Latest Health Developments: From Bird Flu to Revolutionary AI Drug Projects

Recent health news highlights FDA bird flu testing in milk, Sanofi's AI-driven drug development partnership, and GSK's promising asthma drug. Also noted are Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug approval in China and a strategic collaboration for cancer therapies. Additionally, the UK fast-tracks payments for blood scandal victims.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US FDA tested retail milk samples for bird flu in 17 states

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that it tested retail samples of milk and other dairy products in 17 states for viable bird flu virus, providing further details about the locations of the previously disclosed tests. The regulator said it collected 297 samples at retail locations in 17 states between April 18-22, but the retail samples represented products made at 132 processing locations in 38 states.

Sanofi partners with OpenAI, Formation Bio on AI-driven drug development

French drugmaker Sanofi on Tuesday announced it is collaborating with artificial intelligence company OpenAI and Formation Bio to boost its drug development projects through the use of Artificial Intelligence. Sanofi said in a statement that the partnership with OpenAi will allow it to access proprietary data to develop AI models for its biopharma models, while Formation Bio will provide additional engineering resources.

US FDA staff says Guardant's test may fail to detect some pre-cancerous tumors

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's staff reviewers on Tuesday raised concerns that Guardant Health's blood test for a cancer of colon or rectum may fail to detect some types of tumors that can later become cancerous. The reviewers, however, said the test may increase compliance with screening for colorectal cancer and help detect it in earlier stages, potentially helping cure patients and prolong survival.

Eli Lilly's diabetes drug tirzepatide gets approval in China

Eli Lilly said on Tuesday its diabetes drug tirzepatide has received approval from Chinese regulators, setting up intensifying competition with its Danish rival Novo Nordisk in the key Asian market. Novo Nordisk's popular diabetes drug Ozempic won approval from China in 2021 and the company saw sales of the weekly injection in the greater China region that includes Hong Kong and Taiwan double to 4.8 billion Danish Krone ($698 million) last year.

Aktis to collaborate with Eli Lilly on cancer therapies

Aktis Oncology said on Tuesday it will collaborate with Eli Lilly to develop cancer therapies, making it eligible for milestone payments of up to $1.1 billion and royalties on sales.

The Boston-based drug developer will use its proprietary technology along with Lilly's expertise in oncology drugs to develop therapies for a range of solid tumors.

US CDC asks states to keep flu testing on high this summer

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday advised states to aid in H5N1 bird flu surveillance by increasing testing of influenza A virus samples during the summer season to help detect even rare cases of transmission of the virus in humans. CDC's Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah asked for the increased vigilance ahead of the typical seasonal decline in influenza activity and testing due to the ongoing outbreak of H5N1 among poultry and U.S. dairy cattle.

GSK's experimental drug shows promise in reducing severe asthma attacks

GSK's experimental drug met its primary goal of reducing asthma attacks in a late-stage trial, marking a bright spot for a treatment that the British drugmaker expects to make peak annual sales of 3 billion pounds ($3.81 billion). The drug, called depemokimab, showed "significant and meaningful reductions" in asthma attacks for patients with eosinophilic asthma, GSK said on Tuesday.

UK fast-tracks payments for blood scandal victims before full compensation

Britain said on Tuesday some victims of a contaminated blood scandal would receive interim payments of 210,000 pounds ($267,000) each before a scheme to pay "comprehensive compensation" is up and running, ideally by the end of the year.

More than 30,000 people contracted hepatitis and HIV from infected blood and blood products in the 1970s and 1980s from Britain's state-funded National Health Service, many derived from donations by higher risk groups such as prisoners which were pooled together.

Nestle set to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches for Wegovy, Ozempic users

Nestle will market a new, $5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss. The world's biggest food company, which sells DiGiorno pizza and Stouffer's meals to major grocers, said it developed the new products with more protein, iron and calcium for people taking the wildly popular appetite-suppressing drugs, called GLP-1 agonists.

AstraZeneca aims for $80 billion in total revenue by 2030

AstraZeneca aims to grow revenue by about 75% to $80 billion by 2030, it said on Tuesday, boosted by the expected launch of 20 new medicines and through growth in its cancer, biopharmaceuticals and rare disease portfolio. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker had reported total revenue of $45.81 billion last year and earlier expected to launch at least 15 new medicines between 2023 and 2030.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)