Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
BioNTech vaccines for German expatriates in China have arrived at German embassy
A shipment of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for German nationals in China have arrived at the German embassy in Beijing, an embassy spokesperson told Reuters on Friday. “We can now happily confirm that the vaccines have arrived at the embassy and they will be stored here until we can officially start the vaccination drive which will be as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.
Merck’s COVID pill does not cut hospitalization, death rates in many vaccinated adults – study
Merck & Co Inc’s COVID antiviral molnupiravir speeds up recovery but does not reduce the hospitalization or death rate in higher-risk vaccinated adults, detailed data from a large study showed on Thursday. The drug, which prevents the virus from replicating, generated nearly $5 billion in sales for the U.S. drugmaker in the first three quarters of 2022.
China lacked a ‘zero COVID’ exit plan. Its people are paying the price
At the public hospital in Shanghai where Nora, a 30-year-old doctor, works, tension has spiraled since China relaxed its stringent zero-COVID policy on Dec. 7. Patients quarrel with doctors to access drugs that are in short supply, like cough medicines and pain killers. Medics are overloaded; infected staff continue to work because of a scarcity of personnel.
Mersana signs deal with Merck KGaA for cancer therapy development
Mersana Therapeutics Inc said on Thursday it had signed a deal for developing cancer drugs with Germany’s Merck KGaA that has the potential to generate up to $800 million in milestone payments. Mersana would receive $30 million in an upfront payment, which would be used to develop drugs known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), the company said.
U.S. FDA approves Gilead’s long-acting HIV drug Sunlenca
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved Gilead Sciences Inc’s Sunlenca therapy for HIV infections, paving the way for a drug that requires less frequent dosing than existing treatments. Sunlenca injection and tablets are expected to cost $42,250 in the first year of therapy and $39,000 annually after that, the company told Reuters.
China COVID deaths probably running above 5,000 per day – UK research firm Airfinity
More than 5,000 people are probably dying each day from COVID-19 in China, health data firm Airfinity estimated, offering a dramatic contrast to official data from Beijing on the country’s current outbreak. The UK-based firm said it had used modelling based on regional Chinese data to produce figures that also put current daily infections in the country at above a million.
China’s stretched health system braces for peak in COVID infections
China is expecting a peak in COVID-19 infections within a week, a health official said, with authorities predicting extra strain on the country’s health system even as they downplay the disease’s severity and continue to report no new deaths. In the face of a surging outbreak and widespread protests against its “zero-COVID” regime of lockdowns and testing, China began dismantling it this month, becoming the last major country to move towards living with the virus.
China hospital data absent from WHO’s latest COVID reports, raising concern
The World Health Organization has received no data from China on new COVID-19 hospitalizations since Beijing lifted its zero-COVID policy, prompting some health experts to question whether it might be hiding information on the extent of its outbreak. However, the WHO has said gaps in data might be due to Chinese authorities simply struggling to tally cases.
Sri Lanka’s cancer patients struggle amid economic chaos
Priyantha Kumarasinghe starts his day in the small Sri Lankan town of Maharagama with a breakfast of two biscuits and a small glass of tea, followed by a round of cancer medicines. The 32-year-old vegetable farmer was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and started receiving treatment earlier this year just as Sri Lanka’s economy went into free fall.
In China, people are learning to live with COVID
Only a few weeks ago COVID-19 positive Chinese teacher Yang Zengdong and her husband would probably have ended up in a makeshift quarantine centre with patchy heating, sparse bedding and overwhelmed toilets, but today they are isolating at home. Living in a post “zero-COVID” China, despite the anxiety about being infected and rapidly rising cases, hasn’t been too bad, says Yang.
(With inputs from agencies.)
