Health News Roundup: Elon Musk's Neuralink implants brain chip in first human; HCA forecasts strong 2024 as medical procedures rise and more

Samples taken from two of the dead penguins came back positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, said Ralph Vanstreels, a veterinarian who works with SCAR. Pfizer posts surprise 4th quarter profit, but key products miss on sales Pfizer reported a surprise quarterly profit on Tuesday, helped by cost cuts and higher-than-expected demand for its COVID treatment Paxlovid, but sales of some high profile products fell short of Wall Street estimates.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bird flu found in penguins near Antarctica, 200 chicks dead

A deadly type of bird flu has been found in gentoo penguins for the first time, according to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), stoking concern that the virus could spread among Antarctica's huge penguin colonies. Researchers found about 35 penguins dead in the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic on Jan. 19. Samples taken from two of the dead penguins came back positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, said Ralph Vanstreels, a veterinarian who works with SCAR.

Pfizer posts surprise 4th quarter profit, but key products miss on sales

Pfizer reported a surprise quarterly profit on Tuesday, helped by cost cuts and higher-than-expected demand for its COVID treatment Paxlovid, but sales of some high profile products fell short of Wall Street estimates. Pfizer shares were off around 1% in afternoon trading.

HCA forecasts strong 2024 as medical procedures rise

HCA Healthcare forecast 2024 profit above Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, driven by strong demand for medical procedures and higher reimbursement from insurers, sending its shares up more than 4%. The largest U.S. for-profit hospital operator's fourth-quarter results also beat expectations as it benefited from a pick up in inpatient and outpatient care at its centers.

Vertex non-opioid painkiller meets main goal in late-stage trials

Vertex Pharmaceuticals' experimental drug reduced acute, post-surgical pain without the risk of addiction, a major milestone in the company's decades-long efforts to bring a non-opioid pain medicine to market. The company plans to file for U.S. approval by mid-2024 for the drug, which works by blocking pain signals at its origin before they reach the brain. If approved, it could achieve annual sales of more than $5 billion, according to analysts.

Rise in reports of fake weight-loss drugs linked to shortage of real thing, WHO says

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned that global shortages last year of popular diabetes medicines that are also used for weight loss, such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, had been linked to rising reports of suspected counterfeits. The organization said fake versions of the drugs, which belong to a class called GLP-1 agonists, are most often sold and distributed through unregulated outlets, including social media platforms, and carry serious health risks.

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

Novo Nordisk has launched its wildly popular weight-loss drug Wegovy in eight countries since 2021 at prices ranging from $200 to almost $2,000 a month as Eli Lilly starts selling its rival drug in Europe and the United States. 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.

Bayer faces Australian test with judge to decide whether weedkiller caused cancer

An Australian court on Tuesday heard closing arguments in a class action lawsuit alleging that a weedkiller produced by Bayer caused cancer, the first such case in Australia to reach this stage. Bayer has already paid billions of dollars to settle claims that exposure to its glyphosate herbicide, Roundup, damaged health, in most cases by causing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer.

Philips' US sales of sleep apnea devices face years-long halt after FDA deal

Dutch health technology company Philips will not sell new devices to treat sleep apnea in the U.S. in the coming years as it works to comply with a settlement with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Monday. The agreement followed the recall of millions of breathing devices and ventilators used to treat sleep apnea in 2021 because of concerns that foam used to reduce noise from the devices could degrade and become toxic, carrying potential cancer risks.

2seventy bio to sell experimental cell therapies, names new CEO

Cancer treatment maker 2seventy bio said it will sell all its experimental cell therapies to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to focus on its only approved product Abecma, sending 2seventy's shares up more than 14% in premarket trade. The company on Tuesday also named Chief Operating Officer Chip Baird as its new chief executive, while current CEO Nick Leschly takes over the duties of chairman.

Elon Musk's Neuralink implants brain chip in first human

The first human patient has received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink on Sunday and is recovering well, the company's billionaire founder Elon Musk said. "Initial results show promising neuron spike detection," Musk said in a post on the social media platform X on Monday.