Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Eli Lilly to supply 26,000 doses of COVID-19 antibody drug to Canada
Eli Lilly and Co said on Tuesday it has signed an agreement with the Canadian government to supply 26,000 doses of its antibody drug to treat COVID-19 patients for $32.5 million.
The treatment, bamlanivimab, which was developed in partnership with Canadian biotech company AbCellera, will be supplied to Canada over a three-month period between December and February.
France's Macron eases some lockdown rules amid 'glimmer of hope'
France will start easing its COVID-19 lockdown this weekend so that by Christmas, shops, theatres and cinemas will reopen and people will be able to spend the holiday with their family, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said the worst of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in France was over, but that restaurants, cafes and bars would have to stay shut until Jan. 20 to avoid triggering a third wave.
'On fire with COVID': Officials plead with Americans to stay home
(Reuters) - State and federal officials pleaded with Americans to stay at home and redouble efforts to curtail the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, defending unpopular public health measures as record hospitalizations pushed healthcare professionals to the brink. "We are on fire with COVID," Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on CNN after enacting new restrictions last week including retail curbs and school closures. "We're just trying to do the right thing."
EU secures 160 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine
The European Union has struck a deal for up to 160 million doses of U.S. firm Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the head of the European Commission said on Tuesday, taking the EU's potential stock of COVID-19 shots to nearly 2 billion. Last week, Moderna said its experimental vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19, based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial.
Factbox: Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus
Officials beseeched Americans to stay at home and redouble efforts to curtail the pandemic, while governments across Europe tried to navigate a fine line between avoiding super-spreading the virus and allowing families to celebrate Christmas. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
'We're drowning': COVID cases flood hospitals in America's heartland
Dr. Drew Miller knew his patient had to be moved. The vital signs of the 30-year-old COVID-19 victim were crashing, and Kearny County Hospital in rural Lakin, Kansas, just wasn't equipped to handle the case. Miller, Kearny's chief medical officer - who doubles as the county health officer - called around to larger hospitals in search of an ICU bed. With coronavirus cases soaring throughout Kansas, he said, he couldn't find a single one.
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to criminal charges
Purdue Pharma LP pleaded guilty to criminal charges over the handling of its addictive prescription painkiller OxyContin, capping a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve an investigation into the drugmaker's role in the U.S. opioid crisis. During a court hearing conducted remotely on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in New Jersey, Purdue pleaded guilty to three felonies covering widespread misconduct.
AstraZeneca must prove it won't profit from COVID-19 vaccine - MSF
AstraZeneca must provide reassurance that it will not profit from its potential COVID-19 vaccine, non-governmental organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Tuesday, urging the company to make public its supply contracts. The British firm said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine was 70% effective in pivotal trials and could be up to 90% effective, giving the world's fight against the global pandemic a third new weapon that can be cheaper to make, easier to distribute and faster to scale-up than rivals.
U.S. officials plan to release 6.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in first distribution
U.S. officials said on Tuesday they plan to release 6.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses nationwide in an initial distribution after the first one is cleared by regulators for emergency use. Officials from the government's Operation Warp Speed program told reporters that states and other jurisdictions had been informed on Friday of their estimated vaccine allocations in the first shipments so they can begin planning for how to best distribute it to their high-risk populations.
CDC may soon shorten COVID-19 quarantine period
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of self-quarantine period after potential exposure to the coronavirus, a top official said on Tuesday. Health authorities currently recommend a 14-day quarantine in order to curb transmission of the virus.
