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Eight children in the UK have been spared from devastating genetic diseases thanks to a new three-person in vitro fertilization technique, scientists from Newcastle University reported on Wednesday. The technique, which is banned in the United States, transfers pieces from inside the mother's fertilized egg - its nucleus, plus the nucleus of the father's sperm - into a healthy egg provided by an anonymous donor. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. The procedure prevents the transfer of mutated genes from inside the mother's mitochondria - the cells' energy factories - that could cause incurable and potentially fatal disorders. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA can affect multiple organs, particularly those that require high energy, such as the brain, liver, heart, muscles and kidneys. One of the eight children is now 2 years old, two are between ages 1 and 2, and five are infants. All were healthy at birth, with blood tests showing no or low levels of mitochondrial gene mutations, the scientists reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, opens new tab. All have made normal developmental progress, they said. The results "are the culmination of decades of work," not just on...

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Coca-Cola (KO.N), opens new tab had agreed to use cane sugar in its beverages in the U.S. after his discussions with the company. "I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. A spokesperson for Coca-Cola said the Atlanta-based company will share details on new offerings soon, and that it appreciates Trump's enthusiasm for its product. Coca-Cola produced for the U.S. market is typically sweetened with corn syrup, while the company uses cane sugar in some other countries. The Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, named for the social movement aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has pushed food companies to alter their formulations to remove ingredients like artificial dyes. Kennedy has also been critical of the amount of sugar consumed in the American diet and has said that updated dietary guidelines released this summer will advise Americans to eat "whole food." A May report by the MAHA Commission, a panel convened by Trump and tasked with identifying the root...

The Saudi Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has banned the sale of tobacco products in kiosks and grocery stores across the Kingdom. This is part of an update to the requirements for grocery stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets, introduced by the ministry, as part of its efforts to promote the business environment and raise food safety standards to protect consumers. According to the requirements published by the ministry on Monday, these products include all manufactured and packaged tobacco products licensed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. These include regular and electronic cigarettes, shisha, and similar tobacco products. Their sale is prohibited in grocery stores, which are stores licensed to sell packaged food products, personal care products, detergents, disinfectants, and related products, as well as plastic and paper products, provided that the facility would have a minimum space of 24 square meters. A kiosk is a small, stand-alone facility, which may be without walls, with a special design consistent with the city's urban identity, where grocery store activities are carried out. The ministry stressed the need for tobacco products to comply with approved standard specifications, such as 100 percent invisibility to facility visitors, and stocking them in closed drawers. It is prohibited to sell them...

Long-term care and rehabilitation services provider Baraya Extended Care has closed a Series B fundraising round, securing $124m to expand its network of inpatient facilities and outpatient clinics across Saudi Arabia. Led by TVM Capital Healthcare through its TVM Healthcare Afiyah Fund, the funding also includes contributions from co-investors and exceeded its initial target. Baraya Extended Care CEO Jad Halaby said: “With TVM Capital Healthcare’s support and expertise in this healthcare vertical, we are uniquely positioned to combine international standards with local expertise, improving outcomes and quality of life for patients and families across Saudi Arabia.” This financial milestone arrives at a time when the nation is grappling with an aging population, a rise in chronic conditions, and a growing demand for specialised post-acute care. These challenges are part of the broader context of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and Health Sector Transformation Program. Baraya Extended Care, established in 2023, has already inaugurated two outpatient rehabilitation clinics in Jeddah and Riyadh, delivering over 9,000 sessions monthly.

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) continues to drive healthcare innovation across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It's doing this through a series of regulatory and technological initiatives, including advancing clinical trials, evaluating gene and cell therapies, and approving innovative medical devices. These efforts aim to enhance patient access to advanced medical technologies and position the Kingdom as a regional hub for research and innovation, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030. The SFDA is developing an integrated electronic system to automate clinical trial submissions, enhancing efficiency and user experience by interoperating with national entities like the Saudi National Institute of Health (Saudi NIH) and the National Bioethics Committee. To localize research, SFDA signed MoUs with hospitals and research centers, leading to a 40% increase in clinical trials in 2024. The SFDA also conducts inspection visits to clinical trial sites, bioequivalence centers, and monitoring facilities to ensure adherence to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards. To further foster a research-oriented culture, the SFDA launched specialized training programs for researchers and healthcare professionals. Since 2020, Saudi Arabia has seen significant growth in gene and cell therapy research. The SFDA has approved 10 clinical trials, including groundbreaking therapies like Zolgensma® for spinal muscular atrophy, Casgevy® for...

U.S.-based Kailera Therapeutics and Chinese firm Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals' (600276.SS), opens new tab experimental weight-loss drug has helped overweight patients lose up to 17.7% of body weight in a late-stage study in China, the companies said on Tuesday. Up to 88% of participants who received the drug, known as KAI-9531 outside China, lost at least 5% of their weight after 48 weeks compared to placebo, meeting the study's main goals. The data comes at a time when U.S. drugmakers are increasingly looking to China to secure the rights to promising drug candidates at a lower cost and access important early data that could pave the way for global trials. "As we think about commercial opportunity, this is a really good first look as to what we think we're going to be able to leverage in terms of (obesity treatment) marketplace going forward," Kailera CEO Ron Renaud said. The startup was launched last year with a rare $400 million early-stage funding and four obesity drug candidates licensed from Hengrui, in a move to grab a slice of the obesity treatment market primed to be worth $150 billion by the end of the decade. KAI-9531, administered as a weekly injection, belongs to a the GLP-1 class of...

The World Health Organization on Monday recommended Gilead's (GILD.O), opens new tab lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection, as a tool to prevent HIV infection. The recommendation, issued at the International AIDS Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, comes nearly a month after the U.S. health regulator approved the drug, giving patients new hope of interrupting virus transmission. The twice-yearly injectable offers a long-acting alternative to daily oral pills and other shorter-acting options, reshaping the response to the disease especially among those who face challenges with daily adherence, stigma, or access to health care "While an HIV vaccine remains elusive, lenacapavir is the next best thing," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. The WHO's recommendations come at a critical moment as HIV prevention efforts stagnate with 1.3 million new HIV infections occurring in 2024 as funding challenges, stigma around the disease persist. These infections disproportionately impact populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, people in prisons, and children and adolescents. WHO has also recommended a public health approach to HIV testing using HIV rapid tests that would remove a major access barrier by eliminating complex and costly procedures. Lenacapavir, part of a class of drugs known as capsid inhibitors, proved...

India plans to bring an existing health insurance claims portal under the finance ministry and insurance regulator to curb overcharging by healthcare providers, a government source told Reuters. Healthcare costs in India are projected to rise by 13% in 2025, exceeding the global average of 10%, and up from 12% recorded a year earlier, according to professional services firm Aon's Global Medical Trend Rates Report. An analysis by the government and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) found that hospitals are inflating treatment costs for patients and overcharging those with higher covers, the source said earlier this week. This has driven insurers to charge higher health premiums, making coverage less affordable for some, the source said, requesting anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media. India's finance and health ministries did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. "Strict supervision" of the National Health Claims Exchange - the platform that acts as a gateway between insurers, healthcare providers and patients - will improve the "collective bargaining power" of insurance companies to set treatment rates, the source said. Currently, the exchange is overseen by the health ministry's National Health Authority and was developed in "consultation" with the insurance regulator,...

ViiV Healthcare, the HIV-focused joint venture majority owned by GSK (GSK.L), opens new tab, said on Monday it has expanded its licensing deal with the Medicines Patent Pool to allow generic production of its long-acting injectable HIV treatment cabotegravir. The updated licence, which builds on an earlier agreement covering cabotegravir for HIV prevention, will enable three generic drugmakers to develop and supply the treatment for use in combination with Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N), opens new tab rilpivirine in 133 countries, including all low-income, lower-middle income, and Sub-Saharan African nations. ViiV's regimen -- the only approved long-acting injectable treatment for HIV -- is administered once every one or two months, an alternative to daily pills. The World Health Organization last week recommended long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine as a treatment option for people who are virologically suppressed but struggle with adherence to oral regimens. The new licence also builds on an existing Medicines Patent Pool agreement covering cabotegravir for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), signed in 2022. The existing licensees -- Aurobindo (ARBN.NS), opens new tab, Cipla (CIPL.NS), opens new tab and Viatris (VTRS.O), opens new tab -- will now be able to develop and manufacture generic versions of the long-acting treatment, subject to regulatory approvals. "As leaders...

Britain said it would strike an agreement with Vietnam to make it easier for pharmaceutical firms to sell UK-made medicines in the Southeast Asian nation, under a new trade strategy that emphasises quick, industry-specific deals. Britain launched the new strategy last month, promising a nimbler approach compared to the emphasis it placed on full-fledged free trade agreements following its departure from the European Union. Vietnam will hasten the registration of new medicines and vaccines, while recognising approvals from more regulators, including Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the British government told Reuters in a statement. The deal is expected to be confirmed later on Monday. "The removal of pharmaceutical barriers with one of our closest trading partners in Asia is a boost for the UK pharmaceutical industry and proof our Industrial and Trade Strategies are already delivering," British trade minister Douglas Alexander said. The deal could be worth 250 million pounds ($337 million) to the British pharmaceutical sector over the next five years, the government added. The UK-Vietnamese Joint Economic and Trade Committee will meet in London on Monday and also discuss financial services and renewable energy. Britain has taken a tougher line on some other sectors, however, with steel imports from Vietnam set...