Reuters Health News Summary
13:02 GMT, 2 March 2023
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13:02 GMT, 2 March 2023
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Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
US panel backs GSK vaccine, heating up RSV vaccine race
A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. health regulator on Wednesday backed GSK Plc's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, setting it up for a race with rival Pfizer to become the first approved U.S. shot against the disease. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) advisory committee voted unanimously in favor of the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in adults aged 60 and above, and voted 10 to 2 for its safety. The panelists seemed significantly more confident about the demographic profile used during the GSK study in comparison to Pfizer's RSV vaccine, which was recommended by the FDA panel on Tuesday.
Factbox-Neuralink, other brain-chip makers face long road to FDA approval
Neuralink, founded in 2016, has yet to receive FDA approval to test its brain chip in humans. Other implant makers have spent years or decades on research to secure U.S. regulatory approvals. SYNCHRON
Lilly to cut some list prices by 70% and offer $25 insulin
Eli Lilly and Co on Wednesday said it will cut list prices by 70% for its most commonly prescribed insulin products, Humalog and Humulin, beginning from the fourth quarter of this year, a move that could help millions of Americans afford their medicine. The Indianapolis-based drugmaker also will lower the price of its Lispro insulin injection to $25 a vial and expand its insulin value program so that an existing $35 cap on some insulins will now apply in about 85% of U.S. pharmacies.
Regulators extend shelf life of Valneva's COVID vaccine candidate
Vaccines company Valneva said on Thursday that its inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate product VLA2001 had its shelf life extended to 21 months from 18 months previously, as it unveiled regulatory updates for the product. "As previously announced, Valneva will not invest in further development of the vaccine, in the absence of a new partnership. It is, however, completing remaining clinical studies and submissions as agreed with regulators," added Valneva.
Factbox-Elon Musk's missed deadlines for FDA approval of Neuralink brain-chip trials
Several times since 2019, billionaire Elon Musk has predicted his brain-chip company, Neuralink, would soon secure FDA approval for human trials. But the company's application was rejected in early 2022, Neuralink staffers told Reuters, and the company is still working through the agency's concerns over the safety of the experimental implant. Here is a history of Musk's predictions of FDA clinical-trial approval:
GSK spinoff Haleon has no deals on immediate horizon
Consumer healthcare group Haleon's Chief Executive Brian McNamara said on Thursday he does not expect to announce any acquisitions or divestments imminently, amid analyst concerns its 2023 cost forecasts could hit consensus profit estimates. McNamara told Reuters that both types of transactions were on the cards, but added "there's certainly nothing imminent that is out there that I would talk about today".
More than half of the world will be overweight or obese by 2035 - report
More than half of the world's population will be overweight or obese by 2035 without significant action, according to a new report. The World Obesity Federation's 2023 atlas predicts that 51% of the world, or more than 4 billion people, will be obese or overweight within the next 12 years.
Intesa invests 360 million euros for full control of health insurance business
Italy's biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo on Thursday said it would spend 360 million euros ($382 million) in cash to buy the 26.2% of healthcare insurer Intesa Sanpaolo RBM Salute it did does not own. Intesa Sanpaolo Vita, the group's insurance arm, bought 50% plus one share of RBM from its owners, the Favaretto family's holding company, for 325 million euros back in 2020.
Biden seeks $1.6 billion to tackle COVID relief fraud ahead of Republican probes
President Joe Biden plans to ask Congress to provide $1.6 billion in new funding to tackle fraud tied to U.S. pandemic relief programs and help victims of identity theft, the White House said. The push, led by White House adviser Gene Sperling, will seek to demonstrate renewed toughness on pandemic fraud ahead of promised investigations by House of Representatives Republicans on the trillions of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic aid approved under both former President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Biden, his Democratic successor.
Former Italy PM Conte investigated over response to COVID pandemic
Italian prosecutors have placed former prime minister Giuseppe Conte under investigation for allegedly mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in early 2020, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. The total of 19 suspects also includes former Health Minister Roberto Speranza, Lombardy region governor Attilio Fontana and executives and officials from Italian national and regional public health bodies, the sources added.
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Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 1:02 pm