Health News Roundup: Europe to decide on Novavax's COVID vaccine in October; US government restarts delivery of free COVID tests and more

Medicaid, the federal/state health program for low income people and families, said nearly 500,000 children and other individuals that lost coverage due to a problem affecting automatic renewals will regain their insurance. U.S. government awards $45 million for long COVID clinics The U.S. government is awarding $45 million in grants to help clinics treating long COVID develop new models of care and expand access, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. FDA found lapses at Novo's main U.S. factory in May 2022 -report

U.S. drug regulators issued a report detailing quality control lapses at Novo Nordisk's main factory in North America as early as May last year, according to the report obtained by Reuters via a Freedom of Information Act request. The inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was at Novo's facility in Clayton, North Carolina, which the company says produces the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), semaglutide.

Australia to hold independent inquiry into handling of COVID pandemic

Australia's centre-left Labor government on Thursday said it would hold an independent inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic to better prepare for future health crises. Australia closed its international borders and locked down cities among other pandemic restrictions that helped keep infections and deaths far below levels in other comparable developed economies such as the United States and Britain.

Valneva's half-year loss narrows on strong travel vaccine demand

French vaccine maker Valneva on Thursday reported a smaller half-year loss, as a rebound in global tourism boosted sales of its travel vaccines Ixiario and Dukoral. The group's net loss narrowed to 35.0 million euros ($37.2 million) in the first half of 2023, from a loss of 171.5 million a year earlier.

US government restarts delivery of free COVID tests

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Wednesday it will deliver COVID-19 tests for free to households across the country. Beginning Sept. 25, households will again be able to order four free tests through COVIDTests.gov, the health agency said, adding that the tests can detect currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2023.

Europe to decide on Novavax's COVID vaccine in October

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) expects to decide on the use of Novavax's updated COVID-19 vaccine in October, its director Emer Cooke said on Thursday. The agency had started the evaluation process for the protein-based shot on Aug. 24, Cooke said at a press conference.

Spain's Catalonia region to provide period products for free at pharmacies

Catalonia will provide reusable menstrual cups, period pants and pads for free at pharmacies to counter so-called "period poverty", as the Spanish region follows Scotland with one of the first initiatives of its kind. The products are due to become available during the first quarter of 2024 and will benefit around 2.5 million girls, women and people who identify as non-binary or transgender who have periods, the regional government said on Thursday.

Appeals court tosses order requiring Mississippi to change mental health system

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday threw out a lower court order that required the state of Mississippi to make changes to its mental health system to avoid the risk of unnecessarily institutionalizing people with mental illness. In a unanimous opinion, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the 2021 order, which came in response to a lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department, went too far in requiring "sweeping modifications" of state policy.

US makes 30 states pause Medicaid disenrollments after glitch

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday said 30 states must pause disenrollments from their Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs and reinstate coverage for people who lost it due to a glitch uncovered in August. Medicaid, the federal/state health program for low income people and families, said nearly 500,000 children and other individuals that lost coverage due to a problem affecting automatic renewals will regain their insurance.

U.S. government awards $45 million for long COVID clinics

The U.S. government is awarding $45 million in grants to help clinics treating long COVID develop new models of care and expand access, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Wednesday. Nine clinics will receive $1 million grants annually over the next five years through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) within HHS, the department said.

Novo Holdings closes $462 million acquisition of Paratek Pharmaceuticals

Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder in drugmaker Novo Nordisk, on Thursday said it had closed its acquisition of biopharmaceutical company Paratek Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at $462 million. The acquisition of Paratek Pharmaceuticals, which was announced in early June, is Novo Holdings' largest individual investment in antimicrobial resistance therapies to date, it said in a statement.