Health News Roundup: Moderna expects to price its COVID vaccine at about $130 in the US; China capital Beijing experiences first population decline since 2003 and more

FDA officials could make the decision within a few weeks, the WSJ said, adding that the regulator is considering authorizing second jabs of Omicron-targeted shots for people who are 65 years and older or those who have weakened immune systems, although officials are yet to reach a final decision. Second lab-grown chicken product cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator California-based cultivated meat company GOOD Meat has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to bring its lab-grown chicken to market, according to agency documents released on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Britain to overhaul clinical trial regulation to fast-track approvals

Britain's health regulator said on Tuesday it would introduce new measures for faster and easier approval and execution of clinical trials in the country. The move comes months after an industry report showed that the number of annual clinical trials started in Britain dropped by 41% between 2017 and 2021, posing a "clear and serious threat" to its reputation as a clinical research destination.

Moderna expects to price its COVID vaccine at about $130 in the US

Moderna Inc expects to price its COVID-19 vaccine at around $130 per dose in the U.S. going forward as purchases move to the private sector from the government, the company’s president Stephen Hoge said in an interview on Monday. “There are different customers negotiating different prices right now, which is why it's a little bit complicated,” Hoge said ahead of a Congressional hearing run by Democratic U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Moderna’s pricing plans.

Biden signs bill requiring declassification of COVID origins information

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday signed a bill that requires declassification of information related to the origins of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the White House said. Biden said he shared Congress' goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of COVID-19.

Candida auris fungus spreading in U.S. hospitals - CDC

Potentially deadly fungal infections with Candida auris are spreading rapidly in U.S. healthcare facilities, with cases nearly doubling between 2020 and 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The number of cases rose by 44% to 476 in 2019, up from 330 in 2018, and subsequently 59% to 756 in 2020 and by an additional 95% to 1,471 in 2021, the agency's researchers reported on Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.

China capital Beijing experiences first population decline since 2003

The death rate in China's capital Beijing surpassed its birth rate in 2022, official data showed on Tuesday, pushing its natural population growth into negative territory for the first time since 2003. The death rate in the city of 21.84 million, one of the country's most populous urban centres, rose to 5.72 deaths per 1,000 people, while the birth rate fell to 5.67 births per 1,000 people, official statistics released by the Beijing government showed.

Oklahoma top court finds right to abortion to preserve mother's life

Oklahoma's highest court on Tuesday ruled that the state's constitution protects a right to an abortion to preserve the mother's life, and that a doctor does not need to wait until there is an immediate medical emergency to perform one. In a 5-4 ruling, the Oklahoma Supreme Court found that a law passed last year that allows life-saving abortion only when there is a "medical emergency" violates the "inherent right to life" under the state constitution.

Chinese COVID data from Wuhan market gives clues on origins, researchers say

Data from the early days of the COVID pandemic, briefly uploaded to a database by Chinese scientists, gives information on its origins, including suggesting a role for raccoon dogs in the coronavirus reaching humans, international researchers said.

The virus was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, with many suspecting a live animal market to be involved, before spreading round the world and killing nearly 7 million people to date.

Google asks London court to throw out lawsuit over medical records

Google asked London's High Court on Tuesday to throw out a lawsuit brought on behalf of 1.6 million people over medical records provided to the tech giant by a British hospital trust. The Royal Free London NHS Trust transferred patient data to Google's artificial intelligence firm DeepMind Technologies in 2015 in relation to the development of a mobile app designed to analyse medical records and detect acute kidney injuries.

U.S. FDA to soon decide on second round of Omicron-tailored boosters - WSJ

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is close to making a decision on authorization of a second dose of updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters for high-risk people, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources. FDA officials could make the decision within a few weeks, the WSJ said, adding that the regulator is considering authorizing second jabs of Omicron-targeted shots for people who are 65 years and older or those who have weakened immune systems, although officials are yet to reach a final decision.

Second lab-grown chicken product cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator

California-based cultivated meat company GOOD Meat has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to bring its lab-grown chicken to market, according to agency documents released on Tuesday. Several companies are working to bring cultivated meat to market in the United States, and must receive approval from both the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture before they can sell their products.

(With inputs from agencies.)