Novo Nordisk to slash U.S. insulin prices, following move by Eli Lilly
The Danish drugmaker will reduce the list price of its NovoLog insulin by 75%, and for Novolin and Levemir by 65%.
Europe
Breakthrough drug works against all the main types of primary bone cancer
The drug, developed by researchers at the U.K.’s University of East Anglia, increases survival rates by 50% without the need for surgery or chemotherapy.
Scotland becomes world’s first country to ban environmentally harmful anesthetic
NHS data suggests the gas, used to keep people unconscious during surgery, has a global warming potential 2,500 times greater than carbon dioxide.
Spain passes landmark gender recognition law
Spain’s new law allows those over the age of 16 to legally change their gender without medical supervision or a judge’s approval.
World’s largest four day work week trial deemed a success
An incredible 92 percent of companies said they would continue to have employees work four days.
German man becomes third human to be completely cured of HIV
Like the “Berlin patient” and the “London patient” before him, the “Düsseldorf patient” received treatment for an acute blood disease and, in the process, was cured of HIV infection.
E.U. Parliament votes to effectively ban new combustion engine cars by 2035
Final approval is expected to be given by March, meaning the world’s largest trading bloc will soon officially be on track to almost completely phase out vehicles powered by combustion engines.
The E.U. to invest more than $270 billion in its own “green deal”
The Green Deal Industrial Plan will simplify regulation to help get proposed green projects up and running faster, accelerating access to investment, developing programs to train skilled workers in green industries, and more.
Wind and solar were E.U.’s top electricity source in 2022 for first time ever
Record additions of new wind and solar in 2022 helped Europe survive a “triple crisis” created by restrictions on Russian gas supplies, a dip in hydro caused by drought and unexpected nuclear outage.
Finland passes law making it easier for trans people to change their legal gender
The new laws mean transgender people aged 18 and older can legally change their gender by a process of self-declaration, and no longer have to go through an onerous medical and psychiatric approval process first.