DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Factbox-Fewer Submarines, More Police Detectives: Highlights of Biden's Budget
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Here are highlights of the proposal:IMMIGRATIONThe proposal includes an increase in funding for immigration-related spending as polling shows voters concerned about U.S.-Mexico border crossings by undocumented migrants. DEFENSEBiden's $895 billion national security budget calls for fewer stealthy F-35 fighter jets and Virginia-class submarines, first reported by Reuters, after a meager 1% increase allowed under caps agreed with Republicans last year left fewer than expected funds. Biden also renewed his demand for funding on border security, Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and other national security issues that has been stalled by Republican congressional leadership for months. CRIMEThe budget allocates $1.2 billion over five years in a new violent crime reduction and prevention fund to support law enforcement agencies, helping them hire new detectives to solve homicides, expand fentanyl seizures and hire prosecutors and forensic specialists. The forecasts were set in November, and officials said the figures would be more optimistic if they were fixed today.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Trevor Hunnicutt, Ahmed Aboulenein, Ted Hesson, Leah Douglas, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: WASHINGTON, Border Patrol, Reuters, Republican, Department of Health, Human Services, Department, Agriculture, Women, Federal Reserve Locations: Mexico, Virginia, Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, U.S

☆ Trump White House Pharmacy Improperly Provided Drugs and Misused Funds, Pentagon Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Ahmed AbouleneinWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House Medical Unit during the Trump administration provided prescription drugs, including controlled substances, to ineligible staff and spent tens of thousands of dollars more on brand-name drugs than what generic equivalents would have cost, a Pentagon report shows. The unit, part of the White House Military Office, did not comply with federal government and Department of Defense guidelines, the report, which was released on Jan. 8, found. Ineligible staffers received free specialty care and surgery at military medical facilities and were provided with prescription drugs including controlled substances, in violation of federal law, the report also found. "The White House Medical Unit's pharmaceutical management practices ineffectively used DoD funds by obtaining brand‑name medications instead of generic equivalents and increased the risk for the diversion of controlled substances," it said. Opioids and sleeping medications were not properly accounted for and were tracked using error-filled or unreadable handwritten records, the report said.

Persons: Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON, Trump, ineffectively, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Lester Martinez, Lopez, Ahmed Aboulenein, Leslie Adler Organizations: White, Medical Unit, Pentagon, Military Office, Department of Defense, Medical, Military Health

☆ Iran-Backed Attacks on US Troops in the Middle East Since Oct. 7
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

About 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq and 900 in Syria to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State militants. Here is a timeline of major attacks since then:OCT. 18 - U.S. forces in Iraq are targeted in two separate drone attacks. OCT. 19 - U.S. forces in Syria bring down two drones targeting them, leading to some minor injuries. OCT. 26 - An Iran-backed militia launches a drone at an air base that penetrates U.S. air defenses and crashes into the barracks housing American troops but fails to detonate. DEC. 25 - A one-way drone attack in Iraq by Iran-aligned militants leaves one U.S. service member in critical condition and wounds two other U.S. personnel.

Persons: Ahmed Aboulenein, Diane Craft Organizations: WASHINGTON, Sunday, U.S, Islamic, DEC Locations: Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Israel, U.S

[1/4] Employees work in the manufacturing of Pfizer’s new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Abrysvo, in this undated handout picture. Pfizer/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Senior Biden administration officials met with RSV vaccine makers this week to underscore the need for manufacturers such as Sanofi (SASY.PA) and AstraZeneca (AZN.L) to urgently meet demand as winter approaches, the White House said on Tuesday. At a meeting at the White House on Monday, officials and manufacturers also agreed to plan now to meet next year's demand for the vaccines targeting respiratory syncytial virus, which generally causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can develop into severe illness in infants and older adults. "Monday's meeting follows numerous in-person and virtual meetings to seek ways manufacturers can make more RSV immunizations available for infants," the White House said in a statement. Reporting by Susan Heavey and Ahmed Aboulenein; Additional reporting by Mike Erman; Editing by Katharine Jackson and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Susan Heavey, Ahmed Aboulenein, Mike Erman, Katharine Jackson, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Pfizer, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Biden, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, White, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Thomson Locations: U.S

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Monday will start taking orders for another round of free COVID-19 tests for delivery across the country, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson said. Households that had ordered four free tests through COVIDTests.gov when they were offered again in September are eligible to order four more, while those that did not can submit two orders for a total of eight free tests. It resumed offering the tests in December 2022 as cases were surging, and opened another round of orders on Sept. 25 this year. The tests are paid for using COVID-19 supplemental funding from the American Rescue Plan, the HHS spokesperson said. HHS and the Department of Education plan to expand a program that brings tests to schools nationwide over the coming weeks.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Joe Biden's, Biden, Ahmed Aboulenein, Bill Berkrot Organizations: District of Columbia, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, of Health, Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, American, HHS, Department of, Thomson

☆ Novo Nordisk to discontinue Levemir insulin in U.S. market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) said on Wednesday it would discontinue its long-acting insulin Levemir in the United States, citing manufacturing constraints, reduced patient access and available alternatives. Novo has another long-acting insulin, Tresiba, on the market. "Novo Nordisk will phase out, then permanently discontinue Levemir in the U.S. on December 31, 2024," the company said in a statement. Basal insulin such as Levemir is a type of long-acting insulin injected once or twice a day as opposed to rapid, short, or intermediate-acting insulin. Around 8.4 million of the 37 million people in the United States with diabetes use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Persons: Novo, Eli Lilly, Tresiba, Maggie Fick, Ahmed Aboulenein, Leslie Adler Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, American Diabetes Association, Thomson Locations: United States, Danish, U.S, London

☆ US Shifting COVID Antivirals to Commercial Market on Nov. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The government has been overseeing distribution of the treatments, alongside vaccines and tests, but has transferring that work to traditional commercial channels. Commercial ordering for the treatments is set to start on Nov. 1. The U.S. government paid around $530 per course for Paxlovid, the most commonly prescribed at home COVID-19 treatment in the country, and made it available at no cost. Returns will begin on Nov. 15, the official said, and will be accepted through the end of the year. The government is recommending returns start in December enough time for the establishment of patient assistance programs and securing of commercially-labeled doses.

Persons: Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON, Lagevrio, Ahmed Aboulenein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: U.S, Pfizer, Paxlovid, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services Locations: U.S

The government has been overseeing distribution of the treatments, alongside vaccines and tests, but has transferring that work to traditional commercial channels. Commercial ordering for the treatments is set to start on Nov. 1. Returns will begin on Nov. 15, the official said, and will be accepted through the end of the year. The government is recommending returns start in December enough time for the establishment of patient assistance programs and securing of commercially-labeled doses. Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lagevrio, Ahmed Aboulenein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: U.S, Pfizer, Paxlovid, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Thomson Locations: U.S

The U.S. government in May ended the COVID public health emergency declaration during which it bought the shots and provided them to all Americans for free. In the current privatized system, health insurance plans by law must cover the shots at no cost. McKesson (MCK.N), one of the largest U.S. wholesalers, said it has distributed over 3.8 million shots so far. "Health insurance providers continue to educate Americans about where and how to get their COVID vaccines within their plan’s coverage," David Allen, a spokesperson for insurance lobby group AHIP said. Now that the government is no longer footing the bill for their vaccine supply, pharmacy owners need to pay for the shots.

Persons: Kate MacDowell, MacDowell, Kaiser, David Allen, AHIP, David Kohll, James Daily, he's, Suzanne Berman, Michael Erman, Ahmed Aboulenein, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Pfizer, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Kaiser Permanente, COVID, Moderna, CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Cardinal Health, Reuters, Kohll's Pharmacy, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Portland , Oregon, Oregon, California, Nebraska, Readington , New Jersey, Crossville , Tennessee, New York, Washington

☆ Strike by 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers enters third day
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Healthcare workers strike in front of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers go on strike from October 4 to 7 across the United States, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 4, 2023. Kaiser has said its hospitals and emergency departments have remained open despite the walkout, staffed by doctors, managers and "contingency workers." In any case, Lucas said the striking workers will all return to their jobs by 6 a.m. on Saturday, 72 hours after the strike began, because healthcare workers by law must give advance notice of 10 days of any intent to go on strike. However, the union on Friday warned of another strike if "Kaiser executives continue to commit unfair labor practices and bargain in bad faith." The Kaiser strike has idled more than 75,000 employees, union officials said.

Persons: Kaiser, Julie Su, Caroline Lucas, Lucas, Steve Gorman, Ahmed Aboulenein, Bhanvi, Bill Berkrot, Robert Birsel, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Permanente, REUTERS, Kaiser Permanente, District of Columbia, Labor, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, Kaiser, Union, Unions, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington D.C, Thomson Locations: United States, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Kaiser, California , Oregon, Washington, , Colorado, Virginia, California, Las Vegas, California , Colorado , Oregon, Hawaii , Georgia, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

[1/7] Healthcare workers strike in front of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers go on strike from October 4 to 7 across the United States, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 4, 2023. Kaiser said its hospitals and emergency departments remained open, staffed by doctors, managers and "contingency workers." They are represented by the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. The Kaiser labor coalition, made up of eight unions representing medical professionals and support staff, insists the company needs to hire 10,000 new healthcare workers to fill current vacancies. Kaiser nationwide employs 68,000 nurses and 213,000 technicians, clerical workers, and administrative staff, alongside its 24,000 doctors.

Persons: Kaiser, Christina Andersen, Michael LeRoy, Ahmed Aboulenein, Bhanvi Satija, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Permanente, REUTERS, Rights, Kaiser Permanente, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, District Columbia, Kaiser, Labor, Tenet Healthcare, SEIU United Healthcare Workers, SEIU, University of Illinois, D.C, Thomson Locations: United States, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Kaiser, California , Oregon, Washington , Colorado, Virginia, Claremont , California, California, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, Washington, California , Colorado , Oregon

[1/7] Healthcare workers strike in front of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers go on strike from October 4 to 7 across the United States, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 4, 2023. "After six months of bargaining with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, including a marathon effort that went through last night and into today, our bargaining sessions unfortunately ended without a settlement," Kaiser said. They are represented by the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. The Kaiser labor coalition, made up of eight unions representing medical professionals and support staff, insists the company needs to hire 10,000 new healthcare workers to fill current vacancies. Kaiser nationwide employs 68,000 nurses and 213,000 technicians, clerical workers, and administrative staff, alongside its 24,000 doctors.

Persons: Kaiser, Christina Andersen, Michael LeRoy, Ahmed Aboulenein, Bhanvi Satija, Bill Berkrot, Navaratnam 私 Organizations: Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Permanente, REUTERS, Rights, Kaiser Permanente, Reuters, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, District Columbia, Kaiser, Labor, Tenet Healthcare, SEIU United Healthcare Workers, SEIU, University of Illinois, D.C Locations: United States, Los Angeles , California, U.S, California , Oregon, Washington , Colorado, Virginia, Claremont , California, California, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, Washington, California , Colorado , Oregon

Healthcare workers strike in front of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers go on strike from October 4 to 7 across the United States, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 4, 2023. WHAT ARE KAISER WORKERS' DEMANDS AND WHAT IS THE COMPANY OFFERING? Some of the key demands by the workers include higher pay to keep up with the cost of living, a $25-per-hour minimum wage for all healthcare workers, and a reformed bonus structure. The union insists Kaiser needs to hire 10,000 new healthcare workers to fill current vacancies, as well as "fix broken hiring processes" that are preventing full staffing. The unions are asking Kaiser Permanente to make massive investment in the education and training of future healthcare workers, and for a diminished role for vendors and third-party contractors that the healthcare network relies on.

Persons: Julie Su, Kaiser, Kaiser Permanente, John August, Russ Richmond, Leroy Leo, Bhanvi, Ahmed Aboulenein, Steve Gorman, Shinjini Ganguli, Diane Craft Organizations: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Permanente, REUTERS, Kaiser Permanente, Labor, AMN Healthcare, District of Columbia, Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Tenet Healthcare, Satellite Healthcare, Fresenius, Thomson Locations: United States, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Kaiser, California, Bengaluru, Washington, Los Angeles

☆ Kaiser Permanente, union negotiations continue as strike begins in Virgina, Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Kaiser Permanente health care center is pictured in Anaheim, California, U.S., October 3, 2023 as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers could go on strike from Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 across the United States. REUTERS/Mike Blake Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Kaiser Permanente FollowOct 4 (Reuters) - Healthcare workers launched a planned three-day strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities on Wednesday, even as the union and the company said talks were continuing. Strikes have begun in Virginia and Washington, with additional strikes set to begin later in the day on the West Coast. Union officials said the planned strike against Kaiser, one of the nation's leading not-for-profit healthcare networks and managed-care organizations, would mark the largest strike ever in the U.S. medical industry. Staffing levels have been a major sticking point, with the union insisting Kaiser needs to hire 10,000 new healthcare workers to fill current vacancies.

Persons: Mike Blake, Kaiser, Ahmed Aboulenein Organizations: Permanente, REUTERS, Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, West Coast . Union, D.C, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Thomson Locations: Anaheim , California, U.S, United States, Virginia, Washington, West Coast, California , Oregon, , Colorado, California , Colorado , Oregon

[1/2] A Kaiser Permanente health care center is pictured in Anaheim, California, U.S., October 3, 2023 as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers could go on strike from Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 across the United States. REUTERS/Mike Blake Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Kaiser Permanente FollowWASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Kaiser Permanente appeared headed for a labor clash with 75,000 of its healthcare workers as union leaders said contract talks had stalled on Tuesday, leaving the two sides hours away from a threatened three-day strike in several states. Kaiser said its hospitals and emergency departments would remain open in the event of a strike, staffed by doctors, managers and other non-union "contingency workers." As of Tuesday, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said the healthcare giant had yet to offer acceptable terms to address severe staffing shortages, or to embrace adequate improvements in pay and benefits sought by the workers. Staffing levels have been a major sticking point, with the union insisting Kaiser needs to hire 10,000 new healthcare workers to fill current vacancies.

Persons: Mike Blake, Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser, Caroline Lucas, Hilary Costa, Ahmed Aboulenein, Steve Gorman, Bill Berkrot, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kaiser Permanente, Permanente, REUTERS, D.C, Union, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, Kaiser, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Thomson Locations: Anaheim , California, U.S, United States, California , Oregon, Washington, , Colorado, Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii, California , Colorado , Oregon, Los Angeles

The nationwide online poll, which concluded on Thursday, showed that almost 30% of respondents were very interested in getting the vaccine and another 24% were somewhat interested. U.S. public health officials earlier this week recommended updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O) that target a recently circulating Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Almost 42% said they were mainly interested in getting the vaccine to reduce their risk of severe illness. During the last revaccination campaign, when most Americas had either already had the COVID virus or been previously vaccinated, only around 56.5 million people got the updated booster shots, CDC data shows. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and nationwide between Sept. 8 and Sept. 14, gathering responses from 4,413 U.S. adults.

Persons: Adam Berman, Michelle Chester, Ron DeSantis, Jesse Goodman, Ahmed Aboulenein, Jason Lange, Michael Erman, Jennifer Rigby, Scott Malone, Leslie Adler Organizations: Jewish Medical Center, Northwell Health, Reuters, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Pfizer, Moderna, Republicans, Republican, Wednesday, Georgetown University, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Long, New Hyde Park , New York, WASHINGTON, United States, ., U.S, Americas, Washington, New York, London

☆ Obesity drug data could boost companies' case for US coverage, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Wegovy prescriptions were up 300% at their peak, according to data from Barclays, before supply issues began to hamper sales. A COMPELLING CASEAnalysts said the data made a compelling case for long-term health benefits of the drug. Analysts were divided on whether Medicare could potentially cover Wegovy as a cardiovascular treatment without a new law passing. Three doctors specializing in obesity treatment, including a cardiologist, were not sure whether such an indication would allow for Medicare coverage. Companies that provide healthcare insurance have begun pulling back on coverage of weight loss drugs because of the high cost of the medicines.

Persons: Read, Eli Lilly, Stacie Dusetzina, Wegovy, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Evan Seigerman, Eugene Yang, Morningstar, Damien Conover, Tom Carper, Eli Lilly's, Dusetzina, Patrick Wingrove, Elissa Welle, Ahmed Aboulenein, Caroline Humer Organizations: Novo Nordisk, U.S, Vanderbilt University, Medicare, Barclays, University of Washington Medicine, Companies, Democratic, Novo, Reuters, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: New York, Danish, Washington

Both sides blame each other for high drug prices. Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is a fierce critic of both industries and will likely grill the executives. Optum Rx CEO Heather Cianfrocco will say manufacturers alone set the drug prices and abuse patent protections to stifle competition, her written testimony shows. Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi all said in March they were cutting list prices by more than 70% for some insulin products. Uninsured people often have to pay full list prices, an average of $900 a month, forcing many to ration or skip doses.

The emergency is also tied to telehealth flexibilities, Medicaid enrollment safeguards, and the ability of government health agencies to collect data on the spread of the coronavirus. Here is what will change after Thursday, and what does not:WILL THERE BE A COST FOR VACCINES, TESTS AND TREATMENTS? They will face co-pay or co-insurance costs for certain covered treatments and the full price of those that are not covered. People enrolled in state government Medicaid health plans for the poor will also get zero-cost vaccines. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will have less authority to collect certain types of public health data after the emergency expires.

WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday it would stop reporting or monitoring COVID-19 case data and transmission rates after the government ends the pandemic's public health emergency designation next week. The government on May 11 will end the COVID-19 public health emergency that allowed millions of Americans to receive vaccines, tests, and treatments at no cost during the pandemic. "The changes that we're discussing today are happening because the end of the Public Health Emergency means that CDC will have less authority to collect certain types of public health data," said CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Nirav Shah. The CDC will continue to provide COVID death rates but will no longer rely on aggregate case data reported by local jurisdictions and will instead use national death certificate data, Jackson said. COVID-19 surveillance will be folded into a wider integrated strategy for monitoring respiratory viruses, he said, adding that some data reporting including demographic case data, the CDC's work on long COVID, and wastewater surveillance for the virus will continue past May 11.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote to President Joe Biden in her resignation letter. "We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter," Biden said in a statement. "For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," she told CDC staff last summer. Public health experts said Walensky wrestled with political and technical challenges during her tenure. "Dr. Walensky was put into place at the CDC at a time when the agency was basically captive to politicians which clearly hampered her ability to lead," he said.

WASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - Use of the drug misoprostol on its own to terminate pregnancies is on the rise in the United States as providers seek a preemptive alternative while a ban on abortion pill mifepristone is being considered in court. Misoprostol is already part of the only medication abortion protocol approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but only when taken in combination with mifepristone. The drug, which the FDA first approved in 1988 for gastric ulcers, is often prescribed off-label to treat miscarriages or induce abortions. "If providers are forced to stop providing mifepristone, misoprostol alone is also safe and effective," said Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, a public health professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Because misoprostol is approved for medication abortion in the United States as part of the two-drug combination, prescribing it alone to terminate pregnancies would also be considered off-label.

The proposal is aimed at protecting woman who live in states where abortion is illegal who travel out of state to have the procedure done - something thousands of women are already doing, research shows. It is unclear whether the proposed rule would actually stifle criminal investigations. The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) covers most health insurance and other company benefit plans and generally preempts state laws on abortion-related coverage. But it does not prevent states from prosecuting plans, sponsors, administrators and their employees in all instances. Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Heather Timmons; Editing by Heather Timmons and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] A pack of birth control pills is displayed in this illustration picture taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 11, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/IllustrationApril 10 (Reuters) - Over 300 biotech and pharmaceutical industry executives, including Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) CEO Albert Bourla, signed an open letter on Monday calling for reversal of a federal judge's decision to suspend sales of the abortion pill mifepristone. Last week's ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk undermines the FDA's authority, the letter's authors wrote, adding that it ignores decades of scientific evidence and legal precedent. The ruling could open the possibility to the banning of vaccines and contraception for women, said Levin. "It's the single worst threat to the industry in over 50 years."

☆ U.S. spending $5 billion to speed up development of new COVID vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. government is spending over $5 billion on an effort to speed up the development of new COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson and a Biden administration official said on Monday. "While our vaccines are still very effective at preventing serious illness and death, they are less capable of reducing infections and transmission over time," the HHS spokesperson said. "Project NextGen will accelerate and streamline the rapid development of the next generation of vaccines and treatments through public-private collaborations," said the administration official. The project, set to be based at HHS, will coordinate across the government and with the private sector on advancing a pipeline of new vaccines and treatments, the HHS spokesperson said. The project also seeks to speed up the development of vaccines that produce mucosal immunity and can be administered through the nose, in hopes they can dramatically reduce infection and transmission rates.

Search resuls for: "Ahmed Aboulenein"

25 mentions found