Sept 19 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to bring a major part of national funding for health research under the control of his political appointees, Politico reported on Saturday. Trump has directed his budget director, Russ Vought, to draft an executive order to create a board th
WASHINGTON (AP) — The appeal of telehealth is easy to explain: Instead of calling a doctor, booking an appointment and hoping to eventually get a prescription, you can log onto an app or website and get approved for a new medication within minutes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, scores of online healt
ROME (AP) — Italian health authorities see evidence that rising temperatures and longer warm seasons are helping mosquitoes spread West Nile virus across a wider area, during more months of the year. More than 650 infections have been reported in Italy so far this year, accounting for roughly half o
LOME, Togo (AP) — West African laboratory scientists called on governments Friday to strengthen capacity to detect disease outbreaks to avoid another major outbreak, saying health systems across the region are becoming weaker. The scientists issued their warning in Togo’s capital, Lome, where they h
By Steve Gorman Sept 18 (Reuters) – Two major US hospital systems have agreed to pay nearly $9.5 million combined to settle a US Department of Justice probe into claims that the medical centers were improperly billing for gender-affirming care provided to minors, the department said on Friday. Under
Sept 18 (Reuters) – Drug developers Retension Pharmaceuticals and TRex Bio filed their paperwork for U.S. initial public offerings on Friday, reinforcing the biotech pipeline for the fall IPO window. The listings would be the latest in a string of biotech IPOs this year, which analysts say has been
Sept 18 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration plans to demand vaccine makers split certain childhood shots into five separate doses, which he believes will result in a massive reduction in autism, an idea repeatedly debunked by scientists. Trump did not provide
By Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named an ally, Dr. John Gaitanis, to lead a key federal advisory panel on autism on Friday, replacing a chair who had just steered through a new strategic plan, a health department spokesperson told Reuters
Sept 18 (Reuters) – The US FDA has approved Eli Lilly’s drug combination to treat adults with a type of advanced breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, the drugmaker said on Friday. Here are some details: • The combination, Inluriyo-Verzenio, is meant for patients whose tumors are
LAGOS, Sept 18 (Reuters) – At least 49 people have died and 182 others were hospitalised after suspected alcohol poisoning in Nigeria’s southwestern Ondo state, the state’s health commissioner said on Friday. • The health emergency was first reported on September 5 with authorities saying 29 people
Sept 18 (Reuters) – Galderma’s CEO said the Swiss skincare firm plans to expand its product range at some point but would remain cautious not to lose its focus, speaking in an interview with Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft published on Friday. • CEO Flemming Ornskov said he would favour bolt-o
Sept 18 (Reuters) – Activist investor Jana Partners on Friday urged Cooper Companies to launch an external search for a new CEO and consider asset sales, arguing recent missteps have hurt investor confidence and weighed on the medical device maker’s market value. Cooper had lowered its annual foreca
Sept 18 (Reuters) – Zealand Pharma received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommending approval of its drug candidate Zeydovio for the treatment of short bowel syndrome, the Danish company said on Friday. The positive opinion marks the first major advance
By Nancy Lapid Sept 18 (Reuters) – Today we feature an important genetic discovery that could help identify never-smokers at high risk of developing lung cancer. We also report on a study that aimed to make a common gynecological procedure less painful. GENE VARIANT HELPS PREDICT LUNG CANCER IN NON-
GENEVA, Sept 18 (Reuters) – The World Health Organization warned on Friday of a gap in the medical workforce around the world in the 2030s, with a quarter of doctors set to retire in the next decade. “In many countries both our populations and health workers are ageing at the same time. This can int
By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO, Sept 18 (Reuters) – A Tokyo court blocked on Friday drug wholesaler Toho Holdings’ takeover defence against an activist shareholder, in a closely watched case as Japanese companies increasingly turn to ‘poison pill’ strategies against activist investors. The Tokyo District
Sept 18 (Reuters) – The Donald Trump administration is set to announce on Friday that all 50 states would see most-favored-nation pricing for certain drugs in Medicaid programs, Semafor reported, citing administration plans. President Trump will host the governors of South Dakota, Mississippi and Ar
Sept 18 (Reuters) – US-based pharmacy chain Walgreens plans to establish a new Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Chennai, the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. • A pact with Walgreens India is expected to create more than 250 jobs in its first year, the statement said. • The GCC wi
Sept 18 (Reuters) – Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said on Friday it had signed an agreement with Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical to promote and distribute the Qdenga dengue vaccine in India. The deal comes months after India’s drug regulator approved Qdenga for use in both children and adults, ma
By Gram Slattery WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) – The Pentagon is reinstituting a mandatory testing program for testosterone deficiency among US service members age 30 and older, a spokesperson said on Thursday, bringing back a program that many medical experts have described as unnecessary and poten
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave the keynote address Thursday at a conference of an anti-vaccine activist group he once chaired, telling the hundreds in attendance that they had a friend in President Donald Trump’s White House. It was Kennedy’s first t
By Kamal Choudhury Sept 17 (Reuters) – Xenon Pharmaceuticals on Thursday said it has temporarily paused enrolling new patients in clinical studies testing its experimental drug for major and bipolar depression, following reports of mental and nervous system-related side effects. Shares of the drug d
DAKAR, Sept 17 (Reuters) – The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is still serious, with data indicating gaps in infection prevention and control, Africa’s top public health agency said on Thursday. • On Saturday, Congo Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said there were “encourag
By Sriparna Roy and Kamal Choudhury Sept 17 (Reuters) – Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical said on Thursday it has set a U.S. list price of $3.95 million for its newly approved gene therapy Fayuvi, launching one of the world’s most expensive drugs as a one-time treatment for a rare, fatal childhood disease.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 48 people have died and around 100 others are receiving treatment in southern Nigeria after consuming a locally brewed alcoholic concoction suspected to contain methanol, officials said on Thursday. Banji Ajaka, Ondo state’s commissioner for health, said the cases had
Sept 17 (Reuters) – French animal health company Virbac reported higher half-year core profit on Thursday with a recurring operating profit, excluding amortization of assets due to acquisitions, rising 6.8% to 144.2 million euros ($165.50 million), compared with 135.0 million euros a year earlier. V
By Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate health committee will hold a confirmation hearing next week for Dr. Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the embattled Food and Drug Administration, the panel said on Thursday. The hearing will take place on Septembe
FRANKFURT, Sept 17 (Reuters) – A third person has died from malaria around Frankfurt Airport in what German officials have described as an extremely rare air-traffic-related outbreak of the tropical disease. In a statement on Thursday, the city of Frankfurt said one of two infected residents of the
LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) – AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo said on Thursday their breast cancer treatment Enhertu has been approved for use in England’s state-run healthcare system, expanding access to a drug that has been available in Scotland since 2023. The companies said they will now seek appro
By Amina Niasse NEW YORK, Sept 17 (Reuters) – CVS Health’s Aetna health insurance unit will cut back next year on the preapprovals it requires for treatment for cancer patients to only one medical prior authorization process early on, the company said on Thursday. Providers will get the insurer’s go
