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Sanofi addresses MS patients' mental health; US measles outbreak slows down

Top news

* French drugmaker Sanofi is collaborating with Happify Health to advance the use of digital therapeutics in addressing certain mental conditions in patients with multiple sclerosis. Happify Health, a New York-based technology company that focuses on mental health issues, will develop a version of its digital platform specifically for patients with multiple sclerosis who also experience depression and anxiety.

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* There were no new cases of measles reported in the U.S. in the week ended Sept. 12, the first time since 2019 began, which is a potential indication of a slowdown in the nation's worst measles outbreak since 1992, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of confirmed measles cases in 31 affected states remained at 1,241 as of Sept. 12.

* Lawyers representing cities and counties accusing opioid manufacturers of fueling the U.S. addiction crisis opposed the request of the defendants to remove U.S. District Judge Dan Polster as presider of the hearings, Reuters reported. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the bid to disqualify Polster was baseless and the request should have been made sooner.

AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., and other drug manufacturers and distributors facing trial claimed that Polster was biased against the defendants and focused primarily on reaching settlements.

* Singapore's Health Sciences Authority barred the sale of eight brands of stomach drug ranitidine after they were found to contain a potentially cancer-causing impurity called N-nitrosodimethylamine. The health regulator said ranitidine, which is sold in Singapore by GlaxoSmithKline PLC's local unit as Zantac, had traces of NDMA that were above the internationally acceptable level.

U.S. and EU regulators are also looking into ranitidine medicines, which are used to reduce the production of stomach acid in patients with conditions such as heartburn and stomach ulcers.

* X-rays, MRIs and CT scans are among health records from more than five million Americans and more worldwide that are left exposed and unprotected on the internet, an investigation by ProPublica and German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk found.

M&A and capital markets

* 10x Genomics Inc. raised $448.5 million in gross proceeds in its IPO on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The Pleasanton, Calif.-based life science technology company sold 11.5 million class A common shares at $39 apiece and began trading Sept. 12.

Drug and product pipeline

* Cambridge, Mass.-based Acceleron Pharma Inc. will discontinue the development of investigational drug ACE-083 for treating facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, or FSHD, as it did not achieve statistically significant improvements in a phase 2 trial. FSHD is a disorder characterized by muscle weakness and wasting that commonly affects the face, shoulder blades and upper arms.

* Merck & Co. Inc. said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted the company's biologics license application and granted priority review for its investigational Ebola vaccine V920. The regulator is expected to decide on the vaccine by March 14, 2020.

* Johnson & Johnson applied for U.S. approval of Tremfya to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis. J&J will also seek European approval of the drug by submitting an application by the end of 2019.

The day ahead

Early morning futures indicators pointed to a lower opening for the U.S. market.

In Asia, the Hang Seng fell 1.23% to 26,790.24, and the Nikkei 225 gained 0.06% to 22,001.32.

In Europe, around midday, the FTSE 100 climbed 0.16% to 22,001.32, and the Euronext 100 was up 0.03% to 1,084.79.

Click here to read about today's financial markets, setting out the factors driving stocks, bonds and currencies around the world ahead of the New York open.

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