Health News Roundup: US FDA allows import of syphilis drug to address shortages; Novartis drops pursuit of Cytokinetics and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Oxford starts human testing of Nipah virus vaccine

The University of Oxford said on Thursday it had begun human testing of an experimental vaccine against the brain-swelling Nipah virus that led to outbreaks in India's Kerala state and other parts of Asia. There is no vaccine yet for the deadly virus. Nipah was first identified about 25 years ago in Malaysia and has led to outbreaks in Bangladesh, India and Singapore.

US sets enrollment record for Obamacare plans

More than 20 million Americans have so far signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) marketplace for this year, the highest since the inception of the law, according to data released on Wednesday. Over 3.7 million people who have signed up for the 2024 plans are new enrollees, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed.

AbbVie expects Botox to maintain market share as competition heats up

AbbVie expects Botox's market share in the aesthetics space to remain strong even as rivals launch competing anti-wrinkle injections, a company executive said on Wednesday.

Botox sales, especially for aesthetic use, have been under pressure over the last few quarters due to economic uncertainties. Investors have also been concerned about potential market share losses to new entrants such as Revance Therapeutics' Daxxify and Evolus' Jeuveau.

Weight loss drug windfall attracts pharma companies

Pharmaceutical executives from Amgen to Pfizer are plotting to break into the lucrative obesity market by developing or cutting deals to acquire better drugs that will compete with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Zepbound from Eli Lilly. At stake is a market that is now estimated to reach $100 billion at a minimum by the end of the decade, as consumers flock to the new treatments that have been shown to reduce weight by as much as 20%. Drugmakers are also testing these drugs for other health benefits such as lowering cardiovascular disease risk and obstructive sleep apnea.

US FDA allows import of syphilis drug to address shortages

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will temporarily allow the import of a syphilis drug made by France's Laboratoires Delbert, the company said on Wednesday. Laboratoires Delbert said it was coordinating with the health regulator to bring extencilline into the United States to address syphilis drug shortages, according to a letter on the FDA's website.

Novartis drops pursuit of Cytokinetics - source

Swiss drugmaker Novartis has backed away from its pursuit of Cytokinetics, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters, and the U.S. drug developer's shares were down over 21% in afternoon trade. While the stock was down in the morning, it fell further after the Wall Street Journal first reported that the talks between the two sides had broken down. Reuters confirmed the news.

U.S. FDA finds no evidence yet linking weight-loss drugs to suicidal thoughts

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday its preliminary review did not find evidence that weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy were tied to suicidal thoughts and the agency will continue to study the issue. Still, the FDA, which has listed suicidal thoughts as a potential safety signal for such drugs, said it could not definitively rule out that a small risk may exist due to the limited data available.

India pledges 'appropriate action' after completing cough syrup bribe probe

India will take "appropriate action" after completing an investigation into a complaint that a drug regulator helped switch samples of cough syrup linked to the death of children in Gambia in return for a bribe, two officials said on Wednesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) linked the syrups made by India's Maiden Pharmaceuticals to the deaths of 70 children in 2022, though India's government said subsequent tests at an Indian government laboratory showed the syrups were not toxic.

Pakistan seizes poisonous solvent used in cough syrup

Pakistan has seized a batch of contaminated propylene glycol solvent that was labelled as manufactured by Dow Chemical, Thailand, the nation's drug regulatory authority said on Thursday. Dow Chemical, Thailand did not respond to a request for a comment.

(With inputs from agencies.)