Health News Roundup: Sanofi's Dupixent gets U.S. approval to treat eczema in young children; Novavax says COVID vaccine for U.S. to be manufactured by India's Serum and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sanofi's Dupixent gets U.S. approval to treat eczema in young children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc's anti-inflammation drug Dupixent to treat eczema in young children, the two companies said on Tuesday. Dupixent is now the first approved treatment for moderate-to-severe eczema in young children, Sanofi and Regeneron said.

Novavax says COVID vaccine for U.S. to be manufactured by India's Serum

Novavax Inc said on Tuesday that its COVID-19 vaccine initially available in the United States, if authorized, will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. "So all vaccines that are being distributed globally commercially are being made in a single facility by our partners (the Serum Institute in India) that includes the vaccines which are being deployed around the world as well as the ones that will be initially deployed in the U.S.," said Chief Medical Officer Filip Dubovsky.

U.S. CDC removes mask recommendation from monkeypox travel notice to avoid confusion

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday it had removed a mask recommendation from its monkeypox travel notice to avoid "confusion" over the disease, which primarily spreads through direct contact. "Late yesterday, CDC removed the mask recommendation from the monkeypox Travel Health Notice because it caused confusion," a CDC spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Food shortages are the next global health crisis - expert

Growing food shortages may represent the same health threat to the world as the COVID-19 pandemic, a leading global health figure has warned. Rising food and energy prices, in part sparked by the war in Ukraine, could kill millions both directly and indirectly, Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Hopes of an improvement in key economic growth metrics in China have increased as more pandemic-related restrictions ease in the country, including the scheduled reopening of the Universal Beijing Resort next week. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

Moderna's new booster produces a stronger response against Omicron

Moderna Inc said on Wednesday an upgraded version of its coronavirus vaccine produced a better immune response as a booster dose against the Omicron variant than the original shot in a study. The trial results raised the company's hopes that the vaccine will be used in an inoculation drive in the fall season. Moderna will submit the data to regulators "in the coming weeks", and expects it to get clearance in late summer.

Novavax COVID shot, aimed at vaccine skeptics, overwhelmingly backed by FDA panel

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to recommend that the agency authorize Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for use in adults, which the drugmaker hopes can become the shot of choice among some American vaccine skeptics. The panel of outside vaccine experts voted 21-0 with one abstention in favor of the vaccine for those 18 and older after discussing whether the shot's benefits outweigh risks, including rare occurrences of heart inflammation that may be associated with the vaccine.

Factbox-Monkeypox cases around the world

Nearly 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease as confirmed cases crossed 1,100, most of them in Europe. Monkeypox, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in west and central Africa and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere.

Traditional Kyrgyz dances ease lung disease in battle with smog, specialists say

Bishkek may be flanked by picturesque, snow-topped mountains, but the air in some places in Kyrgyzstan is anything but sweet. As the result of heavy industry, smoldering landfill sites, and indoor fires, hundreds of thousands of people in the country suffer from chronic lung conditions, such as COPD.

Canada issues monkeypox-related travel notice warns of potential delays returning home

Canada issued a monkeypox-related travel notice on Tuesday, advising travelers to over two dozen countries, including Australia, Britain and the United States, to take precautions and warned of potential delays returning home if they fell ill. In a level 2 notice - one grade below a call to avoid non-essential travel - the Public Health Agency of Canada said travelers may be subject to procedures to limit the spread of monkeypox, such as isolation, should they become infected.