Health News Roundup: Large study shows 45,000 new daily COVID infections in England; Pfizer's breast cancer drug Ibrance fails late-stage study and more

Large study shows 45,000 new daily COVID infections in England There are as many as 45,000 new COVID infections in England each day, the largest study on prevalence of the coronavirus in the population said on Friday, adding that a resurgence in the north of the country could be replicated elsewhere in weeks.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Takeda-led COVID-19 plasma treatment enters clinical trial with first patient

Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Co said on Friday an alliance of drugmakers it spearheads has enrolled its first patient in a global clinical trial of a blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 after months of regulatory delays. The phase 3 trial by the group, known as the CoVIg Plasma Alliance, aims to enroll 500 adult patients from the United States, Mexico and 16 other countries, according to a statement.

UK R rate edges down to 1.2-1.5 but government scientists cautious

The UK's reproduction "R" number of COVID-19 has edged down to 1.2-1.5 from 1.3-1.6, government scientists said on Friday, adding there was still widespread growth of the epidemic across the country. An R number between 1.2 and 1.5 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 15 other people. The daily infection growth rate was between +4% to +9%, compared to +5% to +9% a week ago.

A large study shows 45,000 new daily COVID infections in England

There are as many as 45,000 new COVID infections in England each day, the largest study on prevalence of the coronavirus in the population said on Friday, adding that a resurgence in the north of the country could be replicated elsewhere in weeks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is battling to avert a second wave of COVID-19 with local lockdowns, but the study suggests that the number of daily infections could far exceed the 17,540 reported on Thursday.

Pfizer's breast cancer drug Ibrance fails late-stage study

Pfizer Inc said on Friday its cancer drug Ibrance did not meet the main goal in a late-stage trial in patients with a type of breast cancer, the latest setback in the company's attempt to expand the use of the drug to treat early stages of the disease. The latest development comes after an independent data monitoring committee said in May a similar trial comparing Ibrance plus an endocrine therapy to a standalone endocrine therapy to treat early-stage breast cancer was unlikely to meet the main goal.

Fauci says 'reasonably good chance' Regeneron antibody therapy helped Trump

Top U.S. infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Thursday that President Donald Trump's health was likely helped by an experimental therapy made by Regeneron Inc in which he received antibodies to fight the disease. "There is a reasonably good chance that in fact it made him much better," Fauci said during an interview on MSNBC.

Gilead's remdesivir shaved five days off COVID-19 recovery time, reduced risk of death in some

Final data from Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir showed the treatment cut COVID-19 recovery time by five days compared with patients who got a placebo, one day faster than indicated in preliminary data, the company and researchers said on Thursday. In patients who were on oxygen when they first got the drug, remdesivir - sold under the brand Veklury - reduced recovery time by seven days compared with placebo after 29 days, according to the 1,062-patient study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

New York City parents scramble to deal with new school closures as COVID-19 resurges

The 6-year-old son of Jodi Cook, a Brooklyn mother of two, had just resumed in-person classes at his local elementary — only to face the closure of his school again as coronavirus cases spiked nearby. Cook said she was disappointed. Last week, public elementary schools in New York City welcomed back students to the classroom as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's blended learning plan after a months-long hiatus.

Nepal warns of healthcare crisis as coronavirus infections cross 100,000

Nepal's total coronavirus infections passed 100,000 on Friday, the health ministry said, and are rising at a faster rate than both Pakistan and Bangladesh which have far larger populations. The country of 30 million people wedged between China and India has reported 100,676 total cases of coronavirus and 600 deaths. On Friday it reported 2,059 new daily cases and ten deaths after performing 13,279 tests, according to official data.

Iranian hospitals battling coronavirus to stop non-emergency treatment

Iran announced on Friday that non-emergency patients would not be admitted to hospitals due to large numbers of coronavirus patients as the governor of Tehran extended the closure of public places in the capital, which has been the hardest hit. It was not clear if the hospitals directive, which was announced by deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi, applied to the whole country or just Tehran.

China joins WHO-backed vaccine programme COVAX rejected by Trump

China has joined a global scheme for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), it said on Friday, giving a major boost to an initiative shunned by U.S. President Donald Trump. Beijing's latest bid to join the global fight against the coronavirus follows criticism over its handling of the pandemic, which has contributed to a growing unfavourable view of China in advanced nations, a recent survey showed.