Health

U.S. e-cigarette maker Juul Labs said on Wednesday it would end operations in South Korea, a year after it entered the market there but failed to gain traction amid government health warnings.

Indonesia reported 367 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total to 12,438, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

India will supply Europe with about 1,000 tonnes of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for common pain reliever paracetamol, a top exports body said, easing export controls on over-the counter medicines used to cope with COVID-19 symptoms.

Immunity to the novel coronavirus is building up very slowly in the Czech Republic, with no more than 4-5% of the population likely to be covered, the health ministry said on Wednesday, after mass testing for antibodies that started last month.

Malaysia reported 45 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the cumulative total to 6,428 infections.

Health officials in the U.S. state of Illinois' Cook County, which includes the city of Chicago, will probe deaths involving heart attacks and pneumonia for indications of COVID-19 as far back as November, a county spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The Philippines' coronavirus infections have broken past the 10,000 mark, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

Japan's capital of Tokyo reported 38 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, Jiji news agency said, marking a fifth straight day of declining numbers of new infections.

The world's top maker of diabetes drugs Novo Nordisk beat profit and sales forecasts in the first quarter and kept its full-year outlook as diabetics stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in demand for its medicines.

Australia says its purchase of 10 million coronavirus test kits from Chinese genomics company BGI will not risk patient privacy, as researchers hope for greater price competition in a biotech market dominated by a U.S rival.

The number of new coronavirus cases in Russia rose by 10,559 over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 165,929, the coronavirus crisis response centre said on Wednesday.

Immunity to the novel coronavirus is building up very slowly in the Czech Republic, with likely no more than 4-5% of the population covered, the health ministry said on Wednesday, after mass testing for antibodies that started last month.

Singapore's health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 788 new coronavirus cases, taking the city-state's tally to 20,198.

Roche could complete studies of its medicine Actemra in COVID-19 patients as early as this month, the head of the Swiss drugmaker's U.S.-based Genentech unit told a Swiss newspaper, as it seeks to repurpose the rheumatoid arthritis drug.

British medical products maker Smith+Nephew said on Wednesday sales in April nearly halved as more patients delayed elective surgeries, such as hip replacements, due to coronavirus-driven lockdowns.

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Taiwan's health minister asked the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday to ensure the island had access to first-hand information about the coronavirus, saying that not having the full picture slows down epidemic-prevention work.

Denmark's Novo Nordisk posted a better-than-expected quarterly operating profit on Wednesday and kept its full-year outlook, as customers stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic boosted sales of its diabetes medicines.

French diagnostics specialist BioMérieux announced on Wednesday the launch of a new product that aims to detect within 30 minutes the presence of antibodies in those exposed to the coronavirus.

Thailand on Wednesday reported one new coronavirus case and one new death, a senior health official said.