Health News Roundup: Musk's Neuralink to start human trial of brain implant for paralysis patients; Novo Nordisk contracts Aspen to produce insulin for Africa and more

Announcing the deal on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Novo said the contract would lead to the production of 16 million vials of insulin next year, marking its "expanded commitment" to improving access to life-saving insulin to people living with diabetes in Africa. Boston Scientific to buy chronic back pain therapy maker Relievant Medical devices maker Boston Scientific said on Tuesday it would buy private medical tech company Relievant Medsystems for an upfront cash payment of $850 million, gaining access to an FDA-cleared therapy for chronic pain.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Musk's Neuralink to start human trial of brain implant for paralysis patients

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink said on Tuesday it has received approval from an independent review board to begin recruitment for the first human trial of its brain implant for paralysis patients. Those with paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may qualify for the study, it said, but did not reveal how many participants would be enrolled in the trial, which will take about six years to complete.

Novo Nordisk contracts Aspen to produce insulin for Africa

Novo Nordisk has contracted Aspen Pharmacare to produce human insulin on its behalf in South Africa for export to African countries through a low-cost government tender system, the Danish drugmaker said on Tuesday. Announcing the deal on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Novo said the contract would lead to the production of 16 million vials of insulin next year, marking its "expanded commitment" to improving access to life-saving insulin to people living with diabetes in Africa.

Boston Scientific to buy chronic back pain therapy maker Relievant

Medical devices maker Boston Scientific said on Tuesday it would buy private medical tech company Relievant Medsystems for an upfront cash payment of $850 million, gaining access to an FDA-cleared therapy for chronic pain. The Massachusetts-based company is also obliged to pay Relievant additional undisclosed payments based on sales performance over the next three years.

US FDA declines to approve ARS' emergency nasal spray for allergic reactions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to approve ARS Pharmaceuticals' nasal spray for allergic reactions and requested completion of a repeat-dose study to support a potential approval, the company said on Tuesday. ARS Pharma was seeking approval for the nasal spray treatment, Neffy, as an emergency treatment of allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, in adults and children who weigh more than 30 kg.

European Commission authorises GSK's HIV prevention drug

The European Commission has authorised GSK's HIV-focused unit ViiV Healthcare's cabotegravir long-acting injectable and tablets, the British drugmaker said on Tuesday. Cabotegravir is recommended in combination with safer sex practices for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually-acquired HIV-1 infection in high-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilogrammes, according to the company.

BeiGene to go solo with cancer drug after Novartis deal termination

BeiGene and Swiss drugmaker Novartis have terminated a 2021 deal to jointly develop the Hong Kong-listed company's cancer drug, the companies said on Tuesday, marking the second such discontinuation in just over two months. BeiGene will regain full global rights to the drug, tislelizumab, or Tevimbra, with no royalty payments due to Novartis, which will continue to manufacture it.

Moderna to cut mRNA drug substance production at Lonza facility

Moderna said on Tuesday it will cut production of mRNA drug substance for its COVID-19 vaccine at Lonza's facility in Switzerland this quarter as part of a plan to align manufacturing of the shots with lower post-pandemic demand. The U.S. company had announced last week it was in talks with its partners that fill vials and syringes globally to downsize vaccine production.

Ecuador reports three birds dead from avian flu in Galapagos

Ecuador's Galapagos National Park (PNG) on Tuesday said that three birds had died of avian flu, prompting officials to activate biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of the virus spreading across the archipelago. "Preliminarily, of the five specimens examined, three of them have tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza," PNG said in a statement, adding that samples were sent to Guayaquil for confirmation.

Eli Lilly sues over US sales of bogus Mounjaro for weight loss

Eli Lilly on Tuesday said it was suing 10 U.S. medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in its diabetes drug Mounjaro which is expected to be approved for weight loss later this year. In four separate lawsuits filed in Florida and Texas federal courts, Eli Lilly is seeking orders barring Better Life Pharmacy, ReviveRX, Rx Compound Store and Wells Pharmacy Network from selling tirzepatide, and requesting unspecified damages.

EU antitrust regulators raid cardiovascular medical device company

EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday raided a cardiovascular medical device company in an EU country on concerns that the company may have abused its market power in breach of the bloc's antitrust rules. "The European Commission is carrying out unannounced inspections at the premises of a company active in medical devices for cardiovascular applications," the EU competition enforcer said in a statement.