External advisors to the Food and Drug Administration recommended full approval of Pfizer COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid for adults 50 and over and other high-risk people. The FDA first made Paxlovid available in December 2021 for emergency use in high-risk individuals ages 12 and up. (CNBC)
The Alzheimer’s Association lobbied for Medicare coverage of Leqembi and other drugs. The grassroots lobbying campaign, which has not been reported in detail, is being led by state-based chapters, according to interviews with four Association national and local officials. (Reuters)
Pfizer recalled millions of Nurtec ODT prescription drugs. Consumers don’t need to throw away or return the medication. Instead, they should contact Pfizer for a free child resistant pouch. (USA Today)
COVID-19 worsened a health crisis among pregnant women. Deaths of pregnant women rose sharply in 2021, the second year of the pandemic, according to new government data. Still more women were left struggling with the health consequences of Covid during pregnancy. (The New York Times)
Gettr, a struggling right-wing social media company, has reportedly sought to create a marketplace for men who won’t take the COVID vaccines to sell their sperm. Three sources familiar with the matter and a fourth briefed on the situation describe serious, repeated discussions about creating the online anti-vax semen market, in which unvaccinated men would self-advertise and sell sperm to the highest bidder. (Rolling Stone)
