Health News Roundup: Spain passes pioneering sexual, reproductive health law; U.S. Commerce removes Wuxi Biologics from unverified list and more

"The increased demand for the antibiotics prescribed to treat Strep A has meant some pharmacists have been unable to supply the medicine shown on the prescription," health department minister Will Quince said in a statement. U.S. Commerce removes Wuxi Biologics from unverified list The Biden administration said Thursday it had removed Wuxi Biologics, a company that makes ingredients for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, and about two dozen other Chinese entities from a so-called unverified list that forces U.S. suppliers to perform greater due diligence before shipping to them.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China pushes vaccines as retreat from 'zero-COVID' turns messy

China raced to vaccinate its most vulnerable people on Thursday in anticipation of waves of COVID-19 infections, with some analysts expecting the death toll to soar after it eased strict controls that had kept the pandemic at bay for three years. The push comes as the World Health Organisation also raised concerns that China's 1.4 billion population was not adequately vaccinated and the United States offered help in dealing with a surge in infections.

Biden administration offers U.S. households more free COVID-19 tests for winter

U.S. households can order four free at-home COVID-19 tests from the government website COVIDTests.gov beginning on Thursday as part of the Biden administration's efforts to tackle coronavirus infections over the winter. The White House said it would use existing funding to pay for the tests since it has been unsuccessful so far in getting Congress to pass a bill to put more money toward the U.S. COVID-19 response.

India says samples taken from pharma firm linked to Gambia deaths meet required standards

India has told the World Health Organization that samples taken from Indian pharmaceutical company Maiden Pharma, whose products were linked to the deaths of children in Gambia, have been found to comply with required specifications. Indian health authorities announced a production halt at Maiden Pharmaceuticals' factory in Sonepat in northern India in October after a WHO report said the company's cough and cold syrups might be linked to the deaths of 69 children in Gambia.

White House pushes flu, COVID vaccines as cases rise -COVID response coordinator

The White House COVID response coordinator urged Americans to get their flu vaccines and updated COVID-19 boosters on Thursday, saying there has been a significant rise in COVID cases in the last couple of weeks. "There's still a lot of flu and then COVID numbers are rising pretty significantly over the last couple of weeks," Ashish Jha said in an interview with CNN.

Spain passes pioneering sexual, reproductive health law

Spain's parliament on Thursday passed a sexual and reproductive health law that allows girls aged 16 and 17 to undergo abortions without parental consent and, in a first for a European country, offers state-funded paid leave for women who suffer from painful periods. "These advancements allow us to exercise freedom over our bodies, with the state recognising the full citizenship of more than half the population," Equality Minister Irene Montero told lawmakers before the vote, which was adopted with a 190-154 majority and five abstentions.

U.S. Parkinson's disease incidence far higher than earlier estimates -study

The annual number of new Parkinson's disease diagnoses in the United States is likely 50% higher than estimated, based on a broad analysis of insurance claims and population growth detailed in a study published on Thursday that could help increase funding and care for the disabling illness. Earlier, much smaller U.S. studies conducted in the mid-1980's had suggested roughly 60,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year. The number in 2020 was likely closer to 86,000 and will approach 90,000 this year, James Beck, chief scientific officer for the Parkinson's Foundation, said in an interview.

UK government takes measures to ease penicillin shortages

The British government on Thursday announced it was enacting protocols to ease shortages of penicillin medicines used to treat Strep A infections, allowing pharmacists to prescribe alternatives where stocks are low. "The increased demand for the antibiotics prescribed to treat Strep A has meant some pharmacists have been unable to supply the medicine shown on the prescription," health department minister Will Quince said in a statement.

U.S. Commerce removes Wuxi Biologics from unverified list

The Biden administration said Thursday it had removed Wuxi Biologics, a company that makes ingredients for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, and about two dozen other Chinese entities from a so-called unverified list that forces U.S. suppliers to perform greater due diligence before shipping to them. The Commerce Department also removed nine Russian entities from the unverified list and addded them to the entity list because the United States has been unable to conduct site visits. Companies are added to the unverified list if the United States cannot complete on-site visits to determine if they can be trusted to receive sensitive U.S. technology exports, inspections which in China require approval from the commerce ministry.

AbbVie to leave leading U.S. drug industry trade group

AbbVie Inc is leaving Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the leading U.S. drug industry group said on Thursday. Politico, which first reported on AbbVie's exit, said the drugmaker was also leaving the industry group Biotechnology Innovation Organization as well as Business Roundtable, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

China's COVID scare sparks run on flu medicines, test kits as far away as Australia

The rising alarm over COVID-19 spreading in China was felt in pharmacies in Hong Kong, Macau, and in some neighbourhoods in Australia, as people hunted for fever medicines and virus test kits to send to family and friends on the mainland. China's sudden easing of strict COVID rules last week triggered a surge in demand for these items on the mainland, with queues forming outside pharmacies and online platforms quickly selling out.

(With inputs from agencies.)