Health News Roundup: Davos 2023: Moderna CEO says he wants to have mRNA factory on every continent; Moderna says RSV vaccine 84% effective at preventing symptoms in older adults and more

"We're talking to a couple more countries because I would really like on every continent to have MRNA capacity," he said on a panel at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos. 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.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Davos 2023: Moderna CEO says he wants to have mRNA factory on every continent

Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel said he would like to have factories making vaccines based on its messenger RNA technology on every continent as the U.S. company prepares to build four facilities. "We're talking to a couple more countries because I would really like on every continent to have MRNA capacity," he said on a panel at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos.

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.

High power prices drive some patients in Spain into poverty

Jose Maria Casais's 2,700 euros-a-month income from a pension and incapacity benefits ought to leave him better off than most of his fellow Spaniards. But Casais, a retired engineer living in Barcelona, says he is being forced to raid his savings every month after his energy bills soared because of his reliance on an oxygen machine to alleviate his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

China's Xi frets about COVID in rural areas, sees 'light ahead'

President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday he was particularly concerned about China's COVID-19 wave spreading to rural areas with poor medical facilities but he urged perseverance in stressful times, saying "light is ahead". His comments came as millions of urban workers were travelling back to their home towns and reunite with families for the Lunar New Year (LNY) holidays, known before COVID as the greatest annual migration of people.

Chinese who lost relatives to COVID angry at failure to protect elderly

Former high school teacher Ailia was devastated when her 85-year-old father died after displaying COVID-like symptoms as the virus swept through their hometown in the southeastern province of Jiangxi. While her father was never tested, Ailia and her mother were both confirmed positive around the same time and she believes that COVID was a cause in his death.

Make it easier to raise children, say many Chinese after population falls

If China wants to reverse a decline in population, more should be done to help families raise their children, according to Wei Chao, a 31-year-old mother of twin girls living in Shanghai, and many more parents interviewed by Reuters held the same view. "Nowadays many people do not want to have children if they can't provide a good education for them," Wei told Reuters on Wednesday as she sat in a park with her husband and daughters.

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.

China's Xi says COVID containment still under stress - state media

China's President Xi Jinping said the country's COVID-19 prevention and control is still going through a time of stress but the light is ahead, state media CCTV reported on Wednesday. Xi said there is a need to expand medical resources, increase supply of medical services and the availability of medicines, CCTV reported.

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.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)