Health News Roundup: U.S. CDC calls for more COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant women; EU extends vaccine export control mechanism until year-end - official and more

Dr. Anthony Fauci, asked about Wall Street Journal reporting that expanded approval may not come next month depending on when the companies file a formal application, said the Food and Drug Administration was working expeditiously and that "if it goes into November, that's because it's necessary." Merck says research shows its COVID-19 pill works against variants Laboratory studies show that Merck & Co's experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug, molnupiravir, is likely to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus, including the dominant, highly transmissible Delta, the company said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

EU extends vaccine export control mechanism until year-end - official

The European Union will extend a mechanism to monitor and potentially limit the export of COVID-19 vaccines from the bloc until the end of 2021 from the current deadline of end-September, an EU official said on Wednesday. The European Commission, the EU's executive, said earlier this week it would propose such an extension, but initially not all governments supported it because vaccination campaigns in the EU have been advancing quickly and there are no longer any shortages of shots like in the first half of the year.

Coronavirus can transform pancreas cell function; certain genes may protect an infected person's spouse

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Coronavirus transforms pancreas cell function

FDA ruling on Pfizer's COVID jab for kids could come in November - Fauci

U.S. health regulators' decision on whether to approve Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 could spill over into November if needed, the nation's top u.s. infectious disease official said on Wednesday. Dr. Anthony Fauci, asked about Wall Street Journal reporting that expanded approval may not come next month depending on when the companies file a formal application, said the Food and Drug Administration was working expeditiously and that "if it goes into November, that's because it's necessary."

Merck says research shows its COVID-19 pill works against variants

Laboratory studies show that Merck & Co's experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug, molnupiravir, is likely to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus, including the dominant, highly transmissible Delta, the company said on Wednesday. Since molnupiravir does not target the spike protein of the virus - the target of all current COVID-19 vaccines - which defines the differences between the variants, the drug should be equally effective as the virus continues to evolve, said Jay Grobler, head of infectious disease and vaccines at Merck.

Exclusive - EU to decide on Pfizer booster on Oct. 4 - document

The EU's drugs regulator will decide on Monday whether to approve Pfizer's COVID-19 booster vaccine, but it is unlikely to give precise guidance on who should receive it, according to an internal document and two officials. If the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives its backing for the jab, the 27-member block would join the United States, Britain and Israel which have already received the green light to deploy boosters, even though there is no consensus among scientists that they are necessary.

U.S. CDC calls for more COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant women

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday issued a health advisory to increase COVID-19 vaccinations among women who are pregnant, recently pregnant or trying to become pregnant, to prevent serious illness and death.

The CDC said its data showed https://bit.ly/39VfL5z only 31% of pregnant people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Although more pregnant women are now vaccinated, the CDC said uptake of vaccines for pregnant women has been lower compared to the general population.

Mirum's oral drug becomes first U.S. approved Alagille syndrome therapy

Mirum Pharmaceuticals Inc said its drug became the first U.S. approved therapy for treating itching in patients with rare liver disorder Alagille syndrome (ALGS), and would be available for distribution immediately. Shares of the company were briefly halted before the approval and rose as much as 8.8% to $20.40 after resumption on Wednesday.

Rebuffed by Bolsonaro, Brazil medical institute to sell vaccines abroad

Brazil's Butantan biomedical institute is in talks to sell a locally manufactured COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac to other countries in South America and Africa, as the federal government has not ordered more of the shots. Butantan Director Dimas Covas said on Wednesday that the institute also has contracts to supply the vaccine directly to Brazilian states.

Factbox - COVID-19 and the U.S. courts: challenges to vaccine requirements

U.S. employers, universities and local governments are increasingly putting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in place to contain outbreaks of the disease as infection rates remain high.

Workers who fear losing their jobs for refusing the shots are turning to the courts. The following are some of the key cases.

At least one long-term symptom seen in 37% of COVID-19 patients -study

At least one long-term COVID-19 symptom was found in 37% of patients three to six months after they were infected by the virus, a large study from Oxford University and the National Institute for Health Research showed on Wednesday. The most common symptoms included breathing problems, fatigue, pain and anxiety, Oxford University said, after investigating symptoms in over 270,000 people recovering from COVID-19.

(With inputs from agencies.)