Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Evidence of ‘genocide’ among Brazil’s indigenous Yanomami, says minister
Following reports of indigenous Yanomami children dying in Brazil of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining, there is strong evidence of “genocide,” the country’s Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on Monday. Late last week, the health ministry declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, the country’s largest indigenous reservation.
J&J forecasts strong 2023 profit on pharma boost
Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday forecast annual profit above Wall Street estimates, as strong demand for its drugs such as cancer treatment Darzalex is expected to ease pressure from inflation and a strong dollar. J&J’s large pharmaceuticals business is its major profit engine and the company is betting on it and the devices unit as it prepares to spinoff its consumer health business.
Consumer Reports urges dark chocolate makers to reduce lead, cadmium levels
Consumer Reports on Monday urged four chocolate producers to commit by Valentine’s Day to reduce the amounts of lead and cadmium in their dark chocolate products, after testing revealed harmful levels of the heavy metals. In letters to Hershey Co, Mondelez International Inc, Theo Chocolate and Trader Joe’s, Consumer Reports said long-term exposure to the metals can result in nervous system problems, immune system suppression and kidney damage.
Eli Lilly to invest $450 million more to expand diabetes drug plant capacity
Eli Lilly and Co said on Tuesday it plans to invest an additional $450 million to expand its manufacturing capacity at the Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina to support increased demand for its key diabetes drugs. The company has been struggling to meet high demand for the drugs Trulicity and Mounjaro, especially due to production of multiple dosage forms for each of them.
U.S. FDA proposes shift to annual COVID vaccine shots
The U.S. health regulator on Monday proposed one dose of the latest updated COVID-19 shot annually for healthy adults, similar to the influenza immunization campaign, as it aims to simplify the country’s COVID-vaccine strategy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also asked its panel of external advisers to consider the usage of two COVID vaccine shots a year for some young children, older adults and persons with compromised immunity.The regulator proposed the need for routine selection of variants for updating the vaccine, similar to the way strains for flu vaccines are changed annually, in briefing documents ahead of a meeting of its panel on Thursday.
EU drug regulator must do more to tackle medicine shortages – patient orgs
The European Union drug regulator needs to do more to tackle shortages of some widely-used antibiotics in the region, according to a letter from a group of European patient and consumer organisations reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday. The letter to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) comes as antibiotics, including amoxicillin and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid, and particularly formulations for children, have been in short supply since last October.
WHO urges ‘immediate action’ after cough syrup deaths
The World Health Organization has called for “immediate and concerted action” to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year. In 2022, more than 300 children – mainly aged under 5 – in Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan died of acute kidney injury, in deaths that were associated with contaminated medicines, the WHO said in a statement on Monday.
Amazon deepens healthcare push with $5 monthly subscription
Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday it is offering a $5 monthly subscription plan for U.S. Prime members that will cover a range of generic drugs and their doorstep delivery, furthering the ecommerce giant’s push into healthcare. The program, named RxPass, includes more than 50 medications addressing over 80 chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety, diabetes and male pattern baldness, Vin Gupta, Amazon Pharmacy’s chief medical officer, told Reuters.
WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents
The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating whether there is any connection between manufacturers whose contaminated cough syrups it has linked to the deaths of more than 300 children in three countries, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Citing “unacceptable levels” of toxins in the products, the WHO is seeking more information about the specific raw materials used by six manufacturers in India and Indonesia to produce medicines linked to the recent deaths, as well as whether the companies obtained them from some of the same suppliers, the person said. The WHO has not named any suppliers.
EU to aggregate cancer imaging data across bloc in new project
The European Union on Monday launched a project to collect and aggregate cancer imaging data in an effort to speed up innovation and early cancer diagnosis using artificial intelligence. The new European Cancer Imaging Initiative will give clinicians, researchers and innovators “easy access to large amounts of cancer imaging data”, the European Commission said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies.)
