Health News Roundup: Moderna begins study of COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents; Not without India: World's pharmacy gears up for vaccine race and more

U.S. FDA advisers wrestle with ethical issues linked to authorizing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters) - A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration meeting on Thursday to weigh authorizing Pfizer Inc's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use were wrestling with when people in the clinical trial who received a placebo should be allowed to get the shots.

Many Canadian seniors living in nursing homes could face delays before receiving Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine after first deliveries arrive next week, as health officials seek to comply with restrictive vaccine handling advice from the drugmaker. Pfizer has advised Canadian health officials to administer early doses of the vaccine at the sites where they are first delivered in large batches. At least until more data is available, it will not be possible to break up batches and send small quantities of the vaccine on to other locations.

Analysis-World watches as first-mover Britain probes adverse reactions to Pfizer vaccine

Britain hailed "V-Day" when it became the first country to roll out the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Yet, as first mover, it has also become the first to report cases of adverse reactions, allowing other nations to watch and learn. Officials from around the world are keen for British authorities to give them as much information as possible about the two reported cases of anaphylaxis among thousands of people inoculated since mass-vaccination began on Tuesday.

Data from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna for COVID-19 vaccines 'very robust'-EMA

The data submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna for their COVID-19 vaccine candidates is "very robust", its executive director said on Thursday. "We have a data set of over 30,000 subjects who have been followed through the clinical trials. This gives us a very robust data set on which to make a decision, both on safety and efficacy," Emer Cooke said at a committee meeting of the European Parliament.

U.S. COVID-19 deaths smash daily record, spurring pleas to trim back Christmas

The daily U.S. COVID-19 death toll has surpassed 3,000 for the first time, prompting pleas for Americans to scale back Christmas plans even with vaccines on the cusp of winning regulatory approval. COVID-19 deaths reached 3,253 on Wednesday, pushing up the U.S. total since the start of the pandemic to 289,740. A record 106,219 people were hospitalized with the highly infectious disease, threatening to overwhelm many healthcare systems.

Not without India: World's pharmacy gears up for vaccine race

India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, is getting set for the massive global blitz to contain the coronavirus pandemic with its pharmaceutical industry and partners freeing up capacity and accelerating investments even without firm purchase orders. India manufactures more than 60% of all vaccines sold across the globe, and while its $40 billion pharmaceutical sector is not yet involved in the production of the expensive Pfizer Inc and Moderna shots, the nation will play a pivotal role in immunizing much of the world.

WTO delays decision on waiver on COVID-19 drug, vaccine rights

World Trade Organization members on Thursday delayed a decision on a proposal to waive intellectual property rules for COVID-19 drugs and vaccines amid ongoing opposition from wealthy countries, a Geneva trade official said. "Big Pharma" has rejected an idea proposed by India and South Africa that would grant compulsory licensing of the vaccines and drugs by overriding patent rules of WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) agreement, allowing generic or other manufactures to make the new products.

Moderna begins study of COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents

(Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Thursday it had dosed the first participants in a mid-to-late stage study testing its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in adolescents aged 12 to less than 18, and aims for data ahead of the 2021 school year. The trial will enroll 3,000 healthy participants in the United States and will assess the safety and effectiveness of two doses of the company's vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, given 28 days apart. U.S.

FDA advisers wrestle with ethical issues linked to authorizing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

(Reuters) - A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration meeting on Thursday to weigh authorizing Pfizer Inc's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use were wrestling with when people in the clinical trial who received a placebo should be allowed to get the shots. The committee is expected to vote sometime after 3:10 p.m. ET (20:10 GMT) on whether the vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech SE, has shown effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 and if its benefits outweigh the risks.