Health News Roundup: WHO appoints Jeremy Farrar as chief scientist; New Zealand bans future generations from buying tobacco under new laws and more

The study is the first randomized trial to show that combining mRNA vaccine technology - which has been behind the development of successful COVID-19 vaccines - with a drug that revs up the immune response would offer a better result for patients with the most deadly type of skin cancer. Shionogi says Japan government to buy 1 million more COVID pill doses Shionogi & Co Ltd said on Tuesday the Japanese government agreed to purchase an additional 1 million doses of its oral treatment for COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO appoints Jeremy Farrar as chief scientist

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that Jeremy Farrar will become its new chief scientist as the agency prepares to cope with post-pandemic health challenges. He will join the WHO in the second quarter of 2023, replacing Soumya Swaminathan, who departed in November ahead of a broader shakeup at the health agency.

New Zealand bans future generations from buying tobacco under new laws

Future generations of New Zealanders will be banned from purchasing tobacco as part of a package of new anti-smoking laws that passed parliament on Tuesday and are among the most strict in the world. The suite of new laws include bans on selling tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, punishable by fines up to NZ$150,000 ($95,910). The ban will remain in place for a person's whole life.

Haiti receives first shipments of cholera vaccines: WHO

Haiti has received more than 1 million doses of oral cholera vaccines as it battles a worsening cholera outbreak that has been particularly deadly for children, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. Cholera reemerged in the Caribbean island nation in early October after around three years without reported cases, and so far 280 people have died. A significant number of them have been children.

Japan's Meiji Holdings says drug unit started late-stage trial for COVID vaccine

Japan's Meiji Holdings Co said on Tuesday its drug subsidiary had started a Phase III trial of an mRNA-based vaccine for COVID-19. Meiji Seika Pharma had started the late-stage trial among 780 subjects in Japan, with the test period running from November to April 2024, Meiji said in a statement.

Takeda to buy inflammatory disease drug for $4 billion from Nimbus

Takeda Pharmaceutical said on Tuesday it would acquire Nimbus Therapeutics' experimental inflammatory disease treatment for $4 billion in upfront payment.

China reportedly delays key economic meeting amid signs of surging infections

Chinese leaders have reportedly delayed a key economic policy meeting amid growing signs that COVID-19 infections are surging nearly a week after Beijing jettisoned some of the world's toughest restrictions. President Xi Jinping and other Politburo members and senior government officials had been expected to attend the closed-door Central Economic Work Conference, most likely this week, to chart a policy course for the embattled Chinese economy in 2023.

Moderna, Merck vaccine combo cut melanoma recurrence by 44% - study

An experimental personalized melanoma vaccine developed by Moderna Inc given with Merck & Co's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda cut the risk of the skin cancer's recurrence or death by 44% compared with Keytruda alone in a midstage trial. The study is the first randomized trial to show that combining mRNA vaccine technology - which has been behind the development of successful COVID-19 vaccines - with a drug that revs up the immune response would offer a better result for patients with the most deadly type of skin cancer.

Shionogi says Japan government to buy 1 million more COVID pill doses

Shionogi & Co Ltd said on Tuesday the Japanese government agreed to purchase an additional 1 million doses of its oral treatment for COVID-19. Shionogi previously agreed to sell a million doses of the drug, a protease inhibitor known as ensitrelvir and commercially as Xocova, to the government pending approval. The added supply agreement comes at a time when Japan is dealing with an eighth wave of COVID infections.

China health app starts online sales of Pfizer's Paxlovid for COVID treatment

A Chinese healthcare platform has started selling Pfizer's oral COVID treatment pill Paxlovid in what appears to be the first retail sale of the drug in the country, as China braces for a surge in COVID patients. The medication sold out just over half an hour after the listing was reported in the media, the platform's customer service said, underscoring surging demand for COVID and flu medicines in China.

Indonesia to produce Merck's HPV vaccines to combat cervical cancer

Indonesia will produce drugmaker Merck & Co's vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV), the chief of its state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma said on Tuesday, in a bid to combat HPV-linked cervical cancer in the country. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). About 90% of new cases and deaths worldwide occurred in low- and middle-income countries that year.