Health News Roundup: Europe sees multiple cases of COVID-linked syndrome in children; FDA approves Bristol-Myers combo therapy and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Europe sees two deaths, multiple cases of COVID-linked syndrome in children

A new life-threatening inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 has affected 230 children in Europe and killed two so far this year, a regional health body said on Friday, as medics worldwide were asked to be on alert. The Swedish-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a risk report that two children had succumbed to the condition: one in Britain and one in France.

FDA approves Bristol-Myers combo therapy for lung cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Bristol Myers Squibb Co's therapy for previously untreated patients with a form of lung cancer, a much-needed boost as the company battles the dominance of Merck's Keytruda. The combination of Bristol's treatments, Opdivo and Yervoy, is approved for treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the FDA said https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-approvals-and-databases/fda-approves-nivolumab-plus-ipilimumab-first-line-mnsclc-pd-l1-tumor-expression-1.

France's coronavirus death toll over 27,500

France's new coronavirus deaths reported on Friday were three times lower than 24 hours earlier while new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease kept on rising at the same slow rate of 0.4%, as the country continues to unwind its lockdown. In a statement, the health ministry said there were 104 new fatalities compared to 351 on Thursday, bringing the total to 27,529, still the fourth-highest in the world, after those of the United States, Britain and Italy, and just ahead of Spain.

Keenly-watched COVID-19 vaccine 'won't be expensive', developer says

A keenly-watched COVID-19 vaccine will be priced to allow as wide as possible access to it, if it proves successful, and will be made at huge scale to keep costs down and supply up, said the Oxford University professor co-leading its development. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford's Jenner Institute, which has teamed up with the drugmaker AstraZeneca to develop the vaccine, said ensuring wide distribution and low cost have been central to the project from the start.

Moscow rolls out mass coronavirus antibody testing program

Moscow began testing thousands of randomly-chosen residents for coronavirus antibodies on Friday under a mass screening program authorities hope will help them determine when it is safe to lift the city's lockdown restrictions. The Russian capital of 12.7 million is in its seventh week of a shutdown and has shouldered the brunt of Russia's outbreak, which has seen more than a quarter of a million people infected nationwide according to official figures.

Clovis Oncology's Rubraca gets FDA approval for prostate cancer

Clovis Oncology Inc said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug Rubraca for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, whose tumors have a genetic mutation. The approval is for the drug's use as monotherapy in patients whose tumors have a mutation called BRCA, and whose disease had advanced despite chemotherapy and hormone-directed therapy, the company said.

Gilead to end coronavirus drug trials, adding to access worry: researchers

Gilead Sciences Inc's two clinical studies of its potential coronavirus treatment remdesivir will wind down by the end of May, closing off a path of patient access to the antiviral medication, according to U.S. researchers involved in the studies. The drug was given emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on May 1, but hospitals are concerned about access.

U.S. employers wary of coronavirus 'immunity' tests as they move to reopen

U.S. employers have cooled to the idea of testing workers for possible immunity to the coronavirus as they prepare to reopen factories and other workplaces. Blood tests that check for antibodies to the new coronavirus have been touted by governments and some disease experts as a way to identify people who are less likely to fall ill or infect others. Italian automaker Ferrari NV has made antibody testing central to its "Back on Track" project to restarting factories.

Statins may help older coronavirus patients avoid symptoms; COVID-19 more than respiratory illness

The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Statins may help protect frail older people from severe COVID-19 symptoms.

U.S. to stockpile vaccine candidates as trials continue: health secretary

The U.S. government plans to stockpile hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines that are under development to combat the novel coronavirus with the goal of having one or more vaccines ready to deploy by the end of the year, the health secretary said on Friday. "We've got over 100 vaccine candidates that have been discovered," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Fox Business Network.