Global News

[ad_1] Boxes of mifepristone, the first pill given in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at Women's Reproductive Clinic of New Mexico in Santa Teresa, U.S., January 13, 2023.  Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters A coalition of a dozen Democratic attorneys general sued the Food and Drug Administration on Friday to force the agency to drop all remaining restrictions on the abortion pill, the latest case in an escalating series of legal battles over access to the medication. The attorneys general asked a federal court in the eastern district of Washington to declare that the abortion pill, mifepristone, is safe and effective and that all remaining restrictions on the medication are unconstitutional. The lawsuit was led by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Oregon's AG Ellen Rosenblum. The attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont were also part of the suit. The attorneys g...

[ad_1] Travelers check in at Shanghai's Hongqiao International Airport in on Dec. 12, 2022, after China relaxed domestic travel restrictions. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Biden administration will require airline passengers traveling from China to test negative for Covid before entering the U.S. as concern grows that widespread transmission of the virus in the world's most populous country could result in new variants. All airline passengers 2 years and older originating from China, Hong Kong or Macau will be required to get tested for Covid-19 no more than two days before their flight to the U.S. and show a negative result to the airline upon departure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Wednesday. The requirements, which apply regardless of nationality and vaccination status, start Jan. 5. Travelers can get a PCR test or a rapid self test that is administered and monitored by a telehealth service. The rapid test must be authorized by...

[ad_1] Boxes of the medication Mifepristone used to induce a medical abortion are prepared for patients at Planned Parenthood health center in Birmingham, Alabama, March 14, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters A federal judge on Friday allowed North Carolina lawmakers to defend restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, after the state attorney general declined to do so. Dr. Amy Bryant, a North Carolina physician, sued the state in January to block its restrictions on mifepristone because they go beyond the Food and Drug Administration's regulations. State Attorney General Joshua Stein, a Democrat, agreed with Bryant and declined to defend the state's restrictions on mifepristone. Stein told North Carolina lawmakers the FDA determined that restrictions like those in North Carolina unduly burden patients' access to a safe and effective drug. The president of North Carolina's Senate, Philip Berger, and state House Speaker Timothy Moore intervened to defend the stat...

[ad_1] A panel of independent advisors to the Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended Thursday that the antibody nirsevimab be approved for use to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus , the leading cause of hospitalization among newborns. If the FDA approves nirsevimab, the antibody would become the first medical intervention available in the U.S. that can protect all infants from RSV . The FDA, which is not obligated to follow the recommendation of its advisory panel, is expected to make a final decision on nirsevimab in the third quarter. Nirsevimab is a monoclonal antibody made by AstraZeneca . The medication would be marketed by Sanofi . The advisory panel voted 21-0 to recommend its approval. In a separate vote, the advisors also recommended nirsevimab's use in children up to 2 years old who remain vulnerable to the virus in their second RSV season. That vote was 19-2. RSV kills nearly 100 babies in the United States every year, according to sci...

[ad_1] A man enters a building with rental apartments available in New York City. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez | VIEW press | Corbis News | Getty Images Median rents in Manhattan hit a new record in January as a strong job market and limited supply of apartments lifted prices. The median rental price rose 15% to $4,097 from the year-earlier month — the highest ever in January, according to a report from Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel . The average rent in Manhattan was $5,142, up 13% over January 2022. Analysts and real estate experts had expected rents to start falling in January after record surges late last year. But despite a cooling economy and high-profile layoffs in finance and tech, rental demand in Manhattan remains strong. "We're not seeing rents fall in any meaningful way" said Jonathan Miller, CEO of Miller Samuel, a real estate appraisal and research company. "They're really just moving sideways." Analysts say the main driver for Manhattan...

[ad_1] Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) arrives to the U.S. Capitol Building on June 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday called on the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to take action to ensure seniors can actually afford the expensive Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi . Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra called the $26,500 annual price tag for Leqembi set by drugmakers Eisai and Biogen "unconscionable." The Vermont independent said the drug's current cost would put a substantial financial burden on Medicare and increase premiums for seniors. Medicare is the federal program that provides health coverage to primarily older Americans. Sanders said the "outrageously high price" of Leqembi "will prevent seniors who need this drug from receiving treatment." The lawmaker wrote that HHS should use its authority to break Leqembi's pa...

[ad_1] A container holding boxes of Mifepristone, the first medication in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, April 20, 2023. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters A federal appeals court on Wednesday imposed restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, though the ruling will not have an immediate impact. The order by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is almost certain to be appealed to the Supreme Court. Justice Samuel Alito in April preemptively paused any ruling from the appeals court pending a petition for the high court to take the case. If the Supreme Court does not take the case, the restrictions will go into effect. Should the restrictions go in to effect, women would no longer be able to obtain the abortion by mail. Patients would have to receive a prescription from a doctor and have follow-up appointments in person. The restrictions would also shorten the time period when women can take the pill to 49 days into t...

[ad_1] Military vehicles queue to launch U.S.-made TOW A2 missiles during a live firing exercise in Pingtung county on July 2023. Sam Yeh | Afp | Getty Images The United States unveiled a Taiwan weapons aid package worth up to $345 million on Friday, a move likely to anger China even as the Biden administration declined to publicly provide details on the arms in the package. Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority weapons aid for Taiwan, which strongly rejects Chinese sovereignty claims, in the 2023 budget. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the United States, Taiwan's most important arms supplier, halt the sale of weapons to the island. In recent weeks, four sources told Reuters the package was expected to include four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones, but noted their inclusion could fall through as officials work through details on removing some of the advanced equipment from the drones that only the U.S. Air Force is allowed access to. ...

[ad_1] China is restricting the exports of gallium and germanium, two metals key to the manufacturing of semiconductors, its commerce ministry said in a statement late on July 3, escalating a technological trade war over access to microchips with Europe and the United States. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images China is restricting the exports of two metals key to the manufacturing of semiconductors, its commerce ministry said late Monday , escalating a technological trade war with Europe and the United States over access to microchips. These new regulations — imposed on grounds of national security — will require exporters to seek a license to ship some gallium and germanium compounds starting Aug. 1, China's commerce ministry said . Applications for these export licenses must identify importers and end users and stipulate how these metals will be used. This move is part of an intensifying global battle for technological supremacy — with China as the world's largest sourc...

[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] 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] Warning labels are designed to inform consumers about potential risks of using a product, but they have become too prevalent to be beneficial. "Warning labels really were fairly rare until the 1960s," said W. Kip Viscusi, a distinguished professor of law, economics, and management at Vanderbilt University. "Beginning in the mid-1960's, cigarettes started to have a warning label. Since that time, other products have followed suit, trying to emulate the cigarette experience." related investing news Warning labels generally come in two forms: those that warn the consumer against buying the product, such as a cigarette box label that says, "This product can cause mouth cancer," and those that warn about the risks associated with incorrect use of a product and may say, " To prevent this furniture from tipping over, it must be permanently fixed to the wall ." One of the problems researchers have pointed out is people are desensitized t...

[ad_1] Two people hold two Shein bags after entering SHEIN's first physical store in Madrid, Spain, June 2, 2022. Cezaro De Luca | Europa Press | Getty Images WASHINGTON — Bipartisan lawmakers are urging the nation's top markets regulator to require Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein to disclose potential forced labor practices ahead of the company's possible initial public offering in the United States. The fast-fashion company has come under fire for accusations of mistreatment of Uyghurs, a marginalized group in China , and for allegedly falsifying reports of forced or underpaid labor of its supplier factories, some of which are located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The alleged practices violate the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act , Reps. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., and John Rose, R-Tenn., wrote in a letter Monday to Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler. "As a global company, Shein takes visibility across our entire s...

[ad_1] Demand for mortgages increased for the second straight week , despite some volatility in mortgage rates. Total application volume rose 6.5% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 6.71% from 6.79%, with points falling to 0.79 from 0.80 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. That was the average, but mortgage rates were largely higher for most of the week before dropping sharply Friday on news of the Silicon Valley Bank failure. Despite rates being higher, mortgage applications to purchase a home rose 7% for the week but were still 38% lower than the same week a year ago. Homebuying basically stalled in early February, after rates rose about a full percentage point, but buyers seem to be coming back now, perhaps because they are concerned...

[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] 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] 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 ...