GENEVA — The U.N. health agency on Monday launched a six-month plan to help stanch outbreaks of mpox transmission, including ramping up staffing in affected countries and boosting surveillance, prevention and response strategies. The World Health Organization said it expects the plan from September through February next year will require $135 million in funding and … Read more
Israel’s military on Sunday said polio vaccines for more than 1 million people had been delivered to Gaza, after the first confirmed case of the disease in the territory in a quarter-century. It was not immediately clear how, or how quickly, the more than 25,000 vials of vaccine would be distributed in Gaza, where ongoing … Read more
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, shots designed to more closely target recent virus strains — and hopefully whatever variants cause trouble this winter, too. With the Food and Drug Administration’s clearance, Pfizer and Moderna are set to begin shipping millions of doses. A third U.S. manufacturer, Novavax, expects its modified … Read more
LONDON — Britain’s drug regulator authorized the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi on Thursday, saying it’s the first medicine to show some impact in slowing the progression of the neurodegenerative disease. But the U.K. government likely won’t be paying for it after an independent agency separately issued draft guidance concluding that the benefits of Leqembi “cannot be … Read more
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Congo reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the last week up to Tuesday as African health authorities asked for desperately needed vaccines to help fight its “growing” threat on the continent. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. Mpox belongs to the … Read more
KINSHASA, Congo — Congo will receive the first vaccine doses to address its mpox outbreak next week from the United States, the country’s health minister said Monday, days after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. Mpox cases have been confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen … Read more
The Biden administration says Medicare recipients will save about $1.5 billion on out-of-pocket costs for medications to treat diabetes, heart disease, types of arthritis and other ailments under new prices negotiated with drug companies that will take effect in 2026. The savings range from 79% for Januvia, used to manage diabetes, to 38% for Imbruvica, … Read more
The investigation into the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry has led to a sweeping indictment that pulled in five people who prosecutors say contributed to his ketamine overdose in October, including two doctors and a street dealer involved in providing Perry large amounts of the powerful anesthetic. Here’s what to know about ketamine. Ketamine … Read more
The investigation into the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry has led to a sweeping indictment that pulled in five people who prosecutors say contributed to his ketamine overdose in October, including two doctors and a street dealer involved in providing Perry large amounts of the powerful anesthetic. Here’s what to know about ketamine. Ketamine … Read more
CAIRO — The threat of polio is rising fast in the Gaza Strip, prompting aid groups to call for an urgent pause in the war so they can ramp up vaccinations and head off a full-blown outbreak. One case has been confirmed, others are suspected and the virus was detected in wastewater in six different … Read more
