Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Experts race to write guidance to contain first ship-borne hantavirus outbreak

As the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak sails towards Tenerife, World Health Organization officials are racing to draw up step-by-step guidance for what should happen next for the nearly 150 passengers when they finally reach land on Sunday. The ​hantavirus outbreak – which has killed three people among at least eight suspected or confirmed infections - is the first ever recorded on a cruise ship, so some new protocols are needed.

KLM flight attendant tested negative for hantavirus infection, WHO says

The ​World Health Organisation on Friday said a Dutch KLM flight attendant who had been in contact with a woman who died from a hantavirus infection ‌in Johannesburg had ​tested negative for a possible infection. The woman had been admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam on Thursday with signs of a possible infection.

All passengers on hantavirus-hit ship considered high-risk contacts, EU health agency says

All passengers on the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak are considered high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure, Europe's public health agency said ahead of the ship's expected anchoring on Sunday off the Spanish island of Tenerife.

Passengers without symptoms will be repatriated for self-quarantine via specially arranged transport, not regular commercial flights, by their respective countries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Saturday as part of its rapid scientific advice.

WHO reports six confirmed hantavirus cases tied to Spain-bound cruise

The World Health Organization said on Friday that eight people had fallen ‌ill, including three who died, in a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, with six confirmed cases and two probable cases. Here are some details:

Countries prepare to evacuate hantavirus ship passengers

Countries prepared to evacuate their citizens from the luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly strain of hantavirus that is due to anchor near Tenerife early on Sunday, as health authorities said the risk of the virus spreading was low. The World Health Organization briefed member states with nationals on board on Saturday on how to manage the process, advising active monitoring of passengers for a 42-day period from the last point of exposure.

Spain tests suspected hantavirus case in Alicante

A 32-year-old woman in the southeastern Spanish province of Alicante has symptoms consistent with a hantavirus infection and is being tested, Spanish health officials said on Friday. The woman was a passenger on the same flight as a patient who died in Johannesburg after travelling on the MV Hondius cruise ship and contracting the virus, Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla told reporters.

US FDA approves Partner Therapeutics' bile ‌duct cancer drug under fast-track review

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Partner Therapeutics' drug for adults with a rare form of bile duct cancer as part of a new fast-track review program, the agency said on Friday. Here are some details:

US arranging repatriation for Americans on cruise ship hit by hantavirus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday affected U.S. passengers aboard a Dutch cruise ship hit by an outbreak of a deadly strain of hantavirus are expected to be ‌repatriated on a U.S. government medical flight to Nebraska. MV Hondius is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands on Saturday or Sunday. There are 17 U.S. passengers aboard the ship, according to cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions.

Hantavirus cruise ship part of Antarctic tourism boom that some want better regulated

Tourism in the Antarctic Peninsula is a niche but booming industry powered by deep-pocketed adventure-seekers travelling thousands of miles to marvel at penguin colonies and take "polar plunges" in sight of icebergs. But growing numbers of visitors bring risks including disease, invasive species and pollution to the delicate ecosystems of Antarctica and the remote sub-Antarctic islands that teem with bird life, sea lions and whales.

Factbox-How does Spain plan to evacuate passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship?

Spain has agreed to receive a luxury cruise ship carrying 149 people from 23 countries that suffered an outbreak of hantavirus aboard which has killed three people. Four others have been confirmed to be infected and three further suspected cases have been reported. WHEN WILL THE SHIP ARRIVE IN SPAIN?

Exclusive-Kennedy's health officials explored US ban of some widely used antidepressants, sources say

U.S. health department officials last week explored whether they could ban certain drugs in a widely prescribed class of antidepressants as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepared to roll out a plan to reduce ⁠their use, according to two people ​familiar with the discussions. Their interest centered on specific treatments within a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, such as Zoloft, Prozac ⁠and Lexapro, which have been available in the U.S. for decades, one of the people said. The sources did not say which drugs were being examined for restrictions or how far the inquiries about them had advanced.

Exclusive-White House considering naming FDA food chief as acting commissioner, sources say

The White House is considering naming FDA Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, who heads up the agency's food group, as acting commissioner of the agency to replace current head Marty Makary, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Potential names being considered to be the actual nominee to run the agency include former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn and former ⁠acting commissioner and assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir, according to one of the sources and two other sources.

Trump plans to fire US FDA chief Makary, sources say

The White House signed off on a plan to fire U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, according to sources familiar with the matter, in what could be the next leadership change within the federal health department. The Wall Street Journal earlier on Friday first reported that President Donald Trump planned to fire Makary.

Molina bets on medical cost control for fivefold profit jump by 2029

Molina Healthcare on Friday forecast its 2029 ​adjusted profit at about five times its 2026 outlook, provided the health insurer can keep medical costs in check. However, J.P. Morgan and Barclays analysts said the forecast fell short of investor expectations, sending its shares down 5%.

US FDA to ease crackdown on some under-review unauthorized vapes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday it would not prioritize enforcement against certain unauthorized e-cigarettes and nicotine pouch products if the companies have marketing applications under review. The new guideline applies to ⁠products with premarket applications that have been accepted for review or supplemental filings that have been pending for more than 180 days, the agency said.

Passengers begin evacuating from cruise ship hit by hantavirus

Groups of passengers and crew disembarked from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak on Sunday to be evacuated to their respective countries in a process overseen by global health officials and expected to last until Monday. The passengers, none of whom were showing symptoms of the virus, were taken to Tenerife airport in military buses to be evacuated from the island in government planes sent by their respective countries, government officials said, emphasising that they will have no contact ⁠with ​the public.

UK nationals on hantavirus-hit cruise ship to isolate in hospital on return

British passengers and staff on the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak will be taken to a hospital in northwest England for an initial isolation period once they are repatriated, UK health authorities said on Saturday. The ship, the MV Hondius, is expected to anchor off the Spanish island of Tenerife early on Sunday, following which the 22 British nationals on board will be flown back to Britain.

Lilly's obesity pill tops 7,000 prescriptions in fourth week, signals modest uptake

Eli Lilly's new weight-loss pill, Foundayo, was prescribed 7,335 times in the U.S. in the fourth week, a modest uptake compared to rival Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill, analysts said. Wegovy pill, launched in January, has the first-mover advantage in the oral weight-loss drug market over Foundayo that was introduced a few months later in April.

Two suspected hantavirus cases found in Spain, remote Tristan da Cunha

Health experts raced to contain a potential spread of hantavirus as two suspected cases emerged on Friday far ⁠from the luxury cruise liner where the outbreak started. The latest reports involved a man who fell ill after leaving the ship and a woman who became sick after sitting near an infected cruise passenger on a plane.

Biotech firm Odyssey hits nearly $900 million valuation as shares rise in Nasdaq debut

Odyssey Therapeutics secured a valuation of $899.9 million after its shares rose 11.1% in their Nasdaq debut on Friday, signaling solid investor demand for biotech offerings. The shares of the autoimmune disease-focused biotech opened at $20, above ⁠the offer price of $18.

Factbox-What to know about Tristan da Cunha, the island with a suspected hantavirus case

The UK health security agency said on Friday ⁠a new suspected case of hantavirus was identified in a British national on the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, as authorities continue efforts to track down passengers from the affected luxury cruise ship and their close contacts. The ship, MV Hondius, stopped on the island on April 15.

Argentine authorities say hantavirus patients not likely infected in Tierra del Fuego province

Patients on a luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak could not have been infected in Argentina's southernmost Tierra del Fuego province, said Juan Petrina, director of epidemiology and environmental health for the province, during a press conference on Friday. Petrina said the conclusion was based on the time frame between the patients' time in the province and the onset of symptoms.

British paratroopers lead airdrop onto ‌Tristan da Cunha for suspected hantavirus case

British paratroopers have dropped onto Britain's most remote overseas territory, ‌Tristan da Cunha, along with medics and medical supplies, after a case of suspected hantavirus was confirmed there. A team of six paratroopers and two military clinicians from 16 Air Assault Brigade jumped from an RAF A400M transport aircraft that flew 6,788 km (4,218 miles) from ​RAF Brize Norton air base in Oxfordshire to Ascension Island then another 3,000 km due south to Tristan da Cunha.

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