Billion-dollar takeovers, drug pricing debates and bird flu vaccinations

Below is a summary of current health news.

J&J acquires rights to skin disease drug for $1.25 billion

Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire the rights to an experimental skin disease treatment from privately held Numab Therapeutics for about $1.25 billion. The drug NM26 is currently in the mid-stage of development, intended for the treatment of atopic dermatitis – a chronic disease causing inflammation, redness and irritation of the skin.

Bloomberg reports that Novo is blaming the US healthcare system after criticism over Wegova’s price

Novo Nordisk said it is retaining about 60% of the list price of its popular diabetes and obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy after rebates and fees paid to intermediaries in the United States, according to a Tuesday Bloomberg report. United States. The Danish drugmaker’s comments in a Friday letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders come amid an ongoing investigation by a U.S. Senate committee into higher drug prices in the United States compared to other countries.

Explainer: What does Louisiana’s new abortion pill law mean for patients?

The Louisiana Senate’s vote Thursday to reclassify two medications used in medical abortions as controlled substances is the latest development in the nationwide battle over abortion pills. Here’s a look at what the law does and what may happen in the future.

Analysis – US tariffs on Chinese imports of medical devices raise industry concerns due to the emergence of alternative suppliers

Higher U.S. tariffs on medical gloves, syringes and face masks from China are unlikely to make U.S. manufacturers more competitive as other low-cost suppliers are expected to rush to fill the gap, industry executives say. Earlier this month, Washington announced steep tariff increases on a range of Chinese imports, including medical goods, as part of a broader strategy to boost domestic production and hedge against supply shortages seen during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Avian flu vaccines for laying hens prove effective in practice

Bird flu vaccines for laying hens are effective in practice, the Dutch government said on Tuesday, confirming plans to vaccinate poultry against the virus that is devastating flocks around the world and raising fears of transmission to humans.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has killed or culled hundreds of millions of poultry around the world in recent years, most of them laying hens, causing egg prices to skyrocket.

Analysis: Weight-loss drug projections jump to $150 billion as supply increases

As millions of people seek access to weight-loss drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, growing supplies, possible wider use and a growing number of potential competitors are prompting some experts to raise annual forecasts for global sales of these therapies to about $150 billion by the early 2030s . A year ago, estimates of top sales reached $100 billion.

The United States and European countries are considering vaccinating workers exposed to bird flu

The United States and Europe are taking steps to acquire or produce H5N1 bird flu vaccines that could be used to protect at-risk poultry and dairy workers, veterinarians and laboratory technicians, government officials say, in a move flu experts say could limit the pandemic threat. Last week, U.S. officials said they were shifting CSL’s Seqirus bulk vaccine, which is closely matched to the current virus, into ready-made shots that could provide 4.8 million vaccine doses. European health officials told Reuters they were in talks to acquire CSL’s pre-pandemic vaccine.

Asahi Kasei will buy Swedish drugmaker Calliditas for $1.1 billion

Asahi Kasei offered to buy Swedish drugmaker Calliditas Therapeutics for about $1.1 billion on Tuesday, as the Japanese company looks to become a global player in the pharmaceutical market. The company, which produces specialty chemicals including those used in batteries, is best known in Japan for its construction materials such as insulation used in residential construction. It has a pharmaceutical division, but it is not a heavyweight company in the industry.

Frenchman Soubeyran elected to head the world body for animal health

Emmanuelle Soubeyran, the head of France’s veterinary services, was elected director general of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on Tuesday, replacing her compatriot Monique Eloit as the world grapples with a serious bird flu epidemic. Soubeyran, elected as the candidate of the entire European Union, is also France’s deputy director general for food.

EU agrees to $1.5 billion state-funded joint hydrogen project and $1.1 billion joint health project

EU competition regulators on Tuesday approved a €1.4 billion ($1.52 billion) joint hydrogen project financed by seven EU countries and a separate €1 billion ($1.1 billion) joint healthcare project ), financed by a group of six EU countries. Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain will commit up to €1.4 billion in public funds to the hydrogen project, which is expected to unlock an additional €3.3 billion in private investment, the European Commission said in a statement.

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