Health News Roundup: Juul sues FDA for documents said to justify e-cigarette ban; Merck to start studying lower dose of HIV drug after FDA hold and more

Data have shown that, across the 50 cancer types, including early-stage to late-stage, the Galleri test correctly identified the presence of cancer in 51.5% of cases. U.S. delivers over 25 million COVID boosters; Moderna's shot in limited supply The United States government has sent out over 25 million of the updated COVID-19 booster shots, mostly from Pfizer/BioNTech, as production of the Moderna shot continues to ramp up, a federal health agency said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Juul sues FDA for documents said to justify e-cigarette ban

Juul Labs has sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the agency's refusal to disclose documents supporting its order banning the company, which has been blamed for fueling a teenage vaping crisis, from selling e-cigarettes on the U.S. market. In a complaint filed on Tuesday with a federal court in Washington, D.C., Juul accused the FDA of invoking the "widely abused" deliberative process privilege to improperly withhold scientific materials that are "central" to understanding the basis for the June 23 sales ban.

Deadly childhood diseases rise in Ethiopia's Tigray as war hampers vaccinations

Deadly diseases such as measles, tetanus and whooping cough are on the rise in Ethiopia's Tigray region after vaccination rates plunged during the civil war that broke out nearly two years ago, doctors and regional health officials say.

The percentage of children in Tigray receiving routine vaccines has fallen below 10% this year, data from the Tigray Health Bureau shows, undoing years of government efforts to boost immunisation rates.

GAVI financing to allow for immediate funds for next pandemic

Global vaccine alliance GAVI has set up financial instruments that will allow the group to immediately access pledged donor funding if it needs to buy vaccines for future pandemics, Chief Executive Seth Berkley told Reuters. Berkley said that in 2020 and 2021, GAVI was limited in its ability to buy COVID-19 vaccines because even though donors had committed $2.4 billion, the vaccine alliance only had $400 million in cash on hand.

Merck to start studying lower dose of HIV drug after FDA hold

Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it would start fresh late-stage studies of its HIV treatment, islatravir, months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put the trials on hold, citing safety concerns. The FDA has reviewed and agreed with the plan to study lower-dose versions of the once-daily pill for treating HIV patients, the company said.

CVS, Walmart reach $147.5 million opioid settlement with West Virginia -attorney general

CVS Health Corp and Walmart Inc have agreed to pay $147.5 million to settle West Virginia's claims over their alleged roles in the state's opioid crisis, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday. West Virginia had been prepared to proceed to trial on Sept. 26 against those two companies and Walgreens Boots Alliance.

COVID-19 pandemic remains a global emergency but end could be in sight: WHO

The coronavirus pandemic remains a global emergency but the end could be in sight if countries use the tools at their disposal, a spokesperson for the World Health Organisation told a briefing on Tuesday. The comments come after U.S. President Joe Biden declared "the pandemic is over" in an interview aired on Sunday.

EU health regulator says COVID pandemic not over

An official at the European Union's drugs regulator said on Tuesday the COVID-19 pandemic was not over, contradicting U.S. President Joe Biden, and that a planned vaccination campaign in the region during the cold season was key to fighting it. "We in Europe still consider the pandemic as ongoing and it's important that member states prepare for rollout of the vaccines and especially the adaptive vaccines to prevent further spread of this disease in Europe," the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Chief Medical Officer Steffen Thirstrup told a media briefing, referring to vaccines targeting specific strains of the virus.

France clears Omicron-adapted COVID boosters for autumn vaccination drive

France's HAS health authority on Tuesday followed the European Union's drug regulator and cleared two separate COVID-19 vaccine boosters updated to target the Omicron variant.

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.

Illumina's Grail expands use of cancer detection test with life insurer deal

Cancer detection test maker Grail, acquired by Illumina Inc last year despite ongoing antitrust challenges, on Tuesday said it would expand use of its flagship Galleri test through a new agreement with life insurer John Hancock, a division of Manulife Financial. The test, designed to detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear, looks at the DNA in a patient's blood to determine whether any come from cancer cells. Data have shown that, across the 50 cancer types, including early-stage to late-stage, the Galleri test correctly identified the presence of cancer in 51.5% of cases.

U.S. delivers over 25 million COVID boosters; Moderna's shot in limited supply

The United States government has sent out over 25 million of the updated COVID-19 booster shots, mostly from Pfizer/BioNTech, as production of the Moderna shot continues to ramp up, a federal health agency said on Tuesday. Some U.S. pharmacies like CVS Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance also reported on Tuesday that government supply of Moderna's updated shot remains limited, causing appointments for the product to vary across the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)