Health News Roundup: US FDA approves Pharming's immune disorder drug; Antibiotics may not help survival of patients hospitalized with viral infections -study and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. US FDA proposes higher bar for accelerated approvals for cancer drugs The U.S. health regulator on Friday proposed cancer drug developers in most cases conduct more rigorous trials to seek accelerated approval for their candidates.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

US FDA proposes higher bar for accelerated approvals for cancer drugs

The U.S. health regulator on Friday proposed cancer drug developers in most cases conduct more rigorous trials to seek accelerated approval for their candidates. The Food and Drug Administration's proposed recommendation follows criticism for the accelerated approval pathway, as well as an independent federal review into it after the controversial nod for Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's treatment Aduhelm.

US FDA approves Pharming's immune disorder drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved Pharming Group's drug to treat a rare genetic disorder that leads to a weakened immune system, the Dutch company said. Leniolisib, to be sold under the brand name Joenja, becomes the first approved drug in the United States to treat activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome (APDS), a primary immunodeficiency that affects about 1 to 2 people in a million.

Antibiotics may not help survival of patients hospitalized with viral infections -study

Most patients admitted to hospitals with acute viral infections are given antibiotics as a precaution against bacterial co-infection, but this practice may not improve survival, new research suggests. Researchers investigated the impact of antibiotic use on survival in more than 2,100 patients in a hospital in Norway between 2017 and 2021 and found that giving antibiotics to people with common respiratory infections was unlikely to lower the risk of death within 30 days.

(With inputs from agencies.)