Health News Roundup: Biogen Alzheimer's drug hits roadblocks with some hospitals, insurers; India's daily COVID-19 infections rise by 38,949 and more

The county, home to 10 million people and the nation's second-largest city, Los Angeles, is one of several jurisdictions to recommend or mandate wearing masks or other pandemic restrictions in recent days as cases rise to worrisome levels in many parts of the United States. Volunteer undertakers carry Indonesian dead from homes as COVID-19 deaths rise After his work as a taxi driver dried up because of Indonesia's new coronavirus restrictions, Ardi Novriansyah offered his driving skills to help his home city's buckling medical system.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Biogen Alzheimer's drug hits roadblocks with some hospitals, insurers

Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's drug, the first new treatment for the memory-robbing disease in nearly 20 years, hit new barriers on Thursday with some large hospitals declining to use it and health insurers delaying a decision while awaiting coverage terms from Medicare. An influential panel of medical experts also voted unanimously that there is no evidence that the drug, Aduhelm, provides a net health benefit to patients.

India's daily COVID-19 infections rise by 38,949

India reported Friday 38,949 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed, taking the nationwide tally above 31 million.

Pharmacies pull J&J sunscreens off shelves after carcinogen found in some sprays

Pharmacy chains CVS Health, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and retailer Walmart Inc began pulling Johnson & Johnson's sunscreen products off their shelves after J&J said it had detected a cancer-causing chemical in some samples. Pharmaceutical and consumer goods company J&J on Wednesday voluntarily recalled five Neutrogena and Aveeno brand aerosol sunscreens and advised consumers to stop using the products and discard them after internal testing found low levels of benzene in some sprays.

Canada may allow fully vaccinated travelers by early September - Trudeau

Canada may permit fully vaccinated travelers into the country by early September, the country's prime minister said on Thursday, if the current trend in vaccination rate and public health conditions continues. Justin Trudeau made the remarks in a call with Canadian provincial leaders, according to a readout of the call released by his office.

Pfizer agrees to pay $345 million to resolve EpiPen pricing lawsuit

Pfizer Inc has agreed to pay $345 million to resolve claims by consumers who claim they overpaid for EpiPens due to anti-competitive and unfair practices by the drugmaker and the company that markets the emergency allergy treatment, Mylan. The proposed class action settlement was disclosed in a filing in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas. The deal, which requires a judge's approval, would not resolve claims against Mylan, which is scheduled to face trial in January.

White House slams Facebook as conduit for COVID-19 misinformation

Facebook is not doing enough to stop the spread of false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday, part of a new administration pushback on misinformation in the United States. Facebook, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, needs to work harder to remove inaccurate vaccine information from its platform, Psaki said.

Philippines detects first local transmission of Delta variant

The Philippines has recorded the country's first locally transmitted cases of the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant, the health ministry said on Friday, with one person dying from the disease. Of the 16 new COVID-19 cases found to have contracted the Delta variant, 11 were tagged as locally acquired cases, health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a news conference.

World leaders dial in as New Zealand hosts special APEC meeting on pandemic

U.S. President Joe Biden, Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, and other world leaders meet virtually on Friday for the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC, seeking collective actions to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts. New Zealand, the revolving Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation host, said this week it will chair the extraordinary meeting ahead of a formal gathering in November, the first time such an additional meeting has been held.

Mask mandate returns to Los Angeles as coronavirus cases rise

Los Angeles County will reimpose its mask mandate this weekend in the latest sign that public health officials are struggling with an alarming rise in coronavirus cases tied to the highly contagious Delta variant. The county, home to 10 million people and the nation's second-largest city, Los Angeles, is one of several jurisdictions to recommend or mandate wearing masks or other pandemic restrictions in recent days as cases rise to worrisome levels in many parts of the United States.

Volunteer undertakers carry Indonesian dead from homes as COVID-19 deaths rise

After his work as a taxi driver dried up because of Indonesia's new coronavirus restrictions, Ardi Novriansyah offered his driving skills to help his home city's buckling medical system. Ardi, 41, is one of about 35 volunteers in Bogor, south of Jakarta, who recover the bodies of people that have died from COVID-19 while isolating at home.

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