Author: Matthew Perrone
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Lawmakers scrutinize McKinsey’s opioid, FDA consulting work
WASHINGTON • House Democrats vowed to continue investigating consulting giant McKinsey’s work with opioid drugmakers after a Wednesday hearing detailed how the firm had advised companies pushing painkillers as well as U.S. health regulators. The hearing before a House committee is part of a probe into McKinsey’s role in the U.S. opioid crisis that has…
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U.S. experts discuss COVID boosters for the fall and beyond
WASHINGTON • While many Americans are trying to move on with their lives after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. health officials are debating the best way to use vaccines to stay ahead of the coronavirus. A panel of U.S. vaccine experts was meeting Wednesday to discuss key questions for future COVID-19 booster campaigns.…
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Big drop in US teen vaping seen with COVID school closures
WASHINGTON • Teen vaping plummeted this year as many U.S. students were forced to learn from home during the pandemic, according to a government report released Thursday. U.S. health officials urged caution in interpreting the numbers, which were collected using an online questionnaire for the first time. But outside experts said the big decrease in…
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Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine protects younger teens
NEW YORK • Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall. Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk…
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2nd COVID-19 vaccine set for OK in US with panel endorsement
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow the recommendation for the vaccine from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The FDA advisers, in a 20-0…
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U.S. vaccinations ramp up as 2nd COVID-19 shot nears
WASHINGTON • Hundreds more hospitals around the country began dispensing COVID-19 shots to their workers in a rapid expansion of the U.S. vaccination drive Tuesday, while a second vaccine moved to the cusp of government authorization. A day after the rollout of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus shots, the Food and Drug Administration said its preliminary analysis confirmed…
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Trump’s plan to curb teen vaping exempts some flavors
WASHINGTON • U.S. health officials will begin cracking down on most flavored e-cigarettes that are popular with underage teenagers, but their plan includes major exceptions that benefit vaping manufacturers, retailers and adults who use the nicotine-delivery devices. The Trump administration announced Thursday that it will prohibit fruit, candy, mint and dessert flavors from small, cartridge-based…
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U.S. official expects ‘hundreds more’ cases of vaping illness
WASHINGTON • The number of vaping-related illnesses in the U.S. could soon climb much higher, a public health official said Tuesday. Dr. Anne Schuchat, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a congressional subcommittee that she believes “hundreds more” lung illnesses have been reported to health authorities since last Thursday, when the CDC…
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FDA chief Scott Gottlieb steps down after nearly 2 years
WASHINGTON • Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is stepping down after nearly two years leading the agency’s response to a host of public health challenges, including the opioid epidemic, rising drug prices and underage vaping. Gottlieb cited “the challenge of being apart from my family” in Connecticut when announcing his departure Tuesday in…
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Calling teen vaping ‘epidemic,’ officials weigh flavor ban
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are sounding the alarm about rising teenage use of e-cigarettes, calling the problem an “epidemic” and ordering manufacturers to reverse the trend or risk having their flavored vaping products pulled from the market. The warning from the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday cited recent data that points to a…