe is increasingly facing bouts of heat so intense that the human body cannot cope, as climate change continues to raise temperatures, the EU's Copernicus climate monitoring service and the World Meteorological Organization said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Medical gear maker Getinge's beats quarterly profits expectations

Medical equipment maker Getinge reported a smaller than expected drop in first-quarter core profit on Monday, as new orders offset the costs of resolving prolonged problems with its product packaging and heart products. Getinge's shares were up 5% in early afternoon trade in Stockholm, outperforming the wider index and on track for their biggest intra-session jump in more than a year.

Bristol Myers signs $380 million CAR-T therapies supply deal with Cellares

Drugmaker Bristol Myers Squibb said it has signed a $380 million deal with contract manufacturer Cellares to manufacture its CAR-T cell therapies in the United States, EU and Japan. The collaboration will help Bristol Myers to expand its manufacturing capacity due to increasing demand. The company said in February it was looking to launch both its CAR-T blood cancer therapies Abecma and Breyanzi in a number of new countries this year.

Contaminated cough syrup in Africa no longer available - WHO

A contaminated batch of Benylin Paediatric Syrup is no longer available in the African countries where it was sold, the World Health Organization said on Monday. Earlier this month, Nigeria recalled a batch of the children's cough and allergy medicine after tests found that it contained unacceptable levels of the toxin, diethylene glycol.

Cardinal Health says contracts with UnitedHealth's OptumRx will not be renewed

Cardinal Health said on Monday its pharma distribution contracts with UnitedHealth Group Inc's OptumRx unit will not be renewed after they expire at the end of June. The drug distributor said it expects to partially offset the impact of losing the OptumRx contracts through a combination of new customer wins and growth in its specialty pharmacy business.

Health-harming heat stress rising in Europe, scientists say

Europe is increasingly facing bouts of heat so intense that the human body cannot cope, as climate change continues to raise temperatures, the EU's Copernicus climate monitoring service and the World Meteorological Organization said on Monday. In a report on Europe's climate, Copernicus and the WMO noted last year's extreme conditions, including a July heatwave which pushed 41% of southern Europe into strong, very strong or extreme heat stress - the biggest area of Europe under such conditions in any day on record.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)