Health News Roundup: FDA mandates new safety warnings for opioid pain medicines; Ghana first to approve Oxford's malaria vaccine and more

China's hesitancy to join the UN project involving other Asian nations may compound frustration by global researchers who have been pressing Beijing to share information about the origins of COVID-19, as they seek to prevent future pandemics due to zoonotic, or animal-to-human, disease transmission. Half of Republicans say politics drove US abortion pill court ruling - Reuters/Ipsos Half of U.S. Republicans think a federal court was motivated by politics when it ordered the suspension of government approval for a widely used abortion pill, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Wednesday found.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Exclusive-China out of UN's wildlife survey for pandemic controls - source

China is not participating in a United Nations project to survey Asian wet markets and other facilities at high risk of spreading infectious diseases from wild animals to humans, despite long-running talks with Beijing, a UN official told Reuters. China's hesitancy to join the UN project involving other Asian nations may compound frustration by global researchers who have been pressing Beijing to share information about the origins of COVID-19, as they seek to prevent future pandemics due to zoonotic, or animal-to-human, disease transmission.

Half of Republicans say politics drove US abortion pill court ruling - Reuters/Ipsos

Half of U.S. Republicans think a federal court was motivated by politics when it ordered the suspension of government approval for a widely used abortion pill, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Wednesday found. Fifty-one percent of self-identified Republicans in the poll said they agreed that the ruling last week - which would essentially make sales of the abortion pill mifepristone illegal - was politically motivated. Only 28% of Republicans disagreed, and the rest said they weren't sure.

Biden administration to ask Supreme Court to stop abortion pill curbs

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Thursday the Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to intervene to stop restrictions set by a federal judge on the abortion pill mifepristone as President Joe Biden's administration moves to defend access to the drug. The administration will seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "scientific judgment and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care," Garland said in a statement.

FDA mandates new safety warnings for opioid pain medicines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it will require new safety warnings to be added in the prescribing information on labels for opioid pain relievers, including a warning about increased sensitivity to pain. FDA said data suggests patients who use opioids for pain relief after surgery often have leftover tablets, which puts them at risk for addiction and overdose.

Abortion pill access may continue even if FDA loses US court battle

The U.S. Justice Department is racing this week to convince a federal appeals court, or possibly the U.S. Supreme Court, to put on hold a judge's order suspending the government's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, which is used in more than half of all abortions in the country. But even if those legal efforts fail and last Friday's order by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas goes into effect, essentially rendering the drug unapproved, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could nonetheless continue to allow access to the drug, legal experts say.

Novo Nordisk hikes full-year forecast on GLP-1 drug sales

Diabetes and obesity drug developer Novo Nordisk on Thursday significantly raised its full-year operating profit and sales expectations on the back of strong demand for its highly popular Wegovy obesity drug. "The sales outlook for 2023 is raised, primarily reflecting Wegovy prescription trends in the first quarter and higher full-year expectations for sales of Wegovy in the U.S.," Novo Nordisk said in a statement.

Some U.S. abortion pill providers curb availability after appeals court ruling

U.S. telehealth abortion providers scrambled on Thursday to keep their services available after a federal appeals court ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone could be distributed amid ongoing litigation but with significant restrictions. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a lower court order that confined use of the pill to the first seven weeks of pregnancy and required in-person doctor visits to obtain it.

Biden seeks expanded health insurance access for DACA participants

The Biden administration is seeking to allow immigrants illegally brought to the United States as children greater access to health insurance through federal programs, the White House said on Thursday. The proposal would allow participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, to access to health insurance under Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges, it said.

Ghana first to approve Oxford's malaria vaccine

Ghana has become the first country in the world to approve a new malaria vaccine from Oxford University, a potential step forward in fighting a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of children each year. The approval is unusual as it comes before the publication of final-stage trial data.

Pfizer signs strategic cooperation pact with China's Sinopharm

Pfizer said on Thursday it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China's Sinopharm Group, and plans to seek approval to market 12 innovative drugs in China through 2025. Sinopharm's president Liu Yong said during the signing event in Shanghai on Wednesday that the cooperation will involve accelerating the delivery of Pfizer's new drugs to patients, according to a statement from Pfizer.

(With inputs from agencies.)