China approves AstraZeneca, Sanofi shot to prevent RSV infection China approved a shot co-developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Sanofi to ward off respiratory syncytial virus in a broad swath of infants, a first in the nation to thwart the highly contagious and potentially fatal infection. The National Medical Products Administration cleared the long-acting monoclonal antibody Beyfortus to prevent RSV infections in newborns, Astra said in a statement on Tuesday. While RSV has been circulating in China for months, the shot isn’t expected to be available until the upcoming 2024-2025 season, the company said. RSV causes inflammation of the airways that can lead to difficulty breathing and death in rare cases. Beyfortus is among the first medicines available for widespread use to protect infants from the illness, which affects most children by the age of two. China has confronted an outsized outbreak of respiratory diseases since the second half of 2023, with children particularly hard hit by a barrage of common pathogens including RSV, flu and mycoplasma pneumoniae. The surge in disease has stretched some pediatric medical centers across the country beyond capacity.
Last Friday, WTI and Brent slid 3% after strong U.S. jobs data raised concerns that the Federal Reserve would keep raising interest rates, which in turn boosted the dollar. While recession fears dominated the market last week, on Sunday International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol highlighted that China’s recovery remains a key driver for oil prices.
“If demand goes up very strongly, if the Chinese economy rebounds, then there will be a need, in my view, for the OPEC+ countries to look at their (output) policies,” Birol told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in India.Price caps on Russian products took effect on Sunday, with the Group of Seven (G7), the European Union and Australia agreeing on caps of $100 per barrel on diesel and other products that trade at a premium to crude, and $45 per barrel for products that trade at a discount, such as fuel oil.
“For the moment, the market expects non-EU countries will increase imports of refined Russian crude, thus creating little disruption to overall supplies,” ANZ analysts said in a client note. “Nevertheless, OPEC’s continued constraint on supply should keep the market tight,” they said.