Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Liquid biopsy identifies who can skip chemo after colon cancer surgery -study
The following are summaries of some of the cancer research advances being presented the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. Liquid biopsy shows who can skip chemotherapy after colon surgery
J&J, AbbVie cancer drug significantly slows the progression of rare lymphoma: study
Johnson & Johnson and AbbVie’s big-selling leukemia drug Imbruvica in combination with standard treatment kept a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in check for more than two years longer than the standard regimen alone in older patients, according to data presented on Friday. Patients aged 65 and older with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) were given Imbruvica or a placebo along with a chemotherapy regimen of bendamustine and autoimmune drug rituximab.
Baby formula shortage could ease as Abbott reopens Michigan plant
Abbott Laboratories said on Saturday that it has reopened its baby formula production plant in Sturgis, Michigan, taking a step toward alleviating an acute nationwide shortage that has sent parents scrambling for supplies. The company said it will begin production of EleCare and other specialty and metabolic formulas, with an initial EleCare product release to consumers beginning on or about June 20.
Gilead drug modestly delays breast cancer progression in a late-stage trial
Gilead Sciences Inc’s Trodelvy extended by 1.5 months, or 34%, the length of time women with advanced stages of a common type of breast cancer lived without their disease worsening, according to trial data presented on Saturday. The Phase III study compared Trodelvy to chemotherapy in 543 patients with hormone-sensitive tumors that test negative for a receptor called HER2 and who had stopped responding to at least two earlier lines of therapy.
U.S. doctors urged to test for monkeypox, CDC says risk to public low
U.S. health officials on Friday urged doctors to test for monkeypox if they suspect cases, saying there may be community-level spread but that the overall public health risk remained low. So far, there have been 21 cases of the disease in at least 11 states. Affected patients are isolated to help prevent the spreading of the virus, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials told reporters in a conference call.
India approves Biological E. COVID shot as a booster
India has approved Hyderabad-based drugmaker Biological E’s COVID-19 vaccine as the first mix-and-match booster dose in the country, the company said on Saturday. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave the nod for the Corbevax vaccine to be administered as a booster shot to people age 18 years and over who have already received two doses of either AstraZeneca Plc’s Covishield or Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
Factbox-Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 528.73 million; 6,708,329 dead
More than 528.73 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 6,708,329 have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
China reports 162 new COVID cases for June 4 vs 171 a day earlier
Mainland China recorded 162 new coronavirus cases on June 4, of which 56 were symptomatic and 106 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. That compares with 171 new cases a day earlier – 46 symptomatic and 125 asymptomatic, which China counts separately.
N.Korea reports some 73,780 people with fever amid COVID-19 wave -KCNA
North Korea reported some 73,780 more people with fever symptoms amid its first-ever coronavirus outbreak, North Korean state media KCNA said on Sunday.
U.S. FDA flags risk of heart inflammation after Novavax COVID vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns about a possible risk of heart inflammation from Novavax Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine, even as the company’s data showed it could reduce the chances of mild-to-severe disease. In Novavax’s nearly 30,000 patient trial, conducted between December 2020 and September 2021, there were four cases of a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis detected within 20 days of taking the protein-based shot.
(With inputs from agencies.)
