Health News Roundup: Brazil seeking COVID vaccines from Moderna, AstraZeneca; Biogen to study Spinraza in combination with $2 million Novartis drug and more

Wave of promising study results raises hopes for coronavirus vaccines Early data from trials of three potential COVID-19 vaccines released on Monday, including a closely-watched candidate from Oxford University, increased confidence that a vaccine can train the immune system to recognize and fight the novel coronavirus without serious side effects.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Brazil seeking COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, AstraZeneca

Brazil is in talks with U.S. biotech firm Moderna Inc to possibly get priority in purchasing a potential COVID-19 vaccine that the company is developing, the country's interim Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said on Tuesday. Pazuello said that Brazil also has an understanding with AstraZeneca for the firm to deliver 30 million doses of its potential vaccine.

Biogen to study Spinraza in combination with $2 million Novartis drug

One of medicine's costliest treatment areas could become even more pricey as Biogen seeks to layer its $750,000 spinal muscular atrophy drug on top of $2.1 million-per-patient Novartis gene therapy Zolgensma. Biogen's Spinraza, the list price of which drops to $375,000 a year after the first year, was the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a leading genetic cause of infant death, and was dominant until Zolgensma's entry last year.

Wave of promising study results raises hopes for coronavirus vaccines

Early data from trials of three potential COVID-19 vaccines released on Monday, including a closely-watched candidate from Oxford University, increased confidence that a vaccine can train the immune system to recognize and fight the novel coronavirus without serious side effects. Whether any of these efforts will result in a vaccine capable of protecting billions of people and ending the global pandemic that has claimed more than 600,000 lives is still far from clear. All will require much larger studies to prove they can safely prevent infection or serious disease.

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine developer cautious on 2020 roll-out

The University of Oxford's possible COVID-19 vaccine could be rolled out by the end of the year but there is no certainty, the lead developer of the vaccine said on Tuesday. The experimental vaccine, which has been licensed to AstraZeneca, produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials, data showed on Monday, preserving hopes it could be in use by the end of 2020.

Moderna, Merck say they will not limit price of coronavirus vaccines to company cost

Moderna Inc and Merck & Co on Tuesday told a U.S. Congressional panel that they expect to profit from their coronavirus vaccines once approved, amid concerns the vaccines may not be accessible to all. "We will not be selling our vaccine at cost, although it is premature for us as we're a long way from understanding the cost-basis," Julie Gerberding, chief patient officer for Merck, told the House of Representatives subcommittee on oversight and investigations in a virtual, off-site hearing.

People are more likely to contract COVID-19 at home, study finds

South Korean epidemiologists have found that people were more likely to contract the new coronavirus from members of their own households than from contacts outside the home. A study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 16 looked in detail at 5,706 "index patients" who had tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 59,000 people who came into contact with them.

Coronavirus pandemic 'showing no signs of slowing down' in Americas - PAHO

The novel coronavirus pandemic is showing "no signs of slowing down" in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization's director said on Tuesday, with the virus landing in Guianese shield countries on the continent`s northeastern coast and surges in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Carissa Etienne told a virtual briefing from PAHO's Washington headquarters that some Central American nations were seeing their highest weekly increase of cases since the virus landed, and that because of the high burden of infectious diseases and chronic conditions in the Americas, three out of 10 people - 325 million - were at "increased risk" of developing complications from COVID-19.

California COVID-19 cases top 400,000, soon to overtake New York as worst-hit state

California on Tuesday became the second U.S. state after New York to report more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases, according to a Reuters tally of county data. The most populous U.S. state has a total of 400,166 COVID-19 cases, putting it on the verge of surpassing New York - the original epicenter of the nation's outbreak - for the highest number of infections since the novel coronavirus was first detected in the United States in January.

Graphic: U.S. COVID-19 deaths rise for second week in a row

U.S. deaths from COVID-19 rose for a second week in a row to more than 5,200 people in the week ended July 19, up 5% from the previous seven days, a Reuters analysis found. The country reported over 460,000 new coronavirus cases last week, up nearly 15% from the prior week, according to the analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak.

Coronavirus vaccine developers vow diversity in clinical trials

Drugmakers racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine pledged on Tuesday to ensure their larger clinical trials would include diverse sets of volunteers. In prepared remarks for a U.S. congressional hearing, several companies vowed to include broad representation as they prepare to launch studies with thousands of volunteers in the coming months.