Health

EU watchdog assesses Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for under-fives

The European Union’s drug watchdog said Thursday that it is assessing the possible use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five and under, the only group not yet eligible for the jab in most countries.

“We have just started the evaluation of an application from Moderna to extend the use of Spikevax to children from six months of age to five years,” said Marco Cavaleri, head of anti-infectives and vaccines at the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

“This is the first application for this young age group,” Cavaleri said.

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In February, the EMA’s human medicines committee had already recommended granting an extension of indication for the Spikevax vaccine Spikevax to include use in children aged six to 11.

The jab, developed by US-based Moderna, had already been approved for adults and children aged 12 and above.

The Amsterdam-based EMA has so far approved five vaccines for use in the EU: Pfizer and Moderna, which use messenger RNA technology, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which use viral vector technology, and Novavax, which is based on a spike protein produced in a laboratory.

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Health

Europe: Report highlights direct link between pandemic and childhood obesity

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased obesity in school-aged children in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) office for the region said in a new report issued on Wednesday, sounding the alarm for action.

Health

‘Just in case’ use of antibiotics was rife during COVID-19, says UN health agency

Antibiotics saw “extensive overuse” globally among hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the pandemic without improving clinical outcomes, while also potentially exacerbating the already serious and growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Health

Teen alcohol and nicotine use in Europe is up, WHO urges preventive measures

Substance use is on the rise among teenagers in Europe, Central Asia and Canada and girls now match or even exceed boys when it comes to smoking and drinking, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report on Thursday.