China detected three new cases of COVID-19 among Olympic Games related personnel on Feb. 13, the same number as a day earlier, the organizing committee of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games said on Feb. 14.
China’s medical products regulator said on February 12 it has given conditional approval for Pfizer’s COVID-19 drug Paxlovid, the first oral pill specifically developed to treat the disease to be cleared in the country.
The Food and Drug Administration’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended that Eli Lilly and Co. and Innovent Biologics Inc. conduct a clinical trial applicable to the U.S. population for the lung cancer drug sintilimab. The U.S. FDA previously raised concerns over a clinical trial conducted entirely in China focused on a single ethnic group.
Jane Qiu, a freelance science writer based in Beijing, published an overview of her efforts to investigate the lab-leak theory for the origin of COVID-19. In another update, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on February 15 to discuss an amended Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years of age.
Pharmaceutical products developed in China could have a steep hill to climb to be approved for use within the United States, impacting the plans of several large companies who hoped to capitalize on clinical data accumulated in that country.
The U.S. Commerce Department added 33 Chinese entities to an “unverified list,” requiring U.S. exporters to undergo more procedures before shipping goods to the companies. WuXi Biologics was amongst those on the list, with the United States stating that it was unable to verify the legitimacy and reliability of the company’s use of U.S. exports.
The head of the World Health Organization said on Feb. 5 he had discussed with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang the need for stronger collaboration on the origins of COVID-19, a subject of controversy that has strained Beijing’s relations with the West.
AstraZeneca’s Chinese operation is under intense scrutiny by the National Healthcare Security Administration of China over concerns about suspected medical insurance fraud perpetrated by company employees.
Daily COVID-19 infections among athletes and team officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics jumped to 19 on Jan. 28 from two a day earlier, as Games organizers warned of more cases in coming days.
U.S. financial contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) have fallen by 25 percent during the coronavirus pandemic, provisional data show, with Washington’s future support to the United Nations agency under review.
