Health News Roundup: France confirms bird flu vaccination after favourable tests; Stars at Cannes take break from red carpet to support AIDS research and more

Some European governments have destroyed doses. Elon Musk's Neuralink says has FDA approval for study of brain implants in humans Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink on Thursday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the green light to its first-in-human clinical trial, a critical milestone after earlier struggles to gain approval.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

EU, Pfizer/BioNTech announce amendment to COVID vaccine contract

The European Union and drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech said on Friday they had reached a deal to amend a COVID-19 vaccine contract, cutting the number the EU must buy and pushing the delivery deadline to 2026. The agreement, first reported by Reuters earlier on Friday, comes after months of talks and amid pressure on Brussels from EU governments to secure a change to the contract because of a global glut of COVID-19 vaccine doses and low demand for boosters. Some European governments have destroyed doses.

Elon Musk's Neuralink says has FDA approval for study of brain implants in humans

Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink on Thursday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the green light to its first-in-human clinical trial, a critical milestone after earlier struggles to gain approval. The FDA nod "represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people," Neuralink said in a tweet. It did not elaborate on the aims of the study, saying only that it was not recruiting yet and more details would be available soon.

South Carolina judge temporarily blocks six-week abortion ban

A South Carolina judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state's new law that bans most abortions after about six weeks, ruling that it should be considered by the state Supreme Court before taking effect. State Circuit Judge Clifton Newman granted reproductive rights groups' motion to block the legislation, which Republican Governor Henry McMaster signed into law on Thursday. The judge's ruling allows a previous law permitting abortions up to around 22 weeks to stay in effect until the state's highest court has reviewed the new ban, according to local media reports.

France confirms bird flu vaccination after favourable tests

France confirmed its aim to launch a vaccination programme against bird flu in the autumn after results from a series of tests on the vaccination of ducks showed "satisfactory effectiveness", the farm ministry said. A severe strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged poultry production around the world, leading to the culling of over 200 million birds in the past 18 months.

Stars at Cannes take break from red carpet to support AIDS research

Celebrities including Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Wright and Heidi Klum escaped the Cannes Film Festival's crowded Croisette Boulevard for a night to attend a fundraiser for AIDS research at a secluded luxury hotel in the nearby resort town of Antibes.

"I wanted to be here tonight because I think it's such a beautiful charity and just to be able to do what I can," said Bebe Rexha, one of the stars performing at the Thursday event.

AstraZeneca's drug combo shows positive results in late-stage cancer trial

AstraZeneca said on Friday a combination of its cancer drugs Imfinzi and Lynparza when added to platinum-based chemotherapy showed positive results in a late-stage trial in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The treatment followed by either Imfinzi plus Lynparza or Imfinzi alone as maintenance therapy showed a statistically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy, the British drugmaker said.

Moderna says looking for opportunities in China after registering legal entity

Vaccine maker Moderna Inc said on Friday it was looking for opportunities in China after confirming that it had registered a legal entity in the world's second largest economy.

The U.S. biotech firm registered a unit called Moderna (China) Biotech Ltd in Shanghai on May. 24 with capital of $100 million, according to Chinese data providers including company database Qichacha.

EU regulator recommends revoking authorisation for Novartis' sickle cell drug

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday it had recommended revoking marketing authorisation for Novartis' sickle cell disease drug Adakveo. The recommendation follows a review by EMA's human medicines committee (CHMP) that concluded the benefits of the drug did not outweigh risks, according to the regulator.

Pharmacy chain Walgreens Boots Alliance to cut corporate jobs by 10%

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc said on Friday it would slash its corporate staff by about 10%, as it streamlines operations and focuses on consumer-facing healthcare businesses.

None of the 504 roles being cut are based at its stores, micro-fulfillment outlets or call centers, a company spokesperson told Reuters.

U.S. FDA approves Lexicon Pharma's heart failure drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc's drug as a broad treatment for heart failure patients, including those with type 2 diabetes, the company said on Friday. Shares in the company rose 17% in volatile after market trading, before paring gains to trade up around 10%.

(With inputs from agencies.)