Health News Roundup: Liquid biopsy identifies who can skip chemo after colon cancer surgery -study; Spain's monkeypox case tally rises to 186, Health Ministry says, and more

But in a current spate of cases, more than 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported the illness - with more than 550 confirmed or suspected infections, mostly in Europe. J&J, AbbVie cancer drug significantly slows the progression of rare lymphoma: study Johnson & Johnson and AbbVie's big-selling leukemia drug Imbruvica in combination with standard treatment kept a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in check for more than two years longer than the standard regimen alone in older patients, according to data presented on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Factbox-Global baby formula makers send products to restock U.S. shelves

Global companies that make baby formula are bringing products into the United States after the country's health regulator relaxed its import policy to address a nationwide shortage partly triggered by Abbott Laboratories' manufacturing plant in Michigan recalling some products in February. Importers include Neocate maker Danone SA, while New Zealand's dairy giants Fonterra and a2 Milk have submitted applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for supplying baby formula to the United States.

Liquid biopsy identifies who can skip chemo after colon cancer surgery -study

The following are summaries of some of the cancer research advances being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. Liquid biopsy shows who can skip chemotherapy after colon surgery

Spain's monkeypox case tally rises to 186, Health Ministry says

Spanish health authorities reported 30 new cases of monkeypox on Friday, bringing the total tally of infections to 186, the highest of the current outbreak. The viral illness mostly occurs in the west and central Africa, and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere. But in a current spate of cases, more than 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported the illness - with more than 550 confirmed or suspected infections, mostly in Europe.

J&J, AbbVie cancer drug significantly slows progression of rare lymphoma: study

Johnson & Johnson and AbbVie's big-selling leukemia drug Imbruvica in combination with standard treatment kept a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in check for more than two years longer than the standard regimen alone in older patients, according to data presented on Friday. Patients aged 65 and older with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) were given Imbruvica or a placebo along with a chemotherapy regimen of bendamustine and autoimmune drug rituximab.

Gilead drug modestly delays breast cancer progression in late-stage trial

Gilead Sciences Inc's Trodelvy extended by 1.5 months, or 34%, the length of time women with advanced stages of the most common type of breast cancer lived without their disease worsening, according to late-stage trial data presented on Saturday. The Phase III study compared Trodelvy to chemotherapy in 543 patients with hormone-sensitive tumors that test negative for a receptor called HER2 and who had stopped responding to at least two earlier lines of therapy.

U.S. doctors urged to test for monkeypox, CDC says risk to public low

U.S. health officials on Friday urged doctors to test for monkeypox if they suspect cases, saying there may be community-level spread but that the overall public health risk remained low. So far, there have been 21 cases of the disease in at least 11 states. Affected patients are isolating to help prevent spreading the virus, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials told reporters in a conference call.

N.Korea reports 79,100 more people with fever, one new death amid COVID wave

North Korea reported some 79,100 more people with fever symptoms and one additional death amid its first-confirmed coronavirus outbreak, state media KCNA said on Saturday. The reclusive country has been waging a battle against an unprecedented COVID-19 wave since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown last month, fuelling concerns over a lack of vaccines and medical and food supplies.

India approves Biological E. COVID shot as a booster

India has approved Hyderabad-based drugmaker Biological E's COVID-19 vaccine as the first mix-and-match booster dose in the country, the company said on Saturday. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave the nod for the Corbevax vaccine to be administered as a booster shot to people age 18 years and over who have already received two doses of either AstraZeneca Plc's Covishield or Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

Bristol Myers boosts cancer drug portfolio with $4.1 billion Turning Point deal

Bristol Myers Squibb Co said on Friday it will acquire drug developer Turning Point Therapeutics Inc for $4.1 billion in cash to help bolster its arsenal of cancer drugs. Turning Point's lead drug, repotrectinib, targets mutations in certain proteins in the body that lead to unchecked cell growth.

U.S. FDA flags risk of heart inflammation after Novavax COVID vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns about a possible risk of heart inflammation from Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, even as the company's data showed it could reduce the chances of mild-to-severe disease. In Novavax's nearly 30,000 patient trial, conducted between December 2020 and September 2021, there were four cases of a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis detected within 20 days of taking the protein-based shot.

(With inputs from agencies.)