Health News Roundup: Pfizer to invest over $1.26 billion in Irish jobs boost; China launches elderly vaccination drive but health fears linger and more

Balwani countered that probation, meaning no prison time, is sufficient, citing his own investment losses in a company once valued at $9 billion, and saying he never sought the "fame or media attention" that Holmes attracted as Theranos' public face. Exclusive: China to allow home quarantine for some infected with COVID - sources China will allow some people who test positive for COVID-19 to quarantine at home, among supplementary measures to be announced in coming days, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. urges 15-year sentence for ex-Theranos president Balwani

U.S. prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence former Theranos Inc President Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani to 15 years in prison for defrauding investors and patients in the blood-testing startup once led by Elizabeth Holmes. Balwani countered that probation, meaning no prison time, is sufficient, citing his own investment losses in a company once valued at $9 billion, and saying he never sought the "fame or media attention" that Holmes attracted as Theranos' public face.

Exclusive: China to allow home quarantine for some infected with COVID - sources

China will allow some people who test positive for COVID-19 to quarantine at home, among supplementary measures to be announced in coming days, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Home isolation for the infected would be a significant change in China's quarantine protocols. Earlier this year, entire communities were locked down, sometimes for weeks, after even just one positive case was found. Last month, new and easier quarantine rules required just the lockdown of affected buildings.

Roivant, Pfizer team up on inflammatory disease drug

Biotech firm Roivant Sciences on Thursday launched a company with Pfizer Inc focused on an experimental bowel disease treatment, as the drugmakers seek to tap into a multibillion dollar market. The drug, RVT-3101, was originally developed by Pfizer, which will hold a 25% stake in the new business, with Roivant holding the majority interest.

Elon Musk expects Neuralink's brain chip to begin human trials in 6 months

Elon Musk said on Wednesday he expects a wireless brain chip developed by his company Neuralink to begin human clinical trials in six months, after the company missed earlier timelines set by him. The company is developing brain chip interfaces that it says could help disabled patients to move and communicate again, with Musk adding on Wednesday it will also target restoring vision.

COVID hit HIV detection in Europe, threatens eradication progress

The number of people in Europe with undiagnosed HIV has risen as testing rates fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening a global goal of ending the disease by 2030, a report said. The joint World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report said that in 2021 a quarter fewer HIV diagnoses were recorded compared to pre-pandemic levels in the WHO's European region.

China set to loosen COVID curbs after week of historic protests

China is set to announce an easing of its COVID-19 quarantine protocols in the coming days and a reduction in mass testing, sources told Reuters, a marked shift in policy after anger over the world's toughest curbs fuelled widespread protests. Cases nationwide remain near record highs but the changes come as some cities have been lifting their lockdowns in recent days, and a top official said the ability of the virus to cause disease was weakening.

Reckitt expects U.S. infant formula shortage until spring

The near year-long infant formula shortage in the United States that prompted the intervention of the White House is likely to "persist" until spring, according to Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of what is now the biggest brand in the market, Enfamil. Panicked parents had earlier this year emptied the baby formula aisles at supermarkets after former top U.S. manufacturer Abbott Laboratories in February recalled dozens of types of its Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas. The products, made at a plant in Michigan, were pulled after complaints of bacterial infections. Supermarkets like Target and Walgreens Boots Alliance were forced to limit its sales, putting pressure on the Biden administration to address the crisis.

China launches elderly vaccination drive but health fears linger

As China works to raise COVID-19 vaccination rates among its elderly, essential if the country is to open up again and live with COVID, many older people remain fearful that the treatment will make them sick. "If I were fit for vaccination, I would definitely get it," said Cai Shiyu, a 70-year-old retiree in Shanghai.

Pfizer to invest over $1.26 billion in Irish jobs boost

Pfizer Inc plans to invest more than 1.2 billion euros ($1.26 billion) to expand manufacturing at its plant in Dublin, it said on Thursday, handing the Irish multinational sector a jobs boost at a time when major tech firms are laying off staff.

The move will lead to the creation of 400 to 500 new roles and double the capacity to produce key substances used in biological drugs at a new facility, which is due for completion in 2027, Pfizer said.

Pharmacy owner in deadly 2012 U.S. meningitis outbreak gets 1 year in prison

A co-owner of a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose mold-tainted drugs sparked a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak in 2012 was sentenced on Thursday to one year in prison for deceiving regulators to avoid federal oversight before the tragedy. Gregory Conigliaro was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston after a federal appeals court last year revived his conviction for conspiring to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ahead of the outbreak.

(With inputs from agencies.)