Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Top scientists join forces to study leading theory behind long COVID
Top scientists from leading academic centers are banding together to answer a key question about the root cause of long COVID – whether fragments of the coronavirus persist in the tissues of some individuals. The effort, known as the Long Covid Research Initiative, aims to streamline research and quickly pivot to clinical trials of potential treatments. By sharing diverse skill sets and resources, the group hopes to uncover the scientific underpinnings of the disease and use that to design evidence-based trials.
Millions in China’s Chengdu thrown into extended COVID lockdown
The Chinese city of Chengdu extended a lockdown for a majority of its more than 21 million residents on Thursday to prevent further transmission of COVID-19 while millions more in other parts of China were told to shun travel in upcoming holidays. Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province, was locked down on Sept. 1 after COVID cases were detected, becoming the largest Chinese metropolis hit with curbs since Shanghai’s lockdown in April and May.
Paris prosecution office investigates Philips ventilators
A department of the Paris prosecution office has opened a preliminary criminal investigation linked to faulty Philips ventilators in June, the office said on Thursday, confirming a French media report. Philips began a major international recall of ventilators and sleep apnea machines in 2021 due to a foam part that might degrade and become toxic, potentially causing cancer.
Hong Kong to extend COVID vaccine pass scheme to 5-year-olds
Hong Kong will include children aged five and above in its COVID-19 vaccine pass scheme from the end of September, the government said on Thursday, as authorities try to boost inoculation levels there. People aged 12 and above currently need to show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, malls, supermarkets and sports facilities in the Chinese special administrative region.
U.S. FDA approves Revance’s Botox rival
Revance Therapeutics said on Thursday it had received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval for its injection that could rival AbbVie’s Botox. The company said Daxxify, its treatment for wrinkles that appear as people become older, has the ability to address the duration of treatment effect, which it believes is the greatest unmet need among the class of injections.
Gambia probes link between child deaths and a paracetamol syrup
Gambia’s government is investigating whether the deaths of dozens of young children from kidney failure in recent months are linked to a paracetamol syrup, the head of the country’s health service said on Thursday. A spike in cases of acute kidney injury among children under the age of five was detected in late July. As cases mounted, doctors began to suspect medicines could be involved.
New bird flu wave in France raises fears deadly virus here to stay
The island of Rouzic’s windswept clifftops should be teeming with gannets, but an unseasonal wave of bird flu on the French Atlantic coast this summer has devastated their numbers, alarming conservationists and poultry farmers. Thousands of seabirds have perished along France’s western shores in past weeks because of the viral infection, which usually strikes during autumn and winter months, raising fears it may have become a year-round risk and endemic to French wildlife.
Long COVID’s link to suicide: scientists warn of hidden crisis
Scott Taylor never got to move on from COVID-19. The 56-year-old, who caught the disease in the spring 2020, still had not recovered about 18 months later when he killed himself at his home near Dallas, having lost his health, memory and money.
Cost to hit U.N. sustainability goals rises to $176 trillion – report
The cost of meeting global targets to fight issues such as hunger, poverty and climate change rose 25% to $176 trillion over the last year, with performance on several measures reversing, a report on Thursday said. The funding shortfall for the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a series of 2030 targets backed by all member states, rose even further over the period, up 35% to $135 trillion, the report by the Force for Good Initiative (FFGI) said.
Amylyx’s ALS drug gets U.S. FDA panel’s backing in rare turnaround
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc’s drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Wednesday secured the support of external advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, months after the panel rejected it over issues with trial data. In a rare second meeting, the FDA panel voted 7 to 2 in favor of the oral drug, AMX0035, citing the unmet need for more treatments against the fatal neurodegenerative condition commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
(With inputs from agencies.)
