Reuters Health News Summary

Indonesia approves China's Sinovac vaccine as infections surge Indonesia gave Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine its first emergency use approval outside China on Monday as the world's fourth most populous country launches nationwide inoculations to stem surging infections and deaths.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Novavax bosses cash out for $46 million with COVID-19 vaccine trials still under way

Top executives at U.S. pharmaceutical company Novavax Inc aren't waiting to see how well their COVID-19 vaccine works before they reap the financial rewards. Chief Executive Stanley Erck and three of his top lieutenants have sold roughly $46 million of company stock since the start of last year, according to a Reuters review of securities filings, capitalizing on a near 3,000% rally in Novavax shares fueled by investors betting on the success of the shot under development. Palestinians approve Russian COVID-19 vaccine for use, Russian wealth fund says

The Palestinian health ministry has approved the main Russian vaccine against COVID-19, known as Sputnik V, for use in Palestinian self-ruled territory, Russia's sovereign wealth fund said on Monday. The first shipment of the shot is expected to arrive next month, with all deliveries expected in the first quarter of this year, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad. Indonesia approves China's Sinovac vaccine as infections surge

Indonesia gave Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine its first emergency use approval outside China on Monday as the world's fourth most populous country launches nationwide inoculations to stem surging infections and deaths. A lack of data and varying efficacy rates reported for the vaccine from different countries could undermine public trust in the rollout, according to public health experts. UK faces worst weeks of COVID pandemic, accelerates vaccine rollout

Britain is facing the worst weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, its chief medical officer said on Monday, with the health service entering a "dangerous time" as deaths and cases hit record highs while a mass vaccination programme picks up steam. Deaths from the virus have now exceeded 81,000 in the United Kingdom - the world's fifth-highest toll - with more than 3 million people testing positive. A new, more transmissible variant of the disease is surging through the population, with one in 20 people in parts of London now infected. China says WHO team to probe COVID-19 origins will arrive Thursday

A World Health Organization (WHO) team of international experts tasked with investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic will arrive in China on Jan. 14, Chinese authorities said on Monday. Lack of authorisation from Beijing had delayed the arrival of the 10-strong team on a long-awaited mission to investigate early infections, in what China's foreign ministry called a "misunderstanding". Lilly says Alzheimer's drug slows clinical decline in mid-stage trial

Eli Lilly and Co said on Monday a trial of its experimental Alzheimer's drug donanemab showed it slowed by about a third the rate of decline in a combined measure of cognition and function in early-stage victims of the disease. The drug is an antibody designed to remove clumps of the Alzheimer's-related protein beta amyloid from the brain. BioNTech aims for 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021

German COVID-19 vaccine maker BioNTech, partner of U.S. pharmaceutical group Pfizer, said on Monday it aims to produce two billion doses of its vaccine this year. "We now believe that we can potentially deliver approximately 2 billion doses in total by the end of 2021, which incorporates the updated 6-dose label," BioNTech said in a presentation. Global coronavirus cases surpass 90 million in battle on new variant

Worldwide coronavirus cases surpassed 90 million on Monday, according to Reuters tally, as nations around the globe scramble to procure vaccines and continue to extend or reinstate lockdowns to fight new coronavirus variants. The new COVID-19 variants discovered initially in the United Kingdom and South Africa are rapidly spreading globally. India wants Serum Institute to lower price of AstraZeneca shot -sources

The Indian government has been negotiating with the Serum Institute of India to bring down the price of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, people close to the matter said, delaying the roll-out of the country's immunisation programme. India's drug regulator has approved emergency use of the vaccine developed by Oxford University as well as another developed by Indian firm Bharat Biotech, but the government has not placed firm orders with either firm. Russia to try out 'Sputnik-Light' COVID vaccine to make it go further

Russia will conduct a clinical trial of a one-dose "Sputnik-Light" version of its coronavirus vaccine, authorities said on Monday, describing it as a possible "temporary" solution to help countries with high infection rates make it go further. The slimmed-down vaccine will be tested on 150 people in Moscow and St Petersburg, a government clinical trials register showed.