Annalisa Merelli

WHO approves generic Paxlovid drug for covid treatment in low-income countries

Nirmacom, a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, will be available for prescription in 95 low- and middle-income countries The generic version of Paxlovid, the Pfizer-made antiviral drug that is the best treatment choice for patients at risk of…

BioNtech is set to ship its first modular mRNA vaccine factory to Rwanda

The first BioNTainer, which will start producing mRNA vaccines in 2024, is ready to go to Kigali BioNTech, the German biotechnology company that partnered with Pfizer to develop its covid vaccine, is set to ship its first modular mRNA vaccine factory…

The US may make anti-overdose drug naloxone available over the counter in 2024

The FDA fast-tracked approval for the lifesaving drug Naloxone, a drug that is used to reverse overdoses caused by opioid use, might soon be available without a prescription in the US. Harm Reduction Therapeutics, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company,…

The end of zero-covid pushed China's biggest funeral services stock up by 80%

Covid is soaring across China, and it's a windfall for Fu Shou Yuan International Group Ltd A lot is unknown about the current state of the covid emergency in China. After the end of its draconian zero-covid policy, which put entire cities into…

The US is about to make opioid addiction treatment much easier

The omnibus bill for 2023 and proposed amendment to HHS regulations could make buprenorphine and morphine treatment more easily accessible Overdose deaths this year eased off the all-time record in 2021, but remain at historic highs. The Centers for…

Health insurance rates will rise faster in 2023 in these US states

The US average increase will be 3.5%, but depending on the state, the price tag might go up by significantly more Inflation may have slowed down, but the price hikes of 2022 will be felt in next year’s insurance premiums, according to the latest…

The return of free at-home covid tests for US households is a quiet message from the White House

Despite the lack of formal precautions, covid-19 remains a risk, particularly in the winter holidays Only one month ago, White House covid response coordinator Ashish Jha said he was not expecting a covid surge this holiday season. This was in line…

New Zealand's new cigarette law is fighting the wrong war

Tobacco companies are moving to smokeless products, and that is how they will create the next generation of addicts New Zealand passed a law on Dec. 13 permanently banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born in 2009 or after, essentially elevating…

How AbbVie denied Americans access to fair competition for Humira

Biosimilars to the costly drug arrive in 2023, but AbbVie made it hard to find cheaper alternatives Humira, a monoclonal antibody used to treat arthritis among other conditions, is the most lucrative drug in history. Since entering the market in…

Fears about MERS at the World Cup are overblown

A fabricated panic over so-called "camel flu" is being used to spread racist stereotypes The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) alerted doctors across the UK that soccer fans coming back from Qatar might carry Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).…

CVS was sued for using customer donations at checkout to fund a corporate philanthropy pledge

The company pledged to donate $10 million to the American Diabetes Association, and used checkout donations for it In November 2021, US pharmaceutical giant CVS announced a $10 million commitment to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to be…

NYC's new plan to forcibly hospitalize homeless people is a waste of taxpayer money

Forced hospitalization costs several times more than the actual solution to homelessness Decades of research have shown that the main driver of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing, and that mental health issues or substance abuse play more…

How to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women

A US-sponsored resolution to remove Iran from the commission will likely be introduced on Dec. 14 For over two months, since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by Iran’s moral police for wearing her hijab incorrectly, Iranian women…

In Colombia, women’s health paid the price of misguided drug control policies

Air-spraying of glyphosate to destroy coca plantations has caused miscarriages, fetal abnormalities, and maternal deaths In 1998, Yaneth Valderrama was four months pregnant with her third child, when she was accidentally sprayed with glyphosate, a…

Abortion rights won the US midterms

Every ballot question pertaining to abortion went in favor of reproductive rights, even in red states Opinion polls have said it for years, and the 2022 US midterm election finally confirmed it: Americans are in favor of abortion rights. Questions…

The 6 states where abortion is on the ballot in the 2022 midterm elections

5 states have ballot questions on abortion rights, and two governors might make all the difference on choice in their states Along with the economy and the future of democracy, abortion is a key issue in the US 2022 mid-term elections. Many Democrats…

The global economics behind America's fentanyl problem

Illegal fentanyl seems to be everywhere in the US. Synthetic opioids (largely fentanyl) were linked to more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in the US in 2021, up from fewer than 58,000 the year before, and now account for nearly two-thirds of the…

The companies responsible for the $1.5 trillion-a-year US opioid crisis will pay a total of $53 billion for it

CVS and Walgreens have agreed to a $10 billion settlement with state and local governments accusing them of mishandling prescription painkillers and fueling the US opioid crisis. They each would pay roughly $5 billion. Walmart, too, is reportedly…

Italy's first female prime minister will use the masculine form of her title

Giorgia Meloni's contribution to female advancement is encapsulated in her choice of article Italy’s first female leader, Giorgia Meloni, proudly calls herself “a woman, a mother, a Christian.” But she does not want to be “la” presidente. In the…

6 million people in Tigray are facing a healthcare crisis big enough to hasten a genocide

Ethiopian forces are disrupting access to healthcare and food as weapons of war in the Tigray region The Tigray region of Ethiopia has been under siege for two years, with at least 600,000 people killed since civil war broke out between local forces…