💊 Ready for the next pandemic? Nope; AstraZeneca to make novel drugs in the UAE

#243 | Covid is dead, long live Covid

Hello, and welcome back to The Kable. A fairly light edition is what we have for you today.

UAE-based G42 Healthcare has made the headlines several times this year for various partnerships and expansions. Governments in the UAE, too, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, have made a string of announcements aimed at shoring up local production capabilities. However, it does look like all parties reserved their most spectacular announcement for the last month of the year. In a boost to drug manufacturing in Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Department of Health released a statement about a strategic partnership between G42 Healthcare and AstraZeneca to manufacture innovative drugs in Abu Dhabi.

China's Covid crisis continues to spiral. Cities are giving out free drugs for fever while the WHO says China may not be able to keep an accurate tally of infections and deaths. Not that China is too chuffed about the last part of that statement because officials revealed China only counts deaths due to pneumonia and respiratory conditions as Covid deaths. In a major concession though, China has allowed the import of BioNTech's mRNA Covid vaccine... only for the 20,000 German expats in country. 

Elsewhere, in a development with potentially more far-ranging implications, BioNTech has begun clinical trials for its herpes vaccine candidate.

The Omicron subvariant BF.7, reportedly the cause of China's massive Covid surge right now, has made its presence felt in India too.

A new federal packaging regulation in the US, aimed at ensuring complete disclosure of ingredients in packaged foods, is leading to more sesame being added to foods.

With ambulance staff joining the nursing strike in the UK, the UK NHS has released guidance to help citizens cope with a shortage in emergency services. Tip #1: Don't get drunk.

Also in the UK, Sanofi's Covid vaccine (what?) has been granted approval for use as a heterologous booster dose.

And finally, after diversifying into video streaming earlier this year, India's Mankind Pharma has now ventured into the pet care segment with its newly debuted dog food brand.

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