Health News Roundup: Amgen says experimental obesity drug has promising durability; China's COVID-19 policy in flux and more

The zero-COVID policy to stamp out transmission has become a global outlier as most countries seek to live with the disease, but 20 new measures to streamline controls came last month, amid rising public frustration. China set to ease COVID curbs further as markets cheer change of tack China is set to announce a further easing of some of the world's toughest COVID curbs as early as Wednesday, sources said, as investors cheered the prospect of a policy shift that follows widespread protests and mounting economic damage.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Amgen says experimental obesity drug has promising durability

Amgen Inc's experimental obesity drug demonstrated promising durability trends in an early trial, paving the way for a larger mid-stage study early next year, company officials said ahead of a data presentation on Saturday. The small Phase I trial found that patients maintained their weight loss for 70 days after receiving the highest tested dose of the injected drug, currently known as AMG133.

China's COVID-19 policy in flux

China is set to announce new measures to further ease some of the world's toughest COVID-19 curbs as early as Wednesday, sources told Reuters, with investors cheering the prospect of changes after widespread protests and mounting economic damage. The zero-COVID policy to stamp out transmission has become a global outlier as most countries seek to live with the disease, but 20 new measures to streamline controls came last month, amid rising public frustration.

New Zealand announces review of its handling of COVID-19 pandemic

The New Zealand government said on Monday it would launch an inquiry into the country's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic so future governments could learn from the experience. A Royal Commission, a public inquiry of the highest level in New Zealand, would look at the overall response, the government said in a statement. That would include considering economic measures, such as fiscal and monetary policy responses but without reviewing particular central bank decisions.

Pfizer applies for FDA authorization for Omicron-retooled vaccine booster in kids under 5

Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE said on Monday they have submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization of their Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine booster for children aged 6 months through 4 years. If authorized, children would receive the primary series consisting of two doses of the original Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine and one shot of the Omicron-adapted bivalent vaccine, the company said.

Czech vets cull 15,000 ducks over bird flu outbreak

The Czech Republic started culling over 15,000 ducks from a farm in the country's south due to an outbreak of bird flu, CTK news agency reported on Monday. The farm in the town of Frahelz, 130 km (80 miles) from Prague, had 22,000 ducks originally, of which 7,000 died last week due to the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, CTK said.

China set to ease COVID curbs further as markets cheer change of tack

China is set to announce a further easing of some of the world's toughest COVID curbs as early as Wednesday, sources said, as investors cheered the prospect of a policy shift that follows widespread protests and mounting economic damage. Three years into the pandemic, China's zero-tolerance measures, from shut borders to frequent lockdowns, contrast sharply with the rest of the world, which has largely decided to live with the virus.

Valneva: "on track" with Chikungunya vaccine after positive data

Vaccines company Valneva on Monday reported positive 12-month antibody persistence data for its single-shot Chikungunya vaccine candidate. The firm said in a statement it was currently on track to complete its submission for license application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of the year.

Exclusive-China may announce 10 new COVID easing steps on Weds -sources

China may announce 10 new COVID-19 easing measures as early as Wednesday, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, supplementing 20 unveiled in November that set off a wave of COVID-easing steps nationwide. Three years of zero-tolerance measures, from shuttered borders to frequent lockdowns, have battered China's economy, fuelling last month the mainland's biggest show of public discontent since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.

Conditions for China to downgrade its management of COVID-19 maturing - state media

Conditions for China to downgrade its management of COVID-19 as a serious contagious disease improving as the coronavirus weakens, state media outlet Yicai reported, among the first to float the idea. Since January 2020, China has classified COVID-19 as a Category B infectious disease but has managed it under Category A protocols, which give local authorities the power to put patients and their close contacts into quarantine and lock down affected regions.