Health News Roundup: WHO launches mRNA vaccine hub in Cape Town; People lost faith in childhood vaccines during COVID pandemic, UNICEF says and more

With the data, BeiGene is hoping the drug could become the first-line of therapy for patients with advanced forms of gastric cancer, or a rare type of cancer that begins in the area where the food pipe and stomach join. Emergent aims to price over-the-counter Narcan at about $50 Contract drugmaker Emergent BioSolutions Inc said on Thursday it is aiming to price the over-the-counter (OTC) version of its opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan at around $50 per carton.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO launches mRNA vaccine hub in Cape Town

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday officially launched its mRNA vaccine technology hub in Cape Town, a facility established during the COVID-19 pandemic to help poorer countries struggling to gain access to life-saving medication. In 2021, the WHO picked South African biotech firm Afrigen Biologics and local vaccine-maker Biovac for a proof-of-concept pilot project to give poor and middle-income countries the know-how and licences to make COVID vaccines, in what South African President Cyril Ramaphosa then called a historic step.

People lost faith in childhood vaccines during COVID pandemic, UNICEF says

People all over the world lost confidence in the importance of routine childhood vaccines against killer diseases like measles and polio during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from UNICEF. In 52 of the 55 countries surveyed, the public perception of vaccines for children declined between 2019 and 2021, the UN agency said.

PAHO in early talks with Takeda over dengue vaccine prices

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is in preliminary talks with Japanese drugmaker Takeda over potential orders of its dengue vaccine, PAHO's director said on Thursday, though it has yet to decide whether it will recommend the shot.

"The data is really very impressive," PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa told a news conference, citing a study that found Takeda's recently developed QDENGA shot prevented 61% of dengue infections and 85% of severe cases.

Marburg cases rise to sixteen in Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea has confirmed 16 positive cases of Marburg disease since the beginning of the outbreak, the country's health ministry said on Thursday. Marburg virus disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever that can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the WHO.

US judge halts most talc lawsuits against J&J, stops trials

A U.S. judge on Thursday halted most of the tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and other talc products caused cancer and stopped any trials as part of a company subsidiary’s second attempt to settle cases in bankruptcy proceedings. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan put most of the litigation temporarily on hold during a hearing in Trenton, New Jersey. The decision, for the most part, granted a request from J&J to freeze cases while it attempts to reach a permanent settlement with current plaintiffs that would also set aside money for future lawsuits.

WHO urges sides in Sudan conflict to open humanitarian corridor for medics

The World Health Organisation on Thursday urged both sides of the conflict in Sudan to halt fighting to allow those injured to get medical attention and to open a humanitarian passage for health workers, patients and ambulances. Residents of the capital Khartoum reported heavy gunfire on Thursday as many tried to flee a city that has been virtually paralyzed by fierce battles between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

India's Serum in talks on fill-finishing malaria vaccine in Ghana, official says

Vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India is holding talks on fill-finishing Oxford University's R21 malaria vaccine in Ghana, which approved the shot this month, a Ghanaian vaccine expert said on Thursday. Fill-finishing is one of the final stages of drug manufacturing and packaging.

BeiGene-Novartis gastric cancer drug succeeds in late-stage trial

Drugmaker BeiGene Ltd said on Thursday the experimental drug it is developing with Swiss firm Novartis AG helped extend survival for patients with types of gastric cancer in a late-stage trial. With the data, BeiGene is hoping the drug could become the first-line of therapy for patients with advanced forms of gastric cancer, or a rare type of cancer that begins in the area where the food pipe and stomach join.

Emergent aims to price over-the-counter Narcan at about $50

Contract drugmaker Emergent BioSolutions Inc said on Thursday it is aiming to price the over-the-counter (OTC) version of its opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan at around $50 per carton. The OTC version will become available at U.S. stores and online retailers later this summer, while the currently available prescription nasal spray carries a wholesale price tag of $125 per carton.

One drug medication abortion with misoprostol grows in US

Use of the drug misoprostol on its own to terminate pregnancies is on the rise in the United States as providers seek a preemptive alternative while a ban on abortion pill mifepristone is being considered in court. Misoprostol is already part of the only medication abortion protocol approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but only when taken in combination with mifepristone.