Health News Roundup: Pharmacy operators Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger begin opioid trial in New Mexico; Hong Kong discovers first case of monkeypox and more

The regulator approved the vaccine for primary immunisation of those aged 18 years and above, for restricted use in emergency situations, Mandaviya added. U.S. eyes annual shots as updated COVID vaccines roll out The United States is likely to start recommending COVID-19 vaccines annually, health officials said on Tuesday, as new boosters designed to fight currently circulating variants of the coronavirus roll out.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Pharmacy operators Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger begin opioid trial in New Mexico

U.S. pharmacy operators Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walmart Inc and Kroger Co on Tuesday faced off against the state of New Mexico in the latest trial over their alleged role in the U.S. opioid epidemic, following recent high-profile losses for pharmacies in other lawsuits. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, in his opening statement, argued that the pharmacies were supposed to act as a "dam" against a flood of illegitimate opioid prescriptions by refusing to fill prescriptions with "red flags" that signaled abuse.

Hong Kong discovers first case of monkeypox

Hong Kong has reported its first case of monkeypox, health authorities said on Tuesday, after symptoms were discovered in a 30-year-old man who arrived from the Phillippines after traveling in the United States and Canada. It marks the first imported case in Hong Kong of monkeypox, a viral disease that the World Health Organisation has declared a global health emergency.

Sanofi sees EU regulatory decision on its COVID booster in weeks

The European Union's drugs regulator may be a few weeks from deciding whether to approve the experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by French drugmaker Sanofi and its British partner GSK, a Sanofi executive said on Monday. The companies' bivalent vaccine targets the Beta variant as well as the original Wuhan strain of the virus. Trial results also showed the shot confers protection against the Omicron variant currently widespread in Europe.

Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 nasal vaccine approved for restricted use in India

Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 recombinant nasal vaccine has been approved by the Indian drug regulator, the country's health minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted on Tuesday. The regulator approved the vaccine for primary immunization of those aged 18 years and above, for restricted use in emergency situations, Mandaviya added.

U.S. eyes annual shots as updated COVID vaccines roll out

The United States is likely to start recommending COVID-19 vaccines annually, health officials said on Tuesday, as new boosters designed to fight currently circulating variants of the coronavirus roll out. By the end of this week, 90% of Americans will live within five miles (8 km) of sites carrying updated vaccines, U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra said at a White House briefing.

CVS to buy Signify Health in $8 billion deal

CVS Health Corp on Monday agreed to buy home healthcare services company Signify Health for about $8 billion in cash, a move that will enable one of the largest U.S. healthcare companies to provide further care management to patients in their homes. Healthcare companies like CVS have been expanding beyond managing health and pharmacy benefits with acquisitions of doctors groups and surgical centers in recent years.

Philips recalls some masks used with respiratory devices over safety concerns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that medical device maker Philips has recalled certain masks used with some of its respiratory machines due to the potential risk of serious injury. The masks have magnetic headgear clips or straps which can interfere with certain implanted metallic medical devices and metallic objects in the body causing potential injuries or death, the company said.

FDA warns against use of Mother's Touch baby formula

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday advised parents and caregivers against feeding Mother's Touch Formula to infants as the product has not undergone proper testing. The directive comes as the United States recovers from a severe infant formula crunch that began with pandemic-led supply issues and worsened after Abbott closed its Michigan plant in February due to reports of bacterial contamination.

U.S. to expand monkeypox vaccine, drug distribution through AmerisourceBergen contract

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday said it will significantly expand the number of distribution locations for monkeypox vaccines and treatments through a new $20 million contract with AmerisourceBergen Corp. Under the new contract, HHS said it will be able to make up to 2,500 shipments per week of frozen doses of Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), as well as shipments of SIGA Technologies' drug TPOXX to up to 2,500 locations.

Boost high-risk people with Omicron-tailored shots first - EU officials

EU officials on Tuesday recommended that the two Omicron-tailored vaccines recently endorsed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) be first deployed in high-risk individuals. Developed by Moderna and the team of Pfizer and BioNTech, the new so-called bivalent shots combat the BA.1 version of Omicron and the original virus first detected in China.