Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
J&J says it nears vaccine licensing deal with S.Africa’s Aspen
U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson is close to a vaccine licensing deal with South African group Aspen Pharmacare, a senior J&J executive told a conference in Nigeria on Wednesday. “We are at the advanced stages of a potential licensing agreement with Aspen and we are really hopeful it will be finalised,” said Stacy Meyer, J&J’s Vice President Global Public Health, Operations and Partnerships. She gave no further details.
AstraZeneca signs deal with Canada for 100,000 doses of COVID drug
AstraZeneca plc signed an agreement with Canada for 100,000 doses of its antibody therapy for prevention of COVID-19 in some high-risk patients, the country’s government said on Wednesday. AstraZeneca’s Evusheld is under review by Health Canada for use as a preventive treatment against the disease in those who are immunocompromised.
Sanofi, GSK to seek approval for COVID vaccine candidate
French drugmaker Sanofi and its British partner GlaxoSmithKline are seeking regulatory approval for their COVID-19 vaccine to be used as a booster, as well as a standalone two-dose shot, after several setbacks. The companies said on Wednesday they intended to submit data to regulators from a late-stage trial of the vaccine, and another testing it as a booster, with full results for both studies expected to be published “later this year.”
COVID vaccine supply for global programme outstrips demand for first time
The global project to share COVID-19 vaccines is struggling to place more than 300 million doses in the latest sign the problem with vaccinating the world is now more about demand than supply. Last year, wealthy nations snapped most of the available shots to inoculate their own citizens first, meaning less than a third of people in low-income countries have been vaccinated so far compared with more than 70% in richer nations.
WHO announces 2nd hub for training countries to make COVID vaccines
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it has set up a hub in South Korea to train low- and middle-income countries to produce their own vaccines and therapies, and is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine project to a further five nations. The new training hub comes after the U.N. agency set up a technology transfer hub in Cape Town, South Africa, last year to give companies from poor and middle-income countries the know-how to produce COVID-19 vaccines based on mRNA technology.
U.S. FDA limits use of GlaxoSmithKline-Vir COVID-19 drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotech’s COVID-19 antibody treatment should not be used in places with circulation of variants that are not susceptible to the drug. Vir has said the drug, sotrovimab, retains neutralizing activity against the emerging BA.2 form of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
COVID-19 shot interval can be extended to 8 weeks for some -U.S. CDC
Extending the interval between the first two doses of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines in the country to eight weeks for young men can reduce the rare risk of heart inflammation, U.S. health officials said. The side effect, which has been linked to both Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, is higher in 12- to 39-year-old men, and therefore the eight-week interval could be optimal for some people aged 12 years and older, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.
Hong Kong COVID cases hit record as compulsory testing looms
Hong Kong reported a record 8,674 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, as authorities announced the toughest social restrictions since the pandemic began to combat the surge, and as the city prepares for compulsory testing of residents. From Thursday residents will have to show their vaccine record to access venues including supermarkets, malls and restaurants, wear masks for all outdoor exercise, and they will not be allowed to remove masks to eat or drink on public transport.
Kodiak’s eye drug fails to match Eylea in trial, shares sink
Kodiak Sciences Inc’s eye drug failed to match Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Eylea in improving the vision of patients in a study, sending its shares tumbling nearly 80% on Wednesday. The mid-to-late-stage trial was testing the lead experimental eye drug in 559 patients with wet macular degeneration, a chronic eye disorder that causes blurred vision or blind spots.
COVID raises risk of mental health problems; new Omicron version not making people sicker in S. Africa
The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Coronavirus infection raises risk of mental health issues
(With inputs from agencies.)
