China Detains AstraZeneca Staff Amid Data, Drug-Import Probes

Recent health news highlights include China detaining AstraZeneca employees for possible illegal activities, enzyme batch numbers used in criminal drug packaging, and a critical shortage of vaccines in Congo amid an mpox outbreak. Concurrently, Pacific Islands face high non-communicable disease death rates and Johnson & Johnson increases its talc settlement offer.

In a significant development, Chinese authorities have detained five current and former employees of AstraZeneca. The move is part of a probe into potential illegal activities, according to sources cited by Bloomberg News. 'We are aware a small number of our employees in China are under investigation, and we have no further information to share at this point,' AstraZeneca stated.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of an ongoing mpox outbreak, is set to receive its first shipment of vaccine doses. The health crisis, which prompted a U.N. global public health emergency declaration, has been exacerbated by a lack of vaccines in the region.

In an effort to combat counterfeit versions of Ozempic, patients are advised to check batch numbers online to confirm the legitimacy of their purchases. This precautionary measure comes amid increasing criminal activities involving fake autoinjector pens.

(With inputs from agencies.)