Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca lifts 2022 earnings outlook as cancer drugs boost results; China reaffirms zero-COVID stance, city of Guangzhou on edge and more

The Anglo-Swedish company said it managed to grow its business in China despite protracted COVID lockdowns and was no longer pursuing U.S. approval for its COVID-19 vaccine. U.S. Supreme Court's Sotomayor rejects challenge to N.Y. COVID vaccine mandate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid to prevent New York City from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers against a group teachers, firefighters and others who challenged the policy.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Juul secures funds to stay afloat, plans to cut 400 jobs

Juul Labs Inc has secured an investment from some of its early investors that will keep the e-cigarette maker in business, the company said on Thursday, adding that it will also undertake job cuts as part of a reorganization. The once red-hot vaping company plans to lay off about 400 people and reduce its operating budget by 30% to 40%.

California sues 3M, Dupont over toxic 'forever chemicals'

California's attorney general on Thursday sued 3M Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc and several other companies to recoup the "staggering" clean-up costs from toxic pollutants known as "forever chemicals." Attorney General Rob Bonta said the lawsuit followed a multiyear probe that found the companies marketed products containing polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for decades despite knowing they cause cancer, developmental defects and other health problems.

Sanofi, GSK score late win with EU COVID booster approval

Sanofi said on Thursday it won European Union approval for its COVID-19 vaccine booster, jointly made with British partner GSK, after a drawn-out development effort that saw the pair fall behind now-dominant vaccine suppliers. The shot with the brand name VidPrevtyn Beta can be given to people who have already had a primary course of vaccination from other approved shots, the French drugmaker and the European Medicines Agency said in separate statements.

Biden administration says pregnant migrant youth should have access to abortion

The Biden administration issued a directive on Thursday saying that pregnant migrant children should be sheltered in states that allow abortions, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in guidance issued to staff also said that girls who are sheltered in states such as Texas that ban abortion and request abortion services should be transferred to states that allow the procedure.

U.S. teen tobacco use down to 3 million in 2022, 'more work to be done,' health officials say

An estimated 3.08 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using a tobacco product in the last 30 days in 2022, down from 4.47 million in 2020 and 6.20 million in 2019, according to government data released on Thursday. The data found that one-in-nine U.S. teenagers were currently using a tobacco product.

Repeat COVID is riskier than first infection, study finds

The risk of death, hospitalization and serious health issues from COVID-19 jumps significantly with reinfection compared with a first bout with the virus, regardless of vaccination status, a study published on Thursday suggests. "Reinfection with COVID-19 increases the risk of both acute outcomes and long COVID," said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "This was evident in unvaccinated, vaccinated and boosted people."

European regulator recommends Pfizer's Omicron booster for children

Pfizer Inc and its partner BioNTech said on Thursday the EU health regulator has recommended authorising the use of their bivalent COVID-19 shot as a booster in children aged 5 through 11. The Omicron-tailored vaccine is already authorised by the European Commission for individuals aged 12 years and above.

China reaffirms zero-COVID stance, city of Guangzhou on edge

China's new top leadership body reaffirmed Beijing's "dynamic-zero" COVID-19 policy on Thursday, as case numbers rose and authorities in the city of Guangzhou urged residents to work from home but stopped short of a city-wide lockdown. In its first meeting since being formed last month after the ruling Communist Party's twice-a-decade congress, the Politburo Standing Committee said China's epidemic prevention measures must not be relaxed, according to state media.

AstraZeneca lifts 2022 earnings outlook as cancer drugs boost results

AstraZeneca raised its full-year earnings outlook on Thursday after strong sales of its key cancer drugs helped it beat quarterly profit and revenue forecasts, driving its shares to a 2-1/2 month high. The Anglo-Swedish company said it managed to grow its business in China despite protracted COVID lockdowns and was no longer pursuing U.S. approval for its COVID-19 vaccine.

U.S. Supreme Court's Sotomayor rejects challenge to N.Y. COVID vaccine mandate

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid to prevent New York City from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers against a group teachers, firefighters and others who challenged the policy. The justice denied an emergency request, received by the court on Nov. 4, to block the policy by individual municipal workers, as well as a group called New Yorkers For Religious Liberty, while their appeal of lower court decisions siding with the city proceeds.