Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Over 7 million Americans have gotten updated COVID vaccines
More than 7 million Americans had rolled up their sleeves for the updated COVID-19 vaccines as of Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, despite reports that some people are still finding it difficult to book vaccination appointments or find the shots at no cost. The updated vaccines from Moderna or Pfizer and BioNTech are single-target shots aimed at the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant of the coronavirus, which was the dominant variant in the U.S. for much of this year but has since been overtaken as the virus continues to evolve.
Walgreens forecasts weak annual profit as COVID sales shrink
Walgreens Boots Alliance forecast financial year 2024 profit below Wall Street's expectations on Thursday after the pharmacy operator missed quarterly earnings estimates due to lower consumer spending and a sharp drop in sales of COVID-19 products. Walgreens' lower forecast comes at a time when the company is facing multiple challenges, like persistently weak prescription drug demand, reported walkouts by its pharmacy staff and a shift in focus towards integrated health services.
Exclusive-India allows cough syrup firm linked to Uzbek deaths to reopen factory - order
India's Uttar Pradesh state has permitted the resumption of most production at a factory owned by Marion Biotech, whose cough syrups Uzbekistan linked to the deaths of 65 children last year, according to an order seen by Reuters. Marion is among three Indian companies whose cough syrups the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies have linked to the deaths of 141 children in Uzbekistan, Gambia and Cameroon since the middle of last year, in one of the world's worst such waves of poisoning.
Novo Nordisk warns online offers of fake Ozempic, Wegovy are on the rise
Novo Nordisk on Thursday warned of a surge in counterfeit versions of its weight-loss drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic offered online as illegal traders seek to take advantage of their huge popularity, putting users' health at risk. "Novo Nordisk has seen a significant increase in illegal online sales," the company said in a statement, referring to products that contain the active ingredient semaglutide.
Ozempic's early success in kidney trial to have 'limited application' - DaVita
Dialysis firm DaVita said on Thursday it believes that early success of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic in kidney disease trial will have "limited application" to overall patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. Shares of DaVita rose 2% in premarket trade on Thursday, after closing 17% lower in the previous session.
FDA finds no misconduct at trial sites for Pfizer's Lyme disease shot- Care Access
The U.S. health regulator did not find any misconduct at clinical sites managed by Care Access for Pfizer and French partner Valneva's trial of a Lyme disease vaccine candidate, the contract research firm said on Wednesday. Pfizer and Valneva said in February they will stop testing the vaccine in roughly half of U.S. patients in a late-stage study, due to a breach of clinical trial guidelines by a third-party contractor.
Labcorp launches 3-part blood test for Alzheimer's
Labcorp on Wednesday began marketing to U.S. physicians the first test for a trio of blood biomarkers it says can detect the hallmarks of Alzheimer's, accelerating diagnosis of the brain-wasting disease and potentially helping patients access treatment. Labcorp's Amyloid-Tau-Neurodegeneration (ATN) Profile is not precise enough to definitively diagnose Alzheimer's, but offers a convenient way for doctors to determine which patients need advanced testing, said Brian Caveney, Labcorp´s chief medical and scientific officer.
Blood tests needed for widespread Alzheimer's diagnosis on the way
Blood tests for Alzheimer's are needed to more widely diagnose the brain-wasting disease and understand its prevalence, but it will be another couple of years before they become an everyday tool, medical experts and company executives say. Blood testing is initially likely to be used to rule out Alzheimer's, with positive results signaling the need for more advanced diagnostics.
Illumina ordered by EU antitrust regulators to sell Grail
U.S. genetic testing company Illumina has been ordered by EU antitrust regulators to sell cancer test maker Grail after it completed the deal before securing their approval. Antitrust watchdogs on both sides of the Atlantic have sharpened their scrutiny of pharma and biotech deals in recent years on fears that some of these may stifle innovation and reduce competition in the sector.
Lilly's bowel disease drug succeeds in late-stage study
Eli Lilly said on Thursday its experimental drug met the main goals of a late-stage study to test it as a treatment for moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, a disorder that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. Treatment with the drug, mirikizumab, helped 54.1% patients to achieve a state where they were no longer experiencing any gastrointestinal symptoms, after 52 weeks, compared with 19.6% who received placebo.
