Health News Roundup: Britain presses on with AstraZeneca vaccine amid questions over trial data; Dead mink resurface from mass grave in Denmark and more

Britain presses on with AstraZeneca vaccine amid questions over trial data Britain gave AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine a vote of confidence on Friday when it asked its regulator to assess the shot for a rollout after experts raised questions about trial data and the company said it may run another study to gauge efficacy.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Britain presses on with AstraZeneca vaccine amid questions over trial data

Britain gave AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine a vote of confidence on Friday when it asked its regulator to assess the shot for a rollout after experts raised questions about trial data and the company said it may run another study to gauge efficacy. The UK government has secured 100 million doses of the vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, the most it has ordered of any shot to fight a pandemic that has killed more than 1.4 milion people globally.

Dead mink resurface from mass grave in Denmark

Mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus at fur farms in Denmark have resurfaced from mass graves this week, prompting complaints from residents about possible health risks. Denmark ordered all farmed mink to be culled early this month after finding that a mutated coronavirus, which infected 12 people, showed decreased sensitivity to antibodies, potentially lowering the efficacy of any vaccines.

Biogen, Sage Therapeutics enter $1.5 billion deal to develop, sell depression drug

Biogen Inc has entered into an agreement with Sage Therapeutics to jointly develop and sell a treatment for major depressive disorder, the two companies said on Friday. Sage Therapeutics will receive $1.525 billion in cash comprising an upfront payment of $875 million and a $650 million equity investment as well as potential milestone payments, profit sharing and royalties.

Gout drug Colchicine to be tested as COVID-19 treatment in UK trial

Anti-inflammatory colchicine will be tested as a possible COVID-19 treatment in one of the world's biggest trials, the study website posted on Friday, the latest effort to repurpose existing medicines to fight the pandemic. The RECOVERY trial, which is the world's largest clinical trial of treatments for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, will randomly allocate at least 2,500 patients recruited to receive colchicine, which is used as a treatment for gout.

AstraZeneca CEO expects to run new global trial of COVID-19 vaccine: Bloomberg

AstraZeneca is likely to run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine using a lower dosage, its chief executive was quoted as saying on Thursday amid questions over the results of its late-stage study. Instead of adding the trial to an ongoing U.S. process, AstraZeneca might launch a fresh study to evaluate a lower dosage of its vaccine that performed better than a full dosage, Pascal Soriot told Bloomberg News.

Analysis: Questions over AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine data risk delaying approval

Days after grabbing headlines with its COVID-19 "vaccine for the world", AstraZeneca is facing tricky questions about its success rate that some experts say could hinder its chances of getting speedy U.S. and EU regulatory approval. Several scientists have raised doubts about the robustness of results showing the shot was 90% effective in a sub-group of trial participants who, by error initially, received a half dose followed by a full dose.

Russia to vaccinate armed forces against COVID-19 as new cases hit daily record

Russia plans to vaccinate more than 400,000 military personnel against COVID-19, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday, as authorities reported a record 27,543 new coronavirus cases. Russia, which is working on several vaccines against the virus, has seen a surge in infections since September but authorities have resisted imposing lockdowns, relying instead on targeted measures in certain regions.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Questions over AstraZeneca trial data Symptomless and spreading, South Korea battles surge in silent COVID-19 cases

Asymptomatic COVID-19 patients are driving a surge in new cases in South Korea, frustrating efforts to control transmission by the Asian country which managed to keep infections under control in previous outbreaks. South Korea reported 569 new cases in the 24 hours ending Thursday midnight, a level unseen in nearly nine months, as it grapples with the third wave of the pandemic that appears to be worsening despite tough new social distancing measures.

Trump says coronavirus vaccine deliveries to begin next week

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that delivery of the coronavirus vaccine would begin next week and the week after. Speaking to U.S. troops overseas via video link to mark the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump said the vaccine would initially be send to front-line workers, medical personnel and senior citizens.