Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca ready to scrap plans for U.S. approval of COVID shot - FT; Germany to lift most COVID restrictions and more

Jha, a highly respected internist who leads the Brown University School of Public Health, takes on the role as the United States shifts to a new phase of the pandemic two years after the coronavirus upended the nation, the White House said. MDMA use drops due to COVID lockdowns, other drugs rise -EU report The closure of nightclubs and bars during COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe is likely behind a significant drop in the use of party drug MDMA last year but consumption of other substances such as cocaine and cannabis kept rising, an EU study said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Yemen's war robs many children of lifesaving heart surgery, doctors say

While waiting for a sponsor to pay for congenital heart defect surgery, gangrene caused by the untreated ailment ate away at 16-year-old Zamzam Hizam's foot. She is among millions of Yemenis struggling to obtain lifesaving medical treatment due to a seven-year-old war that has destroyed Yemen's health system, hindered the entry of foreign surgeons, restricted travel abroad by locals and spread poverty.

Alnylam files patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer, Moderna

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc on Thursday filed lawsuits in Delaware federal court against Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc, claiming their multibillion-dollar mRNA COVID-19 vaccines infringe one its patents. Alnylam said it was seeking damages over the use of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology used in the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to carry and deliver genetic material into the body.

AstraZeneca ready to scrap plans for U.S. approval of COVID shot - FT

An AstraZeneca Plc executive said the British drugmaker would consider not submitting its COVID-19 vaccine for approval in the United States if the regulatory process takes too long, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The company's research and development head, Mene Pangalos, said AstraZeneca would instead focus on selling the vaccine in other countries, though it will continue talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the report. https://on.ft.com/3IeoE97

Germany to lift most COVID restrictions

Germany will lift most restrictions to contain the coronavirus despite infections hitting a record in the country on Thursday. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after talks with leaders of Germany's 16 states that a record of almost 300,000 infections in one day was not good news, but the easing of restrictions was justified given intensive care units were not overwhelemed.

Analysis-Clear roadmap needed for Hong Kong's revival as COVID sweeps through city -experts

In just under two months, Hong Kong went from being one of the best places in the world at controlling COVID-19 to one of the worst. Deaths have skyrocketed, the health system is swamped, morgues are overflowing and public confidence in the city government is at an all-time low.

Italy disbands COVID board of experts as health emergency ends-Draghi

A board of experts advising the Italian government on the COVID-19 crisis will be disbanded when the national state of emergency ends on March 31, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday. Draghi told reporters that the government was going to gradually unwind restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, but warned they could be re-introduced if the situation worsened again.

Britain approves AstraZeneca's preventative COVID therapy

Britain's medicines regulator has approved AstraZeneca's antibody-based COVID-19 treatment for preventing infections in adults with poor immune response, marking a major step in the fight against the pandemic as infections surge globally. The decision to grant approval for the treatment, Evusheld, was endorsed by the government's independent scientific advisory body, Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Thursday.

Generic drugmakers sign on to make cheap version of Pfizer COVID pill

Thirty five generic drugmakers around the world will make cheap versions of Pfizer Inc's highly effective COVID-19 oral antiviral Paxlovid to supply the treatment in 95 poorer countries, the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) said on Thursday. Pfizer struck a deal last year with the group to allow generic drugmakers to make the pills for 95 low- and middle-income countries. They have been working since then to select the drugmakers they will license.

U.S. COVID chief Zients to be replaced by Brown University health expert Jha

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday named public health expert Dr. Ashish Jha to replace White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients, who will leave his post next month, as the administration prepares for new COVID-19 variants and infection surges that could hit the country. Jha, a highly respected internist who leads the Brown University School of Public Health, takes on the role as the United States shifts to a new phase of the pandemic two years after the coronavirus upended the nation, the White House said.

MDMA use drops due to COVID lockdowns, other drugs rise -EU report

The closure of nightclubs and bars during COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe is likely behind a significant drop in the use of party drug MDMA last year but consumption of other substances such as cocaine and cannabis kept rising, an EU study said on Thursday. Conducted by the Lisbon-based European Union drugs agency (EMCDDA), a study of wastewater from nearly 45 million people in 75 European cities revealed that the use of most drugs, except MDMA, increased last year.

(With inputs from agencies.)