Health News (Reuters)

Novartis AG on Wednesday received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval for its drug to treat patients with a tough-to-treat form of lung cancer, the drugmaker said.

The number of people who have died after contracting the new coronavirus in France increased by 278 or 1.1% to 25,809 on Wednesday, just eight fewer than in Spain, which saw its virus toll rise by 204 or 0.8% to 25,817, official data showed.

The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Fitbit Inc on Wednesday launched a virtual study to test if its wearable devices can detect irregular heart rhythms or atrial fibrillation.

Hundreds of Indian police have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days, raising alarm among an over-stretched force as it attempts to enforce the world's largest lockdown to contain the pandemic.

U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled on Wednesday with whether President Donald Trump's administration went too far in allowing employers to obtain broad religious and moral exemptions from an Obamacare requirement that health insurance that they provide employees covers women's birth control.

A genetic study of samples from more than 7,500 people infected with COVID-19 suggests the new coronavirus spread quickly around the world after it emerged in China sometime between October and December last year, scientists said on Wednesday.

Britain failed to meet its target of conducting 100,000 daily COVID-19 tests for a fourth day running, data released on Wednesday showed, as questions persist over the way it briefly manage to do so at the end of April.

Turkey said on Wednesday it has brought the coronavirus outbreak under control, two months after it first erupted across the country, and will set out new social guidelines and business practices to prevent any resurgence.

The European Union is backing calls for a timely review of the international response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the World Health Organization's performance, according to the draft of a resolution for ministers to debate at the WHO.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez secured enough parliamentary votes on Wednesday to extend a state of emergency for two more weeks from Sunday, allowing the government to control people's movements as it gradually relaxes a national lockdown.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned of the risks of returning to lockdown if countries emerging from pandemic restrictions do not manage transitions "extremely carefully and in a phased approach".

Spain has extended the state of emergency imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic for two more weeks from Sunday, allowing the government to control people's movements as it gradually relaxes a national lockdown.

The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in Turkey has risen by 64 in the last 24 hours to 3,584, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday.

The days of English football's once notorious drinking culture are long gone and few professionals would now list the once obligatory 'steak and chips' as their favourite meal but things are moving to a different level entirely when it comes to what players used to call 'looking after yourself'.

Britain's COVID-19 death toll has risen by 649 to 30,076, according to figures announced on Wednesday by government minister Robert Jenrick.

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 369 on Wednesday, against just 236 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new infections also rose, increasing by 1,444 against 1,075 on Tuesday.

Bristol Myers Squibb Co said on Wednesday the U.S. FDA has decided to extend the approval timeline for the drugmaker's experimental blood cancer therapy that was acquired as part of the $74 billion buyout of Celgene.

The total number of people killed by the coronavirus in Canada rose by about 5% to 4,111 on Wednesday from a day earlier, official data posted by the public health agency showed.

Turkey has entered a new phase in the battle against coronavirus in which it aims to eliminate the disease, reopen businesses and set new social behaviour guidelines to prevent any resurgence of the outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday.