FDA issues plan to ban menthol in cigarettes, cigars
The Food and Drug Administration said eliminating menthol cigarettes could prevent between 300,000 and 650,000 smoking deaths over 40 years.
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Community Health starts ‘fully integrated cancer program’ with MD Anderson
Community Health Network said the new arrangement with the largest cancer center in the United States will give Hoosiers access to some of the most advanced cancer treatments in the nation.
Moderna seeks to be first with COVID shots for littlest children
Moderna on Thursday asked U.S. regulators to authorize low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 6, a long-awaited move toward potentially opening shots for millions of tots by summer.
Lilly says experimental drug helped patients lose up to 22% of body weight
The drug, called tirzepatide, has been closely watched by medical professionals and is viewed by financial analysts as possible blockbuster, with potential annual sales in the billions of dollars.
United States is ‘out of the pandemic phase,’ Fauci says
Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said the United States was in the “full-blown pandemic phase” in the winter, then entered a period he refers to as the “deceleration” phase. The country is transitioning, he said, to the control phase.
Administration expanding availability of COVID antiviral pill
Paxlovid, when administered within five days of symptoms appearing, has been proven to bring about a 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get severe disease.
White House: Without funding, U.S. will lose out on COVID treatments
Officials are expressing increasing alarm that the U.S. is also losing out on critical opportunities to secure booster doses and new antiviral pills that could help the country maintain its reemerging sense of normalcy.
COVID shots still work, but researchers hunting new improvements
COVID-19 vaccinations are at a critical juncture as companies test whether new approaches like combination shots or nasal drops can keep up with a mutating coronavirus—even though it’s not clear if changes are needed.
Nassar victims seeking $130M from FBI over bungled probe
Thirteen sexual assault victims claim a bungled investigation by federal agents led to more abuse by the former sports doctor for Michigan State University and Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics.
Catalent to invest $350M in Bloomington operations, add 1,000 jobs through 2023
The expansion comes on top of more than 1,000 positions the drugmaker has added since Jan. 1, 2021, bringing its current Bloomington workforce total to more than 4,000, which includes employees and workers provided by staffing agencies.
Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision handed down by a federal judge in Florida earlier this week.
IU School of Medicine gets $12.5M gift commitment from Vera Bradley Foundation
The medical school said the commitment will help launch research efforts to develop better therapies for triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of breast cancer that is often not responsive to hormone therapies and is resistant to chemotherapy.
Anthem raises full-year forecast after topping quarterly expectations
Medical enrollment at Anthem reached 46.8 million members as of March 31, an increase of 3.3 million, or 7.5 percent, from the prior year.
Indianapolis Mayor Hogsett tests positive for COVID-19
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is experiencing “mild symptoms” and is isolating at home, his office announced Sunday afternoon.
Anthem pays $4.5M to Indiana hospitals in ER billing dispute
An arbitrator ordered the payments, and the hospitals say they can claim at least another $12 million from Anthem for tens of thousands of additional claims that it says the insurer has downgraded and not paid in full.
Trackers who monitor sewers find COVID rising again in much of U.S.
With official reporting of COVID-19 cases and testing data becoming less frequent and less reliable, especially as people test at home, sewage monitoring has gained increasing importance.
E-cigs using synthetic nicotine come under FDA oversight
U.S. regulators will soon begin cracking down on vaping companies using a now-closed loophole, including a line of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes that have become teenagers’ top choice.
Baby formula shortage strains families, forces stores to ration
Roughly 30% of formula products were out of stock across the country the week of April 3, according to data from Datasembly, a retail software company.
UPDATE: CDC extends travel mask requirement to May 3
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to extend the order, which was to expire on April 18, to monitor for any observable increase in severe virus outcomes as cases rise in parts of the country, according to a person familiar with the matter.
COVID-19, overdoses pushed U.S. to record death total in 2021
The total number of U.S. deaths often increases year to year as the U.S. population grows. But 2020 and 2021 saw extraordinary jumps in death numbers and rates, due largely to the pandemic.