Health News Roundup: Ebola vaccine rollout; New vaccine for 'superbug' typhoid and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Rollout of Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine begins in Congo

Health authorities in eastern Congo have introduced a new Ebola vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson, aid group MSF said on Thursday, to help combat the world's second-worst outbreak of the virus on record. New tools including vaccines have helped contain the outbreak, second only to the 2013-16 West African outbreak that killed more than 11,300, despite public mistrust and conflict affecting the response in parts of the region.

Jazz Pharma's sleep disorder drug gets European panel backing

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc's treatment for a form of sleep disorder has been recommended for approval in Europe by a panel of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the regulator said on Friday. Solriamfetol, which will be branded as Sunosi, has been backed for the treatment of excessive sleepiness in adult patients with narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the EMA's human medicines committee (CHMP) said https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/meeting-highlights-committee-medicinal-products-human-use-chmp-11-14-november-2019.

Pakistan deploys new vaccine against 'superbug' typhoid outbreak

Pakistan began vaccinating millions of children against typhoid on Friday to try to control a drug-resistant superbug outbreak of the fever that has already infected some 11,000 people since 2016 and risks spreading internationally. The immunization campaign, using a newly-developed shot designed to prevent typhoid fever infection for up to five years, starts in the southern Sindh province and is targeted at children between 9 months and 15 years old, officials said.

ResTORbio stops testing lead drug for respiratory illness; shares plummet

ResTORbio Inc said on Friday it had stopped testing its lead drug as a treatment for respiratory illness after it failed to meet the main goal in a late-stage trial, sending the company's shares down nearly 70%. The company, however, said it will continue to test the drug in other conditions, including Parkinson's disease.

U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 42, cases of illness to 2,172

U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 2,172 confirmed and probable cases and 3 more deaths from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the death toll to 42, so far this year. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,051 confirmed and probable U.S. lung injury cases and 39 deaths associated with use of e-cigarettes, or vaping products.

China's BeiGene gets FDA approval for drug to treat rare form of lymphoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved BeiGene Ltd's lymphoma treatment, validating the China-based drugmaker's strategy of largely using data from trials held outside the United States to file for approval. The company tested the treatment, Brukinsa, in 118 patients with mantle cell lymphoma enrolled in two studies. About three-quarters were Asian, 21% Caucasian, and between 10% to 15% were from the United States, BeiGene said.

Apple launches app to let users enroll in health studies

Apple Inc on Thursday launched an app that will let users of its devices to enroll in three health studies, allowing them to share health-related data for medical research. The studies are conducted in partnership with research institutes, including Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Former deputy head of China's drug regulator sentenced to 16 years in prison

Wu Zhen, a former deputy head of China's food and drug regulator, was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Chinese court, state television reported on Friday. Wu is one of the senior officials from the regulator who has been under investigation after a safety scandal at vaccine maker Changsheng Biotechnology Co Ltd.

GSK eyes 'step change' in shingles vaccine output in 2024

GlaxoSmithKline said further growth from its shingles vaccine, which has boosted earnings, would be reined in by limited capacity until 2024, but a new bioreactor facility would then be ready to bring a "step change" in production. GSK, Britain's largest drugmaker, had originally envisaged a gradual launch in the United States, its biggest market, but regulators unexpectedly recommended Shingrix not only for people reaching the age of 50 but also to replace an established product.

Antibiotic-resistant infections killing twice as many Americans as once thought

Nearly twice as many people are dying in the United States from antibiotic-resistant infections than previously believed, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday, as so-called "superbugs" alarm experts with their rate of growth and spread. Issuing its first comprehensive report into the growing health threat in six years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had determined that 2.8 million antibiotic resistant infections occur each year, killing 35,000 people.