Health News Roundup: Trump will sign executive orders on lowering drug prices on Friday; WHO sees 'intense transmission' of virus in relatively few countries and more

WHO sees 'intense transmission' of virus in relatively few countries The World Health Organization is seeing intense transmission of the coronavirus in relatively few countries, its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Trump will sign executive orders on lowering drug prices on Friday: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump will sign executive orders on lowering drug prices on Friday, the White House said. Trump, who had previously urged lawmakers to rein in drug costs, will deliver remarks and sign the executive orders at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) on Friday, according to the president's schedule issued by the White House on Thursday.

WHO sees 'intense transmission' of virus in relatively few countries

The World Health Organization is seeing intense transmission of the coronavirus in relatively few countries, its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Thursday. "We continue to see intense transmission in a relatively small group of countries," he told a virtual briefing in Geneva. "Two-thirds of all cases are from 10 countries. Almost half of all cases reported so far are from just three countries."

WHO chief denounces 'unacceptable' comments questioning his independence

The head of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that reported comments by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo questioning his independence were untrue and would not distract the organization from its work in fighting the coronavirus. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has come under criticism, especially from U.S. President Donald Trump and Pompeo, who have accused him of being pro-China.

BASF agrees to settle talc class action lawsuit for $72 million

German chemical company BASF SE on Thursday agreed to pay $72.5 million to settle a class-action fraud lawsuit over allegations its talc contained asbestos and caused lung injuries and cancer, court documents showed. Under the agreement, compensation from the settlement fund can be received by those who filed a lawsuit against the company between March 1984 and March 2011 over asbestos-related injuries but had their lawsuit dismissed or voluntarily dismissed it.

Australian state tightens restrictions as coronavirus clusters grow

Restrictions were reintroduced in Australia's most populous state of New South Wales on Friday as authorities battle to control fresh coronavirus clusters that have emerged in Sydney over the last several days. Group bookings at restaurants, cafes, and clubs will be limited to 10 people, and patrons inside a venue will be capped to 300 in rules that take effect amid a growing cluster stemming from a Thai restaurant in suburban Sydney.

U.S. coronavirus deaths top 1,100 for a third day in a row

The United States on Thursday recorded more than 1,100 deaths from COVID-19, marking the third straight day the nation passed that grim milestone as the pandemic escalates in southern and western U.S. states. Fatalities nationwide were recorded at 1,118 on Thursday. Deaths were 1,135 on Wednesday and 1,141 on Tuesday.

U.S. clears way for drugmakers to share COVID antibody capacity

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday said it will not stand in the way of efforts by companies, including Eli Lilly and Co and Amgen Inc, to share information to help scale up the capacity to manufacture antibody treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. In a letter to Lilly, Amgen, AbCellera Biologics, AstraZeneca Plc, Roche Holding's Genentech unit, and GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the DOJ said demand for monoclonal antibodies targeting COVID-19 is likely to exceed what one firm could produce on its own.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 815 to 204,183: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 815 to 204,183, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday. The reported death toll rose by 10 to 9,111, the tally showed.

Brazil registers nearly 60,000 new coronavirus cases

Brazil registered 59,961 additional cases of the new coronavirus on Thursday, the second-highest daily jump after a record on Wednesday, bringing total confirmed cases to nearly 2.3 million in the world's worst outbreak outside the United States. Brazil's Health Ministry also reported 1,311 more deaths from COVID-19, pushing the official death toll past 84,000.

Trump to announce executive action to lower drug costs - Bloomberg News

President Donald Trump will announce executive action to lower drug costs to match foreign prices, including a plan for Americans to buy lower-cost prescription medication imported from Canada, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The executive action could be announced as early as Friday and will include a policy to tie Medicare payments to foreign countries' drug prices, according to Bloomberg https://bit.ly/3hwyAy4. The order will also include a policy to cut the cost of insulin and Epi-Pens at hospitals through a current drug discount program, the report added, citing sources.

(With inputs from agencies.)