Page 71 - Heca News Today

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday will unveil an updated national strategy to combat the AIDS epidemic by boosting money for research, increasing access to treatment, and recognizing the role racism plays in inequitable access to medical services.

Britain said on Wednesday it had agreed deals to buy 114 million more Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shots, saying it had sped up signing the new contracts in light of the emergence of the new Omicron variant.

Courts have recently blocked some of the Biden administration's rules and regulations aimed at increasing U.S. vaccination against COVID-19, which has killed more than 750,000 Americans and weighs on economic growth.

China is accelerating research and development of COVID-19 vaccines targeting the Omicron variant, a health official said on Thursday, amid concerns among global scientists that it may spread more quickly than other strains.

The European Union's (EU) drug regulator said on Thursday it had started a rolling review of the protein-based COVID-19 vaccine from French biotech firm Valneva , weeks after the EU signed a deal with the company for supplies of the shot.

Novavax Inc said on Thursday it could begin commercial manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine tailored for the Omicron coronavirus variant in January next year, while it tests whether or not its current vaccine works against the variant.

Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening lower on Thursday with futures down 1.08%.

South Africa is seeing an increase in COVID-19 reinfections due to the Omicron variant but symptoms for reinfected patients and those infected after vaccination appear to be mild, a scientist studying the outbreak of the new strain said.

CSL’s Swiss expedition risks derailing its winning streak. The $99 billion Australian flu-jab maker is in talks to buy Vifor Pharma for around $7 billion, according to Australian media. The target’s sickly share price makes the pounce timely, although the returns look paltry unless Chief Executive Paul Perreault can unearth lots of synergies. A looming patent expiry for one of Vifor’s key drugs adds to the unknowns.

Philip Morris will reach its target of 50% sales from smoke-free products by 2025 through organic revenue growth rather than mergers and acquisitions, its CEO told Reuters.