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[ad_1] Streptococcus agalactiae bacteria, responsible for vaginal and urinary tract infections and newborn infections including meningitis and septicemia. Optical microscopy view. Cavallini James | BSIP | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Pfizer on Wednesday said its experimental vaccine targeting the potentially deadly bacterial disease Group B Streptococcus returned strong mid-stage clinical trial results , a promising step as the drug inches toward potential approval. Pfizer is among several drugmakers racing to develop the world's first shot targeting Group B strep disease, which is linked to nearly 150,000 infant deaths worldwide each year, especially in lower-income countries. The Food and Drug Administration in September granted breakthrough therapy designation to Pfizer's vaccine, which is intended to expedite the development and review of the shot.  Pfizer's single-dose shot generated antibodies that may provide infants with meaningful protection aga

[ad_1] Jay Reinstein, who suffers from Alzheimer's, sits on a bed after receiving a PET scan at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC on June 20, 2023.  Michael Robinson Chávez | The Washington Post | Getty Images Medicare plans to expand its coverage of PET scans that are used to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease, a major shift in policy that could make it easier for patients to access new treatments that are entering the U.S. market. The proposal would abolish Medicare's current nationwide policy. Right now, the program for seniors will only cover one PET scan per lifetime for patients participating in clinical trials. The Medicare proposal would allow regional organizations, called Medicare Administrative Contractors, to decide whether to cover the diagnostic tool. These regional contractors make coverage decisions based on whether a services is "reasonable and necessary" for the diagnosis of an illness. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, head of

[ad_1] Supporters hold up Save Medicaid signs during the Senate Democrats' news conference at the Capitol with disability advocates to oppose the Republicans' Graham-Cassidy health-care bill. Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Nearly three million people have been kicked off Medicaid since Covid-19 pandemic protections expired in April, with three-quarters of those individuals losing coverage despite the fact they may still be eligible for the public health insurance program, according to data from health researcher KFF . Medicaid is the public health insurance program for lower-income individuals and families. It is heavily financed by the federal government but largely managed by state governments. The widespread removal of coverage is a worrying trend because people who lose one form of insurance often struggle to find alternative coverage due to the complexity of the U.S. health insurance system, putting them at risk of ultimately becoming uninsured. About

[ad_1] Pavlo Gonchar | LightRocket | Getty Images Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday sued the Biden administration over Medicare's new powers to slash drug prices, making it the third pharmaceutical company to challenge the controversial provision of the Inflation Reduction Act .   The lawsuit filed in federal district court in New Jersey argues the Medicare negotiations violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Earlier suits brought separately by drugmakers Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb , as well as by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and PhRMA , the pharmaceutical industry's largest lobbying group, made similar arguments. J&J's complaint asks a judge to block the U.S. Health and Human Services Department from compelling the drugmaker to participate in the program. The company said its suit aims to stop the "innovation-damaging congressional overreach that threatens the United States' primacy in developing transformative therapies

[ad_1] Novartis said in August that it plans to spin off its generics unit Sandoz to sharpen its focus on its patented prescription medicines. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Novartis shares jumped on Tuesday after the Swiss drugmaker raised its full-year guidance on strong drug sales and announced a $15 billion share buyback.  The company made both announcements as it reported second-quarter earnings , which topped Wall Street's expectations.  related investing news The share buybacks will go to the end of 2025, Novartis said. The company, which is sitting on a large cash pile after selling its stake in Swiss rival Roche in 2021, completed an earlier buyback program of roughly the same size last month. Novartis expects sales to rise by a high-single-digit percentage in 2023, an increase from a previous expectation of mid-single-digit growth. The company also anticipates group core operating income will grow by a low double-digit percentage, up from a previous expec

[ad_1] Robert Kennedy Jr and Kerry Kennedy attend the 2015 Riverkeeper Fishermen's Ball at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on May 20, 2015 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy | Getty Images WASHINGTON — Kerry Kennedy, a sister of Democratic presidential candidate  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , lambasted her brother in a brief statement Monday after a report that quoted him as saying  Covid-19  was "targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people" and that Jewish people are most immune. "I strongly condemn my brother's deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting," Kerry Kennedy said in a  statement  released by the non-profit group Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights where she serves as president. "His statements do not represent what I believe or what Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stand for, with our 50+-year track record of protecting rights and standing against racism and all forms of discrimination," she adde

[ad_1] Blood sample for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) test Jarun011 | Istock | Getty Images The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved AstraZeneca and Sanofi 's shot that protects infants and toddlers against respiratory syncytial virus , which is the leading cause of hospitalization among babies in the U.S. Nirsevimab is the first shot approved by the FDA to protect all infants against RSV regardless of whether they are healthy or have a medical condition. related investing news The FDA approval of nirsevimab, sold under the brand name Beyfortus, comes ahead of RSV season this fall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's panel of independent experts will meet in August to make recommendations on how the shot should be administered by doctors. Another shot called palivizumab is already on the market, but it is given mainly to infants who are preterm or who have lung and congenital heart conditions that put them at high risk of severe disease. Nirs

[ad_1] Eli Lilly and Company, Pharmaceutical company headquarters in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain. Cristina Arias | Cover | Getty Images Eli Lilly on Friday said it will acquire Versanis, a privately held obesity drug maker , for up to $1.93 billion to boost the pharmaceutical giant's weight loss treatment portfolio.  Eli Lilly agreed to pay Versanis shareholders in cash, which will consist of an upfront payment and potentially subsequent payments if Versanis achieves certain "development and sales milestones." Oakland, California-based Versanis, which was founded in 2021 by biotech investment firm Aditum Bio, has one experimental drug for obesity and potentially other conditions. Eli Lilly's stock price rose 3% on Friday following the announcement. The deal is Eli Lilly's latest attempt to capitalize on the weight loss industry gold rush, which began last year after Novo Nordisk' s blockbuster injections Wegovy and Ozempic boomed in popularity.  An est

[ad_1] Cans of PepsiCo's Pepsi Zero Sugar soda are displayed for an arranged photograph taken in Tiskilwa, Illinois, on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. Food and Drug Administration disagrees with a World Health Organization finding that the widely used soda sweetener aspartame possibly causes cancer in humans, saying the studies used to reach that conclusion had "significant shortcomings." "Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply. FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions," an agency spokesperson said late Thursday shortly after the WHO released its findings. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a WHO body, found a possible link between aspartame and a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma after reviewing three large human studies in the U.S. and Europe. Aspartame is used as a substitute for sugar

[ad_1] Representatives speak with customers at a UnitedHealthcare store in Queens, New York. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images UnitedHealth Group' s stock price jumped Friday after the health-care conglomerate reported second-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings that topped Wall Street's expectations despite rising medical costs . The results eased investor concerns after the Minnesota-based company flagged a surge in demand for non-urgent surgeries and outpatient services last month and spooked the market. related investing news UnitedHealth Group is the biggest health-care company in the U.S. by market cap and revenue, and is even bigger than the nation's largest banks. Given its size, UnitedHealth Group is considered a bellwether for the broader health insurance sector. Its market value was around $447 billion as of Friday afternoon. Here's what UnitedHealth Group reported compared with Wall Street's expectations, based on a survey of analysts by

[ad_1] A can of Diet Coke in a supermarket, as an artificial sweetener commonly used in thousands of products including diet fizzy drinks, ice cream and chewing gum is to be listed as posing a possible cancer risk to humans, according to reports. Yui Mok | Pa Images | Getty Images The World Health Organization on Thursday classified the soda sweetener aspartame as a possible carcinogen, but said it is safe for people to consume within the recommended daily limit. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a WHO body, identified a possible link between aspartame and a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma after reviewing three large human studies conducted in the U.S. and Europe that examined artificially sweetened beverages. related investing news Aspartame is used in Diet Coke, Pepsi Zero Sugar and other diet sodas , as well as some chewing gum and various Snapple drinks as a substitute for sugar. Artificially sweetened beverages have historically been the bi

[ad_1] An Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is pictured in Branchburg, New Jersey, March 5, 2021. Mike Segar | Reuters Uninsured Americans pay nearly $98 on average for a vial of Eli Lilly 's generic insulin, even after the company pledged to cut the product's list price to $25 per vial , according to a report released Thursday by Sen. Elizabeth Warren . Eli Lilly earlier this year vowed to slash the list price of its generic insulin, Lispro , from $82.42 per vial starting May 1. The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company is one of the world's largest insulin manufacturers. The Massachusetts senator's report surveyed more than 300 chain and independent pharmacies in the U.S. between June 9 and June 28 to determine whether Eli Lilly's announced price cut "translated into real relief for patients." The survey found that a third of pharmacies charged uninsured patients $164 or more for a vial of Eli Lilly's Lispro. Seven p

[ad_1] HRA Pharma expects a final decision by the FDA this summer on its application for nonprescription sales of Opill, which is generically called norgestrel. Source: Perrigo The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill , a landmark decision that will allow more women and girls in the U.S. to prevent unintended pregnancies without a prescription .  The daily pill, called Opill, was first  approved  by the FDA as a prescription in 1973.  The pill's manufacturer, Paris-based HRA Pharma, said the contraceptive would most likely be available at drugstores, convenience stores, grocery stores and online retailers in the U.S. in early 2024. HRA Pharma, a unit of Dublin-based pharmaceutical company Perrigo , said there will be no age restrictions on sales of the pill. HRA Pharma has not announced the price of the pill, which will determine how affordable it will be to the public. But the company is committed to making the pill

[ad_1] The U.S. Chamber of Commerce seal is displayed during restoration at the headquarters in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday asked a federal judge in Ohio to block Medicare's new powers to negotiate drug prices before October 1. The motion for a preliminary injunction is a significant escalation in the pharmaceutical industry's legal battle that would halt the talks before they begin this fall. The U.S. Chamber, local chambers in Dayton, Ohio and Michigan, and the drugmaker Abbvie claim that the drug price negotiations violate the due process clause of the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. CNBC Health & Science Read CNBC's latest health coverage: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. [ad_2] Source link https://worldnews2023.com/health/chamber-of-commerce-asks-judge-to-block-medicare-drug-price-negotiations-before-october-1/?feed_id=31615&_unique_id=64af1d2f

[ad_1] A man wearing a mask walks past a Nvidia logo in Taipei, Taiwan. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Chipmaker Nvidia will invest $50 million in Recursion Pharmaceuticals to speed up the development of the biotech firm's artificial intelligence models for drug discovery, the companies said Wednesday.  Recursion's stock soared 80% following the announcement. Shares of Nvidia, which have helped fuel stock market gains this year amid hopes about its AI computing chips , rose more than 2%.  Recursion uses AI-powered models to identify and design new therapies, and offers those models to other drugmakers, including Roche and Bayer. Salt Lake City, Utah-based Recursion will use its biological and chemical datasets exceeding 23,000 terabytes to train its AI models on Nvidia's cloud platform. AI models usually require vast amounts of data, typically measured in terabytes, to train them. Nvidia can then potentially license those AI models on BioNeMo, the compan