Health News Roundup: Mexico declares country free of H5N1 bird flu; US FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID shot, shares rise and more

Highlighting the strains facing health services in Italy, the southern region of Calabria has signed a three-year deal to draft in almost 500 medics from the Caribbean island to help overcome a severe staffing shortage. US FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID shot, shares rise The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it authorized an updated version of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in individuals aged 12 years and older, and the company's shares closed 8% higher.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India finds two more toxic syrups months after poisoning deaths

India's drug regulator has found that a cough syrup and an anti-allergy syrup made by Norris Medicines are toxic, according to a government report, months after Indian-made cough syrups were linked to 141 children's deaths worldwide. The medicines were contaminated either with diethylene glycol (DEG) or ethylene glycol (EG), the same contaminants found in the cough syrups that caused the deaths in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since the middle of last year.

Britain proposes ban on cigarettes for younger generations

Britain's government on Wednesday proposed banning younger generations from ever buying cigarettes, a move that would give the country some of the world's toughest smoking rules and hurt the sales of major tobacco firms. If passed into law, the smoking age would rise by one year every year, potentially phasing out smoking among young people almost completely as soon as 2040, a briefing paper said.

Teva hopes Sanofi collaboration will lead to blockbuster IBD drug

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries will collaborate with French drugmaker Sanofi to develop a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease it hopes will become a blockbuster drug. Sanofi, a leader in immunology, will invest $1.5 billion in the development of Teva's anti-TL1A drug, the companies said on Wednesday. The drug is still in phase 2 trials, with interim results not expected until the second half of 2024,

Mexico declares country free of H5N1 bird flu

Mexican authorities declared the country free of H5N1 avian influenza almost a year after starting a bird vaccination campaign in high-risk areas to prevent its spread, according to an agreement published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday. The decision will facilitate the sale of live poultry, as well as poultry products and by-products originating from Mexico, the gazette said.

Moderna combo COVID-19/flu vaccine effective in early-stage trial

Moderna on Wednesday said its combination vaccine to protect against both COVID-19 and influenza generated a strong immune response compared to individual shots for the viruses in an early-stage study. Moderna said the combination generated antibodies similar to or greater than currently marketed flu vaccines, and was similar to its previous standalone COVID booster shot against the coronavirus.

US healthcare workers launch three-day strike at Kaiser Permanente

About 75,000 healthcare workers launched a planned three-day strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities across the U.S. on Wednesday, the largest-ever such action in the healthcare sector. Those walking off the job include nurses, medical technicians and other support staff at hundreds of hospitals in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington D.C. Kaiser said hospitals and emergency departments would remain open, staffed by doctors, managers and "contingency workers."

Italy looks to foreigners for quick fix to sickly health service

Doctors from Communist Cuba are used to being dispatched to help in medical hotspots in Africa, Asia and South America. But less so to well-off Europe. Highlighting the strains facing health services in Italy, the southern region of Calabria has signed a three-year deal to draft in almost 500 medics from the Caribbean island to help overcome a severe staffing shortage.

US FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID shot, shares rise

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it authorized an updated version of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in individuals aged 12 years and older, and the company's shares closed 8% higher. The Maryland-based company, whose COVID vaccine is its lone marketed product, has adopted cost-cutting measures and is counting on commercial sales of its updated shot to help it stay afloat. The company has said it may not be able to remain solvent otherwise.

US plans shift of Merck COVID treatment to commercial market

The U.S. government will stop distributing free doses of Merck & Co's COVID-19 antiviral treatment molnupiravir by the middle of next month and expects it to be sold on the commercial market instead. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement posted on its website late last week they anticipate transition of the drug, sold under the brand name Lagevrio, from government-managed to traditional commercial distribution in November.

About 4 million Americans got updated COVID vaccines in September

Around 4 million Americans received the updated COVID-19 shots in September, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), even as some people have found it difficult to book vaccination appointments or find the vaccines at no cost. "The Biden-Harris Administration, through HHS, has been working directly with manufacturers and distributors to ensure that the vaccines are getting to pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and other vaccination sites, including long-term care facilities as quickly as possible," a spokesperson for the department said in an emailed statement.