Health Reports Unveiled: From Vaccine Disputes to Cancer Drug Trials

The latest health news highlights a dispute between China and the U.S. over COVID vaccines, a new class action against Johnson & Johnson regarding talc-related cancer risks, Amazon Pharmacy's expansion, projected U.S. uninsured rates, a smartphone ban in Los Angeles schools, Roche's gene therapy partnership, FDA actions, and Michigan's bird flu investigations.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China accuses U.S. of "malign intention" to discredit its COVID vaccines

China's embassy in the Philippines accused the U.S. military of "hypocrisy, malign intention and double standards" in response to a report of secret U.S. campaign to undermine confidence in a Chinese vaccines and other aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The remarks made by the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday were in response to a Reuters investigative report that said the U.S. military launched a clandestine programme during the COVID pandemic to discredit China's Sinovac inoculation in the Philippines.

J&J hit with new class action over talc seeking medical monitoring for cancer

Johnson & Johnson is facing a new proposed class action seeking damages and medical monitoring on behalf of women who have been diagnosed with cancer, or might develop it in the future, allegedly as a result of using the company's baby powder and other talc products. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in New Jersey federal court, is the first to seek medical monitoring, or regular testing meant to catch cancer early, on behalf of talc users. The proposed class could include thousands of women, but would not include the more than 61,000 people who have already filed personal injury lawsuits over J&J's talc, claiming it contains cancer-causing asbestos.

Amazon Pharmacy expands $5 monthly subscription to Medicare patients

Amazon.com's pharmacy unit said on Tuesday it is expanding eligibility for its monthly subscription service, which covers a range of generic drugs, to those enrolled in government-backed Medicare insurance plans. Amazon has worked to lure customers away from more established pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens since launching its pharmacy unit in 2020.

Rate of US uninsured to rise to 8.9% in the next decade, Congressional Budget Office says

The rate of Americans who are uninsured will rise to 8.9% over the next decade from 7.7% in 2024, driven by rising immigration and reduced eligibility for 19-to-24 year-olds following federal government policy changes, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released on Tuesday. "We expect the uninsured rate for the immigrants arriving in the surge to be roughly four times the rate for the overall population," said Jessica Hale, an analyst at the Congressional Budget Office, Congress' non-partisan budget agency.

Los Angeles school board votes to ban smartphones

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday voted to ban smartphones for its 429,000 students in an attempt to insulate kids from distractions and social media that undermine learning and hurt mental health. The board of the second-largest U.S. school district voted 5-2, approving a resolution to develop within 120 days a policy prohibiting student use of cellphones and social media platforms. The policy would be in place by January 2025.

Roche partners with Ascidian Therapeutics to develop gene therapies

Swiss drugmaker Roche will team up with privately held biotech Ascidian Therapeutics to develop gene therapies targeting difficult to treat neurological diseases, the Boston-based startup said on Tuesday. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

US FDA puts Zentalis' cancer drug studies on partial hold after patient deaths

The U.S. health regulator has placed three studies of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals' cancer drug on partial clinical hold following the death of two trial participants, the company said on Tuesday. Shares of the drug developer slumped about 26% to $6.22 in early trading.

US FDA approves Merck's pneumococcal vaccine for adults

Merck said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its next-generation vaccine to protect adults against the pneumococcal disease. The disease can lead to infections in several parts of the body including the lungs, where they can cause pneumonia. There are around 100 different strains of the bacteria that can cause those infections.

Michigan will pay farmers to help investigate bird flu outbreaks

Michigan will offer dairy operations with bird flu up to $28,000 to work with federal and state government agencies to investigate how the virus got onto their operations, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim Boring said on Tuesday. Federal and state officials are researching several aspects of how bird flu spreads, including the possibility of respiratory spread among animals and prior infection of farm workers, in an attempt to curb further infection among animals and humans.

AstraZeneca's breast cancer drug combination fails in late-stage trial

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday its breast cancer drug, Truqap, in combination with chemotherapy agent, paclitaxel, did not meet its main goals in a late-stage trial to improve overall survival of patients with a type of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer remains one of the most challenging forms of disease to treat due to the lack of known actionable biomarker targets, and chemotherapy-based regimens continue to be the mainstay of treatment, AstraZeneca said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)