Health News Roundup: Pfizer to remain aggressive on obesity market after setback; US Supreme Court rejects challenge to California flavored tobacco ban and more

Bayer's experimental anticoagulant asundexian could still be a blockbuster if its second trial for stroke prevention reads out positively, Oelrich told Reuters at the JPMorgan health conference in San Francisco. Novartis in advanced talks to buy Cytokinetics- source Swiss drugmaker Novartis is in the lead to acquire Cytokinetics for a deal that could value the drug developer at well over $10 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bristol Myers expects to launch 16 new products through 2030 - CEO

Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Christopher Boerner said on Monday the drugmaker expects to add 16 new products to its portfolio by the end of the decade. The drugmaker said it would focus on licensing, partnerships and bolt-on purchases as opposed to large acquisitions after signing two multi-billion dollar deals last month.

Drugmakers kick off industry conference with two cancer deals

Johnson & Johnson and Merck on Monday announced plans to buy cancer therapy developers on the first day of a major U.S. healthcare conference, igniting what industry participants hope will be a strong year for deals after a solid end to 2023. Deals announced on Monday had a combined equity value of more than $6 billion, including one by medical device maker Boston Scientific for Axonics Inc. That follows roughly $25 billion worth of U.S.-listed biotech deals last month, according to data provider LSEG Deals Intelligence.

Pfizer to remain aggressive on obesity market after setback

Pfizer will remain aggressive in trying to break into the lucrative obesity market, even after dropping a high profile weight-loss drug candidate late last year due to strong side effects, Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Monday. "Pfizer's position is that we believe that obesity is a place that we have the ability to play and win. So we will have to play," Bourla told reporters ahead of his presentation at the JPMorgan healthcare conference in San Francisco.

US Supreme Court rejects challenge to California flavored tobacco ban

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's challenge to a voter-approved measure in California that banned flavored tobacco products in the most-populous U.S. state. The justices rejected an appeal by R.J. Reynolds, a unit of British American Tobacco, and other plaintiffs of a lower court's ruling holding that California's law did not conflict with a federal statute regulating tobacco products.

Lilly CEO says weight-loss drug Zepbound weekly prescriptions hit 25,000 in December

Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks on Monday said the company's powerful weight-loss drug Zepbound hit 25,000 new prescriptions per week at the end of December and that its 2024 supply may not be enough to meet demand. "I think it's important to set expectations, but we're working hard to fulfill demand," he told Reuters at the annual JPMorgan health conference in San Francisco.

Moderna says it hit its 2023 COVID vaccine sales goal

Moderna on Monday said its 2023 COVID vaccine sales would be around $6.7 billion, coming in above the lower end of its full-year forecast, and reiterated its goal of returning to sales growth in 2025. Shares of the vaccine maker were up 2.3% in early afternoon trading.

Mayo Clinic pairs with Cerebras Systems to help develop AI for health care

The Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical center based in Rochester, Minnesota, on Monday said it will partner with Silicon Valley startup Cerebras Systems to develop artificial intelligence (AI) models for the health care industry. The Mayo Clinic, which has three major campuses in the U.S. in addition to locations in the U.K. and United Arab Emirates, will use computing chips and systems from Cerebras to tap into decades of anonymized medical records and data to develop its own AI models.

Bayer plans US expansion despite blood thinner drug setback

Germany's Bayer will continue its expansion into the U.S. despite its November announcement that its promising blood thinner candidate failed to demonstrate superiority over a competing medicine, the drugmaker's pharmaceuticals head Stefan Oelrich said on Monday. Bayer's experimental anticoagulant asundexian could still be a blockbuster if its second trial for stroke prevention reads out positively, Oelrich told Reuters at the JPMorgan health conference in San Francisco.

Novartis in advanced talks to buy Cytokinetics- source

Swiss drugmaker Novartis is in the lead to acquire Cytokinetics for a deal that could value the drug developer at well over $10 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. Novartis is poised to prevail in the auction for Cytokinetics, ahead of other bidders that include AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, according to the source.

US FDA declines to approve Astellas' gastric cancer drug

Japan's Astellas Pharma said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to approve its experimental drug to treat a type of gastric cancer, citing issues related to a third-party manufacturer. The FDA has not raised any concerns related to the clinical data, and is not requesting additional clinical studies, Astellas said.