Health News Roundup: Biogen pulls application for Alzheimer's drug in Europe; Taiwan won't go into Shanghai-like lockdown despite rising COVID cases, premier says and more

COVID-19 was the underlying or contributing cause of 460,513 deaths in the United States last year, a nearly 20% jump compared to 2020, the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed. New Ebola case confirmed in northwestern Congo, lab report says A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, the National Institute of Biomedical Research said on Saturday, four months after the end of the country's last outbreak.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Biogen pulls application for Alzheimer's drug in Europe

Biogen Inc said on Friday it will withdraw the marketing application for its controversial Alzheimer's drug, aducanumab, in Europe after the U.S. biotech company failed to convince the European regulator of the treatment's benefits. Biogen shares were down $7.54, or 3.5%, at $210.86.

Taiwan won't go into Shanghai-like lockdown despite rising COVID cases, premier says

Taiwan will not go into a Shanghai-like lockdown to control a rise in domestic COVID-19 cases as the vast majority of those infected have no symptoms or show only minor symptoms, Premier Su Tseng-chang said on Saturday, pledging to keep opening up. Taiwan has been dealing with a spike in local cases since the start of the year, but the numbers overall remain small - 18,436 since Jan. 1 for a population of some 23 million - and just four people have died.

COVID-19 third leading cause of death again in 2021- U.S. study

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States for the second year in a row in 2021, with death rates rising for most age groups, a government study showed on Friday. COVID-19 was the underlying or contributing cause of 460,513 deaths in the United States last year, a nearly 20% jump compared to 2020, the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed.

New Ebola case confirmed in northwestern Congo, lab report says

A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in the northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, the National Institute of Biomedical Research said on Saturday, four months after the end of the country's last outbreak. The case was detected in the city of Mbandaka, capital of Congo's Equateur province, said the institute. A health ministry spokesperson also confirmed the discovery.

Polish health minister upbeat on Moderna vaccine talks

Poland can reach a compromise with Moderna on increasing the flexibility of COVID-19 vaccine contracts, the health minister said on Friday, striking an upbeat tone after initial talks with the U.S. pharmaceutical company. Poland has said it will not take or pay for more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine under the European Union's supply contract as it already has sufficient doses, potentially setting the stage for a legal battle with manufacturers.

Pfizer recalls some batches of blood pressure drug over carcinogen presence

Pfizer said on Friday it was voluntarily recalling five batches of its Accupril blood pressure tablets after finding elevated levels of a potential cancer-causing agent in the medicine. The drugmaker said it was not aware of any reports of adverse events related to the recalled batches, which were distributed in the United States and Puerto Rico from December 2019 to April 2022.

EU regulator backs using Pfizer COVID shot as a booster after other vaccines

A European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee on Friday recommended approving the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, as a booster for adults who have previously been inoculated with other vaccines. The recommendation from Europe's drug regulator comes days after global COVID-19 cases surpassed 500 million, according to a Reuters tally, as the highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron surges in many countries.

Explainer-Scientists investigate hepatitis outbreak in children in Europe, US

Health authorities around the world are investigating a mysterious increase in severe cases of hepatitis - inflammation of the liver – in young children. Below is a summary of what is known about the outbreak.

Anger mounts among locked-down Shanghai residents as city reports more COVID deaths

China's major financial hub of Shanghai reported more new COVID-19-related deaths on April 22, as residents vented their anger over a harsh lockdown and strict censorship online. Shanghai's full-city lockdown began at the start of April, though many people have been confined to their homes for much longer, and the stress began to tell on the residents.

Americans back flexible approach on masks, but eager to move on from COVID-Reuters/Ipsos

Most Americans support a flexible approach to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, with cities reimposing mask mandates when cases surge, even as a growing number are eager to get on with their lives, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Friday found. The results of the two-day poll illustrate the balancing act facing U.S. officials - particularly President Joe Biden's Democrats - as they navigate a health crisis that will not go away.