Health News Roundup: Britain adds new synthetic opioids to its banned drug list; Sanofi looks to widen Dupixent use to treat 'smoker's lung' after second trial win and more

The EMA "has determined that all essential regulatory elements required for scientific assessment were included in the application," Valneva said in a statement. Health experts decry New Zealand's scrapping of world-first tobacco ban Health and tobacco campaigners said on Monday that New Zealand's plan to repeal laws that would ban tobacco sales for future generations threatened lives and put international efforts to curb smoking at risk.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Britain adds new synthetic opioids to its banned drug list

Britain said it would ban 20 additional dangerous drugs on Monday, adding fifteen new synthetic opioids and other substances to its Class A drugs list as part of efforts to protect people from overdoses and drug related deaths. British crime and policing minister Chris Philp said in a statement that the substances had the potential to devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities.

Indian drug manufacturers benefit from Big Pharma interest beyond China

Drugmakers are seeking to limit their reliance on Chinese contractors who produce drugs used in clinical trials and early-stage manufacturing, a move that is benefiting rivals in India, according to interviews with 10 industry executives and experts. China has for nearly 20 years been the preferred location for a range of pharmaceutical research and manufacturing services due to the low cost and speed offered by contract drugmakers there.

GSK's blood cancer drug meets primary goal in late-stage trial

GSK said on Monday that its blood cancer drug Blenrep had reached a key goal in a late-stage trial, as the British drugmaker looks to bolster its oncology business after a series of setbacks. The drug, when combined with existing drug bortezomib plus steroid dexamethasone, significantly extended the time before the disease progressed, or the patients died, in those suffering from relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma - the third most common type of blood cancer which is considered difficult to treat.

Sanofi looks to widen Dupixent use to treat 'smoker's lung' after second trial win

Sanofi plans to seek U.S. approval for its best-selling anti-inflammatory drug Dupixent to be used in the treatment of "smoker's lung", also known as COPD, after a second large trial showed significant benefits. Sanofi, which is collaborating on the drug with Regeneron, said in a statement on Monday that a second Dupixent phase 3 trial for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease showed the drug reduced exacerbations of the disease by 34%.

Canada's Xenon Pharma's depression drug fails to meet main goal in study

Canada's Xenon Pharmaceuticals said on Monday that its experimental drug to treat moderate to severe major depressive disorder (MDD) had failed to significantly reduce the severity of depressive episodes compared to a placebo, in a mid-stage study. Still, the company said it was actively exploring future development of the drug candidate, XEN1101, as a treatment for MDD.

Valneva says EU regulator accepts its chikungunya vaccine application

French drugmaker Valneva said on Monday that the application for its vaccine candidate against mosquito-borne viral disease chikungunya was accepted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) which would now examine the drug in a fast-track procedure. The EMA "has determined that all essential regulatory elements required for scientific assessment were included in the application," Valneva said in a statement.

Health experts decry New Zealand's scrapping of world-first tobacco ban

Health and tobacco campaigners said on Monday that New Zealand's plan to repeal laws that would ban tobacco sales for future generations threatened lives and put international efforts to curb smoking at risk. The country's new centre-right coalition will scrap the laws introduced by the previous Labour-led government, according to coalition agreements published on Friday.

Japan panel recommends approval of updated Daiichi Sankyo COVID shot- Kyodo

A Japanese health ministry panel on Monday recommended approval for an updated version of Daiichi Sankyo's COVID-19 vaccine, the Kyodo news agency said. The mRNA-based shot was initially approved as a booster in August, becoming Japan's first home-grown shot for the coronavirus. The vaccine was updated to provide protection against the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant, a contingent for the health ministry to buy 1.4 million doses.

China's respiratory illness surge not as high as pre-pandemic - WHO official

The spike in respiratory illnesses that China is currently suffering is not as high as before the COVID-19 pandemic, a World Health Organisation official said, reiterating that no new or unusual pathogens had been found in the recent cases. Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO's department of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said the increase appeared to be driven by a rise in the number of children contracting pathogens that they had avoided during two years of COVID restrictions.

UK reaches deal with medical unions which could end senior doctor strikes

The British government said on Monday it had reached an agreement with medical unions which could pave the way to ending strike action by senior doctors. The Department of Health and Social Care said the offer would reform the pay structure for senior doctors, known as consultants, from January, reducing the number of pay brackets and the time it takes to reach the top.