Edwards Lifesciences hit with Meril's EU antitrust complaint
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences has been hit with an EU antitrust complaint by Indian rival Meril including for allegedly anti-competitive practices related to patents, a move that could bolster EU r...
May 13, 2024
Turkey arrests spider smuggler said to be American Museum of Natural History curator
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police arrested a man suspected of trying to smuggle valuable poisonous spiders and scorpions out of the country, with state media identifying the suspect on Monday as a curator at New York's American Museum of Natural...
May 13, 2024
Merck stops skin cancer combination therapy testing in late-stage study
(Reuters) -Merck has discontinued testing a combination of an experimental antibody-based drug and its blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda, for some patients with the most severe form of skin cancer in a late-stage study, it said on Monday. The decisio...
May 13, 2024
Japan's Shionogi says COVID treatment did not meet endpoint in late-stage trial
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Shionogi & Co said on Monday its pill-based treatment for COVID-19 did not meet the primary endpoint of showing a statistically significant reduction of 15 common symptoms of the illness in a global, late-stage trial. The ...
May 13, 2024
Sanofi pledges new 1 billion euros worth of investments in French production sites
PARIS (Reuters) - Sanofi on Monday announced it would invest over 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to create new medicines and vaccine production capacities at three of its French sites. The announcement came ahead of this year's "Choose France" even...
May 13, 2024
Analysis-Before global scrutiny, Indian spice maker MDH faced many US rejections
By Rishika Sadam HYDERABAD, India (Reuters) - Popular Indian spice brand MDH, under scrutiny for alleged contamination in some products, has since 2021 seen an average 14.5% of its U.S. shipments rejected due to the presence of bacteria, a Reuters...
May 12, 2024
Fresenius Medical sees up to 2% US dialysis growth by year-end
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The number of kidney dialysis sessions provided by Fresenius Medical Care in its top market, the United States, could rise by as much as 2% by the end of the year, its CEO said, as the impact of the pandemic on patients fades....
May 11, 2024
Final tests of US dairy samples are negative for bird flu virus, US FDA says
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Final testing of U.S. retail dairy samples came back negative for viable H5N1 bird flu virus, the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The FDA said it finished its laboratory research into 297 retail dairy samples tested...
May 10, 2024
Roughly 1 in 8 US adults have taken GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, poll shows
(Reuters) - About one in eight adults have taken a drug belonging to the GLP-1 class of medications for weight loss and related conditions, a poll by Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) showed on Friday. The data also showed that 6% of those polled said...
May 10, 2024
US to provide nearly $200 million to contain bird flu spread on dairy farms
By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration said on Friday it will provide nearly $200 million to fight the spread of avian flu among dairy cows, in the government's latest bid to contain outbreaks that have fueled concerns abou...
May 10, 2024
Italy updates IVF rules to allow access for widowed or separated women
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Health Ministry has updated its guidelines on medically assisted reproduction, allowing access for women who requested the procedure with their male partner but who have since become separated or widowed. Predominantly Roma...
May 10, 2024
Pandemic treaty talks to the wire, likely to miss first deadline, sources say
By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) - Talks to draw up a global pact to help fight future pandemics are likely to miss an initial deadline on Friday, three sources close to the process said. Negotiators from the World Health Organization's 194 membe...
May 10, 2024
UK's CMA kicks off probe into Thermo Fisher-Olink deal
(Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator said on Friday it has initiated a probe into U.S. medical equipment maker Thermo Fisher Scientific's $3.1 billion deal to buy Swedish biotech firm Olink Holding AB. The Competition and Markets Authority (...
May 10, 2024
US FDA pushes decision on Moderna's RSV vaccine to end of this month
(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has pushed back its decision on Moderna's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine by more than two weeks to the end of this month due to some "administrative constraints", the company said on Frid...
May 10, 2024
Scotland reports case of mad cow disease
LONDON (Reuters) - The Scottish government on Friday confirmed a case of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, on a farm in the southwest of the country. The government has imposed precautionary moveme...
May 10, 2024
Indian drugmaker Cipla beats Q4 profit estimates on strong US demand
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Cipla, India's third-largest generic drugmaker by sales, reported fourth-quarter profit above expectations on Friday, driven by strong demand for its products in its key U.S. markets The company reported a 78.5% increase in ne...
May 10, 2024
Novavax erases doubts about its ability to remain in business
(Reuters) - COVID-19 vaccine maker Novavax, on Friday, erased doubts about its ability to remain in business by removing a so-called "going concern" notice. In February, Novavax had raised doubts about its ability to remain in business and announce...
May 10, 2024
France's Sanofi in COVID-19 vaccine deal with Novavax
PARIS (Reuters) - Sanofi on Friday announced it has reached a licensing agreement with Novavax to sell a stand-alone COVID-19 vaccine and develop new flu-COVID-19 combination vaccines while also taking an equity stake in its US peer. "We're excited...
May 10, 2024
Mettler-Toledo raises annual profit forecast despite expecting persistent weak demand
(Reuters) - Medical equipment maker Mettler-Toledo International raised its annual profit forecast on Thursday despite anticipating weak demand to continue in the second quarter due to cautious consumer spending. "We expect soft market conditions i...
May 09, 2024
Insulet misses first-quarter profit estimates as marketing costs weigh
(Reuters) - Insulet Corp reported first-quarter profit that missed market expectations on Thursday, weighed by higher marketing expenses, sending shares of the medical device maker down 3.7% in extended trading. The company's quarterly selling, gen...
May 09, 2024
US to post influenza A wastewater data online to assist bird flu probe, official says
By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) -The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to post data on influenza A found in wastewater in a public dashboard possibly as soon as Friday that could offer new clues into the outbreak...
May 09, 2024
Masimo prepared to provide one board seat if activist Politan drops proxy contest
(Reuters) -Masimo said on Thursday that it is prepared to appoint Politan Capital Management's nominee William Jellison as a director on its board, if the activist investor withdraws its other nominee and drops its proxy contest. Quentin Koffey-owned P...
May 09, 2024
NYC sued for denying gay employees in vitro fertilization coverage
By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) - New York City was hit with a lawsuit on Thursday claiming it discriminates against gay male city employees by only covering the costs of in vitro fertilization for women and heterosexual couples. The proposed class ac...
May 09, 2024
Drugmaker Abbott India posts Q4 profit rise on higher sales
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker Abbott India reported a 24% rise in fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, as strong sales outpaced the impact of government pricing caps on certain medicines. The company, which makes the popular antacid medicine...
May 09, 2024
Viagra maker Viatris misses revenue estimates on weak demand for older drugs
(Reuters) - Drugmaker Viatris narrowly missed first-quarter revenue estimates on Thursday, hurt by weak sales for its older drugs such as cholesterol medication Lipitor and Norvasc for high blood pressure. Net sales in its branded drugs unit, which...
May 09, 2024