Health News Roundup: More bumps in the road to wiping out polio - report; Sunak may ban cigarettes in UK for future generations -The Guardian and more

Nearly five million disposable vapes are thrown away every week in Britain according to research by non-governmental organisation Material Focus and YouGov. The vapes, many of which contain lithium-ion batteries, frequently end up in landfill. Explainer-What you need to know about RSV and the new vaccines The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday recommended Pfizer's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for women in the middle of the third trimester of pregnancy to protect their babies from severe illness.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

More bumps in the road to wiping out polio - report

The global effort to end polio is likely to miss two key targets this year on the path towards defeating the virus, according to an independent strategic review. The aim in 2023 was to interrupt the transmission of wild polio in the two countries where it is still endemic, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and do the same for a variant form of polio known as "vaccine-derived" that is causing outbreaks elsewhere.

US CDC backs Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine to protect infants

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday backed Pfizer's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for women in the middle of the third trimester of pregnancy to protect their babies from severe illness. The CDC recommendation comes after a panel of advisers voted 11 to 1 for use of the shot in women 32 weeks to 36 weeks into their pregnancy from September to January, paving the way for it to become the first maternal vaccine for the seasonal respiratory virus available in the country.

Britain's Superdrug to stop selling single-use vapes

British pharmacy chain Superdrug will stop selling single-use vapes, the company announced on Friday, citing the environmental impact caused by their disposal and the popularity of the products among young people. Nearly five million disposable vapes are thrown away every week in Britain according to research by non-governmental organisation Material Focus and YouGov. The vapes, many of which contain lithium-ion batteries, frequently end up in landfill.

Explainer-What you need to know about RSV and the new vaccines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday recommended Pfizer's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for women in the middle of the third trimester of pregnancy to protect their babies from severe illness. That Pfizer shot and one developed by GSK in May became the first two RSV vaccines to win U.S. approval, for use in people aged 60 and over to prevent severe illness. In August, Pfizer's vaccine also won approval for the maternal use. Here's what you need to know.

Sunak may ban cigarettes in UK for future generations -The Guardian

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering introducing measures that would ban the next generation from ever being able to buy cigarettes, The Guardian reported on Friday, citing government sources. Sunak is looking at anti-smoking measures similar to laws New Zealand announced last year, which include a ban on selling tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, the report said.

AstraZeneca and Daiichi's breast cancer drug meets goal in study

AstraZeneca said on Friday its experimental precision drug had slowed the progression of a common type of breast cancer in a late-stage trial, a boost for the company after its shares fell in July on results from a separate trial of the same drug for lung cancer. The drug, datopotamab deruxtecan, which AstraZeneca is jointly developing with Japan's Daiichi Sankyo, is being closely watched by analysts and investors in part due to the promise of the class of drugs to which it belongs, known as antibody drug conjugates (ADC).

Emissions from Tata Steel's Dutch plant reduce life expectancy, research shows

People living close to Tata Steel's Dutch steelworks have a life expectancy that is 2.5 months lower than the average for the Netherlands due to the plant's emissions, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said on Friday. The Institute said its research showed that exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide increases the risk of lung cancer and that 4% of the new cases in the area could be attributed to the emissions from the plant.

Abbott India warns of laxatives shortage in tussle with Goa regulator

Abbott Laboratories' Indian unit has warned of potential supply shortages of two popular laxative syrups after production was prohibited in India's Goa state, where drug inspectors have found lapses at a company factory, a letter shows. Goa, where Abbott has one of its two India plants, asked the company to halt production of Cremaffin and Duphalac syrups last month. The request followed the recall of another Abbott drug which triggered factory inspections by health officials who found contamination risks and sanitisation issues.

AbbVie terminates deal with I-Mab to develop cancer drug

China-based biotech company I-Mab said on Friday that AbbVie has terminated a 2020 deal to co-develop and market I-Mab's lead cancer drug candidate lemzoparlimab. AbbVie's decision to scrap the deal comes after it pulled the plug on an early-stage study in August last year that was testing lemzoparlimab in combination with two other drugs for treating two types of blood cancers, myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelocytic leukemia.

Merck, Eisai's combination therapy fails in lung cancer studies

Drugmakers Merck and Eisai said on Friday a combination of their cancer therapies did not prolong the lives of patients in two late-stage studies testing it as a treatment for a type of lung cancer. The pairing of Merck's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda and Eisai's Lenvima has previously failed in studies evaluating it in patients with types of head-and-neck cancer, skin cancer and colon cancer as well.

(With inputs from agencies.)