Health News Roundup: Study authors retract influential Lancet hydroxychloroquine article; Protesters should 'highly consider' COVID tests and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Study authors retract influential Lancet hydroxychloroquine article

Three of the authors of an influential article that found hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of death in COVID-19 patients retracted the study on Thursday, citing concerns about the quality of the data behind it. The anti-malarial drug has been controversial in part due to support from U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as implications of the study published in British medical journal the Lancet last month.

Protesters should 'highly consider' coronavirus tests, U.S. health official says

A top U.S. health official cautioned on Thursday that protests sweeping across the country could increase the spread of the novel coronavirus, particularly in cities that have struggled to control the outbreak, and that participants should "highly consider" getting tested. Huge crowds have taken to the streets of dozens of cities since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody set off unrest that has roiled America in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Does drug touted by Trump work on COVID-19? After data debacle, we still don't know

Scientists are resuming COVID-19 trials of the now world-famous drug hydroxychloroquine, as confusion continues to reign about the anti-malarial hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential "game-changer" in fighting the pandemic. The renewed research push follows widespread criticism of the quality of data in a study that on Thursday was retracted. The article, originally published in influential medical journal The Lancet, had found high risks associated with the treatment.

French coronavirus death toll up 44 to 29,065

Confirmed new coronavirus infections in France rose by 767 to 152,444 on the 25th day since lockdown ended on May 11, the health ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The health ministry said in a statement that the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 continued its decline of the past seven weeks and fell by 413 or 3.1% to 13,101. The number of people in intensive care also continued to fall, by 47 or 3.9% to 1,163.

EU to use $2.7 billion fund to buy promising COVID-19 vaccines

The European Union is preparing to use an emergency 2.4-billion- euro ($2.7 billion) fund to make advance purchases of promising vaccines against the new coronavirus, EU officials told Reuters. The move was discussed at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, after Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands said they were speeding up negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to secure access to vaccines currently under development.

U.S. health department asks labs to add demographic data to COVID-19 results

U.S. laboratories testing patients for COVID-19 are required to report data such as a patient's age and ethnicity along with test results, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday. The move aims to better understand why the respiratory illness affects certain demographics such as racial minorities and older Americans more severely than others, the HHS said in a statement.

Protesters should 'highly consider' getting COVID-19 tests, U.S. official says

Protesters particularly in cities that have struggled to control the novel coronavirus should "highly consider" getting tested for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, a top U.S. health official said on Thursday. "Those individuals that have partaken in these peaceful protests or have been out protesting, and particularly if they're in metropolitan areas that really haven't controlled the outbreak...we really want those individuals to highly consider being evaluated and get tested," Robert Redfield, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a U.S. House of Representatives committee.

U.S. CDC reports 1,842,101 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 1,842,101 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 14,676 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 827 to 107,029. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on June 3 versus its previous report released on Wednesday. (https://bit.ly/2MzxR1j)

AstraZeneca targets two billion doses, poor countries with COVID vaccine deals

British drugmaker AstraZeneca has doubled manufacturing capacity for its potential coronavirus vaccine to 2 billion doses in two deals involving Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates that guarantee early supply to lower-income countries. The deals with epidemic response group CEPI and vaccine alliance GAVI are backed by the World Health Organisation and aim to quell concerns that the company was committing all initial supplies of the vaccine to the developed world.

U.S. doctors group sues FDA for limiting access to drug touted by Trump for COVID-19

A group of conservative U.S. doctors has sued the Food and Drug Administration for limiting use of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, arguing that the therapy should be made widely available to fight the pandemic. The lawsuit represents the latest front in a highly politicized U.S. debate over access to hydroxychloroquine. The drug has been championed by President Donald Trump as a potential "game-changer" against the coronavirus, but its value has yet to be established. A clinical trial released on Wednesday found it to be ineffective in preventing infection.

(With inputs from agencies.)