Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Groups urge Biden to reject potential WTO ‘concept’ on COVID-19 vaccine barriers
Doctors without Borders, Oxfam America, Amnesty International and other top civil society groups on Wednesday urged U.S. President Joe Biden to reject a potential deal on COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property rights at the World Trade Organization. In a letter, the groups called the proposal a “rehash” of a European Union position that fell far short of the rights waiver Biden backed in May 2021 to speed vaccines to developing countries.
U.S. FDA panel votes against Amylyx’s ALS drug over trial data concerns
A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday voted against approving Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc’s drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease. The committee voted 6 to 4 against the oral drug, AMX0035, saying the company’s clinical study data failed to establish it was effective against the disease.
Shanghai urges COVID lockdown patience as case numbers drop for first time in 2 weeks
Shanghai authorities on Thursday appealed to residents to keep cooperating with tight curbs imposed to stop COVID-19 spreading, saying they recognised their frustrations as China’s most populous city entered the fourth day of a two-stage lockdown. The plea for patience came as the Chinese financial hub, home to 26 million people, said its overall daily COVID caseload eased, for the first time in about two weeks, in an outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant that began about a month ago.
Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine slashes pediatric hospitalization risk -U.S. study
Children ages 5 to 11 who received the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were 68% less likely to be hospitalized during the Omicron wave in the United States than unvaccinated children, according to a study published on Wednesday. Adolescents aged 12-18 who received two shots of the vaccine were around 40% less likely to be hospitalized with the Omicron variant of the virus, the study led by scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Boston Children’s Hospital found. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Mexico in talks to receive Indian vaccine and cancer drug technology
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has begun talks to receive medical technology from Indian companies to produce vaccines and cancer drugs in Mexico on Wednesday, the ministry said. The minister and Mexican delegates held meetings in India with the country’s health, science and traditional medicine ministry ministries, along with representatives from two Indian laboratories.
WHO lays out plan to emerge from emergency phase of pandemic
The World Health Organization on Wednesday released an updated plan for COVID-19, laying out key strategies that, if implemented in 2022, would allow the world to end the emergency phase of the pandemic. The plan includes three possible scenarios for how the virus might evolve in the coming year.
Florida reaches $878 million opioid settlements with CVS, Teva, others
Florida has reached more than $878 million in settlements with CVS Health Corp and three drug companies to resolve claims and avert a trial next month over their roles in fueling an opioid epidemic in the third most populous U.S. state. CVS will pay $484 million, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd will pay $194.8 million, Abbvie Inc’s Allergan unit will pay $134.2 million and Endo International Plc will pay $65 million, Florida’s attorney general Ashley Moody said in a statement on Wednesday.
Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
Shanghai authorities appealed to residents to keep cooperating with tight curbs imposed to stop COVID-19 spreading, saying they recognised their frustrations as China’s most populous city entered the fourth day of a two-stage lockdown on Thursday. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
Biden gets second booster shot, pushes for more COVID funding
U.S. President Joe Biden rolled up his sleeve for a second COVID-19 booster shot on Wednesday as his administration rolled out efforts to help Americans live with the coronavirus, including a new website and a renewed push for vaccinations and funding. “If we fail to invest, we leave ourselves vulnerable if another wave hits,” Biden said in remarks at the White House to launch COVID.gov, a clearinghouse of information aimed at helping people manage the virus as they seek a return to normalcy.
Canada faces rising COVID wave as restrictions ease
Much of Canada is facing a fresh COVID-19 wave just as authorities ease measures meant to curb the spread of the virus, emboldened by a brief drop in cases and relatively high vaccination rates. Public health experts are urging caution as COVID-19 levels in wastewater rise. Political analysts say looming elections in Ontario and Quebec, the most populous of Canada’s 10 provinces, could deter politicians from reinstating pandemic health measures.
(With inputs from agencies.)
