Health News Roundup: Moderna says RSV vaccine 84% effective at preventing symptoms in older adults; Millions of Chinese workers on the move ahead of Friday travel peak and more

He heard at that time that Pfizer's anti-viral drug Paxlovid was an effective treatment, but patients could only get it prescribed if they were admitted to hospital, and only if the drug was in stock. Canadian province's healthcare fix raises fears of new strain on public system Ontario's plan to rely more on private operators for public health services has some doctors and patient advocates worried it could put patients at risk of exploitation and steal workers away from a public system facing a staffing shortage.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Moderna says RSV vaccine 84% effective at preventing symptoms in older adults

Moderna Inc said on Tuesday that its experimental messenger RNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was 83.7% effective in a late-stage trial at preventing at least two symptoms, such as cough and fever, in adults aged 60 and older. RSV, which produces symptoms similar to a cold but can be fatal for young children and older adults, causes about 14,000 deaths annually in adults aged 65 and older. The disease surged in the United States and Europe this fall alongside the flu and COVID-19.

Millions of Chinese workers on the move ahead of Friday travel peak

Millions of urban workers were on the move across China on Wednesday ahead of the expected Friday peak of its Lunar New Year mass migration, as China's leaders looked to get its COVID-battered economy moving. Unfettered when officials last month ended three years of some of the world's tightest COVID-19 restrictions, workers streamed into railway stations and airports to head to smaller towns and rural homes, sparking fears of a broadening virus outbreak.

In China, no easy way to get Pfizer's COVID drug Paxlovid

When Li's 83-year-old father with diabetes started coughing and complaining of body aches last month, the Beijing resident became anxious about finding a treatment for COVID-19 in case his parent had caught the virus sweeping the city. He heard at that time that Pfizer's anti-viral drug Paxlovid was an effective treatment, but patients could only get it prescribed if they were admitted to hospital, and only if the drug was in stock.

Canadian province's healthcare fix raises fears of new strain on public system

Ontario's plan to rely more on private operators for public health services has some doctors and patient advocates worried it could put patients at risk of exploitation and steal workers away from a public system facing a staffing shortage. Canada's most populous province on Monday announced a major expansion of private providers for publicly covered procedures such as cataract surgeries, joint replacements and medical imaging. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the move was needed to address an unsustainable status quo of long wait times.

Merck set to remove the cancer-causing chemical from top diabetes drugs - Bloomberg News

Merck & Co has discovered how its blockbuster diabetes drugs have become contaminated with a potential carcinogen and believes it can resolve the problem by the end of the year, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. The company submitted a report to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulators after identifying the root cause for the presence of a nitrosamine called NTTP in certain batches of the drugs, according to the report, which cited a person familiar with the situation.

EU plans changes to pharmaceuticals law to avoid medicine shortages

Proposed changes to a European Union pharmaceuticals law will include stronger obligations for the supply of medicines and earlier notifications of shortages, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said on Tuesday. Kyriakides told a session of the European Parliament that shortages of antibiotics are a growing problem for many European countries. She said the European Commission's proposal to revise the pharmaceuticals legislation is planned for March.

U.S. asks court to reverse order banning airplane mask mandate to combat COVID

The Justice Department on Tuesday asked an appeals court panel to reverse an April 2021 ruling that declared unlawful a government order requiring masks on airplanes, buses, trains, ridesharing services and at airports and other transportation hubs. A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on the government's appeal of a ruling by a U.S. district court judge in Florida that found the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lacked legal authority to issue a nationwide travel mask mandate to combat COVID-19.

Pfizer to sell all its drugs in low-income countries at non-profit price

U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday it will offer its full portfolio of drugs, including off-patent medicines such as chemotherapies and oral cancer treatments, on a not-for-profit basis to 45 low-income countries in the world. In an expansion of the company's "An Accord for a Healthier World" program, which is aimed at increasing access to innovative treatments in some of the world's poorest countries, Pfizer said it will now offer a total of 500 products.

In China, doctors say they are discouraged from citing COVID on death certificates

During a busy shift at the height of Beijing's COVID wave, a physician at a private hospital saw a printed notice in the emergency department: doctors should “try not to” write COVID-induced respiratory failure on death certificates. Instead, if the deceased had an underlying disease, that should be named as the main cause of death, according to the notice, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

Reversing abortion drug's approval would harm public interest, U.S. FDA says

President Joe Biden's administration is urging a judge to reject a request by abortion opponents for a court order withdrawing federal approval for the drug used in medication abortions - which account for more than half of U.S. abortions - citing potential dangers to women seeking to end their pregnancies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's filing to U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, made available online on Tuesday, came in a lawsuit in Texas by anti-abortion groups challenging the agency's approval of the drug mifepristone in 2000 for medication abortion.

(With inputs from agencies.)