Health News Roundup: U.S. authorizes Regeneron's COVID-19 antibody therapy for injection; Australia's Victoria state reports five new COVID-19 cases, Delta cluster grows and more

The therapy, REGEN-COV, and a similar treatment developed by rival Eli Lilly were being given through one-time infusion and required patients to be isolated. U.S. CDC director urges teens to get vaccinated after hospitalizations rise The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director urged teenagers to get vaccinated, as new data from the agency's researchers showed one in three teenagers who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 early this year needed ICU admission.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. authorizes Regeneron's COVID-19 antibody therapy for injection

The U.S. health regulator authorized a lower dose of Regeneron Pharmaceutical's COVID-19 antibody cocktail that can be given by injection, a move that could ease logistical challenges stemming from administering a higher dose intravenously. The therapy, REGEN-COV, and a similar treatment developed by rival Eli Lilly were being given through one-time infusion and required patients to be isolated.

U.S. CDC director urges teens to get vaccinated after hospitalizations rise

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director urged teenagers to get vaccinated, as new data from the agency's researchers showed one in three teenagers who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 early this year needed ICU admission. "I am deeply concerned by the numbers of hospitalized adolescents and saddened to see the number of adolescents who required treatment in intensive care units or mechanical ventilation," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement on Friday.

Exclusive: Blackwater founder Prince takes role in COVID vaccine venture

Erik Prince, the founder of controversial private military firm Blackwater and a supporter of former President Donald Trump, jumped into the COVID-19 business late last year with a deal to distribute an experimental vaccine should it be approved, according to three people familiar with the arrangement and business records are seen by Reuters. The COVID-19 vaccine, known as UB-612, is being developed by a privately-held U.S. firm called COVAXX.

U.S. administers 299.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 299,120,522 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and distributed 369,159,075 doses as of Friday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 297,720,928 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by June 3 out of 368,375,195 doses delivered.

Australia's Victoria state reports five new COVID-19 cases, Delta cluster grows

Australia's second-most populous state Victoria on Saturday reported a small increase in locally acquired COVID-19 cases as authorities hunted for the source of a highly infectious variant that has been detected in a new cluster. Five new local cases were reported, taking Victoria's total to 70 in the latest outbreak, including one recovered case, as the state capital Melbourne entered its second weekend of a hard lockdown, due to end on June 10. Curbs were eased for the rest of the state on Friday.

Investors, patients await FDA decision on Biogen Alzheimer's drug due Monday

U.S. regulators are slated to decided by Monday whether to approve Biogen Inc's controversial Alzheimer's disease drug, and Wall Street analysts and industry observers are deeply divided on its chances of making it over the finish line. Given the desperate need for anything that can help patients with the mind-wasting disease, some analysts are betting on approval, while others put the chances well below 50%.

U.S. FDA approves Novo Nordisk's semaglutide as obesity treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's once-weekly semaglutide drug as a treatment for obesity, a condition that affects nearly 70% of American adults. The drugmaker said it was expecting to launch the drug, which would be sold under the brand name Wegovy, in the United States later in June 2021.

Analysis: India's vaccine inequity worsens as countryside languishes

Urban Indians are getting COVID-19 shots much faster than the hundreds of millions of people living in the countryside, government data shows, reflecting rising inequity in the nation's immunisation drive. In 114 of India's least developed districts - collectively home to about 176 million people - authorities have administered just 23 million doses in total.

Japan eyes sending coronavirus vaccines to Vietnam - NHK

Japan is considering sending coronavirus vaccine doses to Vietnam, NHK public television reported on Saturday, a day after Japan delivered more than a million doses of vaccine to Taiwan. Vietnam, which had early success in coping with the coronavirus, is battling a new and more stubborn wave of infections and is trying to speed up its vaccine procurement.

India posts daily rise of 120,529 new COVID-19 cases

India reported on Saturday 120,529 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,380. The tally of infections stood at al 28.69 million and the death toll at 344,082, data from the federal health ministry showed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)