Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

With Bayer at US Supreme Court, MAHA rallies against pesticides

"Make America Healthy Again" activists rallied at the U.S. Supreme Court building on Monday against Bayer as the justices heard arguments in the German company's effort to end thousands of lawsuits that allege its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. A couple of hundred MAHA supporters cheered and chanted on the sidewalk outside the neoclassical white ​marble edifice during a rally called "The People vs. Poison," waving signs with slogans such as "No Immunity for Poison" and "How Much Cancer is Acceptable?"

FDA's Makary expects decision on Prasad successor in coming weeks

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said on Tuesday there had been no decision ​yet on outgoing vaccine chief Vinay Prasad's replacement but that he expects an announcement over the coming weeks. The FDA announced Prasad's departure as director of its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research ‌last month. Makary at the ​time said Prasad would leave by the end of April and that a successor would be named by then.

Trump administration indicts former NIH official over COVID records

The Trump administration has indicted a former National Institutes of Health official over allegations of evading federal records requests related to COVID-19 pandemic research grants and the use of personal email for government business. A grand jury in Maryland charged David Morens, a senior official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) during the pandemic, with conspiring to evade records requests received by the agency between April 2020 and December 2022.

Kennedy's US advisory board puts focus on 'profound autism', improved medical care

A U.S. advisory committee appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended on Tuesday that the government adopt the term "profound autism" for those with the highest support needs, and improve gaps in medical care for people with autism. The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee helps guide federal autism research spending, worth ‌about $2 billion annually, and coordinates efforts among government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Britain's lifetime smoking ban set to become law

Britain's plans to ban future generations from buying cigarettes will become law this week, ushering in a policy still overshadowed by questions over how effective it will be in stopping smoking. Lawmakers last week approved the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which introduces a rolling age restriction permanently barring anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 from buying cigarettes.

Ghana rejects proposed US health aid deal, citing data concerns, source says

Ghana has rejected a bilateral health deal with the U.S., a source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters, the latest stumbling block to the Trump administration's effort to overhaul foreign aid. The government of President John Dramani Mahama balked at terms requiring the sharing of sensitive health data, the source said.

Medical device maker Zimmer Biomet adopts cautious outlook amid sales force overhaul

Medical device maker Zimmer Biomet struck a cautious tone on Tuesday, as disruption from a U.S. sales force overhaul and an unchanged revenue outlook overshadowed a profit forecast raise, sending its shares down about 7% in morning trading. The company raised its 2026 adjusted profit forecast after beating Wall Street estimates for the first quarter, aided by the invalidation of U.S. tariffs and lower ‌restructuring costs compared with the previous year.

US DEA medical marijuana registration portal to launch Wednesday

Companies seeking to register as medical marijuana dispensaries after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the rescheduling of cannabis can do so starting on Wednesday, according to a notice on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's website. The DEA's medical marijuana registration portal will go live Wednesday at 9 a.m. EST, less than a week after the U.S. Justice Department announced that it would immediately loosen restrictions on some marijuana products and move quickly to reclassify the drug as less dangerous.

Pfizer secures deals to keep heart drug free of generic rivals ‌until 2031

Pfizer said on Tuesday it has settled patent disputes with three generic drugmakers over its blockbuster heart drug Vyndamax, effectively extending its patent protection until 2031 and delaying cheaper copies from entering the market. The deals resolve patent infringement lawsuits against Dexcel Pharma, Hikma Pharmaceuticals and Cipla in Delaware federal court over Pfizer's oral drug Vyndamax. A trial over the patent had started this week.

Argentina has 'serious' concerns after soymeal shipments withdrawn in EU over GMO breaches

Argentina's agriculture ministry said on Tuesday it has raised "serious" concerns regarding the detection method used by the Netherlands after the country flagged four Argentine soybean meal shipments found to contain unauthorized genetically modified organisms (GMO), prompting at least two withdrawals. Notifications of the detection of an HB4 event appeared in soymeal shipments from Argentina and Brazil to the European Union, the ministry said in a statement.

EssilorLuxottica mulled Amplifon investment, sees audio as key growth area

Franco-Italian eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica has in the past looked at investing in Italian hearing aid maker Amplifon, CEO Francesco Milleri said on Tuesday, adding that audio will be among the group's biggest growth areas. "We monitor almost everything that happens within our world, so we also looked at Amplifon," Milleri said when asked if EssilorLuxottica had considered taking part in a past capital hike by the hearing aid maker.

Centene raises 2026 profit forecast on improving cost controls

Centene on Tuesday raised its annual forecast for adjusted profit and revenue after a quarterly results beat, as the health insurer expects to have better control over medical costs, sending its shares up more than 6% in morning trading. The forecast raise follows similar ⁠moves from larger peers UnitedHealth and Elevance, ​adding to investors' relief after more than two years of the industry's struggle with higher medical costs that pressured margins at health insurers.

US seeks new nominees for key ⁠preventive health panel

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Tuesday asked for nominations to the influential task force that decides which preventive medical care is provided at no cost to patients. The Preventive Services Task Force, which typically has 16 members, last met over a year ago. Three successive planned meetings were canceled and new members have not been named to replace the five volunteers whose terms expired in December.

Kimberly-Clark flags potential $170 million cost impact from higher oil prices

Kimberly-Clark warned on Tuesday that persistently higher oil prices could add up to $170 million in costs in the second half of the year, but kept its annual forecast unchanged as demand for its personal care products held up. The warning echoes concerns across ⁠the consumer goods sector, with peers, including Procter & Gamble, flagging rising input costs as the Middle East conflict drives up oil prices.

US Supreme Court split over Bayer's fight against Roundup lawsuits

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided on Monday over Bayer AG's effort to shut down thousands of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to warn users that the active ingredient in its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The justices heard arguments in the German drugmaking and crop science company's appeal of a jury verdict in Missouri state court awarding $1.25 million to a man named John Durnell who said he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after years of exposure to glyphosate in Roundup.

Erasca shares sink after patient death in early-stage cancer drug trial

Erasca shares ​tumbled on Tuesday after the company disclosed a patient death in an early-stage trial of its experimental cancer drug, even though analysts said the incident was unlikely to signal a broader safety issue. Shares of the San Diego-based company fell 46% to $10.30 in early trading. They were on track to shed about $2.75 billion in market value, if the losses hold.

Eli Lilly to buy Ajax Therapeutics for up to $2.3 billion in blood cancer bet

Eli Lilly said on Monday it would buy privately held cancer drug developer Ajax Therapeutics for up to $2.3 billion in cash, as ⁠the U.S. drugmaker looks to expand its oncology pipeline. Lilly has been doubling down on its search for next-generation cancer treatments with its recent dealmaking spree, acquiring companies such as Scorpion Therapeutics, Orna Therapeutics and Kelonia Therapeutics.

Novartis posts earnings miss as generic rivals hurt blockbuster drug Entresto

Novartis posted first-quarter core operating profit and revenues below market expectations on Tuesday, hit by a sharper-than-expected slump in U.S. sales of its blockbuster heart drug Entresto after generic rivals entered the market. The Swiss drugmaker is navigating its most severe period of patent expiries, led by top seller Entresto which made up 14% of sales last year, which has fueled a multi-billion dollar dealmaking spree in search of new growth drivers.

FDA proposes to withdraw Amgen's drug for rare autoimmune diseases over effectiveness

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation ⁠and Research (CDER) ​has proposed withdrawing approval of Amgen's drug for rare autoimmune diseases, citing a lack of proven effectiveness and false statements in its original application. In March, the agency identified 76 cases of drug-induced liver injury with evidence suggesting a causal link to Tavneos, including seven cases of vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS), a rare condition that can cause permanent liver damage. Eight deaths were reported among those cases.

Canada approves first generic version of Ozempic amid rising GLP-1 competition

Health Canada has approved the first generic version of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic made by Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy's Laboratories, its website showed on Tuesday. Several drugmakers have been developing lower-cost versions of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, driving down monthly prices for some users.

Children at 'breaking point' in Darfur as they face extreme hunger and violence, UN says

Five million children across Sudan's Darfur region are facing extreme deprivation, the United Nations children's agency said on Tuesday, issuing an emergency warning over the situation as the civil war in the country enters its fourth year. The warning, known as a "Child Alert", is used sparingly by UNICEF and is designed to signal that a situation has reached a critical threshold. It is the first time the agency has issued one in 20 years for Darfur.

Purdue Pharma receives $5.5 ⁠billion sentence, paving way for opioid settlement

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma was sentenced on Tuesday to $5.5 billion in fines and penalties stemming from its 2020 guilty plea to charges of deceiving government regulators and paying kickbacks to doctors to boost opioid sales. The sentencing in New Jersey federal court clears the way for the company to dissolve in bankruptcy and use its assets to fund a $7.4 billion settlement intended to compensate people harmed by the opioid epidemic.

Boehringer-Zealand drug leads to 16.6% weight loss in late-stage trial

Boehringer Ingelheim said on Tuesday its experimental obesity drug led to average weight loss ⁠of up to 16.6% in a late-stage trial, as the unlisted German drugmaker seeks to catch up with industry pioneers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk . The Phase III trial showed patients ⁠treated with survodutide lost 16.6% of their body weight after 76 weeks, compared with 3.2% in a placebo group, Boehringer said in a statement.

US FDA to monitor clinical trial data in real time in pilot program aimed at speeding approvals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a pilot program on Monday aimed at allowing the agency to monitor clinical trial data in real time, a step the agency said could cut years from drug approval timelines and keep the U.S. competitive with China. The initiative aims to eliminate what FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in a call with reporters called "dead time" in drug development. He said administrative tasks and paperwork take up 45% of the time involved in getting a drug from early testing to submission for an approval decision.

Profluent, Lilly partner in genetic medicine deal worth up to $2.25 billion

AI firm Profluent said on Tuesday it has struck a multi-program research collaboration with U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly ‌worth up to $2.25 billion to develop AI-designed enzymes for genetic medicines. Here are some details:

J&J sees AI halving the ‌time to generate drug development leads

Johnson & Johnson is using artificial intelligence to slash by half the time it takes to generate new leads for developing drugs, the company's chief information officer said on Monday. Discovering new products outright and bringing them to market using AI is not yet possible, but J&J is using ​the new technology to screen the "potential universe" for promising chemical compounds or biologics, CIO Jim Swanson said at the Reuters Momentum AI event in New York.

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