A UN agency and a charity established by former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying have agreed to strengthen collaboration on public health projects, following talks in Switzerland. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, met GX Foundation chairman Leung and CEO Emily Chan Ying-yang in Geneva, the charity said in a social…
A partnership between China’s SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Monday has revived hopes for treating Alzheimer’s disease. The deal, worth nearly US$1.7 billion, grants Novartis exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise SciNeuro’s antibody candidates to develop drugs for the progressive brain disease. SciNeuro’s novel amyloid beta targeted antibody programme leverages proprietary…
About 300,000 Hong Kong residents will be offered free hepatitis B screenings early next year, as the city aims to meet a set of international goals to eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2030. The screening scheme will run in parallel with authorities’ other measures to tackle hepatitis, as Hong Kong launched…
The emergence of a so-called “super flu” has gripped global headlines, prompting authorities in Hong Kong to urge residents to get vaccinated. Amid the spate of infections, a local research team also found that 99 per cent of residents lacked sufficient antibodies needed to protect themselves from the new strain. With many people travelling for…
HOUSTON – Each year, as Americans roll up their sleeves for their annual flu shot, they might be surprised to learn their protection often begins with data from our friends down under. Medical experts say that international surveillance is essential for developing effective flu vaccines for the United States and other Northern Hemisphere nations. The…
(Corrects ‘infection’ to ‘disease’ in paragraph 5 to clarify what the inactivated polio vaccine protects against, whether dosed fully or fractionally) By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) -Eradicating polio is still possible despite significant funding cuts, global health officials said on Tuesday as they outlined how they will cope with the shortfall. The budget of the…
GOMA, Congo (AP) — As a deadly new Ebola outbreak kills dozens in southern Congo, health authorities and organizations are sounding the alarm, warning they lack the funds and resources to mount an effective response to the crisis. The World Health Organization said Wednesday that 57 cases and 35 deaths have been reported since the…
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Limited access and required funding are the key challenges facing health officials trying to respond to the latest Ebola outbreak in southern Congo, the World Health Organization said on Friday. It is the first Ebola outbreak in 18 years in Kasai province, a remote part of Congo with poor road networks,…
Health experts have dismissed concerns about a Hong Kong government-subsidised flu vaccine that does not have clinical trial data on pregnant women, saying the decades-long technology is safe and people with less confidence can turn to the private sector for shots. Authorities said on Tuesday that Hong Kong had entered the summer flu season, a…
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification It is a sad…