Below you will find a summary of the latest news briefs on health.

EU regulator supports approval of ARS Pharma's nasal spray alternative to EpiPen

ARS Pharmaceuticals announced on Friday that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended approval of its needle-free emergency medicine EURneffy for allergic reactions. The EURneffy nasal spray is considered an alternative to EpiPen and other auto-injectors filled with epinephrine, a life-saving drug used by people at risk of anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions.

India plans to offer incentives to diabetes and obesity drug manufacturers by 2026, according to government officials

India plans to offer incentives in 2026 to encourage local production of GLP-1 drugs to treat diabetes and obesity, a senior government official said on Friday. GLP-1 drugs, originally approved to treat diabetes, are also widely used to treat obesity as they slow digestion and help patients feel full for longer.

Rite Aid bankruptcy plan approved, debt reduction by $2 billion

A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Friday approved Rite Aid's restructuring plan, allowing the pharmacy chain to reduce its debt by $2 billion and hand over control to a group of lenders. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan approved Rite Aid's bankruptcy plan at a court hearing in Trenton, New Jersey, saying the restructuring saved the company from closure and liquidation.

US FDA denies Rocket Pharma approval of gene therapy against immune disorders

Rocket Pharmaceuticals said Friday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had rejected approval of its gene therapy to treat a rare and serious pediatric disease that causes immune system disorders. The company's shares then lost more than 12 percent in early trading. The Food and Drug Administration has requested limited additional information on certain procedures for the gene therapy called Kresladi in a so-called Complete Response Letter to complete its review.

US professor charged with manipulating data for Alzheimer's drug study

A U.S. medical professor has been charged with fraud for allegedly submitting false data to obtain millions of dollars in public funds for research into a drug to treat Alzheimer's disease. Federal prosecutors said Friday that Hoau-Yan Wang, 67, falsified data in grant applications to the National Institutes of Health. The application was prepared for himself and for a publicly traded pharmaceutical company based in Austin, Texas, for which he was a consultant.

Cancer patients lose attempt to prevent the planned bankruptcy of J&J's talc industry

A federal judge on Friday rejected a request by a group of cancer victims to block Johnson & Johnson from pursuing a bankruptcy settlement in tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that the company's baby powder and other talc products contain cancer-causing asbestos. The cancer victims had filed a preliminary injunction in New Jersey on June 11 to prevent J&J from filing for bankruptcy outside the state, which would have effectively thwarted the $6.48 billion settlement plan. The request was part of a class action lawsuit filed by the plaintiffs' attorneys who opposed the plan.

Eisai and Biogen launch Alzheimer's drug Leqembi in China

Eisai and Biogen have launched their Alzheimer's drug Leqembi in China, the third country after the United States and Japan, the companies said Friday. Leqembi, which removes a toxic protein called beta-amyloid from the brain, is the first Alzheimer's drug proven to alter the course of the deadly, brain-shrinking disease.

US health authority CDC recommends updated COVID vaccines for people six months and older

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that people ages 6 months and older should receive a current COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-25 vaccination campaign, regardless of whether they have been previously vaccinated against the disease. The agency's recommendation Thursday reflected that of its panel of outside experts, who voted unanimously to recommend the use of current COVID-19 vaccines, as authorized or approved by the FDA, in people ages 6 months and older.

Shares of biopharmaceutical company Alumis fall nearly 16% in Nasdaq debut

Shares of biopharmaceutical company Alumis opened nearly 16 percent below their initial public offering price in their Nasdaq debut on Friday. A long-awaited recovery in the IPO market that began earlier this year has stalled as the U.S. Federal Reserve continues to delay interest rate cuts, which has also hampered trading in some recently listed stocks.

USA calls for dismissal of lawsuit against menthol cigarette ban

The Biden administration has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by anti-smoking groups demanding an end to the nearly year-long delay and a ban on menthol cigarettes, which are disproportionately used by Black and younger people. In a court filing Thursday evening, the Food and Drug Administration said the delay was not unreasonable because it had not yet decided whether a ban was “appropriate to protect the public health.”

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