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The European Union has approved GSK's (GSK.L), opens new tab drug Blenrep to treat relapsed or treatment-resistant forms of a cancer affecting blood plasma cells, the British drugmaker said on Thursday. EU regulators approved Blenrep after phase III trials showed the drug, when used in combination with standard treatments, extended progression-free survival and improved overall survival in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, GSK said. The approval comes a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended its review of the drug as a combination treatment for the same illness. The FDA's panel of independent experts had last week recommended against the drug, citing concerns about previously documented risks of eye-related side effects. The EU approval marks the sixth regulatory nod for Blenrep combinations, with applications still under review across all major markets. The drug delivers a cell-killing agent directly to tumour cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue — unlike conventional chemotherapy. Multiple myeloma is the third most common blood cancer globally and is generally considered treatable but not curable. It affects the immunity-boosting plasma white blood cells.

David Nabarro, the World Health Organization's special envoy for COVID-19 since the early stages of the outbreak in 2020, has died at the age of 75, the WHO said on Saturday. "David was a great champion of global health and health equity, and a wise, generous mentor to countless individuals," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said of the Briton in a post on X. Nabarro was also co-director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College in London. At the height of the pandemic in 2021 Nabarro called for more global cooperation and aid to poorer countries during a health crisis he said was "nothing like anything else we've ever seen in my professional life". In 2017, he was a candidate for WHO director general, finishing second to Tedros in the election.

Cipla (CIPL.NS), opens new tab, India's third-largest drugmaker by sales, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Friday, driven by higher domestic demand for its generic respiratory drugs. The company's consolidated net profit rose 10% to 12.98 billion rupees ($150 million) in the April-June quarter, beating analysts' average estimate of 12.11 billion rupees, per data compiled by LSEG. Total revenue increased 4% to 69.57 billion rupees, slightly below expectations of 70.64 billion rupees. Cipla's shares jumped 3.4% after the results and were set for their best day in nearly three months. The stock was the top gainer on the blue-chip Nifty 50 index (.NSEI), opens new tab. Revenue from India, Cipla's biggest market by sales, climbed 6% to 30.70 billion rupees, while North America revenue fell 7% to 19.33 billion rupees. The two regions account for three-fourths of the company's total sales. Cipla said growth in India was led by demand for drugs in therapy areas such as respiratory, urology and anti-infectives. However, delayed approvals for new drug applications and pricing pressure have weighed on the drugmaker's growth in the U.S. Drug prices in the U.S. are expected to drop as shortages ease and competition from new drugmakers intensifies, Macquarie analysts said in a pre-earnings note. Earlier this week,...

Naba Alsaha partners with Strataphy to launch Saudi's first geothermal-cooled hospital, reducing energy use, emissions, and operational costs. The healthcare sector—with its 24/7 operational needs—is ideally suited to lead the geothermal cooling transition.” — Ammar Alali ALKHOBAR, EASTERN, SAUDI ARABIA, July 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a pioneering step for sustainable healthcare infrastructure, Naba Alsaha Hospital, a leading Saudi healthcare group, has partnered with clean cooling innovator Strataphy to deploy advanced, subsurface-powered cooling systems for its new hospital complex in Riyadh, currently under construction. “This project highlights how geothermal technology can meet the strict reliability and operational demands of the healthcare sector,” said Ahmed Alhani, COO of Strataphy. “Hospitals require uninterrupted cooling performance around the clock. With our CAS model and subsurface technology, we’re able to deliver that performance while significantly reducing grid impact and carbon emissions.” Saudi Arabia has more than 2,300 healthcare facilities across the Kingdom. With each facility requiring on average 1.5 megawatts-thermal (MW-th) of cooling capacity, the national healthcare sector represents a total thermal demand of approximately 3.45 gigawatts-thermal (GW-th). This places immense strain on the power grid and creates a clear opportunity for cleaner, more efficient solutions. At the heart of the system is Strataphy’s PrimeLoop—a patent-pending geothermal hybrid architecture...

A panel of the European medicines regulator has recommended approving an eco-friendly version of AstraZeneca's (AZN.L), opens new tab inhaler for the treatment of a chronic lung condition, the drugmaker said on Friday. The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has backed the use of a new type of a pressurised gas in the company's triple-drug inhaler Trixeo Aerosphere. In this version, Trixeo Aerosphere, also called Breztri Aerosphere in some regions, will use a next-generation, medical-grade propellant from Honeywell (HON.O), opens new tab to deliver metered-doses to patients' lungs as part of AstraZeneca's green push. The inhaler, with an older propellant, is already approved in Europe for the treatment of adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly referred to "smoker's lung" as the disease typically affects cigarette smokers. But it can also be caused by air pollution and related occupational hazards. Trixeo Aerosphere's eco-friendly version was approved by British regulators, opens new tab in May, marking the world's first, and is currently under review in other countries, including China. CHMP's recommendation for European Union's approval is based on the results from trials, which showed the latest propellant was comparable to the current one in delivering doses, without any new safety...

Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab said on Friday that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended approval of its drug Kisunla for certain patients with early Alzheimer's disease, reversing an initial decision from four months ago. In March, the EMA said the treatment's ability to slow cognitive decline was not significant enough to outweigh the risk of serious brain swelling in patients. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. Shares of the Indianapolis-based company were up 1.2% in morning trade. Kisunla, along with Eisai (4523.T), opens new tab and Biogen’s (BIIB.O), opens new tab Leqembi, represents a long-awaited breakthrough after decades of unsuccessful attempts to develop drugs to combat the fatal, mind-wasting disease. However, health regulators, cautious about the risks of severe brain swelling and bleeding, have adopted a particularly rigorous review process. Kisunla, which is approved in more than 13 countries, could potentially follow Leqembi to become the second treatment available in the region that targets an underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Lilly said Alzheimer’s affects as many as 6.9 million people in Europe, with the figure expected to nearly double by 2050 as the population ages. The European Commission is expected to...

China's Sciwind Biosciences is in talks with a U.S. company interested in licensing its experimental weight-loss drug for American patients, the drugmaker's chief executive told Reuters. Overweight patients treated with Sciwind's ecnoglutide drug lost an average of 10% to 15% of their body weight, roughly in line with results from Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab top-selling obesity treatment Wegovy, according to a late-stage study published in medical journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in June. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. “We also hope we are able to successfully license out, and they will apply for approval in the U.S.,” Sciwind Biosciences CEO Pan Hai said, declining to identify the firm or disclose financial terms under discussion. Reuters is the first to report on the potential U.S. licensing deal. Pan said its potential partner hoped to gain U.S. marketing approval to prescribe ecnoglutide for multiple medical conditions and would carry out further clinical development. The talks are not yet at the stage of discussing a detailed contract, he added. Sciwind is hoping the partner could use clinical data accumulated in China and Australia to accelerate the development. Pan expects it would take...

Indonesia's military will begin manufacturing medicines for public distribution under a new agreement, officials said on Tuesday, in the latest expansion of the armed forces' role in civilian affairs since President Prabowo Subianto took office. The president, a former defence minister and special forces commander, has expanded the powerful military's role in civic affairs since taking office last year - including running much of his flagship project to serve free school meals Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. In March, parliament, dominated by Prabowo's coalition, also passed a revision to military law that allows more civilian posts to be occupied by soldiers, sparking protests by student and activist groups. The moves have dismantled some of the safeguards put in place after authoritarian leader General Suharto was overthrown in 1998 and raised fears of a return to an era when the armed forces were allowed to crush dissent and dominate public life. Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin late on Tuesday signed an agreement with the food and drug agency for laboratories operated by the army, navy, and air force, which previously supplied medicines for soldiers, to begin manufacturing drugs for public use. "We are...

Lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin are three carotenoids that are specifically concentrated in the human macula. Lutein and zeaxanthin are obtained through dietary sources, such as green leafy vegetables and orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, while meso-zeaxanthin is uncommon in diet and is formed at the macula by metabolic processes of ingested carotenoids. These carotenoids are widely recommended as dietary supplements for the prevention of two most common eye diseases in older people, that is, cataract and macular degeneration. The growth of the lutein and zeaxanthin market is attributed to the rise in the prevalence of eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration, and skin disorder. Also, the increase in strategic initiatives such as mergers, collaborations, and acquisitions, by leading players is expected to provide favorable environment for the growth of the market. According to the report, the global lutein and zeaxanthin market was estimated at $397,606.1 thousand in 2021, and is anticipated to hit $627,779.55 thousand by 2031, registering a CAGR of 4.9% from 2022 to 2031. Increase in number of skin cancer cases due to UV radiation has led to an increased demand for lutein and zeaxanthin-containing skin care products, which has driven the global lutein and zeaxanthin market. On the...

A number of local pharmaceutical companies are at the forefront of increasing the domestic share of the lucrative pharmaceutical market in Afghanistan. In a market dominated by imported pharmaceutical products, emerging local enterprises are increasingly competitive in producing high quality health products accompanied by good customer service at affordable prices. Local pharmaceutical companies produce a variety of medical products such as tablets, capsules, and powders, which are distributed and sold across the country. Quality assurance is a fundamental part of gaining market share. Abdul Khaliq Fahim, technical director of a pharmaceutical company based in Kabul, says that Afghan-produced medications are tightly monitored. “Afghan Health Ministry officials monitor the materials we import and how we use those materials in production,” he says. The company Fahim works for was founded in 2012 with an initial investment of $450,000. Recently, it received a grant of $54,000 from the Afghanistan New Market Development Project (ANMDP), operated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries with funding support from the World Bank. " Today, domestic medications make up more than 20 percent of my sales. A couple of years ago, it was less than 10 percent. It is heartening to see this increased trust in Afghan-produced medications. " The...