Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Novo Nordisk uses AI to fast-track drug launches, expand India role

Novo Nordisk is aiming to slash the time it takes to bring new drugs to market by up to two-thirds using AI, a top executive said, as the Danish drugmaker looks to regain momentum in the booming obesity drugs market. "Historically, from 'last patient, last visit' to first filing might have been ​a year and a half. What we're able to do now by implementing AI is bring that time down by months," John Dawber, managing director for global business services, told a Reuters summit on Friday.

Ebola case confirmed in rebel-held Congo area far from outbreak's epicentre

A ​case of Ebola has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province, hundreds of kilometres from the outbreak's epicentre, the rebel alliance that controls the area said on ‌Thursday. The case, in a ​rural area near the provincial capital Bukavu, signals the spread of an outbreak that experts believe circulated undetected for around two months in Ituri province, several hundred kilometres to the north, before being identified last week.

US HHS launches AI initiative to detect fraud and waste in health programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday it has launched a new AI-led initiative to review annual audits to strengthen oversight across federally funded health programs amid concerns around widespread fraud. The program, called the Audit Enforcement and Risk Oversight initiative, or AERO, will review at least five years of audit records of HHS-funded programs across all 50 states, the department said.

WHO Africa head warns against underestimating risk of Ebola spread

It would be a mistake to underestimate the risk posed by the Ebola outbreak, the WHO regional director for Africa said on Friday, warning that just one case could spread the virus beyond the Democratic ‌Republic of Congo and Uganda. The outbreak has resulted in 160 suspected deaths out of 670 suspected cases, and 61 of the cases have been confirmed, according to DRC health ministry data published on Thursday. Two cases have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda.

Congo province bans funeral wakes to contain Ebola's spread

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo province most affected by the country's Ebola outbreak banned funeral wakes on Friday, a day after residents clashed with police while trying to recover the body of a victim. The incident in Ituri province's Rwampara town recalled the hundreds of attacks on health facilities during eastern DRC's 2018-2020 outbreak and underscored the difficulty of imposing strict disease-control practices that conflict with local customs.

Indian drugmaker Torrent Pharma posts lower quarterly profit on acquisition costs

Indian drugmaker Torrent Pharmaceuticals reported a 21.9% fall in fourth-quarter profit on Friday, as acquisition-related costs from its deal with J.B. Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals offset strong revenue growth. Consolidated net profit fell to 3.89 billion rupees ($40.65 million) for the quarter ended March 31, from 4.98 billion rupees a year earlier

Volunteers go door-to-door in Congo to tackle Ebola rumors, Red Cross says

Volunteers are going door-to-door to combat misinformation about Ebola in the area at the centre of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the International Federation of Red Cross ‌and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday. The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization on Sunday.

India's Sun Pharma posts profit beat on specialty drug demand, shares slide on cost pressures

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries' fourth-quarter profit edged past estimates, helped by robust demand for its specialty drugs, although increasing cost pressures squeezed margins and sent shares lower on Friday. The drugmaker's shares fell as much as 3.1% after results before closing 2.5% lower for the day.

Gilead's drug wins first-ever US approval for ‌deadly liver infection

Gilead Sciences said on Friday that its experimental drug for a rare and deadly liver infection that had no approved treatment has won U.S. approval. Shares of the company were up over 2% in afternoon trading.

Factbox-Bundibugyo Ebola vaccines and treatments in development

Global health authorities are racing to identify medical options to help contain an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Unlike the more common Zaire strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo.

Lower cost Novo, Lilly weight-loss pills draw patients from compounded drugs, doctors say

Lower prices for weight-loss pills from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are prompting patients to switch from compounded medications to branded Wegovy and Foundayo, according to Reuters interviews with nine U.S. doctors. Prices for the lowest doses of both Novo's oral Wegovy and Lilly's Foundayo tend to be lower than for their injected obesity medicines, and at par with those offered by pharmacies that mix the ingredients themselves and make compounded versions.

EMA backs Novo's Wegovy pill, first oral weight-loss drug for Europe

The European Medicines Agency recommended approval of Novo Nordisk's pill Wegovy, the regulator said on Friday, clearing the way for it to become the first oral weight-loss drug in Europe, ahead of U.S. rival Eli Lilly. The recommendation comes as competition between Novo and Lilly intensifies, with both companies seeking to grow their share of the booming obesity drug market, which analysts expect to reach over a $100 billion annually in the next decade, by expanding into oral treatments.

World Bank says responding to Ebola outbreak, plans ⁠to increase funding

The World Bank has dispatched ​staff and resources to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to respond to the Ebola outbreak, and is putting together a financing package to ensure more funding can be ⁠made available rapidly, a top bank official said. Monique Vledder, who heads the World Bank's global health department, told Reuters that the bank was also very concerned about neighboring states South Sudan and Burundi, which have weak response systems. Uganda, which has reported two Ebola cases, has a strong public health system but also faced some financing gaps, she added.

CVC, GBL launch €10.7 billion bid for Italian drugmaker Recordati

Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners and Belgian investment group Groupe Bruxelles Lambert launched a €10.7 billion ($12.4 billion) cash bid for Recordati on Friday, aiming to take the Italian drugmaker private. Italy's fragmented pharmaceutical sector has seen a flurry of dealmaking in recent months as companies seek to scale up, with Angelini announcing a $4.1 billion acquisition of U.S.-listed Catalyst Pharmaceuticals and Chiesi buying ⁠U.S.-based KalVista Pharmaceuticals for about $2 billion.

Lantheus weighs potential $7 billion sale after Curium's offer, Bloomberg News reports

Lantheus Holdings is weighing a potential sale after getting a takeover offer from private-equity backed Curium Pharma that values it at about $7 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The two companies have been in discussions about a potential deal that could be weeks away, the report said, adding that no final decision has been made and there is no guarantee the talks will result in a transaction.

Congo Ebola outbreak cases are 'top of the iceberg', coalition says

A global vaccine coalition official said on Thursday that cases so far identified in the Congo Ebola outbreak represent just the top of ​the iceberg and it may be hard to develop a safe, effective vaccine within a target time of three months. The outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo encompasses 600 suspected cases and more than 130 suspected deaths so far, with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency of international concern.

EU regulator backs approval for AstraZeneca's experimental breast cancer pill

A European Medicines Agency committee on Friday backed approval for AstraZeneca's experimental breast cancer pill, camizestrant, differing from a U.S. regulatory panel's opinion about the drug. The positive opinion comes weeks after ⁠a panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted against the treatment, raising concerns about the design of a key late-stage trial rather than the treatment's safety or effectiveness.

WHO raises risk of Ebola outbreak in Congo to 'very high' at national level

The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to "very high". The strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the WHO on Sunday.

Inside an African lab that helped crack the hantavirus outbreak

The call for help came in early May: a cruise ship off Cape Verde was stranded, with passengers suspected of infection by a deadly strain of hantavirus that kills about one in three of ⁠its victims. The vessel ​had stopped at several remote islands, and the World Health Organization needed answers. Could a biomedical research center in Senegal, an hour's flight away, support a team collecting specimens from suspected cases on board?

Acting head of US NIH infectious disease institute has left, senators say

The acting director of the U.S. NIH's infectious disease institute has stepped down, two Democratic senators said on Thursday during a Senate hearing, even as the United States scrambles to respond to Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks. Jeffery Taubenberger became acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in April 2025 after President Donald Trump's administration pushed out the previous head.

US Ebola patient in Berlin hospital not critically ill, family tests negative

A U.S. citizen who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an outbreak of a rare strain has killed over 130 people, is not critically ill and his wife and four children have tested negative, the Berlin hospital where the family is being treated said on Friday. "Because the course of the illness can change, he remains under close observation and is receiving treatment," Charite university hospital said in a statement. "He is being cared for in the high-security area of the specialized isolation unit."

Congo protesters set fire to Ebola treatment tents in dispute ⁠over victim's body

Protesters set fire to tents for Ebola patients after Congolese authorities refused to give them the dead body of a victim they wanted to bury themselves, a beloved local footballer suspected to have died in the ongoing outbreak, Reuters witnesses said. Police fired warning shots and tear gas to defuse the incident in Ituri province which highlighted the struggle that authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo could face to enforce the safe burials of people with confirmed and suspected cases that are required to help contain the outbreak.

Early childhood screening for type 1 diabetes ⁠may be beneficial for patients

We also report on a large analysis that found little clinical anti-fracture benefit from vitamin D or calcium supplements, and a study that suggests insurers may ⁠be cutting off sleep apnea patients from their CPAP machines prematurely.

SCREEN ALL CHILDREN FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES, STUDY SUGGESTS

Families weigh moves with gender-affirming care access under assault in US

Confronted with Trump Administration threats to gender-affirming care for young transgender people, American families are weighing moves out of their states to gain access to needed healthcare, according to doctors, patients, policy experts and advocacy groups. Upon taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at limiting access to gender-affirming care for patients under age 19, building on legislation or rules in 27 mostly Republican-led states that restrict such care. The order has been temporarily blocked by a judge but the administration continues to push new bans.

Philippines to allow Spanish pork imports from regions free of swine fever

The Philippines will allow pork imports from parts of Spain unaffected by African swine fever (ASF), lifting a blanket ban imposed after Spain reported its ‌first cases of the disease in more than three decades last year, the Spanish government said on Friday. Agriculture Minister ‌Luis Planas said in a post on X that the Philippines was a strategic market for Spain.

Soccer-Ebola risk minimal for World Cup fans, logistics challenges remain

The risk of Ebola affecting fans at the World Cup is low, according to Dr Oliver Johnson, a global health academic at King's College London, but heightened ​screening and travel restrictions could complicate logistics. The expanded 48-team tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, runs from June 11 to July 19.

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