Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

States, insurers await needed details to implement new US Medicaid work rules

The Trump administration's new law https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-sign-major-tax-cut-spending-bill-into-law-friday-2025-07-04/ that Americans must work ​or volunteer to qualify for Medicaid healthcare benefits, set to take effect next year, has left states waiting for ​details on how to comply and with limited funding promised, according to six industry ‌experts. The $200 ​million set aside for states to implement the work requirements in President Donald Trump's https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ 2025 tax cuts and spending bill https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tax-bill/ is expected to fall short of many states' needs, the industry experts said.

South Korea bans stockpiling of medical needles, syringes to prevent supply disruptions

South Korea will ban stockpiling medical syringes and needles to prevent supply disruptions at hospitals starting on Tuesday, the finance ministry said ‌in a statement. The authorities had a meeting last week with makers of syringes and needles to check their current inventory and discuss ways to increase production amid supply concerns due to the Iran war, according to the industry ministry.Disruptions to oil and petrochemical flows have boosted plastic prices used in medical supplies and packaging, prompting worries about stocks and hoarding.

Spyre's inflammatory bowel drug shown to reduce disease activity in mid-stage study

Spyre Therapeutics said on Monday its experimental drug showed a significant reduction in disease activity when tested in patients with ulcerative colitis in ‌a mid-stage study, sending its shares up 34.5%. The drug, SPY001, met the trial's main goal by reducing a key measure of tissue-level inflammation after 12 weeks of treatment, the drug developer said.

Revolution Medicines' experimental cancer pill boosts survival in late-stage study

Revolution Medicines' experimental ‌oral drug helped patients with pancreatic cancer live nearly twice as long as those treated with chemotherapy in a keenly anticipated late-stage trial, sending its shares surging 40% on Monday. Patients who received the once-daily pill, daraxonrasib, showed a median overall survival of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for those on chemotherapy, the standard of care.

Kailera, Alamar launch US IPOs as biotech listings gather momentum

Alamar Biosciences and Kailera Therapeutics kicked off roadshows for their U.S. initial public offerings on Monday, aiming for billion-dollar-plus valuations as biotech companies flock to list on bourses despite choppy market conditions. Obesity drug developer Kailera is targeting a valuation of up to $1.9 billion, while Alamar ⁠Biosciences is aiming ​for as much as $1.1 billion.

Allogene's blood cancer therapy cuts risk ⁠of cancer relapse in mid-stage study

Allogene Therapeutics said on Monday that interim data from a mid-stage study showed its experimental off-the-shelf CAR-T therapy reduced the risk of cancer relapse in patients with blood cancer. Allogene's shares jumped 55.2% to $4.19 in early trading.

Texas attorney general probes Lululemon over potential 'forever chemicals' in its activewear

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ⁠has launched an investigation into athleisure brand Lululemon over the potential presence of "forever chemicals" in its activewear, he said on Monday in a post on social-media platform X. The probe will examine whether Lululemon's athletic apparel contains PFAS, which the brand's health-conscious customers would not expect based on its marketing, Paxton said. ​PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widely used materials called "forever chemicals" because they do not break down easily in nature.

IDEAYA and Servier's eye cancer drug meets trial goal, paving way for FDA application

IDEAYA Biosciences and French ⁠pharma company Servier said on Monday their combination drug for a type of eye cancer met the main goal of a mid-to-late-stage trial, sending the U.S. biotech's shares 21% higher. IDEAYA will now apply for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval in the second half of the year, seeking to enter a market with no approved treatments ⁠in ​the country.

GSK sees blockbuster potential in targeted cancer therapy after promising early data

British drugmaker GSK's experimental targeted cancer drug Mo-rez has blockbuster potential, its head of oncology research has told reporters, after early data showed the drug helped shrink tumors in patients with advanced, hard-to-treat cancers.

"This is one of our priority assets at this stage," GSK's Hesham Abdullah said on a call with journalists discussing the early data, which is being presented at a medical conference in Puerto Rico on Sunday.

REIT National Healthcare aims $1.1 billion in ⁠valuation in US IPO

National Healthcare Properties said on Monday it was targeting a valuation of about $1.1 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, the second real estate investment trust to hit the new listings markets in recent weeks. The New York-based company said it ⁠was aiming to raise as much as $616 million by offering 38.5 million ⁠shares priced between $13 and $16 per share, as it unveiled the terms of its IPO.

Mail-order dominates US abortion pill dispensing

U.S. pharmacies are largely filling prescriptions for the abortion pill mifepristone via mail-order in states permitting telehealth access to the medication, despite a 2023 FDA decision allowing retail pharmacies to dispense the drug, according to a study published on Monday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023 ‌https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-fda-says-abortion-pills-can-be-sold-retail-pharmacies-new-york-times-reports-2023-01-03/ authorized retail pharmacies to provide mifepristone, the ‌first of two pills used in medication abortion, during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. This followed a prior rule change https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-fda-allow-abortion-pill-by-mail-permanently-2021-12-16/ permitting ​the drug to be shipped by mail without in-person dispensing requirements.