Healthcare firm Concentra files for US IPO
(Reuters) - Healthcare company Concentra Group filed for a U.S. initial public offering on Friday, as investor appetite for new listings recovers after a near two-year dry spell. The company's filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...
Jun 14, 2024
Merit Medical recalling plastic syringes supplied by Jiangsu Shenli Medical, US FDA says
(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that Merit Medical Systems has initiated a recall for plastic syringes supplied by Jiangsu Shenli Medical Production. (Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
Jun 14, 2024
FDA asks COVID vaccine makers to target KP.2 strain with updated shots
(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended COVID-19 vaccine makers target the KP.2 strain with the updated shots, if feasible, changing its earlier advisory seeking targeting of the JN.1 variant, which was dominant earlier this y...
Jun 14, 2024
Pasteurization may not clear bird flu virus from heavily infected milk
By Nancy Lapid (Reuters) - In raw milk samples spiked with high amounts of bird flu virus, small amounts of infectious virus were still detectable after treatment with a standard pasteurization method, researchers said on Friday. The findings refle...
Jun 14, 2024
Tempus AI shares jump 8% in Nasdaq debut
(Reuters) - Shares of SoftBank Group-backed Tempus AI rose 8.1% in their debut on the Nasdaq on Friday, giving the artificial intelligence-based genetic testing company a valuation of $6.6 billion. The stock opened at $40 apiece, compared with the ...
Jun 14, 2024
Brazil's Dasa, Amil to merge hospital businesses
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Diagnosticos da America (Dasa) and health insurance operator Amil have agreed to combine their hospital businesses, setting up a joint venture with almost 10 billion reais ($1.86 billion) in net revenue, the firms sai...
Jun 14, 2024
EU regulator mandates label updates on CAR-T cancer therapies
(Reuters) - The European health regulator said on Friday product information for a class of cancer therapies known as CAR-T treatments would be required to highlight risk of secondary blood cancers in patients who use them, ending a five-month safe...
Jun 14, 2024
CMS to rework quality ratings for Medicare Advantage plans
(Reuters) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in a memo on Thursday it will recalculate the quality ratings of Medicare Advantage plans for people aged 65 years and above, which would likely increase the bonus payments for insurers....
Jun 14, 2024
UN says cross-border female genital mutilation impeding eradication efforts
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights office on Friday warned that the global fight against female genital mutilation was being undermined by families crossing borders to have girls undergo the procedure. A report by the U.N. rights of...
Jun 14, 2024
Second Chinese drugmaker seeks approval for Ozempic generic
By Andrew Silver SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A second Chinese drugmaker has applied for approval to sell a generic version of Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic in China. Livzon Pharmaceutical Group said this week its subsidiary was seeking...
Jun 14, 2024
Teva sues Corcept over mifepristone 'monopoly' for rare disorder
By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceuticals sued rival drugmaker Corcept Therapeutics in federal court in San Francisco on Thursday, accusing it of monopolizing the market for mifepristone-based Korlym, used to treat a rare hormonal disorder...
Jun 13, 2024
US FDA classifies recall of Teleflex's inflatable devices as 'most serious'
(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration classified a recall of Teleflex's inflatable devices that increase blood supply to the heart muscle as "most serious". The devices are used in patients undergoing cardiac and non-cardiac surgery, an...
Jun 13, 2024
Abortion pill still under legal threat despite US Supreme Court ruling
By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday keeping the abortion drug mifepristone on the market with no new restrictions ends one chapter of the legal fight over the drug, but efforts by abortion opponents to restric...
Jun 13, 2024
Employer coverage for weight-loss drugs rises sharply, survey finds
By Amina Niasse NEW YORK (Reuters) - About one-third of U.S. employer health plans are offering coverage of GLP-1 drugs for both diabetes management and weight loss, up from last year, according to a survey of global employers released on Thursday ...
Jun 13, 2024
More US bird flu spread would heighten human infection risk, officials say
By Leah Douglas and Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) - Further spread of bird flu among U.S. dairy herds presents additional opportunities for human infections, federal officials said on Thursday while urging farms to take enhanced biosecurity measures ...
Jun 13, 2024
Reactions to US Supreme Court ruling to preserve access to abortion pill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to the abortion pill, handing a victory on Thursday to President Joe Biden's administration in its efforts to preserve broad access ...
Jun 13, 2024
US Supreme Court rules against effort to restrict access to abortion pill mifepristone
By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to the abortion pill, handing a victory on Thursday to President Joe Biden's administration in its efforts to preserve broad access ...
Jun 13, 2024
AbbVie inks immune disorder drug licensing deal with China's FutureGen
(Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker AbbVie will develop and commercialize an experimental treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from China's FutureGen Biopharmaceutical under a licensing agreement, the companies said on Thursday. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT...
Jun 13, 2024
High-risk health workers can get routine Ebola vaccine, says Gavi
By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) - A global stockpile of Ebola vaccines can be used to protect frontline health workers in high-risk countries routinely, rather than just as an emergency measure during outbreaks, international vaccine group Gavi ...
Jun 13, 2024
Future Pak raises cash portion of buyout offer for Vanda
(Reuters) -Contract manufacturer Future Pak said on Thursday it has raised the cash portion of its buyout offer as part of a final attempt to acquire Vanda Pharmaceuticals. It raised the portion to $8.50-$9.00 per share alongside previously proposed co...
Jun 13, 2024
Moderna's next-gen COVID vaccine shows non-inferiority to its current shot
(Reuters) -Moderna said on Thursday its next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate met its main goal in a late-stage study by showing vaccine efficacy that was non-inferior compared with the company's commercial shot. The company has been working on mu...
Jun 13, 2024
Alchem accused of pharma price fixing by EU watchdog
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) -EU antitrust regulators has accused Indian drugmaker Alchem International of taking part in a pharmaceutical cartel to fix prices of a key ingredient, which could lead to a hefty fine for the company. The European Co...
Jun 13, 2024
South Africa reports second mpox death this week
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -A second person has died in South Africa this week from the viral infection mpox, the health ministry said on Thursday, less than 24 hours after it announced the first death. The second person who died was a 38-year-old man. He ...
Jun 13, 2024
Sigma's $5.9 billion merger with Australia's Chemist Warehouse raises regulatory concerns
By Scott Murdoch and Roushni Nair SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's competition regulator on Thursday flagged major concerns with Sigma Healthcare's proposed merger with retailer Chemist Warehouse Group to form a A$8.8 billion ($5.9 billion) company. The A...
Jun 13, 2024
Pfizer's gene therapy for a muscle-wasting disorder misses main goal of late-stage study
(Reuters) - Pfizer said on Wednesday its experimental gene therapy for a type of muscle-wasting disorder did not meet the main goal of a late-stage trial. The study's main goal was improvement in motor function among boys aged 4 to 7 years sufferin...
Jun 12, 2024