Health News Roundup: At flooded cancer hospital in northeast India, chemotherapy given on the road outside; Pakistan orders masks on domestic flights as COVID numbers rise and more

That compared with 116 new cases a day earlier - 39 symptomatic and 77 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. AstraZeneca gets EU backing for targeted breast cancer therapies AstraZeneca said on Monday two of its existing therapies were recommended for treating patients with some forms of high-risk breast cancers in the European Union, in a boost to the company's oncology portfolio.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

At flooded cancer hospital in northeast India, chemotherapy given on the road outside

Whenever the rain relents, staff at a waterlogged cancer hospital in northeast India seize the chance to administer chemotherapy to patients on the road outside, creating a pitiful image of the misery caused by the region's worst floods in years. Located in the Barak valley in Assam state, the 150-bed Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre has been inundated by for days, and the situation has become so dire that its administrators have requested life-jackets and an inflatable raft to transport patients and staff, along with other essential items needed to keep the facility running.

Pakistan orders masks on domestic flights as COVID numbers rise

Pakistan’s aviation regulator has made masks mandatory on domestic flights given a gradual rise in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country, it said a statement. The order comes a day after Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, reported that its COVID-19 positivity ratio, or the rate of positive cases out of all tests conducted, rose to 21% compared with a national rate of 2.8%.

China's Clover says its COVID booster shot candidate lifts antibody against Omicron

China's Clover Biopharmaceuticals said on Monday a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate significantly increased antibody response against the Omicron coronavirus variant from levels seen after two primary shots. The third dose of its vaccine candidate SCB-2019 resulted in a 19-fold increase in neutralizing antibody levels against the Omicron BA.2 subvariant from pre-booster levels, Clover said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Drug use high in West and Central Africa, trafficking funds conflict: U.N

Opioid and cannabis abuse are above global averages in West and Central Africa, while cocaine trafficking through the region is financing militant violence in the Sahel, the United Nations said in a report on Monday. Growing instability in West Africa, a transit route for illegal drugs on their way from South America to Europe, has facilitated drug production and trafficking, generating revenue for armed groups, said the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Casino hub Macau launches the third round of COVID testing as infections rise

Macau launched the third round of mandatory COVID-19 testing for its more than 600,000 residents on Monday, in a push to curb a rise in infections in the world's biggest gambling hub. Authorities in Macau have locked down multiple buildings and put more than 5,000 people in quarantine in the past few days, the city's government said. Health authorities said 38 new COVID cases were recorded on Sunday, taking the total number of infections to 299 in the latest outbreak.

Cannabis use has risen with legalization and COVID lockdowns -U.N. report

Places including U.S. states that have legalized cannabis appear to have increased its regular use, while COVID lockdowns had a similar effect, raising the risk of depression and suicide, a U.N. report said on Monday. Cannabis has long been the world's most widely used drug and that use is increasing while the cannabis on the market is getting stronger in terms of its tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its annual World Drug Report.

Bruised biotech investors focus on firms with more advanced products

Biotech investors nursing losses from stock price falls are now focusing on firms that are closer to getting their drugs to market, rather than those at the early stages of development. This waning risk appetite, six industry insiders told Reuters, follows a blockbuster funding year in a sector that has been rattled by a slump in valuations and a lack of big deals, usually a key attraction for small and mid-cap biotechs.

Lundbeck, Otsuka announce positive phase III results for Alzheimer's agitation drug

Danish drugmaker Lundbeck and Japan's Otsuka Pharmaceutical on Monday announced positive Phase III results for its aripiprazole drug used to treat agitation in patients with Alzheimer's-type dementia. The two companies are planning a regulatory filing to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later in 2022, Lundbeck said in a statement.

China reports 106 new COVID cases for June 26 vs 116 day earlier

Mainland China reported 106 new coronavirus cases for June 26, of which 39 were symptomatic and 67 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Monday. That compared with 116 new cases a day earlier - 39 symptomatic and 77 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

AstraZeneca gets EU backing for targeted breast cancer therapies

AstraZeneca said on Monday two of its existing therapies were recommended for treating patients with some forms of high-risk breast cancers in the European Union, in a boost to the company's oncology portfolio. Lynparza, a cancer drug developed jointly with U.S.-based Merck, was backed for standalone use or in combination with endocrine therapy in adults with a form of genetically mutated early-stage breast cancer.

(With inputs from agencies.)