China’s Wuhan city, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has
not been able to confirm all existing suspected cases of the coronavirus
despite a rush to speed up testing, the city’s Communist Party
Secretary told a news conference on Monday.
Ma Guoqiang said the Wuhan government would, however, aim to test all
suspected cases by Tuesday. There have been growing complaints that
many patients in the city of 11 million have not been tested or admitted
for full-time treatment due to the pressure on medical resources.
Ma added that 1,499 patients in critical conditions who were not
admitted for treatment before Feb. 8 have now been hospitalised.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-testing/chinas-wuhan-aims-to-test-all-suspected-cases-of-coronavirus-by-tomorrow-idUSKBN2041LO
Monday, February 10, 2020
Coronavirus cases outside China ‘could be spark’ for bigger fire — WHO
The World Health Organization said on Monday the spread of
coronavirus cases among people who have not been to China could be “the
spark that becomes a bigger fire” and the human race must not let the
epidemic get out of control.
As of 0500 GMT on Monday, there had been 40,235 confirmed cases
reported in China and 909 deaths, as well as 319 cases in 24 other
countries, including one death, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
said.
The death toll from the epidemic had jumped by 97 on Sunday – the largest number in a single day since the virus was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship with 3,700 passengers and crew on board remained quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama, with 65 more cases detected, taking the number of confirmed case from the Carnival Corp-owned (CCL.N) vessel to 135.
In Europe, shares in car companies .SXAP exposed to China slumped, while prices of oil, iron ore and copper fell on worries over weaker Chinese demand because of the outbreak.
British Airways canceled all its flights to mainland China until the end of March.
Across mainland China, where people were trickling back to work after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, 3,062 new infections were confirmed on Sunday, according to the National Health Commission.
Wu Fan, vice-dean of Shanghai Fudan University Medical school, said there was hope of a turning point in the outbreak. But Ghebreyesus said there had been “concerning instances” of transmission from people who had not been to China.
“It could be the spark that becomes a bigger fire,” Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. “But for now it is only a spark. Our objective remains containment. Graphic: Comparing new coronavirus to SARS and MERS – here
“We should really fight hard as one human race to fight this virus before it gets out of control,” he said.
An advance team of international WHO experts arrived in China to investigate.
“This mission brings together the best of Chinese science, Chinese public health with the best of the world’s public health”, the WHO’s Mike Ryan said.
The death toll from the outbreak has now surpassed that of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds worldwide in 2002/2003.
Ten extra days had been added to the Lunar New Year holidays that had been due to finish at the end of January. But even on Monday, many workplaces remained closed as people worked from home.
Few commuters braved the morning rush-hour on one of Beijing’s busiest subway lines. All wore masks.
One Beijing government official, Zhang Gewho, said it would be harder to curb the spread of the virus as people returned to work.
“The capacity of communities and flow of people will greatly increase and the difficulty,” he said.
Hubei, the province of 60 million people that is the hardest hit by the outbreak, remains in virtual lockdown, with its train stations and airports shut and roads sealed.
In Britain, the government said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases there had doubled to eight. It declared the virus a serious and imminent threat, giving it additional powers to isolate those suspected of being infected.
China’s central bank has taken steps to support the economy, including reducing interest rates and flushing the market with liquidity, and will also now provide special funds for banks to lend to businesses.
President Xi Jinping said the government would prevent large-scale layoffs, Chinese state television reported.
Xi was shown on television inspecting the work of community leaders in Beijing and wearing a mask as he had his temperature taken. He said China would strive to meet economic and social targets for the year.
One senior economist has said growth may slow to 5% or less in the first quarter.
More than 300 Chinese firms including Meituan Dianping (3690.HK), China’s largest food delivery company, and smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK) were seeking loans totaling at least 57.4 billion yuan ($8.2 billion), banking sources said.
E-commerce firm Alibaba (BABA.N) said its affiliate, Ant Financial’s MYBank unit, would offer 20 billion yuan ($2.86 billion) in loans to companies in China, with preferential terms for Hubei firms.
Apple’s biggest iPhone maker, Foxconn, won approval to resume production in the eastern central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, but only 10% of the workforce managed to return, a source said. It won approval to resume partial production in the southern city of Shenzhen from Tuesday.
A prolonged and widespread coronavirus outbreak could hit the Japanese economy, affecting tourism, retail and exports, an International Monetary Fund official said. Canada said the outbreak will hit tourism and the oil industry.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health/coronavirus-cases-outside-china-could-be-spark-for-bigger-fire-who-says-idUSKBN20402G
The death toll from the epidemic had jumped by 97 on Sunday – the largest number in a single day since the virus was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship with 3,700 passengers and crew on board remained quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama, with 65 more cases detected, taking the number of confirmed case from the Carnival Corp-owned (CCL.N) vessel to 135.
In Europe, shares in car companies .SXAP exposed to China slumped, while prices of oil, iron ore and copper fell on worries over weaker Chinese demand because of the outbreak.
British Airways canceled all its flights to mainland China until the end of March.
Across mainland China, where people were trickling back to work after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, 3,062 new infections were confirmed on Sunday, according to the National Health Commission.
Wu Fan, vice-dean of Shanghai Fudan University Medical school, said there was hope of a turning point in the outbreak. But Ghebreyesus said there had been “concerning instances” of transmission from people who had not been to China.
“It could be the spark that becomes a bigger fire,” Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. “But for now it is only a spark. Our objective remains containment. Graphic: Comparing new coronavirus to SARS and MERS – here
“We should really fight hard as one human race to fight this virus before it gets out of control,” he said.
“This mission brings together the best of Chinese science, Chinese public health with the best of the world’s public health”, the WHO’s Mike Ryan said.
The death toll from the outbreak has now surpassed that of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds worldwide in 2002/2003.
NERVOUS COMMUTERS
Chinese cities have become virtual ghost towns after Communist Party rulers ordered lockdowns, canceled flights and closed factories and schools.Ten extra days had been added to the Lunar New Year holidays that had been due to finish at the end of January. But even on Monday, many workplaces remained closed as people worked from home.
Few commuters braved the morning rush-hour on one of Beijing’s busiest subway lines. All wore masks.
One Beijing government official, Zhang Gewho, said it would be harder to curb the spread of the virus as people returned to work.
Slideshow (18 Images)
Hubei, the province of 60 million people that is the hardest hit by the outbreak, remains in virtual lockdown, with its train stations and airports shut and roads sealed.
In Britain, the government said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases there had doubled to eight. It declared the virus a serious and imminent threat, giving it additional powers to isolate those suspected of being infected.
China’s central bank has taken steps to support the economy, including reducing interest rates and flushing the market with liquidity, and will also now provide special funds for banks to lend to businesses.
President Xi Jinping said the government would prevent large-scale layoffs, Chinese state television reported.
Xi was shown on television inspecting the work of community leaders in Beijing and wearing a mask as he had his temperature taken. He said China would strive to meet economic and social targets for the year.
One senior economist has said growth may slow to 5% or less in the first quarter.
More than 300 Chinese firms including Meituan Dianping (3690.HK), China’s largest food delivery company, and smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK) were seeking loans totaling at least 57.4 billion yuan ($8.2 billion), banking sources said.
E-commerce firm Alibaba (BABA.N) said its affiliate, Ant Financial’s MYBank unit, would offer 20 billion yuan ($2.86 billion) in loans to companies in China, with preferential terms for Hubei firms.
Apple’s biggest iPhone maker, Foxconn, won approval to resume production in the eastern central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, but only 10% of the workforce managed to return, a source said. It won approval to resume partial production in the southern city of Shenzhen from Tuesday.
A prolonged and widespread coronavirus outbreak could hit the Japanese economy, affecting tourism, retail and exports, an International Monetary Fund official said. Canada said the outbreak will hit tourism and the oil industry.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health/coronavirus-cases-outside-china-could-be-spark-for-bigger-fire-who-says-idUSKBN20402G
Eagle Pharma nabs final FDA nod for Pemfexy
The FDA has granted final approval to Eagle Pharmaceuticals’ (EGRX -0.4%) Pemfexy (pemetrexed for injection), its branded alternative to Eli Lilly’s (LLY -2.2%) Alimta.
The agency granted tentative approval in October 2017 pending the resolution of patent issues.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3540074-eagle-pharma-nabs-final-fda-nod-for-pemfexyIntellia up 5% on new data from CRSPR/Cas9 programs
Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA +4.7%) perks up, albeit on below-average volume, on the heels of its program updates:
NTLA-5001 in AML: Data show that the company’s
approach using CRISPR engineering to develop a homogeneous T cell
product produced superior function toward targets in vitro. IND to be submitted to FDA in H1.
NTLA-2001 for transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR): IND to be filed mid-year.
CRISPR/Cas9-based therapy for hereditary
angioedema (HAE): In non-human primates, the knockout of the KLKB1 gene
resulted in a 90% reduction in kallikrein activity, a level that should
produce a clinically meaningful impact on HAE attack rates. Kallikrein
plays a key role in the release of bradykinin,
a blood vessel-dilating peptide that causes vascular leakage and
angioedema in HAE sufferers. The company expects to nominate a candidate
in H1.
Fellow CRISPR players Editas Medicine (EDIT +2.3%) and CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +3.7%) are up as well.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3540102-intellia-up-5-on-new-data-from-crspr-cas9-programsArbutus bails on AB-452
Based on findings from preclinical studies, Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) has decided not to advance
AB-452, its first-generation oral hepatitis B-specific RNA
destabilizer, opting instead to continue development of its
next-generation candidate.
In October 2018, it announced a delay in the start of a Phase 1 study to allow more time to characterize the compound.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3540032-arbutus-bails-on-abminus-452-shares-down-15-premarket
Zai Lab application for omadacycline accepted in China
The China National Medical Products Administration has accepted for review Zai Lab’s (ZLAB +1%)
marketing application seeking approval to use omadacycline to treat
community-acquired bacterial pneumonia and acute bacterial skin and skin
structure infections.
The tetracycline antibiotic is sold in the U.S. under the brand name Nuzyra by licensor Paratek Pharmaceuticals (PRTK).
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3540042-zai-lab-application-for-omadacycline-accepted-in-chinaFDA accepts Kite application for CAR T for aggressive type of leukemia
The FDA accepts under Priority Review Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) unit Kite Pharma’s marketing application for CAR T therapy KTE-X19 for the treatment of adults with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
The agency’s action date is August 10.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3540022-fda-accepts-kite-application-for-car-t-for-aggressive-type-of-nhl
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)