DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ FTC asks judge to hold 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli in contempt of court for forming new drug firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Federal Trade Commission on Friday asked that notorious "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli be held in contempt of court for forming a new drug company in violation of a judge's ban on the convicted fraudster from working in the pharmaceuticals industry. In its court filing Friday, the FTC noted that Shkreli in July announced the formation of a new company, Druglike, "that appears to be involved in the drug industry." The FTC said Shkreli is required by Cote's order to provide the agency with that information. Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Shkreli, declined to comment on the FTC filing. Shkreli was driven back to New York from his prison in Pennsylvania by a friend, Edmund Sullivan, who had previously served on the board of Retrophin.

☆ A passenger alleges she got HIV after being raped by a Princess Cruises crew member
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A woman sued Princess Cruises on January 3, alleging she was raped by a crew member on a ship. Princess faced a similar lawsuit in 2019 by a woman who alleged she was raped by a crew member. Princess Cruises did not immediately return Insider's request for comment. The majority of all reported sexual assaults aboard a Princess Cruises vessel since 2010 involved a crew member, according to Insider's analysis. Of 17 reported sexual-assault incidents since January 2010, Princess Cruises employees were accused in 15 cases — or about 90% of them, DOT data shows.

The only HIV vaccine in a late-stage trial has failed, researchers announced Wednesday, dealing a significant blow to the effort to control the global HIV epidemic and adding to a decadeslong roster of failed attempts. “I don’t think that people should give up on the field of the HIV vaccine,” Fauci said. Fauci said that a critical limitation of the Mosaico vaccine was that it elicited what are known as non-neutralizing — as opposed to neutralizing — antibodies against HIV. As with the Thai trial, the hope is to channel research findings into future HIV vaccine development. To prove a vaccine works, researchers must recruit participants who remain at substantial risk of HIV over time.

☆ Davos 2023: Climate change leads to more malaria, tuberculosis up in a recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Leela De Kretser | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Climate change is increasing malaria infections, the executive director of the world's biggest health fund said in Davos on Monday. Huge surges in malaria infections followed recent floods in Pakistan and cyclones in Mozambique in 2021, said Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He said climate change was also changing the geography of mosquitoes. Sands runs the world's largest global fund, which invests in fighting tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS in some of the poorest nations in the world. Looking ahead, climate change is just one of the factors that could hamper efforts to eradicate the diseases, Sands said.

☆ With over 100 anti-LGBTQ bills before state legislatures in 2023 so far, activists say they're 'fired up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

So far, Texas has taken the lead with 36 such bills, according to Equality Texas, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy group. Four states — Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Arizona — have enacted restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for minors, though federal judges have blocked them from taking effect in Arkansas and Alabama. State Sen. David Bullard, the Republican sponsoring the bill, told The Oklahoman that gender-affirming medical care is a “permanent change in your body that cannot be reversed. Accredited medical associations — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — have supported gender-affirming care for minors. Advocates and doctors who treat trans youth have said many of the health care restrictions proposed by state legislators mischaracterize what gender-affirming care is.

☆ David Kessler, top health official for Covid vaccines, to leave Biden administration
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

David Kessler, a key official in the Biden administration's Covid vaccine and treatment efforts, is stepping down from his role as chief science officer, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday. Since January 2021, Kessler has played a leading role in the development and roll out Covid vaccines. Kessler, 71, is the latest Covid response official to step down at President Joe Biden's two-year mark in office. The Biden administration and health officials have had to combat misinformation and conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines during their rollout. The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 78.8% of U.S. adults have completed their primary series of Covid vaccines.

☆ Mpox has faded in the U.S. Who deserves the credit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Today, reports of new cases are down to a trickle in the U.S. Health officials are shutting down emergency mobilizations. “It’s really impressive how that peak has come down to very, very low levels.”So who deserves the credit? Mpox cases began emerging in Europe and the U.S. in May, mostly among men who have sex with men. In early August, U.S. health officials decided to stretch the limited supply by giving people just one-fifth the usual dose. “The monkeypox virus essentially loses steam after a couple of rounds in humans,” Morse said.

☆ Gilead CEO Daniel O'Day: Ending the HIV epidemic is our goal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGilead CEO Daniel O'Day: Ending the HIV epidemic is our goalGilead CEO Daniel O'Day joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss his outlook for the biopharma industry and more.

☆ Rapid tests for Covid, RSV and flu are available in Europe. What's stopping them in the U.S.?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But unlike Covid tests, which are available over the counter, RSV and flu tests must be performed at a doctor’s office or ordered via prescription. The rapid test from Brus' photo, however, is available in the European Union, and the manufacturer has certified that it meets the E.U. The FDA said it strongly supports at-home tests for respiratory viruses, including combination tests for flu and Covid. Unlike Covid tests, Butler-Wu said, there have been fewer opportunities to study whether rapid flu tests can be administered in the shallower part of the nose and maintain their accuracy. Butler-Wu said rapid flu tests given by medical professionals are generally about 60% sensitive, meaning they produce false negatives about 40% of the time.

☆ Fact Check-Jacques Attali book did not include plan for depopulation by a pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

French writer Jacques Attali never wrote about a plan to reduce the population by creating or finding a pandemic virus in his book, “Verbatim: 1981 - 1986.” However, social media users are sharing a video showing a purported excerpt from the book to suggest that Attali predicted the COVID-19 pandemic. We will have taken care of having panned the treatment, a treatment that will be the solution. Attali mentions the word “treatment” multiple times in the book, mostly in the sense of behavior toward someone, and only once in the medical sense. These false claims include the idea that Attali mentioned that a pandemic is necessary to establish a New World Order and advocated for euthanasia of the elderly. While the book “Verbatim” is indeed written by Jacques Attali, the English excerpt shared in the viral posts online does not occur in French anywhere in the book.

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Apple, Wynn, Amazon, Wendy's, Delta & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

We are lowering our relative ratings on ALLY, COF and MTB from Overweight to Equal Weight and ZION from Equal Weight to Underweight." Wells Fargo upgrades Wynn to overweight from equal weight Wells said in its upgrade of the casino company that it sees a significant reopening opportunity for the stock. " Wells Fargo initiates Mondelez as overweight Wells said the food products company has "superior" fundamentals. Wells Fargo downgrades Molson Coors to equal weight from overweight Wells said in its downgrade of the stock that it sees downside to estimates. Baird names Wells Fargo a top 2023 pick Baird said it likes the risk/reward for the banking giant in 2023.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ Here are 22 of the top LGBTQ news stories of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Here are 22 of our top LGBTQ news stories of the year. Ron DeSantis signed the controversial Parental Rights in Education law — or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — on March 28. 'It’s already having an impact': LGBTQ people fear abortion rights reversalA supporter of gay marriage waves a flag in front of the Supreme Court on June 25, 2015. Nicola Goode / Prime VideoAmazon’s “A League of Their Own” series, which debuted Aug. 12 and was inspired by the 1992 cult classic by director Penny Marshall, brought much-needed representation to the screen for lesbians and other queer women, who celebrated how “gay, gay, gay” it was. Biden signs same-sex marriage bill at White House ceremonyPresident Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 13.

☆ Weed has been legal in New York state since 2021 but the first dispensary is set to open — finally — in Manhattan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marijuana has been legal in New York State since March 2021, but there are still no licensed dispensaries in NYC. The first legal dispensary in New York State will be opened by an HIV/AIDS nonprofit in Manhattan on Dec. 29, Gov. In March 2021, cannabis was legalized for recreational use in New York state. Kathy Hochul said her goal was to open 20 legal dispensaries by the end of 2022, digital news platform The City reported. Prior to this announcement, how and where to legally obtain weed in New York City was a confusing matter.

In TV, the top 10 list ranges from the indefinable second season of “The White Lotus” to laugh-out-loud comedies and smoldering fantasy shows. “Catch the Fair One” is available on Hulu and various video-on-demand platforms. “Paris, 13th District” is available on Amazon Prime Video and various video-on-demand platforms. “Peter Von Kant” is available on various video-on-demand platforms. “Tár” is available on various video-on-demand platforms.

☆ Twitter restores suicide prevention feature after Reuters report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Kenneth Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Twitter Inc restored a feature that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources to users looking up certain content, after coming under pressure from some users and consumer safety groups over its removal. After publication of the story, Twitter head of trust and safety Ella Irwin confirmed the removal and called it temporary. In response to criticism by Twitter users, he also tweeted "Twitter doesn't prevent suicide." loadingloadingThe feature, known as #ThereIsHelp, placed a banner at the top of search results for certain topics. Its elimination had led some consumer safety groups and Twitter users to express concerns about the well-being of vulnerable users of the platform.

Its elimination had led to increased concerns about the well-being of vulnerable users on Twitter. Eirliani Abdul Rahman, who had been on a recently dissolved Twitter content advisory group, said the disappearance of #ThereIsHelp was "extremely disconcerting and profoundly disturbing." AIDS United said a webpage that the Twitter feature linked to attracted about 70 views a day until Dec. 18. In one of its blog posts about the feature, Twitter had said it had responsibility to ensure users could "access and receive support on our service when they need it most." Musk has said he wants to combat child sexual abuse content on Twitter and has criticized the previous ownership's handling of the issue.

☆ Elon Musk quietly ordered the removal of Twitter's #ThereIsHelp suicide prevention feature, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk quietly ordered the removal of a Twitter suicide prevention feature, sources told Reuters. But Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, said a replacement should go live next week. The news agency reported the #ThereIsHelp feature, which appeared when users viewed certain content, had disappeared from Twitter this week. It sought to give users credible information related to topics including HIV, mental health and suicide prevention, vaccines, and gender-based violence. But Eirliani A Rahman, who recently left Twitter's trust and safety council, told Reuters the move was "extremely disconcerting and profoundly disturbing."

The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company negotiates directly with drugmakers. So far, that's been the strategy for the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. In October, Cost Plus Drug Company announced a partnership with Capital Blue Cross. Cuban said he wanted Cost Plus Drug Company to be as transparent as possible on pricing. Cost Plus Drug Company is considering a test program for insulin that would offer a 90-day supply of insulin, or a total of 12 vials, for $170.

☆ 1 in 5 studio films included an LGBTQ character in 2021, GLAAD report finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Sixteen of the 77 films released by those studios (20.8%) featured 28 LGBTQ characters, the report found. That percentage is down slightly from 2020, during which 10 of the 44 theatrical releases (23%) featured 20 LGBTQ characters, according to the report. Of the 16 films that included LGBTQ characters in 2021, 11 films (69%) included gay male characters, four (25%) included lesbian characters and two (13%) included bisexual characters, according to the report. For the second year in a row, GLAAD found that there were zero LGBTQ characters with disabilities or LGBTQ characters living with HIV represented in the year’s films. The majority of the 28 characters, 17, received fewer than five minutes, and six of those characters received less than a minute of screen time.

☆ Some bloodstream infection bacteria grew resistant to last-resort drugs in 2020 - WHO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Increased drug resistance in bacteria causing bloodstream infections, including against last-resort antibiotics, was seen in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, a World Health Organization report based on data from 87 countries in 2020 showed. High levels (above 50%) of resistance have been reported in bacteria that typically cause life-threatening bloodstream infections in hospitals such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter spp, report authors highlighted on Friday. These infections often require treatment with 'last-resort' antibiotics, drugs that are used when all other antibiotics fail. About 8% of bloodstream infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae grew resistant to a vital last-resort group of drugs called carbapenems, the report said. Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remain very high, but last-resort antibiotics are only just starting to lose potency, said Dr Carmem Pessoa-Silva, the lead for WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System, in a media conference.

☆ Home delivery of medications can help improve access, especially when time is tight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

As the supply of Paxlovid has grown, efforts have been made to improve timely, equitable access to the treatment. Transportation is one significant barrier to health care access for many people, experts say, but creating equitable outcomes will involve a much more comprehensive approach. The initiative is meant to increase access to Covid-19 treatment, particularly for those in socially vulnerable or medically underserved communities. “It’s a combination of things that prevent access to care,” said Werner, whose research has focused on health equity. And those may be the ones that I think would be ripe for this kind of home-based delivery system,” Werner said.

☆ Biden administration plans to let mpox emergency declaration end in January
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Katherine Dillinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US Department of Health and Human Services said Friday that it does not plan to renew the public health emergency declaration for mpox. “Given the low number of cases today, HHS does not expect that it needs to renew the emergency declaration when it ends on January 31, 2023,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday. President Joe Biden named Bob Fenton, a regional Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC, as coordinators of the White House’s mpox response in August. Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. Fenton’s and Daskalakis’ appointments are not tied to the emergency declaration and will continue for now, as will data collection and some other flexibilities provided by the emergency declaration.

☆ An early-stage HIV vaccine is showing positive results. If it works, it would be first successful HIV vaccine after almost 40 years of research.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An early trial for an experimental HIV vaccine candidate has shown promising results. 97% of recipients in a phase 1 study showed immune system activity in response to the vaccine. Researchers have been trying to create an HIV vaccine for nearly 40 yearsHIV is notoriously difficult to vaccinate against. By evolving and changing quickly, it can avoid the immune system by making itself harder to recognize. "That's sort of a whole new way of thinking about how to make a vaccine," Schief said.

☆ On World AIDS Day, Biden administration releases new global strategy to end HIV/AIDS by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Jamie Gumbrecht | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —On World AIDS Day, the Biden administration renewed its focus on ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030, releasing a new five-year strategy for the United States’ global response. HIV remains a serious threat to global health security and economic development,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in the new strategy. Globally, progress toward ending HIV and AIDS has been uneven. In the United States, there are wide disparities in access to treatment, and Black and Hispanic Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV. More than 1.1 million people in the United States had HIV at the end of 2019, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Search resuls for: "HIV"

25 mentions found