Health News Roundup: 2seventy bio to lay off 40% of workforce; Moderna ties up with Immatics to boost cancer vaccine development and more

Novavax said it did not expect its shot to be authorized in the United States before a meeting of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel on Tuesday to recommend who should receive the updated vaccines. AstraZeneca seeks to calm CEO speculation after shares drop AstraZeneca appeared to play down speculation about the future of its CEO after its shares fell more than 4% on Monday following a British tabloid report that Pascal Soriot was considering leaving the drugmaker as soon as next year.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

2seventy bio to lay off 40% of workforce

2seventy bio said on Tuesday it plans to lay off about 40% of its workforce to lower costs and focus on the biotech firm's cancer cell therapy Abecma. The company will save about $130 million in 2024-25 as it eliminates 176 roles.

Moderna ties up with Immatics to boost cancer vaccine development

Moderna said on Monday it has struck a deal with German drug developer Immatics for developing cancer vaccines and therapies, and would pay $120 million in cash and additional milestone payments. Moderna said the companies would use Immatics' drug discovery platform to develop mRNA-based cancer vaccines, and also study its own cancer vaccine for use in combination with Immatics' cancer therapy IMA203.

Doctor asks court to toss J&J lawsuit against her over cancer research

A medical researcher has asked a court to throw out a lawsuit that Johnson & Johnson filed against her over her 2019 study on the links between cosmetic talc products and cancer, saying that her research is sound and protected by free speech rights. Dr. Jacqueline Moline, who has served as a plaintiffs' expert in more than 200 cases alleging that J&J talc products caused patients to develop cancer, said in a Friday court filing in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey, that the lawsuit was an effort to "intimidate" scientific experts.

India's Kerala state reports two deaths due to Nipah virus - official

India has recorded two deaths due to the Nipah virus in the state of Kerala, an official from the National Institute of Virology said on Tuesday.

AstraZeneca's Tagrisso-chemo combo results raise bar for J&J cancer drug-analysts

Data released on Monday by AstraZeneca from a late-stage trial combining its blockbuster cancer drug Tagrisso with chemotherapy to treat a type of lung cancer raises the bar for Johnson & Johnson's rival treatment, analysts said. A brief summary from the Phase 3 trial, called FLAURA2, was released in May, and the detailed data was presented on Monday in Singapore at the World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Explainer-Who should get a COVID vaccine this year?

The U.S. drug regulator authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech as well as from Moderna on Monday as the country prepares to start an autumn vaccination campaign as soon as this week. A third vaccine from Novavax remains under review. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the shots for those aged 12 and above, and authorized them for emergency use in children aged 6 months through 11 years. Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are set to meet on Tuesday to discuss recommendations on who should get the vaccines this year. CDC Director Mandy Cohen said last month she expects the shots to be given annually, but not all doctors agree everyone needs them each year.

US CDC contemplates who should get the new COVID shots

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel is due on Tuesday to recommend whether the updated COVID-19 shots formulated by vaccine manufacturers should be given broadly or just to specific populations at higher risk during this fall's vaccination campaign. The updated shots are part of a push by public health officials to align the next COVID vaccines more closely with the actual circulating variant of the virus, similar to the way annual flu shots are designed.

US FDA authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's updated COVID shots

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna that target a recently circulating Omicron variant of the coronavirus, paving the way for the launch later this week of a fall vaccination campaign. A third shot, made by Novavax, is still under review by the FDA. Novavax said it did not expect its shot to be authorized in the United States before a meeting of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel on Tuesday to recommend who should receive the updated vaccines.

AstraZeneca seeks to calm CEO speculation after shares drop

AstraZeneca appeared to play down speculation about the future of its CEO after its shares fell more than 4% on Monday following a British tabloid report that Pascal Soriot was considering leaving the drugmaker as soon as next year. The company initially declined to comment on the Mail on Sunday report, but later issued a statement saying: "We do not comment on market rumours. We have regulatory obligations and were there any truth in a rumour that could significantly impact our share price we would make an announcement."

Majority of US dog owners hesitant about canine vaccines, study finds

The anti-vaccination movement that flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic appears to also apply to dog owners, increasing the risk of disease for dogs, their owners and their vets, according to a new study. The study of Canine Vaccination Hesitancy (CVH) by Boston University's School of Public Health was released on Aug. 26. It found 37% of owners consider dog vaccines to be unsafe, 22% of dog owners view them as ineffective, and 30% deem them unnecessary.