Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Factbox-What do we know about the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda?

The World Health Organization on Sunday declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to be a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency but that countries ​sharing land borders with the DRC are at high risk for further spread.

US CDC says one American tested positive for Ebola

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Monday that one American has tested positive for Ebola as part of their work in ​the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The CDC is working with the State Department to move the American to Germany for treatment and care, Dr. Satish Pillai, the incident manager for the ‌agency's Ebola response, told reporters ​on a media call.

Britain gets experimental drug from Japan to bolster hantavirus response

Britain has received supplies of the antiviral drug favipiravir from Japan as part of its ongoing response to a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the Hondius cruise liner, the UK Health Security Agency said on Monday. UKHSA said it accepted delivery of the drug, which remains experimental for use to treat hantavirus, over the weekend and that the supplies would bolster treatment stocks, even though the risk of wider transmission in the UK remained very low.

BioMarin's genetic disease therapy shows mixed results in late-stage study

BioMarin Pharmaceutical said on Monday its experimental treatment for a rare genetic condition met one of the two main goals in a late-stage study. The company was testing its enzyme replacement therapy called BMN 401 in children aged 1 to 12 years with ENPP1 deficiency, a rare, lifelong genetic condition.

Trump says TrumpRx will now carry 600 generic drugs

U.S. President Donald ‌Trump said on Monday that TrumpRx.gov, a government-backed website offering discounted prescription drugs under his administration's pricing deal, will now carry generic drugs. "I'm thrilled to announce that we're increasing the number of drugs available on TrumpRx by nearly seven times, adding over 600 affordable generics to the website," Trump said at a White House event.

CDC says one American tested positive for Ebola in DRC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that one American tested positive for Ebola as part of its work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there is an outbreak of a rare strain of the virus, but advised that the immediate risk in the U.S. was low. The CDC did not name the individual, but the Serge Christian mission organization said one of its medical missionaries, Dr. Peter Stafford, was exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in the DRC.

Hantavirus-hit liner reaches Rotterdam, crew being quarantined and ship disinfected

A luxury liner at the centre of an outbreak of hantavirus docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Monday, where authorities were disembarking the remaining 25 crew members and two medical staff and planned to cremate a German woman who died. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise was to be disinfected.

Takeda engaged in antitrust scheme to delay generic constipation drug, US jury finds

A U.S. ‌jury on Monday found Takeda Pharmaceutical liable for causing about $885 million in damages by delaying a generic version of its constipation drug Amitiza through an anticompetitive scheme. Jurors in federal court in Boston, following a five-week trial, sided with wholesalers, insurers, health funds and retailers including CVS and Walgreens who said the delay forced them to overpay for the drug.

US drugs site TrumpRx to list 600 generics as Trump targets lower prices

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that TrumpRx.gov, a government-backed website that lists discounted prescription drugs, will begin featuring generic medicines, including widely used drugs such as cholesterol treatment ‌atorvastatin and diabetes drug metformin. More than 600 generics will be available through the website, Trump said, part of an effort by the administration to expand access to lower-cost medicines.

UnitedHealth falls after Berkshire sells stake in health insurer

UnitedHealth shares fell more than 2% on Monday after Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it had sold its stake in the healthcare conglomerate as a part of a portfolio reshuffling in the first quarter under CEO Greg Abel. In August last year, Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it bought 5 million shares of UnitedHealth, which had then lifted the stock as investors bet on a turnaround under CEO Stephen Hemsley. On Friday, Berkshire said it has exited its position in the health insurance behemoth.

US Supreme Court rebuffs pharma challenge to Biden-era drug price

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a pharmaceutical industry challenge to a plan to curb Medicare drug prices adopted during Democratic former President Joe Biden's administration that drugmakers argued illegally forces them to accept steep discounts and jeopardizes innovation. The justices turned away appeals by Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim. They left in place decisions by lower courts rejecting various legal claims against the drug price negotiation plan, which was part of Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Trump's psychedelic drug order boosts investor interest with promise of faster reviews

U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to accelerate psychedelic drug development has raised hopes among companies developing the drugs that it could help attract more capital, but researchers cautioned that new treatments are still a long way off. Nine executives and investors interviewed ⁠by Reuters said the order could shorten ​administrative timelines and improve coordination between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda an emergency of international concern

An Ebola ⁠outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization, after 80 deaths were attributed to the disease. The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, did not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency but there was a high risk the disease could spread further to countries sharing land borders with the DRC.

US states reject anti-vaccine bills as public health groups fight MAHA

Dozens of state anti-vaccine bills backed by "Make America Healthy Again" supporters have failed after public health groups won over Republican state lawmakers, marking a series of defeats for the backers of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The failures show a limit to the political power of the MAHA coalition ⁠groups that had set out this year to pass laws against mandatory vaccinations in at least 10 states, hoping to capitalize on a rise in anti-vaccine sentiment and their role in helping elect President Donald Trump.

Merck's drug helps uterine cancer patients live longer in late-stage trial

Merck said on Monday its experimental drug helped certain patients with uterine cancer live longer and kept their disease from worsening in a late-stage trial. The company said the drug, sacituzumab tirumotecan, or sac-TMT, showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in both overall survival and how long patients lived before their disease worsened, compared with chemotherapy, meeting the trial's main goals. It did not disclose the magnitude of the benefit.

US Supreme Court turns away ​Eli Lilly's challenge to whistleblower law

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge by drugmaker Eli Lilly to a Civil War-era whistleblower law that has recovered billions of dollars by allowing private individuals to bring fraud lawsuits on behalf of the federal government. The justices turned away Lilly's appeal of a lower court's ruling that upheld a $183 million judgment arising from a whistleblower lawsuit against the drugmaker for defrauding Medicaid. Lilly had argued that handing government power to private citizens in this manner violates the U.S. Constitution.

Flawed tests and funerals allowed ⁠Ebola to spread undetected, sources say

By the time health officials confirmed new Ebola infections in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week, the total number of suspected cases meant the outbreak was already one of the largest on record. A series of challenges and missteps delayed detection, two Congolese officials familiar with the response told Reuters, allowing the disease to spread undetected into rebel-held territory in the east and across the border to the capital of Uganda.

US health department withdraws vaccine advisory panel charter

The U.S. health department has withdrawn an April charter renewal for a key vaccine advisory panel that laid out new membership rules and direction, citing an administrative error, according to a Federal Register notice issued on Monday. The Department of Health and Human Services said the withdrawal was the result of not having met the timing ⁠requirements ​for such changes under federal law.

Explainer-What do we know about the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus?

A rare strain of Ebola has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern. Most of the cases have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 100 suspected deaths and nearly 400 suspected infections as of Monday. Here is what we know about this strain of the Ebola virus, known as Bundibugyo.

Bayer agrees to pay $133 million for PCB cleanup in two states

Bayer's Monsanto unit on Monday said it would pay at least $133 million to settle Michigan and Rhode Island's claims that the company contaminated the states' natural resources with toxic chemicals that are known to have dangerous health effects.

Bayer is paying Michigan at least $108 million and Rhode Island at least $25 million to address the costs of cleaning up chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls, the latest in a series of settlements with other U.S. states. Bayer has now reached settlements with a dozen U.S. states over legacy PCB contamination, recently settling with Illinois and West Virginia in December.

AstraZeneca's blood pressure drug wins U.S. approval

Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Monday its hypertension pill baxdrostat had been approved in the United States, offering a new treatment option for ⁠millions of patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure despite existing medicines. The decision allows use of the drug, branded as Baxfendy, in combination with other antihypertensive medicines. AstraZeneca has said it expects Baxfendy to generate more than $5 billion in peak annual sales.

Roche, Medicines Patent Pool sign deal to expand access to influenza drug

Roche and the Medicines Patent Pool have signed a licensing agreement to expand access to the Swiss drugmaker's flu drug, Xofluza, in low- and middle-income countries, the organizations said on Monday, aiming to boost supply during seasonal outbreaks and potential pandemics. The deal will allow generic drugmakers to develop, ⁠manufacture and supply the antiviral pill across 129 such countries, creating additional supply channels in regions where access to flu medicines remains limited.

Adult dies of hantavirus in Colorado, state health ⁠officials say

An adult in Colorado has died after a confirmed case of hantavirus that is not linked to a recent outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials said in a statement on Monday. The strain of hantavirus that caused the Colorado death occurs regularly in Colorado at this time of year, the statement said, and officials are investigating the source of exposure.

Sanofi says rare lung disease drug outperforms standard care in trial

French drugmaker Sanofi said on Monday a trial showed its rare disease therapy was better than standard care in raising levels of a key protein in patients with a genetic form of lung disease. The data in the head-to-head study offers a potential boost to Sanofi's $2.2 billion bet on efdoralprin alfa, the experimental therapy it acquired through its 2024 Inhibrx deal in the wake of a run of pipeline setbacks last year.

Health workers race to ‌contain Congo's fast-spreading Ebola outbreak

Medical personnel were rushing on Monday to the frontlines of a new Ebola outbreak in ‌eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where an American missionary was among those who tested positive for the often fatal viral disease. While Congo has experience tackling Ebola, the late detection and quick spread of this outbreak have alarmed health experts. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern because ​of the high risk the disease could spread further beyond DRC's borders after two cases were confirmed in Kampala, the capital of neighbouring Uganda.

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