Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novo Nordisk expands lawsuits against weight-loss drug compounders

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday it has filed 14 new lawsuits in the United States against the sale of unapproved versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in its popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic. The new lawsuits target companies producing compounded versions of semaglutide "under the fake guise of personalization", Novo said.

Henry Schein falls after missing quarterly profit estimates

Henry Schein missed Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit and maintained its annual forecast on Tuesday, due to softer demand for its dental products in the United States. Shares of the Melville, New York-based dental and medical products distributor fell nearly 5% in premarket trading.

US to initially impose 'small tariff' on pharma imports, Trump says

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would initially place a "small tariff" on pharmaceutical imports before hiking it to 150% within 18 months and eventually to 250% in an effort to boost domestic production. "In one year, one and a half years maximum, it's going to go to 150% and then it's going to go to 250% because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country," Trump told CNBC in an interview.

Ypsomed to move production to Germany, increase output in US, Bloomberg News reports

Swiss medical technology company Ypsomed is planning to move some production to Germany and increase its output in the U.S. due to the threat of 39% tariffs on imports from Switzerland, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing its CEO Simon Michel.

US FDA names Sean Keveney as chief counsel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday named Sean Keveney as its new chief counsel, placing him in charge of overseeing all legal matters at the health agency. Keveney most recently served as acting general counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services, where he led legal efforts to implement key administration priorities and regulatory reforms under the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

Animal healthcare firm Zoetis raises annual forecast on strong pet product demand

Zoetis raised annual forecast and beat second-quarter estimates on Tuesday, driven by strong demand for its medicines and vaccines for pets, sending the animal healthcare company's shares surging about 9% in premarket trading. Analysts remain optimistic about the long-term prospects for the animal health industry, citing a rebound in veterinary clinic visits over the coming years as pet ownership grows and aging animals require chronic care treatments.

Medical products maker Smith+Nephew soars as turnaround plan boosts profit

Smith+Nephew's turnaround efforts helped the medical products maker beat first-half profit expectations on Tuesday, prompting the launch of a $500 million share buyback programme for the second half, sending its shares up more than 15%. The British group, which makes orthopaedic implants, wound dressings and other surgical aids, has been cutting costs and launching products in a recovery led by elective surgeries in the U.S., its biggest market, offsetting a challenging Chinese market.

US health agency to wind down mRNA vaccine development

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday it would wind down mRNA vaccine development activities under its biomedical research unit. The unit, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, helps companies develop medical supplies to address public health threats, and had provided billions of dollars for development of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vertex's trial failure, scrapped study cloud pain drug push; shares slump

Vertex Pharmaceuticals will stop developing its experimental non-opioid painkiller as a solo treatment after a mid-stage trial failure and will not start a study for expanded use of its approved pain drug, sending its shares down 14.4% after the bell. The company has been diversifying into gene therapies and non-opioid painkillers as it looks to reduce its reliance on cystic fibrosis drugs, a market it dominates.

Florida reports 21 cases of E.coli infections linked to raw milk

The Florida Department of Health said on Monday that there have been 21 cases of Campylobacter and E. coli infections linked to drinking raw milk in the state, including six children under 10. The state health department reported seven hospitalizations linked to the consumption of raw milk containing disease-causing bacteria from a particular farm in Northeast/Central Florida.

Manhattan shooting renews focus on CTE, concussion risks in amateur sports

A deadly Manhattan office shooting by former high school football player Shane Tamura has renewed attention on how head injuries are managed in amateur football. Tamura, 27, fatally shot four people before killing himself, leaving a note blaming chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and the NFL for his actions. National Football League headquarters are in the Park Avenue building where the shooting occurred.

Former X CEO Yaccarino takes helm at GLP-1 focused telehealth firm eMed

Linda Yaccarino is taking the top job at eMed Population Health, a telehealth startup focused on GLP-1 weight loss drugs, nearly a month after stepping down as CEO of social media platform X. Yaccarino, an advertising industry veteran, exited Elon Musk's X after two turbulent years during which she tried to revive its reputation among advertisers, who were wary of the platform's content as well as the billionaire's steady stream of controversial posts.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)