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
Metaphore Biotechnologies to partner with Novo Nordisk on obesity therapies
(Reuters) - Metaphore Biotechnologies said on Thursday it would collaborate with Novo Nordisk to develop up to two therapies for obesity management. (Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Benagluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
May 09, 2024
Merck treatment for a type of uterus cancer fails trial
(Reuters) - Merck said on Thursday its treatment for a type of uterus cancer did not meet the main goal of disease-free survival in a late-stage trial. (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
May 09, 2024
Takeda profit slumps by half as Japanese drugmaker rebuilds pipeline
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical said full-year earnings slumped by more than half as the company focused on rebuilding its drug pipeline to make up for the loss of patent protection for major sellers. Operating profit was 214.1 bill...
May 09, 2024
UK refuses to sign global vaccine treaty, The Telegraph reports
(Reuters) - Britain is refusing to sign the World Health Organization's pandemic accord because the country says it would have to give away a fifth of its vaccines, the Telegraph reported on Wednesday. Britain will only agree to a legally binding g...
May 08, 2024
Ascension warns of suspected cyberattack; clinical operations disrupted
(Reuters) - Hospital operator Ascension reported disruptions to its clinical operations on Wednesday due to a suspected cybersecurity incident and advised business partners to temporarily disconnect from its systems. Earlier this year, UnitedHealth...
May 08, 2024
US FDA recommends healthcare providers switch from Getinge's heart devices
(Reuters) - The U.S Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday recommended healthcare facilities transition away from using Getinge's heart devices as they continued to have safety and quality concerns. (Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Edit...
May 08, 2024
Google DeepMind unveils next generation of drug discovery AI model
By Martin Coulter LONDON (Reuters) - Google Deepmind has unveiled the third major version of its "AlphaFold" artificial intelligence model, designed to help scientists design drugs and target disease more effectively. In 2020, the company made a si...
May 08, 2024
Teva Pharm Q1 profit misses estimates, revenue risea
By Steven Scheer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries reported a smaller than expected rise in first-quarter profit citing higher impairments of tangible assets, while sales of copycat medicines and its branded drugs to treat migrai...
May 08, 2024
Pfizer agrees to settle over 10,000 Zantac lawsuits, Bloomberg News reports
(Reuters) -Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal. The agreements cover cases in U.S. st...
May 08, 2024
Vitamin Shoppe's telehealth service to provide access to weight-loss drugs
(Reuters) - Health and wellness products retailer Vitamin Shoppe said on Wednesday that subscribers to its telehealth service would have access to weight-loss medications such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Rybelsus. Monthly medication subscription to th...
May 08, 2024