Health News Roundup: Moderna reports surprise profit, sets out road map for RSV vaccine; Novavax settles dispute with international vaccine group Gavi and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Moderna reports surprise profit, sets out road map for RSV vaccine

Moderna on Thursday reported a surprise fourth-quarter profit, helped by cost cutting and deferred payments, and set out a commercial roadmap for its vaccines in Europe and experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot. Shares jumped 8% to $94.65 in early trading, still well off the record high of $497.49 hit during the peak of the COVID pandemic in 2021.

South Korean hospitals extend working hours to tackle doctors' protest

Public hospitals in South Korea will extend working hours, the prime minister said on Friday, while expanding use of telemedicine to alleviate growing strain on healthcare services after a mass walkout by thousands of trainee doctors this week. Hospitals have turned away patients and cancelled surgeries after about two-thirds of the country's young doctors walked off the job to protest against a government plan for more admissions to medical schools, prompting fears of further disruption.

Novavax settles dispute with international vaccine group Gavi

Novavax has agreed to pay back international vaccine group Gavi at least $475 million in cash or vaccines by the end of 2028, settling a dispute over canceled orders that created financial uncertainty for the U.S. maker of COVID-19 shots. Shares of the company rose 23.2% to $4.91 on Thursday.

Travere drug for rare kidney condition recommended for EU approval

Vifor Pharma and partner Travere Therapeutics on Friday won an endorsement for approval from the European Union's drug regulator for their drug Filspari, part of an industry race to treat a rare, serious kidney condition known as IgAN. The regulator's opinion provides the basis for the European Commission’s final decision, Vifor said in a statement.

Three Alabama providers halt IVF after high court rules embryos are children

At least three Alabama providers of in vitro fertilization have halted treatments since the state Supreme Court on Friday said frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children, casting doubt on future access to the procedure in the state. The ruling by the court, whose elected judges are all Republican, has left doctors and patients wondering how to legally store, transport, and use embryos in Alabama.

WHO plans more evacuations from Gaza hospital as bodies buried on grounds

Aid agencies hope to evacuate roughly 140 patients stranded in Gaza's Nasser hospital, a World Health Organization official said on Thursday, as Palestinian authorities reported that Israeli troops withdrew from the complex and then stormed it again. Medical teams had buried on the grounds of the hospital 13 patients who had died because the facility had no power or oxygen, Gaza's health ministry said.

Weight-loss drugs could boost US GDP by 1% in coming years, Goldman says

The widespread use of powerful new weight-loss drugs in the United States could boost gross domestic product by 1% in the coming years as lower obesity-related complications are likely to boost workplace efficiency, according to Goldman Sachs. Some analysts have predicted the market for weight-loss drugs could reach $100 billion a year by the end of the decade, with Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro producer Eli Lilly leading the race.

Explainer-Alabama's highest court ruled frozen embryos are people. What is next?

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos created and stored for in vitro fertilization (IVF) are children under a state law allowing parents to sue for wrongful death of their minor children. The ruling revived three families' lawsuits accusing a Mobile, Alabama fertility clinic, Center for Reproductive Medicine, and the hospital where it is located, Mobile Infirmary, of failing to properly safeguard frozen embryos, resulting in their destruction. Here are answers to some questions about what the ruling did, and what it could mean:

EU medicines regulator backs Biogen's ALS drug

Europe's medicines regulator on Friday recommended granting a marketing authorization to Biogen's drug for the deadly and progressive neurodegenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The drug, Qalsody, received accelerated approved in the United States in April last year, based on preliminary data that showed it reduced levels of a neurofilament protein that scientists believe is tied with progression of the disease.

Analysis-Prices for new US drugs rose 35% in 2023, more than the previous year

Pharmaceutical companies last year launched new U.S. drugs at prices 35% higher than in 2022, reflecting in part the industry's embrace of expensive therapies for rare diseases like muscular dystrophy, a Reuters analysis found. The median annual list price for a new drug was $300,000 in 2023, according to the Reuters analysis of 47 medicines, up from $222,000 a year earlier. In 2021, the median annual price was $180,000 for the 30 drugs first marketed through mid-July, according to a study published in JAMA.

(With inputs from agencies.)