Covid Forced 77 Million People Into Extreme Poverty, UN Says

The Hill: Coronavirus Pandemic Pushed 77M Into ‘Extreme Poverty’: UN
The coronavirus pandemic pushed 77 million people into extreme poverty last year, according to a new report from the United Nations (U.N.) released on Tuesday. The 208-page report from the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs also says 1 in 5 developing countries will not see a gross domestic product return to 2019 levels within the next year. (Dress, 4/12)

In global covid news —

AP: UK's Johnson Says He Paid A Police Fine For Lockdown Parties
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday he paid a fine from police for attending a lockdown-breaching birthday party in his official residence, making him the first British leader to be sanctioned for breaking the law while in office. The fines for Johnson, his wife, Carrie, and Treasury chief Rishi Sunak brought a simmering crisis for the prime minister back to full boil, with opposition politicians immediately calling for his resignation. (Hui and Lawless, 4/12)

The New York Times: How One German State Beat The Odds On Covid Vaccinations
This northern port city, combined with neighboring Bremerhaven, makes up the smallest and by many measures the poorest state in Germany’s federal system. In state comparisons of education or addressing child poverty, it consistently ranks dead last. But when it comes to vaccines, Bremen is No. 1, with more than 90 percent of its population fully vaccinated. It has achieved its success in a country that has managed to vaccinate only slightly more than three-quarters of its people, and that voted last week against a bill that would have made vaccinations mandatory for people 60 and over. (Schuetze, 4/12)

In other developments from around the world —

CIDRAP: WHO Group Endorses 'Game-Changer' 1-Dose HPV Vaccination 
The World Health Organization's (WHO's) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) late last week said one dose of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine—not the standard three-dose regimen—offered good protection against cervical cancer, a move the WHO is calling a "game-changer." (Soucheray, 4/12)

Stat: Pharma Vows Faster Drug Launches In Europe To Avoid Stricter Regulations
In a bid to thwart stricter regulation, the European pharmaceutical industry trade group pledged to make faster product launches in all European Union countries, a reflection of growing concern that the European Commission will overhaul the approach to access to medicines. The commitment was one of several proposals made by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations in the face of a new, overarching strategy that the European Commission is devising toward pharmaceuticals. Besides access and affordability, the effort has also been looking at innovation, competitiveness, changes in technology, and preparing for crises. (Silverman, 4/12)

Stat: U.K. Readies A Subscription Payment Model For Badly Needed Antibiotics
Amid rising concern over antimicrobial resistance, the U.K. has taken a major step toward becoming the first country to launch an experimental payment model for antibiotics, a move designed to usher in a new era of drug development and reimbursement. The government completed a long-awaited cost-effectiveness review of two new antibiotics as part of a pilot program that would pay for the medicines using a so-called subscription model. The idea is to pay companies upfront fees based on the estimated value of benefits to patients and the country’s National Health Service, rather than payments based on volumes used. (Silverman, 4/12)

AP: EU: Salmonella Outbreak In Chocolate Eggs Due To Bad Milk 
European health officials investigating an outbreak of salmonella linked to chocolate Easter eggs that has sickened at least 150 children across the continent said Tuesday they suspect it is due to bad buttermilk in a Belgian factory. (4/12)