Health News Roundup: Juul's e-cigarettes get temporary breather after U.S. FDA order; Panama reports country's first monkeypox case and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Juul's e-cigarettes get temporary breather after U.S. FDA order

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Tuesday it has temporarily stayed the marketing denial order on Juul Labs Inc's e-cigarettes, allowing the products to stay on the market while it appeals the regulator's ban. Sales of e-cigarettes by Juul, partly owned by tobacco giant Altria Group Inc, were blocked by the U.S. FDA on June 23.

Panama reports country's first monkeypox case

Panama registered its first case of monkeypox in a resident who was infected after being in contact with tourists from Europe, Panama's health ministry said Tuesday. "Yesterday in the afternoon, the first case of monkeypox in our country was confirmed," Health Minister Luis Sucre said during a press conference, adding the patient "is completely stable" and the "case is properly controlled."

COVID and bust: China's private health system hurt by tough coronavirus controls

On March 24, a court in the central Chinese city of Fuyang announced that a $1.5 billion hospital built just four years earlier had filed for bankruptcy because it was unable to pay its debts. For most of the last two years, the Fuyang Minsheng Hospital had been fully involved in mass coronavirus vaccination and testing programs in the city, training almost 100 staff to perform throat swabs and setting up mobile vaccination facilities to go to schools and workplaces, at the order of city officials.

U.S. FDA to reconvene experts' meeting for Amylyx ALS drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will reconvene a meeting of its outside experts to review Amylyx Pharmaceuticals' application for its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment, the company said on Tuesday. A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. FDA in March voted six to four against approving the company's oral drug, AMX0035, saying Amylyx's clinical study data failed to establish it was effective against ALS, a neurodegenerative disease.

China fights COVID flare-ups on multiple fronts including Shanghai

China is fighting COVID-19 flare-ups on multiple fronts across the country including an emerging cluster in Shanghai, spurring mass testing drives and fresh restrictions, as pressures mount on local officials to avert a wider spread and huge disruptions. The overall caseload remained small by global standards with just over 300 daily local infections, but any further potential surge in key cities could call for a return of stringent measures under China's "dynamic COVID zero" policy and dent confidence in the country's economic recovery.

Omicron sub-variants BA.4, and BA.5 make up 70% of COVID variants in U.S. - CDC

The fast-spreading BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages of Omicron are estimated to make up a combined 70.1% of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of July 2, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. BA.4 and BA.5 made up 52% of U.S. variants for the week of June 25. They were added to the World Health Organization's monitoring list in March and designated as variants of concern by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Macau locks down landmark Lisboa hotel after COVID cases found

Macau has locked down one of the city's most famous hotels, the Grand Lisboa, after more than a dozen COVID-19 cases were found there on Tuesday, with infections spreading rapidly in the world's biggest gambling hub. At least 16 other buildings across the special Chinese administrative region are also locked down with no one allowed to exit or enter.

CureVac files patent lawsuit in Germany against BioNTech over mRNA technology

CureVac has filed a patent lawsuit in Germany against BioNTech over its use of mRNA technology, marking one of the first known cases of a company going to court amid the fierce competition to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus. The German-based biotech company is seeking "fair compensation" from BioNTech and two subsidiaries for infringement of its intellectual property rights, it said on Tuesday.

FDA decision on Eisai, Biogen Alzheimer's drug due in January

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will expedite its review of Eisai Co Ltd's and Biogen Inc's experimental Alzheimer's drug lecanemab, with a decision due by Jan 6, 2023, the companies said on Tuesday. Lecanemab, like the partners' previous drug Aduhelm, is an antibody designed to remove sticky deposits of a protein called amyloid-beta from the brains of people with early Alzheimer’s, a disease that leads to memory loss and the inability to care for oneself.

Italy's daily coronavirus cases exceed 100,000 for the first time since Feb. - health ministry

Italy reported 132,274 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a health ministry official figures showed, surpassing 100,000 for the first time since Feb. 8. Italy, whose death tally since the beginning of the pandemic is the eight-highest in the world, also reported 94 deaths on Tuesday.

(With inputs from agencies.)