Health News Roundup: US pharmacy benefit lobby group ramps up spending as lawmakers close in; US FDA still reviewing Liquidia's inhaled blood pressure drug and more

The consumer healthcare company is recalling the cough syrup, sold under the brand name "Robitussin Honey CF Max Day Adult" in 4-ounce and 8-ounce doses, along with its 8-ounce night-time version. US FDA still reviewing Liquidia's inhaled blood pressure drug The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still reviewing Liquidia's drug to treat a progressive blood vessel disorder related to a lung condition, the company said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Musk brain implant company violated US hazardous material transport rules -documents

Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink was fined for violating U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rules regarding the movement of hazardous materials, according to records from the federal agency reviewed by Reuters. During inspections of the company's facilities in Texas and California in February 2023, DOT investigators found the company had failed to register itself as a transporter of hazardous material, the agency's records show.

Haleon to recall batches of some adult cough syrups due to contamination

Haleon is recalling some lots of its adult cough syrup Robitussin because of microbial contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said. The consumer healthcare company is recalling the cough syrup, sold under the brand name "Robitussin Honey CF Max Day Adult" in 4-ounce and 8-ounce doses, along with its 8-ounce night-time version.

US FDA still reviewing Liquidia's inhaled blood pressure drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still reviewing Liquidia's drug to treat a progressive blood vessel disorder related to a lung condition, the company said on Thursday. The FDA was expected to make its decision by Wednesday, but it is still reviewing Liquidia's marketing application for possible approval, although it has not asked for any additional clinical data to support the application.

Europe to withdraw PTC Therapeutics' rare muscle disorder drug

PTC Therapeutics said on Thursday the European health regulator's advisory panel reaffirmed a negative opinion for its drug used to treat an inherited progressive muscle-wasting disorder, sending its shares down over 11% in extended trading. The drug, Translarna, had received conditional approval in the European Union in 2014 to treat ambulatory children aged five years and older with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) expressing "nonsense mutation", which prematurely ends the translation of a gene into a protein.

US pharmacy benefit lobby group ramps up spending as lawmakers close in

As U.S. pharmacy benefit companies face scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators, the main group representing them in Washington has nearly doubled its lobbying spend to over $15 million in 2023, a Reuters review of congressional disclosures shows. That puts them behind only the $27 million spent by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the usual No. 1 and main lobby group for drugmakers that has tried to deflect criticism for high drug prices by blaming the industry's middlemen, the pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

No decision from EU drug regulator yet on Wegovy label expansion

The EU drug regulator on Friday did not mention Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss drug Wegovy in notes it published following a meeting of a key committee, which reviewed the therapy's heart benefits this week. On Monday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said its Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) would review Wegovy this week for possible wider use to include reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

COVID and beyond: labs unite to boost genomic surveillance globally

Two laboratories in Britain and South Africa, which were at the forefront of tracking new coronavirus variants during the pandemic, have teamed up to keep the focus on genomic surveillance globally as the COVID emergency recedes. The teams said they were worried governments and funders may pull back from such surveillance, despite its potential to better monitor many infectious diseases, from malaria to cholera.

Lilly's weight-loss drug Mounjaro coming to UK after pen cleared

Eli Lilly said on Thursday it would bring the Mounjaro drug against obesity and diabetes to British patients within weeks after winning clearance for pre-filling it into an injection pen. In a statement, the U.S. drugmaker added the go-ahead from the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) would make Britain the first major market to be supplied with the drug in the multi-shot pen for added convenience, branded as Kwikpen.

Health insurer Humana warns of hit to 2025 profit, shares sink

Health insurer Humana said on Thursday an "unprecedented" increase in medical costs that will hit its earnings this year has also put its 2025 profit target out of reach, sending its shares plunging 13%. Medical costs for health insurers were elevated in 2023 and picked up more in the fourth quarter as older adults returned to hospitals to catch up on procedures like hip and knee replacement surgeries.

US FDA approves Dupixent to treat younger kids with esophageal condition

The U.S. health regulator has approved the use of Regeneron and Sanofi's Dupixent to treat an allergic inflammation of the esophagus in children aged one to 11 years old and weighing at least 15 kg, the companies said on Thursday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022 approved the blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug for treating eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in patients aged 12 years and older, making it the first for the immune condition in the country.