Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. Or is it? With a looming holiday on this side of the pond, the usual pace seems to have slowed a wee bit. Nonetheless, we are off to a good start here on the Pharmalot campus, where we have cool breezes and much less humidity than in recent days. Who could ask for anything more? Actually, we could — it is time to reheat the coffee kettle for another cup of stimulation. Our choice today is … blueberry cobbler, a pantry favorite. Please feel free to join us. Remember, no prescription is required. And now, here are your tidbits. Hope you have a productive and meaningful day, and, as always, please do keep in touch. We have adjusted our settings to accept postcards and telegrams.…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid boosters, but removed emergency use authorizations for the vaccines, in a set of moves that could make the shots more difficult to obtain for children under 5, in particular, STAT explains. The moves were announced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, in a post on the social media site X, while the FDA did not put out a statement. Kennedy portrayed the actions as fulfilling a campaign promise to reverse Covid-era policies while still allowing people to access vaccines. Covid vaccine authorizations for all three available vaccines, Kennedy said, would now only be for higher-risk individuals, including those over 65 and those who have risk factors for developing severe Covid. The federal moves have the effect of limiting the availability of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for children under age 5. The shot was previously available to children as young as 6 months via the emergency use authorization. That could make it more challenging for healthy children in that age group to receive Covid shots this fall.
Amid a row between the U.K. government and the pharmaceutical industry over drug pricing deals, Novartis is arguing that the U.K.’s National Health Service patients will lose access to new cutting-edge treatments because of skyrocketing costs, the BBC says. The warning comes after talks over the cost of medicines for the U.K. between Heath Secretary Wes Streeting and drugmakers broke down last week. A government cost-effectiveness agency assesses whether a new drug offers sufficient value before recommending it for the NHS, but Novartis said its methods were outdated and made it harder for innovative drugs to be approved and launched. Norvartis U.K. director Johan Kahlstrom said costs meant the U.K. was “largely uninvestable,” but Streeting has vowed he will not allow firms to “rip off” taxpayers. The company said it was not considering the U.K. for major new investments in manufacturing, research, or advanced technology because of “systemic barriers.”
