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[ad_1] Jgi/jamie Grill | Tetra Images | Getty Images The Food and Drug Administration proposed new limits Tuesday on lead in baby food, in an effort to reduce exposure to a toxin that can impair childhood development. The lead limits apply to processed food consumed by children younger than two years old. In a statement, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said the limits would reduce lead exposure from these foods by as much as 27%. The proposed lead limits are not legally binding on the industry, but the FDA said it would use them as a factor in deciding whether to take enforcement action against a company for selling contaminated food. The agency proposed the following lead concentration limits for baby food: 10 parts per billion for fruits, vegetables, yoghurts, custards and puddings, mixtures, and single ingredient meats. This would reduce exposure by 26%. 20 parts per billion for root vegetables. This would reduce exposure by 27%. 20 parts per billion for dry cereals. This wo

[ad_1] The Alzheimer's drug Leqembi is seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on Jan. 20, 2023. Eisai | Reuters The new Alzheimer 's antibody treatment Leqembi could cost Medicare up to $5 billion per year, according to research published in a leading medical journal this week. Medicare would spend about $2 billion per year if around 85,700 patients test positive for the disease and are treated with the Eisai and Biogen product Leqembi, according to the research published Thursday in JAMA Internal Medicine. The program for seniors would spend $5 billion if around 216,500 patients become eligible for the breakthrough treatment, according to the study. The authors said the estimated costs to Medicare are conservative and that spending on Leqembi might increase more than anticipated depending on demand and other factors. The researchers who conducted the JAMA study included physicians and public health and policy experts. They are affiliated with the Univ

[ad_1] A health worker prepares a flu vaccine shot before administering it to a local resident in Los Angeles, the United States, on Dec. 17, 2022. Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images People who receive Pfizer 's RSV vaccine for older adults should be monitored for Guillain-Barre syndrome, after two people developed the nervous system disorder after they received the shot, scientists said in clinical trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists concluded the vaccine was effective in preventing lower respiratory tract illness in adults ages 60 and older without any evident safety concerns. But they flagged the Guillain-Barre cases as a potential cause for concern moving forward. "If RSVpreF vaccine is approved and recommended, these adverse events warrant close monitoring in future studies and with real-world data and postmarketing surveillance," the scientists wrote. The study, which published Wednesday, was supported by Pfizer. Guill

[ad_1] China said on Saturday nearly 60,000 people with COVID-19 had died in hospital since it abandoned its zero-COVID policy last month, a huge increase from previously reported figures that follows global criticism of the country's coronavirus data. In early December, Beijing abruptly dismantled its strict three-year anti-virus regime of frequent testing, travel curbs and mass lockdowns after widespread protests in late November, and cases have surged since then across the nation of 1.4 billion. A health official said on Saturday that COVID fever and emergency hospitalizations had peaked and the number of hospitalized patients was continuing to decline. Between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12, the number of COVID-related deaths in Chinese hospitals totaled 59,938, Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission (NHC), told a media briefing. Of those fatalities, 5,503 were caused by respiratory failure due to COVID and the remainder resulted

[ad_1] The Alzheimer's drug Leqembi is seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on January 20, 2023. Eisai | via Reuters Medicare has agreed to pay for the Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi , a major turning point for patients who are diagnosed with the early stages of the disease. Leqembi is the only drug on the market right now that has demonstrated the ability to slow the progression of early stages of Alzheimer's disease in a clinical trial. The monoclonal antibody, administered twice monthly through intravenous means, slowed cognitive decline by 27% over 18 months in the trial. Leqembi is made by Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its partner Biogen , which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Medicare's decision to cover Leqembi, which came moments after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved the drug Thursday, promises to make the treatment more accessible to patients. Medicare coverage is crucial for most patients to have any hope of being

[ad_1] General view of the site of the derailment of a train carrying hazardous waste, in East Palestine, Ohio, March 2, 2023. Alan Freed | Reuters Soon after the  derailment of a Norfolk Southern  train in East Palestine, Ohio, a team of researchers began roving the small town in a Nissan van. It was February, less than three weeks after the disaster, and the van was outfitted with an instrument called a mass spectrometer, which can measure hundreds to thousands of compounds in the air every second. The team was searching for harmful levels of air pollution. At the time, a primary concern was a flammable substance called vinyl chloride, because Norfolk Southern intentionally burned off the chemical in an attempt to avoid the chance of an explosion. Some environmental health experts thought the chemical may have contributed to the  rashes, vomiting, bloody noses and bronchitis  some residents reported. But a  new study  from the team behind the research van — a group of scientist

[ad_1] A doctor is injecting a vaccine to a baby boy Karl Tapales | Moment | Getty Images Sanofi expects its infant RSV shot to roll out in the U.S. before respiratory virus season this fall, a company spokesperson said Friday. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Beyfortus , a monoclonal antibody that is administered as a single dose to infants before or during their first respiratory syncytial virus season. related investing news The Sanofi spokesperson said the company does not expect any challenges with manufacturing or capacity to meet demand this RSV season. The French drugmaker jointly developed Beyfortus with AstraZeneca , which is based in England. A panel of independent advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet on Aug. 3 to make recommendations about how the shot should be administered. Sanofi is working with the panel to place Beyfortus on the U.S. childhood immunization schedule, the company spokesperson said. The Affordable

[ad_1] Thibaut Mongon, CEO of Kenvue Inc. a Johnson & Johnson's consumer-health business, speaks during an interview to celebrate its IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), May 4, 2023. Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters Most consumers have pulled back on spending as inflation squeezes their wallets, but they have not stopped paying up for brand-name health and personal care products, Kenvue CEO Thibaut Mongon said. Mongon told CNBC on Thursday that consumers are still willing to spend on the company's branded products – even as they reduce discretionary spending at retail stores and trade down on some essential items by changing their usual purchase size or switching brands for lower prices.  The Johnson & Johnson consumer spinoff Kenvue beat second-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings estimates on Thursday, fueled by resilient demand for the company's wealth of widely known brands such as Band-Aid, Tylenol, Listerine, Neutrogena and Aveeno. Still, the co

[ad_1] In this aerial image, damage is seen to a Pfizer pharmaceutical factory after a tornado hit the facility two days earlier, on July 21, 2023 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Sean Rayford | Getty Images Pfize r on Friday said there does not appear to be major damage to the drug manufacturing areas of its plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina , after a tornado hit the facility two days earlier.  The plant supplies nearly 8% of all sterile injectable medicines used in U.S. hospitals, including anesthesia, analgesia, therapeutics, anti-infectives and neuromuscular blockers. Pfizer added that the facility manufactures about 25% of the company's sterile injectables.  related investing news An initial assessment found that the tornado primarily damaged a warehouse facility, which stored raw materials, packaging supplies and finished medicines waiting to receive quality assurance, according to Pfizer.  The drugmaker did not say whether it expected that damage to lead to new drug

[ad_1] A closely watched talc trial in California goes against Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), adding uncertainty around whether tens of thousands of other plaintiffs suing the company will sign on to J & J's proposed $8.9 billion settlement offer or seek to get their own days in court. Jim Cramer believes the biopharmaceutical company was "too hopeful" about winning. "The plaintiff system is stacked against them," Jim said. Still, he added, "I believe J & J is a great American company, I believe they'll see through this. ... They need to be a bit more realistic about what they say." Jim's conversations with J & J's legal team led him to believe there could be a path to victory in what we think is a pivotal case . But on Tuesday, J & J was ordered to pay $18.8 million after jurors found in favor of 24-year-old Emory Hernandez Valadez who claimed in his lawsuit that he developed mesothelioma, a deadly cancer linked to asbes

[ad_1] Send your questions directly to Jim Cramer and his team of analysts at investingclubmailbag@cnbc.com . Reminder, we can't offer personal investing advice. We will only consider more general questions about the investment process or stocks in the portfolio or related industries. Question 1: What are your thoughts on the stability of FORD's dividend? Thank you, Denise The quickest way to determine the sustainability of a company's dividend is to consider it in relation to earnings and/or cash flow. The dividend payout divided by the earnings number is referred to as the "payout ratio" — below 100% is generally considered sustainable (so long as it's positive). A negative number would imply negative earnings, which is obviously bad. A payout ratio above 100% would also be something to be concerned about because it means the company is paying out more than it makes and therefore eating into the cash on its balance sheet, an obviously unsustainable dyna

[ad_1] Chiquita Brooks-LaSure testifies before the Senate Finance Committee during her nomination hearing to be administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in Washington on Thursday, April 15, 2021. Caroline Brehman | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images The Biden administration on Thursday called on companies to help keep their employees insured as millions of people across the U.S. suddenly coverage through Medicaid . Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told employers in a letter that workers who have lost Medicaid coverage should be allowed to enroll in group health plans at any time over the next year via a special enrollment period. related investing news Companies are required to give employees a minimum of 60 days to enroll in their group health plans. Brooks-LaSure said, however, this isn't enough time given how many people are suddenly losing Medicaid coverage. More than 3 million people have lost Medic

[ad_1] Thibaut Mongon, CEO and Paul Ruh CFO of Kenvue Inc. a Johnson & Johnson's consumer-health business, pose together during the company's IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 4, 2023. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Johnson & Johnson on Thursday said its shareholders will soon be able to swap their shares for stock of Kenvue , which spun out as an independent consumer health company just two months ago. J&J owns nearly 90% of Kenvue shares and plans to reduce its stake through an exchange offer that could launch "as early as the coming days," depending on market conditions, J&J CFO Joseph Wolk said during the company's second-quarter earnings call.  That process, also known as a split-off, will allow J&J shareholders to exchange all or a portion of their shares for Kenvue's common stock. J&J did not provide further details on the planned offer. But Wolk said a split-off is the "most advanta

[ad_1] Johnson & Johnson on Thursday reported second-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings that topped Wall Street's expectations, and lifted its full-year guidance as sales from the company's medtech business jumped. The medtech division provides devices for surgeries, orthopedics and vision. The company is benefitting from a rebound in demand for non-urgent surgeries among older adults, who deferred those procedures during the pandemic. That increased demand has been observed by health insurers like UnitedHealth Group and Elevance Health . Here's how J&J results compared with Wall Street expectations, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv: Earnings per share: $2.80 adjusted, vs. $2.62 expected Revenue: $25.53 billion, vs. $24.63 billion expected Shares of J&J rose more than 5% in morning trading Thursday. The stock has dropped more than 5% for the year, putting the company's market value at roughly $436 billion.  J&J, whose financial