Health News Roundup: Bank rules force staff to turn off NHS COVID-19 tracing app at work; UAE company nears end of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine trial and more

Regeneron antibodies in demand after Trump treatment, doctors seek more data Patients are asking to join clinical trials of antibody-based COVID-19 drugs after U.S. President Donald Trump was treated last week with an experimental therapy from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, and on Wednesday he promised to make it free to Americans while touting its benefits.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Regeneron antibodies in demand after Trump treatment, doctors seek more data

Patients are asking to join clinical trials of antibody-based COVID-19 drugs after U.S. President Donald Trump was treated last week with an experimental therapy from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, and on Wednesday he promised to make it free to Americans while touting its benefits. Medical experts said more data is needed to assess the treatment's efficacy before wider use should be allowed.

Bank rules force staff to turn off NHS COVID-19 tracing app at work

Branch staff at some of Britain's biggest banks say rules that require them to store phones in lockers while at work are putting them at undue risk of COVID-19 from colleagues and customers, as they cannot use the country's tracing app. Lloyds Banking Group, along with rival TSB, are among those advising employees to deactivate the NHS Track & Trace app during office hours, when they are not allowed to keep phones on their person.

UAE company nears end of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine trial

A United Arab Emirates company is nearing the end of Phase III clinical trials of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine and hopes to manufacture it next year, a representative said. The trial, which began in mid-July, is a partnership between Sinopharm's China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Group 42 (G42).

Eli Lilly in deal to supply COVID-19 drugs to low-income countries

Eli Lilly and Co said on Thursday it had entered into an agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for potential supply of its experimental antibody treatments for COVID-19 to low and middle-income countries. As part of the deal, Lilly will make antibody therapies available to lower-income countries prior to April 2021, but did not elaborate on the number of doses.

Trump is symptom-free and stable, White House doctor says

U.S. President Donald Trump has had no COVID-19 symptoms for the past 24 hours, with a physical examination and his vital signs showing his condition remains sable, White House physician Sean Conley said on Wednesday. Conley, in a statement released with Trump's permission, said the president has been fever-free for more than four days and had not needed or received any supplemental oxygen since his initial hospitalization.

Europe stocks up on Gilead's remdesivir as COVID-19 infections spike

Gilead Sciences said on Thursday it had agreed to sell Europe up to 500,000 courses of its antiviral drug remdesivir, as the continent shores up supplies of one of only two drugs approved to treat COVID-19 patients ahead of the winter. The deal will cover purchases of the drug for the next six months for 37 countries: the 27-nation European Union, Britain, six Balkan countries and the other European Economic Area (EEA) countries - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

EU secures Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for 400 million people

The European Commission said on Thursday it had sealed a supply deal with Johnson & Johnson for the supply of its potential COVID-19 vaccine for up to 400 million people. This is the third advance purchase contract signed by the EU with makers of COVID-19 vaccines after deals with AstraZeneca and Sanofi.

Russia's R-Pharm retools arthritis drug for COVID-19 patients in clinical trial

Russian pharmaceutical company R-Pharm is working to retool rheumatoid arthritis drug, olokizumab, to treat COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe infections, its Chief Medical Officer Mikhail Samsonov told Reuters in an interview. Final results of a 372-person placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial, are due to be published in late October or early November, Samsonov said, but the drug has been included in national guidelines for treating patients with moderate COVID-19 infections and early signs are encouraging.

Moderna will not enforce COVID-19 vaccine patents during pandemic

Moderna Inc said on Thursday it would not enforce patents related to its experimental COVID-19 vaccine while the pandemic continues, a move that would allow other drugmakers to develop shots using the company's technology. Moderna is not asserting its intellectual property rights for its vaccine technology and is willing to license the technology behind its experimental coronavirus vaccine after the pandemic, the company said in a statement.

Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

U.S. President Donald Trump, still confined to the White House where he is being treated for COVID-19, planned more steps on Thursday to try to reinvigorate a re-election campaign hit hard by his handling of the pandemic.