Reuters Health News Summary

The contract drug manufacturer first adopted plans to reduce costs and consolidate facilities last June and extended the efforts during the second-quarter with reported job-cuts in its Biologics and Pharma and Consumer Health segments. New York Mayor sues social media firms for fueling youth mental health crisis New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday that his administration has filed a lawsuit against social media companies including Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram for fueling mental health crisis among the youth.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Wegovy packing supplier Catalent lays off 300 workers

Catalent has reduced its headcount by about 300 employees as part of its ongoing restructuring plans, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. The contract drug manufacturer first adopted plans to reduce costs and consolidate facilities last June and extended the efforts during the second-quarter with reported job-cuts in its Biologics and Pharma and Consumer Health segments.

New York Mayor sues social media firms for fueling youth mental health crisis

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday that his administration has filed a lawsuit against social media companies including Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram for fueling mental health crisis among the youth. The lawsuit, filed in the California Superior Court, also includes Alphabet's YouTube, Snap Inc's Snapchat and ByteDance's TikTok and alleges that the companies intentionally designed their platforms to "purposefully manipulate and addict children and teens to social media applications."

Britain sees launch of Lilly's weight-loss drug Mounjaro

Eli Lilly's Mounjaro is being launched in Britain this week, two pharmacy companies said on Wednesday, making the UK the fourth European country to introduce the highly-anticipated obesity drug. British pharmacy and beauty chain Superdrug said on Wednesday that eligible private patients could seek prescriptions for Mounjaro, also approved for diabetes, through its Online Doctor service from Thursday.

Disabled employment surged in COVID; 2024 less certain

COVID-19 changed the trajectory of Lucy Trieshmann's budding legal career. Having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare inherited disorder, Trieshmann found in-person law school lectures unbearable without spending part of the time lying on the floor. Lockdowns in March 2020 meant classes went online, and before long Trieshmann hit a groove attending from home, eventually landing an American Civil Liberties Union fellowship that featured working remotely.

Cholera vaccine stocks 'empty' as cases surge

The emergency global stockpile of cholera vaccines is empty with all available doses for this month already allocated to countries battling major outbreaks, two United Nations agencies told Reuters. The rest of this year will see a predicted shortfall of at least 50 million doses between demand and supply, a UNICEF official added, as cases continue to surge worldwide.

KKR to acquire a stake in health tech firm Cotiviti

Private equity firm KKR & Co has agreed to acquire a stake in Cotiviti from investment manager Veritas Capital, the healthcare technology firm said on Wednesday. KKR and Veritas will have equal ownership stakes in Cotiviti following the deal's closure, expected in the second quarter of 2024.

US is '18 months or so' away from finding bird flu vaccine, says agriculture secretary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is "18 months or so" away from identifying a vaccine for the current strain of bird flu and is developing a process to distribute it, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday. USDA has found bird flu in 8 commercial flocks and 14 backyard flocks so far this year, affecting 530,000 poultry, according to agency data.

Pfizer agrees to pay $93 million to settle Lipitor antitrust lawsuit

Pfizer has agreed to pay $93 million to settle antitrust claims by wholesale drug distributors that accused it of conspiring with India's Ranbaxy Laboratories to delay sales of less expensive, generic versions of the cholesterol drug Lipitor. Attorneys for Lipitor purchasers including Rochester Drug Co-Operative Inc and Puerto Rico's Drogueria Betances LLC disclosed the agreement in a filing on Wednesday in U.S. court in Trenton, New Jersey.

US FDA approves first treatment for severe frostbite

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Eicos Sciences' injection, making it the first-ever treatment to treat severe frostbite in adults. The treatment, which will help reduce the risk of amputation, will be sold under the brand name Aurlumyn and is expected to be available in Spring 2024, although its pricing has not yet been determined, the company said in an e-mailed statement.

Putin says Russia is close to creating cancer vaccines

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russian scientists were close to creating vaccines for cancer that could soon be available to patients. Putin said in televised comments that "we have come very close to the creation of so-called cancer vaccines and immunomodulatory drugs of a new generation".