Health News Roundup: New Zealand's COVID cases jump as its battles Delta variant; COVID-19 pill developers aim to top Merck, Pfizer efforts 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. U.S. FDA approves AbbVie's migraine prevention drug AbbVie Inc said on Tuesday the U.S. health regulator approved its once-daily oral medicine for preventive treatment of migraine in adults, adding a third drug to the drugmaker's arsenal of therapies for severe headaches.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New Zealand's COVID cases jump as its battles Delta variant

New Zealand's daily coronavirus cases jumped to their highest level in weeks on Wednesday, a setback to the South Pacific nation's battle to eliminate the highly infectious Delta variant from its shores. Health authorities reported 45 new cases, all in the biggest city, Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 1,230.

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.

U.S. FDA approves AbbVie's migraine prevention drug

AbbVie Inc said on Tuesday the U.S. health regulator approved its once-daily oral medicine for preventive treatment of migraine in adults, adding a third drug to the drugmaker's arsenal of therapies for severe headaches. The drug, Qulipta, which AbbVie will launch in early October, will enter a crowded market for migraine prevention drugs such as Eli Lilly's Emgality, Amgen Inc's Aimovig, and Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co Ltd's Nurtec ODT.

United Airlines ready to fire workers for defying vaccine mandate

United Airlines said on Tuesday nearly 600 U.S.-based employees faced termination after failing to comply with the carrier's vaccination policy. In early August, the company became the first U.S. carrier to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all domestic employees, requiring proof of vaccination by Monday.

COVID-19 pandemic hurt UK trials for cancer drugs, industry body says

The COVID-19 pandemic badly hit enrolment into clinical trials for drugs to treat cancer, heart disease, and other conditions, an industry body said in a report on Wednesday, adding that a recovery in recruitment was lagging some European peers. Last year saw the ground-breaking development of COVID-19 vaccines in record-quick time, with vaccines made by Pfizer and AstraZeneca gaining emergency approval in Britain by the end of the year, and treatment dexamethasone was shown to reduce death in a British study.

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.

NBA-Unvaccinated players to face extensive COVID-19 restrictions: ESPN

NBA players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to comply with a long list of restrictions to take part in the upcoming season, ESPN reported. Vaccination is not mandatory but 90% of players already are, NBA Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told Yahoo Sports in July.

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.

U.S. FDA leaning toward approving Moderna half-dose booster -Bloomberg News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is leaning toward authorizing half-dose booster shots of the Moderna Inc COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The FDA had been seeking information about the effectiveness of a full third dose of the Moderna vaccine, but is now ready to move forward and consider the half-dose booster Moderna has proposed, the report said.

U.S. administers 391.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 391,152,574 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Tuesday morning and distributed 472,646,105 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The number of doses administered is up from 390,664,923 vaccine doses as reported on Monday, the CDC said.

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