PHARMACEUTICALS: AP: Bayer Strikes $7.25 Billion Deal To Settle Roundup Cancer Lawsuits +++ +++

PHARMACEUTICALS AP: Bayer Strikes $7.25 Billion Deal To Settle Roundup Cancer Lawsuits https://apnews.com/article/bayer-monsanto-roundup-lawsuits-settlement-154ad7c6bdff3a91b06c4e327321160b?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8IlVV8bK49QprQidrD5aAKLIiPJlhb7hfRq4M7MfdVT_PRIWBQcTn-fu2rL9DDORM6buoTlhlgLuvTDFj-Oe1cszMPLQ&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments in April on Bayer’s assertion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Roundup without a cancer warning should invalidate claims filed in state courts. That case would not be affected by the proposed settlement. (Lieb, 2/17) CBS News: Nationwide Shortage Of Estrogen Patches Has Forced South Jersey Women To Find Alternatives https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/estrogen-shortage-hormone-replacement-therapy/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--uiReq70CC2RcHAOO4pP567NcdMgbmX0IJIlwgQvMwbvJ4Wf731FRqh1t8h43-06g1qUSCe3uBmO41MkgnjNaqE50p6A&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email A nationwide shortage of estrogen patches used for hormone replacement therapy has prompted many women to look for alternatives for treating symptoms of menopause. Prescriptions for HRT have increased 86%, according to one survey. But finding the popular estrogen patches is tricky now. Holly Sleppy, a 52-year-old who works at Virtua, shared her frustrations, which many menopausal women are feeling because of a shortage of the estrogen patches used to treat symptoms like hot flashes, irritability and brain fog. (Stahl, 2/17) Bloomberg: Vitamin K Shot Safety: More Parents Skip Injection That's Not Vaccine https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/vitamin-k-shot-safety-more-parents-skip-injection-that-s-not-vaccine?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_XgVreRtrudh6BagZOTsMEsR7-SO4fKIfcji-DC6zgAy7sOO6arMD3435VrMlACDM1NPoJLty2K9fnxn_MRTt2mHIhvg&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email The 2-month-old baby arrived at the hospital with the type of bleeding in and around his brain that was so unusual Miami neurosurgeon Heather McCrea had only read about it in textbooks. The pooling blood indicated that the baby had a severe vitamin K deficiency — something usually prevented by a shot at birth. But his parents, like a growing number of Americans skeptical of injections, had declined to get the shot for their baby. (Nix, 2/17) CIDRAP: FDA Issues New Guidance On Antibiotic Use In Food-Producing Animals https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobial-stewardship/fda-issues-new-guidance-antibiotic-use-food-producing-animals?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9M2VV5VznBKNODmqVoGusMbbwglc6Xcavzpw7ZPPAkjRG6Do5U8zCp5mS2noMacnAuc7N5tmcXjELYHC2fRYDG8Bw5yQ&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released new guidance for veterinary drug makers to define how long medically important antibiotics should be used in livestock. (Dall, 2/17) Stat: Compass Says Psilocybin Drug For Severe Depression Succeeds In Trials https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/sanofi-experimental-drug-helps-patients-with-bowel-disease?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_GaEMxtOykTYIu36qW-prm26DY91YlYENR2jAAtHyiIf24BpCxOkgjBe7YthuyitelzWpHjVCs_rsBM5_lTNeAJcAkmg&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email Compass Pathways on Tuesday disclosed results from two Phase 3 studies that support a potential approval of its psilocybin treatment for severe depression, but more detailed data are needed to determine how beneficial the drug would be for patients. (Chen, 2/17) Bloomberg: Sanofi Experimental Drug Helps Patients With Bowel Disease https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/sanofi-experimental-drug-helps-patients-with-bowel-disease?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_GaEMxtOykTYIu36qW-prm26DY91YlYENR2jAAtHyiIf24BpCxOkgjBe7YthuyitelzWpHjVCs_rsBM5_lTNeAJcAkmg&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email Sanofi said an experimental medicine it’s developing with Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc. helped patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The benefits after treatment with the drug, duvakitug, were maintained over 44 weeks, Sanofi said in a statement. The 130 patients enrolled in the intermediate trial had ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Any positive news is key to Sanofi, which needs new medicines to replace its top-seller Dupixent as it ages. (Fourcade and Furlong, 2/17)