Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca says Imfinzi combo shows promise in late-stage lung cancer trial; Novartis resumes production of radioligand therapy medicines and more

Data showed the combination was more effective in removing cancer cells in tissue samples taken during surgery when compared with just chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said. S.Korea authorises AstraZeneca COVID therapy Evusheld for vulnerable people South Korea on Thursday authorised AstraZeneca PLC's antibody-based therapy for preventing COVID-19 infection in people with a poor immune response, increasing its options as it works to ease the pandemic burden on the healthcare system.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AstraZeneca says Imfinzi combo shows promise in late-stage lung cancer trial

AstraZeneca said on Thursday a combination of its cancer drug, Imfinzi, and chemotherapy showed promise in a late-stage trial in patients with an aggressive form of lung cancer, when given before surgery. Data showed the combination was more effective in removing cancer cells in tissue samples taken during surgery when compared with just chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said.

S.Korea authorises AstraZeneca COVID therapy Evusheld for vulnerable people

South Korea on Thursday authorised AstraZeneca PLC's antibody-based therapy for preventing COVID-19 infection in people with a poor immune response, increasing its options as it works to ease the pandemic burden on the healthcare system. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety granted emergency use authorisation for 20,000 doses of Evusheld for individuals aged 12 years and older who have not been exposed to the coronavirus.

Novartis resumes production of radioligand therapy medicines

Novartis said it resumed the production and delivery of radioligand therapy medicines after fixing the issues that had led to a temporary suspension of production last month. "The company has remediated the issues that led to the temporary, voluntary suspension of production in May," the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement, adding these issues did not affect patient safety.

Africa in need of test kits, vaccines as monkeypox spreads

Africa has no vaccines for monkeypox and test kits are in short supply, international health agencies said on Thursday, warning that richer countries already appeared to be hoarding vaccines. Monkeypox is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. It is endemic in parts of Africa but has also recently been reported in countries with no history of human transmission, including Ghana, Morocco and South Africa.

Walgreens profit beats on UK pharmacy sales boost

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc reported a quarterly adjusted profit ahead of analysts' estimates on Thursday, as demand for its products in UK-based Boots offset a decrease in U.S. pharmacy sales on waning demand for COVID-19 vaccinations. Shares of the second-biggest U.S. drugstore retailer by store count were down 2% in premarket trading after the company maintained its full-year profit forecast.

France's new wave of COVID infections expected to peak end-July -scientist

A new wave in France of COVID-19 infections fuelled by emerging variants of the disease should peak towards end-July, the French government's top scientific adviser Jean-Francois Delfraissy said on Thursday. "The peak is not yet here, this peak of infections will probably be for end-July," Delfraissy told RTL radio.

Macau COVID infections rise as spread extends to medics, police

Authorities in the world's biggest gambling hub Macau are scrambling to contain the city's biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, requiring all residents test daily and stay home as much as possible. Health, police and fire services staff are among the more than 570 infected cases, the government said on Thursday. Residents must test daily for the virus using Rapid Antigen kits.

Turkey records first case of monkeypox - health minister

Turkey has detected its first case of monkeypox in a 37-year-old patient who is in isolation, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday. The virus has been identified in more than 50 new countries outside the countries in Africa where it is endemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) says cases are also rising in those countries, calling for testing to be ramped up.

Shanghai Disneyland theme park re-opens after three-month closure

More than a thousand visitors streamed in on Thursday as Walt Disney Co's Shanghai Disney Resort theme park opened after a closure of three months, with face masks and social distancing the order of the day. The park shut on March 21 as cases rose in the Chinese business hub, leading to a two-month-long citywide lockdown that eased on June 1. Just over a week later, the resort began opening some areas, with the theme park the last to re-open.

Pfizer asks for formal U.S. approval of oral COVID treatment Paxlovid

Pfizer Inc said on Thursday it is seeking full U.S. approval for its oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid, which is currently available under an emergency use authorization (EUA). Pfizer said it submitted a New Drug Application for Paxlovid to the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of COVID-19 in vaccinated and unvaccinated people at high risk for progression to severe illness.

(With inputs from agencies.)