Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
China reports 7,691 new COVID cases for Nov 7 vs 5,643 a day earlier
China reported 7,691 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 7, of which 890 were symptomatic and 6,801 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday. That is compared with 5,643 new cases a day earlier – 569 symptomatic and 5,074 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.
Some in White House worry abortion message bungled before midterms
Some senior White House officials have been second-guessing their messaging to voters around abortion in recent weeks, sources familiar with the matter said, as forecasts turned in Republicans’ favor in the run up to the midterm elections. Many Democrats are no longer optimistic about retaining one or both houses of Congress in Tuesday’s midterms, and some have asked if party leaders and the Joe Biden White House should have spent more time talking about the U.S. economy, and less about women’s reproductive rights.
GSK’s blood cancer drug fails main goal of trial, shares fall
GSK’s blood cancer drug Blenrep failed the main goal of a late-stage study designed to show it was better than an existing treatment on the market, the company said on Monday. Oncology is a key area of focus for GSK as a standalone prescription medicine and vaccine business and its shares fell 3% after its statement, which raised concerns that regulatory approval of Blenrep may be rescinded.
Guangzhou’s COVID outbreak deepens as more lockdowns loom in China
COVID-19 cases sharply escalated in Guangzhou and other major Chinese cities, official data showed on Tuesday, with the global manufacturing hub fighting its worst flare-up ever and testing its ability to avoid a Shanghai-style citywide lockdown.
New locally transmitted infections climbed to 7,475 nationwide on Nov. 7, according to China’s health authority, up from 5,496 the day before and the highest since May 1.
FDA staff flags uncertainties on Veru’s COVID drug; EUA hopes lift shares
Staff reviewers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday identified several uncertainties around Veru Inc’s data for its experimental COVID-19 drug but did not raise any new concerns, sending its shares surging 52%. The reviewers also did not offer any strong argument against the emergency use authorization (EUA) even as they flagged the small size of the trial that showed the drug reduced death rates, analysts said.
BioNTech executive says it is too early to predict China vaccine approval
A BioNTech executive on Monday confirmed that the company is in discussions with Chinese authorities over regulatory approval of the German biotech firm’s COVID-19 vaccine for use by expatriates in China but the outcome was uncertain. “We have seen some positive re-engagement, as has been reported. We confirm that we have been taking part in some discussions, which are very positive,” Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Richardson said in an analyst call.
Malawi gets 2.9 million cholera vaccine doses as outbreak spreads
Malawi has received 2.9 million doses of oral cholera vaccine as an outbreak continues to spread across the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF said on Monday. The vaccine consignment comes as the death toll from the outbreak that started in March rose to 207, Malawi health ministry figures showed.
New Mexico city passes ordinance to block abortion clinics from operating
A New Mexico town near the Texas border on Monday unanimously passed an ordinance designed to ban abortions, despite the procedure being legal in the state. The so-called “sanctuary city for the unborn” ordinance blocks abortion clinics from operating and its passage by the Hobbs city commission marks a first for a town in a state controlled by the Democratic Party, according to anti-abortion advocates. Hobbs does not have an abortion clinic, but could be a place for such a clinic that could serve people from Republican-controlled Texas, to the east. Whole Woman’s Health, one of the largest providers of abortions in the United States, has told Reuters it was interested in opening a clinic in Hobbs or nearby Clovis.
China’s COVID resurgence spurs new curbs, Foxconn imposes restrictions
China’s escalating COVID-19 resurgence has spurred authorities and companies, including key iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, to ramp up measures to contain outbreaks, disrupting production and throwing business events into confusion. China reported on Monday 5,496 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for Nov. 6, the highest since May 2, when the country’s commercial capital of Shanghai was put under a crushing lockdown amid its worst outbreak.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Bristol Myers cancer-drug patent fight with Gilead
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a bid by Bristol Myers Squibb Co’s Juno Therapeutics Inc to reinstate a $1.2 billion award it won in its patent fight with Gilead Sciences Inc subsidiary Kite Pharma Inc over a lymphoma drug. The justices turned away Juno’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling throwing out the award in the litigation over Kite’s biologic drug Yescarta, in a case that could have repercussions for the cutting-edge biologic drug industry.
(With inputs from agencies.)
