Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Sickle cell cure will be cost-effective if health disparities considered -study finds
Multimillion-dollar gene therapies being tested for sickle cell disease will be cost-effective in the United States if health disparities tied in part to decreased access to healthcare are taken into account, researchers said at a meeting of blood-disease specialists. In the United States, about one of every 365 Black babies is born with sickle cell disease – a genetic disorder in which misshapen blood cells cause strokes, organ damage, severe pain and early death – according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Pfizer says it is working to improve supply of COVID drug Paxlovid in China
Drugmaker Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday it is working to improve supply of its COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid in China in order to ensure adequate access to the drug as cases rise in the country. “Pfizer is actively collaborating with all stakeholders to secure an adequate supply of Paxlovid in China and remains committed to fulfilling the COVID-19 treatment needs of patients in China,” the company said in an emailed statement.
Ex-employee of pharmacy in deadly 2012 meningitis outbreak gets prison
A former employee of a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose mold-tainted drugs sparked a deadly nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak in 2012 was sentenced on Tuesday to five months in prison for deceiving regulators about its operations before the tragedy. Sharon Carter, New England Compounding Center’s (NECC) former director of operations, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston after a federal appeals court last year reversed his decision to throw out her trial conviction.
Eli Lilly prepares for as many as 5 new drug launches next year
Eli Lilly and Co said on Tuesday it hopes to launch as many as five new treatments next year that could drive growth through the decade as it bets on multi-billion dollar markets for treating obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. The drugmaker is spending heavily on marketing and research and development as it prepares for data release and potential approvals for two keenly watched drugs next year, donanemab for Alzheimer’s and tirzepatide for obesity.
China reportedly delays key economic meeting amid signs of COVID surge
Chinese leaders have reportedly delayed a key economic policy meeting amid growing signs that COVID-19 infections are surging in Beijing nearly a week after they jettisoned some of the world’s toughest anti-virus restrictions. State media reported late on Tuesday that the capital’s hospitals now have 50 COVID patients classed as critical or serious among rapidly rising cases that were mostly asymptomatic or mild.
Positive Moderna, Merck cancer vaccine data advances mRNA promise, shares rise
An experimental cancer vaccine from Moderna Inc based on the messenger RNA (MRNA) technology used in successful COVID-19 vaccines has been shown to work against melanoma, sending Moderna shares more than 20% higher and driving up of other biotechs working on similar treatments. A combination of Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine and Merck & Co’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda cut the risk of recurrence or death of the most deadly skin cancer by 44% compared with Keytruda alone in a mid-stage trial, the companies said on Tuesday.
China health app starts online sales of Pfizer’s Paxlovid for COVID treatment
A Chinese healthcare platform has started selling Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid in what appears to be the first retail sale of the drug in the country, as China braces for a surge in COVID patients. The medication sold out just over half an hour after the listing was reported in the media, the platform’s customer service said, underscoring surging demand for COVID and flu medicines in China.
China faces ‘tough’ zero-COVID exit, WHO says
China is facing a “very tough” time as it dismantles its rigid “zero-COVID” policy and allows people to live with the virus, posing challenges preparing hospitals and ensuring people are sufficiently protected, the World Health Organization said. Beijing abruptly dropped its zero-tolerance stance last week after protests against its often-draconian COVID lockdowns. The shift, welcomed by many inside the country, has also stoked concerns that infections could spike.
New Zealand bans future generations from buying tobacco under new laws
Future generations of New Zealanders will be banned from purchasing tobacco as part of a package of new anti-smoking laws that passed parliament on Tuesday and are among the most strict in the world. The suite of new laws include bans on selling tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, punishable by fines up to NZ$150,000 ($95,910). The ban will remain in place for a person’s whole life.
Indonesia to produce Merck’s HPV vaccines to combat cervical cancer
Indonesia will produce drugmaker Merck & Co’s vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV), the chief of its state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma said on Tuesday, in a bid to combat HPV-linked cervical cancer in the country. Cervical cancer is the fourth-most common cancer among women globally, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). About 90% of new cases and deaths worldwide occurred in low- and middle-income countries that year.
(With inputs from agencies.)
