What We’re Reading: Listeria Outbreak; COVID-19 Death Decline; Eli Lilly Pays in Drug Patent Trial

CDC Warns of Listeria Outbreak

An outbreak of listeria has been linked to meats and cheese sold at the deli counter, according to the CDC. The CDC reported that deli meat in multiple states had been linked to the outbreak. Listeria can be easily spread in food on deli counters, deli slicers, surfaces, and hands and can survive and grow in cold temperatures. The CDC said that a single food could not be identified as the source of the outbreak due to how easily listeria can spread. People at the highest risk of severe listeria are people aged 65 years and older, pregnant people, and those with a weakened immune system.

WHO Reports 90% Drop in COVID-19 Deaths

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that there was a 90% decrease in COVID-19 deaths from February globally, according to The Associated Press. In the previous week, a total of 9400 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported compared with the 75,000 weekly deaths in February. Testing and sequencing rates remain low globally and vaccination gaps between rich and poor countries are wide, which continues to be the reason for global COVID-19 deaths. The United Nations health agency also announced that newly registered COVID-19 cases came in at more than 2.1 million for the week, which is down 15% from the previous week.

Eli Lilly Pays in Drug Patent Trial

Eli Lilly & Co will have to pay $176.5 million to Teva Pharmaceuticals International GmbH after a trial determined that its migraine drug galcanezumab infringed on 3 Teva patients, according to Reuters. The jury found that Lilly’s migraine drug violated its rights in the patents and that Lilly infringed the patents willfully. Both drugs in question treat migraines by using antibodies to inhibit headache-causing peptides. A spokesperson for Lilly said that the decision will not affect the ability to offer galcanezumab to patients. The spokesperson for Lilly also said that the company is confident that they will “ultimately prevail” in the case.