Health News Roundup: BioNTech says it won't challenge vaccine copying in Africa; Kentucky says highly lethal bird flu confirmed in a turkey flock and more

Highly pathogenic avian flu has also been confirmed in turkeys in Indiana and a commercial chicken flock in Kentucky. Moderna eyes COVID booster by August, not clear yet if Omicron-specific needed An Omicron-specific booster could be ready by August, the CEO of U.S. biotech firm Moderna told Reuters, but the firm is still gathering clinical data to determine whether that vaccine would offer better protection than a new dose of the existing jab.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

BioNTech says it won't challenge vaccine copying in Africa

BioNTech's co-founder and top executive said the vaccine maker has no plans to enforce its intellectual property rights should organizations in Africa strike out on their own to produce unauthorized versions of the company's shot. "Our goal is not to keep others from using our technology. Our goal is rather to actively see to it that our technology is available on all continents as safely and as widely as possible," CEO Ugur Sahin told Reuters TV on Wednesday when asked whether he would pursue breaches of patents or patents pending in Africa.

Kentucky says highly lethal bird flu confirmed in a turkey flock

Testing confirmed a highly lethal form of bird flu in a commercial turkey flock in Kentucky, the state said on Wednesday, expanding outbreaks in the U.S. poultry sector. Kentucky on Monday identified the turkeys in Webster County as a suspected outbreak. Highly pathogenic avian flu has also been confirmed in turkeys in Indiana and a commercial chicken flock in Kentucky.

Moderna eyes COVID booster by August, not clear yet if Omicron-specific needed

An Omicron-specific booster could be ready by August, the CEO of U.S. biotech firm Moderna told Reuters, but the firm is still gathering clinical data to determine whether that vaccine would offer better protection than a new dose of the existing jab. Last month Moderna began clinical trials for a booster dose specifically designed to target Omicron but initial results from studies in monkeys show the Omicron-specific shot may not offer stronger protection than a new dose of the existing vaccine. Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel said in an interview the company aimed to have a booster ready by August 2022, before next autumn when he said more vulnerable people may need it.

Lawsuit over Pfizer's disclosures before Chantix recall is dismissed

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit by consumers who accused Pfizer Inc of failing to disclose the presence of cancer-causing agents in Chantix before recalling the anti-smoking drug. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan found no plausible allegations that Pfizer had a duty to disclose that Chantix was contaminated by a type of carcinogen known as a nitrosamine, or was unfit to help consumers quit smoking. She also found no proof that Pfizer's labels were misleading.

Pfizer and BioNTech Omicron-targeted vaccine delayed - BioNTech CEO

Delivery of Pfizer and BioNTech SE's vaccine to combat the Omicron COVID-19 variant was delayed by several weeks due to a slower-than-expected data gathering process, BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin told Germany's Bild on Thursday. Once the vaccine is ready, the company would assess whether it was still needed, Sahin said.

Exclusive-Short AstraZeneca shelf life complicates COVID vaccine rollout to world's poorest

The relatively short shelf life of AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine is complicating the rollout to the world's poorest nations, according to officials and internal World Health Organization documents reviewed by Reuters. It is the latest headache to plague the COVAX vaccine-sharing project, co-led by the WHO and aimed at getting shots to the world's neediest people.

Sage's depression drug improves symptoms, but durability concerns sink shares

Sage Therapeutics Inc's drug helped improve depressive symptoms after three days in a late-stage study, but investor concerns over how long the treatment's effect would last sent the drug developer's shares down 17% on Wednesday. In a study among 440 patients with major depressive disorder, the drug, zuranolone, taken along with an antidepressant also showed a statistically significant improvement in symptoms over a two-week period, the company and partner Biogen Inc said on Wednesday.

Lower testing rates likely reason for falling COVID-19 case reports - WHO

A drop in COVID-19 testing rates is likely contributing to a decline in reported cases even as deaths are rising, the World Health Organization's technical lead on COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove said on Wednesday. "The bigger concern right now, I think, is the still increasing number of deaths," Van Kerkhove said during a virtual panel discussion live-streamed on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Fauci says time to start 'inching' back toward normality

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that it is time for the United States to start inching back towards normality, despite remaining risks from COVID-19. In an interview with Reuters, Fauci said U.S. states are facing tough choices in their efforts to balance the need to protect their citizens from infections and the growing fatigue with a pandemic that has dragged into its third year.

U.S. officials prepare for pandemic's next phase as Omicron wanes

U.S. health officials said on Wednesday they are preparing for the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic as Omicron-related cases decline, including updating CDC guidance on mask-wearing and shoring up U.S. testing capacity. The plans come as a growing number of U.S. states have begun to ease COVID-19 restrictions as cases decline. The seven-day average of daily cases dropped 40% from the previous week, while the daily hospital admission average dropped 28% and the average daily deaths dropped 9%, according to CDC data.