Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
WHO says more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox globally, most in Europe
There have been more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox reported globally from 78 countries, with the majority in Europe, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. The WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency on Saturday.
AbbVie’s Allergan reaches $2 billion opioid lawsuit settlement – Bloomberg News
AbbVie Inc’s unit Allergan has reached an agreement to pay over $2 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits related to the marketing of its opioid painkiller, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal would settle more than 3,000 lawsuits filed by state and local governments, but complete terms of the settlement are still being chalked out, according to the report. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against drugmakers, distributors, and pharmacies over the U.S. opioid crisis.
Pfizer starts a mid-stage trial for a vaccine against Omicron subvariant
Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE said on Wednesday they had started a mid-stage study of a modified COVID-19 vaccine that targets both the original as well as the BA.2 Omicron subvariant. Pfizer said the vaccine is in an initial proof-of-concept study to gather more data.
No new daily COVID cases in Macau for the first time in over a month
Authorities in Macau reported no new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday for the first time since mid-June, after the city’s worst outbreak of the disease led to a 12-day closure of casinos and locked down most of the world’s biggest gambling hub. The tally of infections since June 18 stood at 1,816, the government said in a statement, as the city grapples with the fast-spreading Omicron variant for the first time.
New monkeypox vaccine center opens in Paris as infections rise
People lined up on Wednesday for the monkeypox vaccine at a new dedicated vaccine center in Paris, which has been booked out for two days since opening. More than 1,800 people in France have caught the monkeypox virus, with most of the infections in the Paris region, representing around 10% of infections globally.
EU urges intensified effort to combat monkeypox
The European Commission urged the 27 EU members on Wednesday to take a more forceful and coordinated approach toward monkeypox now that the World Health Organization has declared it a global health emergency. In a letter to national health ministers, seen by Reuters, European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides noted that the European Union was the epicenter of detected cases and that the bloc needed to work together to control the outbreak.
GSK says U.S. FDA approves kidney disease drug for children
GSK Plc said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had cleared its kidney disease drug Benlysta for the treatment of children aged 5 to 17 years. The clearance makes Benlysta the first treatment approved by the U.S. regulator for children with lupus nephritis, a kind of kidney inflammation.
Democrats Manchin and Schumer agree on $430 billion tax, drugs, and energy bill
U.S. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he has reached a deal with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on a bill to increase corporate taxes, reduce the national debt, invest in energy technologies, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. Manchin has often been a roadblock to President Joe Biden’s policy goals, including those specifically addressed in the bill. He previously said he wanted to address high U.S. prescription drug costs, but was concerned more government spending could increase inflation.
CDC to make monkeypox nationally notifiable condition
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday it plans to make the rapidly spreading monkeypox disease a nationally notifiable condition. The designation, which is set to take effect on Aug. 1, updates criteria for reporting of data on cases by states to the agency and would allow the agency to monitor and respond to monkeypox even after the current outbreak recedes, the CDC said.
Exclusive-Cassava Sciences faces U.S. criminal probe tied to Alzheimer’s drug, sources say
The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Cassava Sciences Inc involving whether the biotech company manipulated research results for its experimental Alzheimer’s drug, two people familiar with the inquiry said. The Justice Department personnel conducting the investigation into Austin, Texas-based Cassava specialize in examining whether companies or individuals have misled or defrauded investors, government agencies or consumers, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The sources did not provide details of the focus of the probe and whether the department was looking into any specific individuals.
(With inputs from agencies.)
