A drug with the potential to drastically curb the HIV epidemic just cleared its first regulatory hurdle. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved lenacapavir for the prevention of HIV. Clinical trial data from last year suggest just two injections a year provide near-complete protection against an HIV infection.
For the first time in more than a year, street drug deaths appear to be rising across the U.S. according to a new report from the CDC. The latest available data, compiled in January of this year, shows fatal overdoses over the previous 12-month period increased by roughly 1,400 deaths.
A secretive group inside the FDA gave the global manufacturer a special pass to continue shipping more than a dozen drugs to the United States even though they were made at the same substandard factory that the agency had officially sanctioned. Pills and injectable medications that otherwise would have been banned went to unsuspecting patients across the country, including those with cancer and epilepsy.
All 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and U.S. territories have approved a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, maker of Oxycontin, over the company's improper marketing of opioids. The deal was filed with a federal bankruptcy court by Purdue Pharma officials in March after negotiations with state attorneys general and other stakeholders. If this plan is finalized, payouts will occur over the next 15 years.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled eight people he has chosen to serve on the CDC's vaccine advisory panel – just two days after taking the unprecedented step of removing all 17 sitting members.
The stunning drop in drug deaths among people in the U.S. is being tracked in data compiled by the CDC and other federal agencies. The latest available records found fentanyl and other drugs killed more than 31,000 people under the age of 35 in 2021. By last year, that number had plummeted to roughly 16,690 fatal overdoses, according to provisional CDC data.