Health News Roundup: Pfizer asks Brazil to authorize booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine; U.N. aid chief to Ethiopia on famine in Tigray: 'Get those trucks moving' and more

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Pardes Biosciences, Japan's Shionogi & Co Ltd and Novartis AG said they have designed antivirals that specifically target the coronavirus while aiming to avoid potential shortcomings such as the need for multiple pills per day or known safety issues. White House says 400,000 people so far got boosters at pharmacies At least 400,000 people in the United States have received booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after U.S. health regulators cleared the third round of shots for millions of people, and a million more are seeking them, the White House said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

COVID-19 pill developers aim to top Merck, Pfizer efforts

As Merck & Co and Pfizer Inc prepare to report clinical trial results for experimental COVID-19 antiviral pills, rivals are lining up with what they hope will prove to be more potent and convenient oral treatments of their own. Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Pardes Biosciences, Japan's Shionogi & Co Ltd and Novartis AG said they have designed antivirals that specifically target the coronavirus while aiming to avoid potential shortcomings such as the need for multiple pills per day or known safety issues.

White House says 400,000 people so far got boosters at pharmacies

At least 400,000 people in the United States have received booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after U.S. health regulators cleared the third round of shots for millions of people, and a million more are seeking them, the White House said on Tuesday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week backed an additional dose https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-cdc-advisers-recommend-covid-19-vaccine-boosters-65-older-high-risk-2021-09-23 of the vaccine for people aged 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for severe COVID-19 and adults in high-risk working and institutional settings.

Pfizer asks Brazil to authorize booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer Inc has asked Brazil's health regulator Anvisa to approve the application of a third dose of its Comirnaty vaccine against COVID-19 and change the package insert to include the booster option, the agency said on Tuesday. The booster request would apply to all age groups that the vaccine is currently used for, from 12 years and up.

Sanofi ditches mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after rivals' success

Sanofi is dropping plans for its own mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine because of the dominance achieved by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna in using the technology to fight the pandemic, the company said on Tuesday. The move highlights the challenges of competing in particular with pioneer BioNTech, which rose from obscurity through its alliance with pharma major Pfizer last year. They have delivered close to 1.5 billion doses so far to become the Western world's largest COVID-19 vaccine maker.

U.N. aid chief to Ethiopia on famine in Tigray: 'Get those trucks moving'

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday he assumes famine has taken hold in Ethiopia's Tigray where a nearly three-month long "de-facto blockade" has restricted aid deliveries to 10% of what is needed in the war-torn region. Griffiths told Reuters during an interview that his request was simple: "Get those trucks moving."

Costa Rica mandates COVID-19 vaccination for all state workers

Authorities in Costa Rica said on Tuesday all state workers will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, making it one of the first countries in Latin America to impose a coronavirus vaccination mandate. Private companies across the country will also be able to mandate vaccination for their own employees, the health ministry said in a statement. No deadline was given for when employees must comply.

Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Japan will lift a state of emergency in all regions on Thursday as the number of new cases falls, while India reported the smallest daily rise in COVID-19 deaths since mid-March. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

Brazil hospital chain hid COVID-19 deaths, whistleblowers' lawyer tells Senate

A Brazilian hospital chain tested unproven drugs on elderly COVID-19 patients without their knowledge as part of an effort to validate President Jair Bolsonaro's preferred 'miracle cure,' a lawyer for whistleblowing doctors told senators on Tuesday. At least nine people died of COVID-19 during the trials at the Prevent Senior hospital chain from March to April 2020, but their charts were altered to hide the cause of death, lawyer Bruna Morato told a Senate inquiry.

Chile lawmakers take 'first step' towards easing abortion rules

Chile's lower Chamber of Deputies approved on Tuesday a plan to debate a bill that would expand the legal access for women to get abortions, despite opposition from the South American country's center-right government. The lower house passed the motion with 75 votes in favor versus 68 against and two abstentions, which allows it to move forward examining the bill that proposed legalizing termination of pregnancy up to 14 weeks.

Drug distributors strike 1st opioid settlement with Native American tribe for $75 million

The three largest U.S. drug distributors will pay more than $75 million to resolve claims they fueled an opioid epidemic in the Cherokee Nation's territory in Oklahoma, marking the first settlement with a tribal government in the litigation over the U.S. addiction crisis. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin on Tuesday said the settlement, which will be paid over 6-1/2 years, would "enable us to increase our investments in mental health treatment facilities and other programs to help our people recover."