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

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. WHO says at least one child has died after increase of acute hepatitis cases in children The World Health Organization said on Saturday that at least one child death had been reported following an increase of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children, and that at least 169 cases had been reported in children in 12 countries.

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.

New Ebola case confirmed in northwestern Congo, health authorities say

A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in the northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting health authorities to enforce urgent containment measures just four months after the previous outbreak came to an end. The case, a 31-year-old male, was detected in the city of Mbandaka, the capital of Congo's Equateur province. Around 74 of his contacts are being tracked, the health ministry said in a statement.

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.

WHO says at least one child has died after increase of acute hepatitis cases in children

The World Health Organization said on Saturday that at least one child death had been reported following an increase of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children and that at least 169 cases had been reported in children in 12 countries. The WHO issued the figures as health authorities around the world investigate a mysterious increase in severe cases of hepatitis - inflammation of the liver – in young children.

Italy reports 70,520 coronavirus cases on Saturday, 143 deaths

Italy reported 70,520 COVID-19 related cases on Saturday, against 73,212 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily number of deaths fell to 143 from 202. Italy has registered 162,609 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the eighth highest in the world. The country has reported 16.1 million cases to date.

Shanghai fences up COVID-hit buildings, fuelling fresh outcry

Shanghai authorities battling an outbreak of COVID-19 have erected mesh barriers outside some residential buildings, sparking fresh public outcry over a lockdown that has forced much of the city's 25 million people to stay home. Images of white hazmat suit-clad workers sealing entrances of housing blocks and even closing off entire streets with roughly two meter-tall green fencing went viral on social media on Saturday, prompting questions and complaints from residents.

Americans back flexible approach on masks, but are 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.