The world’s biggest luxury group, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has announced a sponsorship deal with the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

French drugmaker Sanofi says it is shelving plans for a COVID-19 vaccine based on messenger RNA despite positive results from early stage testing.

Pfizer has submitted research to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children as it moves closer to seeking approval for expanded use of the shots.

Pharma firms Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline say they will begin production of another potential vaccine against COVID-19 within weeks.

Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline’s potential COVID-19 vaccine triggered strong immune responses in all adult age groups in preliminary trials.

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2019 the logo of French drug maker Sanofi is pictured at the company's headquarters, in Paris. Sanofi is going to produce as many as 12 million coronavirus vaccine doses per month for rival Johnson & Johnson, the second time the French drug maker is turning over production facilities to speed up supplies of a rival company's vaccine, while its own candidate faces delays. The French plant is expected to produce about 12 million doses per month, starting in the second half of this year. Sanofi had already previously announced that its facilities in Frankfurt, Germany, also will help bottle and package 125 million vaccine doses for the rival partnership of Pfizer-BioNTech. His government has pressed Sanofi to use its facilities to help make vaccines from its rivals, because of the high global demand for vaccines and supply problems.

(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)MEXICO CITY — Mexico has received its first shipment of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. ___WASHINGTON — The White House now says it expects to catch up by mid-week on deliveries of coronavirus vaccine doses that were delayed by severe weather. AdBeginning March 1, anyone aged 55 to 64 will be allowed to get a COVID-19 vaccine. ___OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma opened its second phase of coronavirus vaccinations on Monday, providing inoculations to public school teachers and staff and to adults of any age with illnesses that make them susceptible to the virus. There have been 419,853 coronavirus cases and 4,203 deaths due to COVID-19 in Oklahoma since the pandemic began, the state health department reported.

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 file photo, empty vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are seen at a vaccination center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)With demand for COVID-19 vaccines outpacing the world’s supplies, a frustrated public and policymakers want to know: How can we get more? Makers of COVID-19 vaccines need everything to go right as they scale up production to hundreds of millions of doses — and any little hiccup could cause a delay. “It’s just not that easy.”DIFFERENT VACCINES, DIFFERENT RECIPESThe multiple types of COVID-19 vaccines being used in different countries all train the body to recognize the new coronavirus, mostly the spike protein that coats it. But possibly the easiest way to get more doses is if other vaccines in the pipeline are proven to work.

(Peter Meecham/New Zealand Herald via AP)WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Travelers returning to New Zealand will face stricter rules at quarantine hotels as health authorities investigate how up to three people got infected with the coronavirus while isolating at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel. The record increase of 65 deaths is three more than the previous one-day record reported on Jan. 6, according to health department records. The university and county health department are asking students to limit leaving their residence to going to classes, getting food, work and other necessary in-person activities. The health department said in the news release that if the case counts continues to rise, stricter measures will have to be applied. The previous one-day record of 62 was reported Jan. 6, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

French drug maker Sanofi said Wednesday it will help manufacture 125 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by rivals Pfizer and BioNTech, while its own vaccine candidate faces delays. Sanofi's Frankfurt facilities will help with late-stage production of vaccines prepared by Germany-based BioNTech, including bottling and packaging, starting in the summer, according to a Sanofi official. The French government has pressed Sanofi to use its facilities to help make vaccines from its rivals, given the high demand and supply problems. Sanofi is still pushing ahead with its own COVID-19 vaccine efforts, including a much-awaited candidate developed with British partner GlaxoSmithKline. The multiple types of COVID-19 vaccines being used in different countries require different technologies, raw materials, equipment and expertise.

LONDON – Drugmakers Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline said Friday that their potential COVID-19 vaccine won’t be ready until late next year because they need to improve the shot’s effectiveness in older people. “The results of the study are not as we hoped,’’ Roger Connor, president of London-based GSK Vaccines, said in a statement. GSK and Sanofi plan to produce up to 1 billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccine annually, and they have signed agreements to supply millions of doses to the U.S., European Union, Canada and developing countries. The difficulties underscore the challenges scientists face as they race to develop COVID-19 vaccines, condensing a process that usually takes years into a matter of months. “We have identified the path forward and remain confident and committed to bringing a safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccine,” said Thomas Triomphe, head of Sanofi’s vaccine unit.

Nearly 25% of the cases reported Thursday were in Multnomah County, Oregon’s most populous county and home to Portland. Missouri is dealing with a surge in new coronavirus cases, with 1,580 more confirmed cases reported Wednesday. State officials reported 333 new confirmed cases of the respiratory virus on Thursday, topping the previous single-day record set less than a week ago. The state Department of Health Services reported 566 new confirmed cases across the state, bringing the confirmed total to 215,852. The state reported 565 people hospitalized on Wednesday, down from the mid-July high of more than 3,500.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images(CNN) - Sanofi says it's voluntarily recalling its over-the-counter heartburn drug Zantac in the U.S. and Canada because of concerns of potential cancer risks. The FDA has said that some ranitidine medications -- including those known by the brand name Zantac -- contain low levels of an impurity that could cause cancer. Numerous recalls have been launched as the FDA found "unacceptable levels" of nitrosamines in several of those common drugs containing valsartan. Yet that study also noted that research into long-term cancer risk is needed. "Sanofi encourages anyone using Zantac OTC to speak with their health care providers or pharmacists if they have any additional questions," the company's statement said.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images(CNN) - Drugmaker Novartis said it is halting distribution of all ranitidine medicines made by Sandoz, a measure it called "precautionary" after the acid-reducing medications were found to contain an impurity. The FDA is evaluating whether the low levels of NDMA in ranitidine pose a risk to patients and said it will share the information when it is available. In case of concerns, adequate additional measures will be implemented in alignment with relevant Health Authorities as required," Novartis said in an emailed statement. "The FDA reported that the levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine in preliminary tests barely exceed amounts found in common foods. The FDA has been investigating NDMA and other impurities in blood pressure and heart medicines known as ARBs since last year.