Health News Roundup: Coronavirus sweeps through Milan's La Scala opera house; Osteoporosis drug helps Amgen third-quarter profit and more

France and Germany thrust into lockdown as second COVID-19 wave sweeps Europe French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered their countries back into lockdown on Wednesday, as a massive second wave of coronavirus infections threatened to overwhelm Europe before the winter.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Coronavirus sweeps through Milan's La Scala opera house

The coronavirus is battering Milan's prestigious La Scala opera house, with 18 singers and nine musicians testing positive for the disease, an official said on Wednesday. All the members of the chorus were in quarantine along with the wind section of the orchestra, while the theatre awaited results from tests of other staff members.

Osteoporosis drug helps Amgen third-quarter profit beat estimates

Amgen Inc on Wednesday said its third-quarter adjusted profit rose 17% due to stronger sales of drugs including the osteoporosis treatment Prolia and recently-acquired psoriasis medication Otezla. The higher-than-expected results were partially offset by lower drug prices and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

UK says COVID-19 vaccine roll out could start before Christmas

A COVID-19 vaccine could be rolled out in Britain for some people before Christmas but an early 2021 launch is more likely, the woman responsible for procuring possible jabs in Britain said on Wednesday. "If the first two vaccines, or either of them, show that they are both safe and effective, I think there is a possibility that vaccine roll out will start this side of Christmas, but otherwise I think it's more realistic to expect it to be early next year," Kate Bingham said on BBC television.

Miniature organs help test potential coronavirus drugs; GI symptoms linked to severe COVID-19

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Miniature lungs, colons help test COVID-19 treatments.

U.S. strikes deal with Lilly for potential COVID-19 antibody drug

The U.S. government has agreed to pay $375 million to Eli Lilly and Co for 300,000 doses of its experimental COVID-19 antibody treatment, a drug similar to a treatment that U.S. President Donald Trump received. Lilly will start delivering the doses within two months of receiving an emergency use authorization from the U.S. health regulator, the company said.

France and Germany thrust into lockdown as second COVID-19 wave sweeps Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered their countries back into lockdown on Wednesday, as a massive second wave of coronavirus infections threatened to overwhelm Europe before the winter. World stock markets went into a dive in response to the news that Europe's biggest economies were imposing nationwide restrictions almost as severe as the ones that drove the global economy this year into its deepest recession in generations.

Germany to go into circuit-break lockdown as coronavirus surges

Germany will impose an emergency month-long lockdown that includes the closure of restaurants, gyms and theatres to reverse a spike in coronavirus cases that risks overwhelming hospitals, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday. "We need to take action now," she said, adding that the recent steep rise in infections had generated sufficient political and public support for new tough measures to reduce social contacts and suppress outbreaks.

France to enact second lockdown to put brakes on COVID-19 surge

France will go back into a nationwide lockdown starting this week to try to contain the COVID-19 epidemic that is again threatening to spiral out of control, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an address to the nation on Wednesday. The new measures he announced - which come into force on Friday and will last until Dec. 1 - will mean people have to stay in their homes except to buy essential goods, seek medical attention, or use their daily one-hour allocation of exercise.

Hospitals in Wisconsin, Texas under strain as COVID-19 cases surge

UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin has been rushing to convert available space into units for COVID-19 patients, as the state's medical facilities struggle to keep pace with a surge in new infections. As part of the effort, the medical center opened a new intensive care unit (ICU) this week ahead of schedule, and it is quickly filling with coronavirus patients.

Gilead quarterly revenue rises 17% on remdesivir sales

Gilead Sciences Inc reported a 17% rise in quarterly revenue on Wednesday, helped by sales of its antiviral drug remdesivir, the first and only treatment approved in the United States for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Remdesivir brought in $873 million in the third quarter, below analysts' estimates of $960 million, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

(With inputs from agencies.)