💊 Moderna to begin mpox vax human trials; WHO to track TB research; A swine fever vaccine emerges in Vietnam

Exercise keeps your diabetes at bay; The EU lays out big bucks for mental health; India to get opaque bottles for eye drops

Hello, and welcome back to The Kable for a relatively light-er news day today. We're kicking off with news about records. Specifically, record infections being established by gonorrhoea and syphilis in the UK.

Exactly a week ago, we'd written about iRhythm getting a warning letter from the US FDA. The agency letter, now published, details multiple violations of rules pertaining to labeling, quality systems and medical device reporting and details a lengthy action list for the company.

Elsewhere, medtech accelerator MedTech Innovator has named its 2023 cohort and it includes 61 startups in a fairly well-distributed geographical group. Separately, MedTech Innovator's Asia Pacific has picked up 24 startups for its distinct annual accelerator programme.

Outside of Africa, mpox may no longer be the scare it was during last year's outbreak. Heartening to see that Moderna hasn't given up on an mpox vaccine though, with the company announcing plans to begin human trials this year.

India's drug regulator is contemplating modifications to drug rules, which may require pharma companies transitioning to the use of opaque plastic bottles for packaging eye drops. This shift is aimed at preventing microbial contamination.

And finally, great news from Vietnam. African swine fever has long disrupted the global pork industry, with an outbreak in 2018-19 especially causing significant losses. Over the last year, there have been multiple isolated outbreaks reported around the world. With nary a vaccine in sight, the situation has continued to be grim. However, the first vaccine against it is nearing regulatory approval in Vietnam. And there may be two such vaccines coming out of Vietnam.