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Former Prospect Sues White Sox, Claiming COVID-19 Vaccination Ended His Career
A former White Sox pitching prospect is suing the team, claiming he was pushed into taking a COVID-19 vaccination in 2021 that resulted in severe allergic reactions that eventually derailed his career. Isaiah Carranza, a 12th-round draft pick of the Sox in 2018, alleges team officials warned him he would be ‘‘blacklisted’’ if he didn’t get two doses of the vaccine, meaning they wouldn’t release him from his contract for opportunities with other clubs even though he had ‘‘no prospects of moving up’’ with the Sox.
Carranza got the Pfizer vaccine and soon began suffering ‘‘extreme dizziness, nausea, near-fainting and wildly fluctuating heart rate’’ that the team chalked up to dehydration, anxiety and ‘‘rookie nerves,’’ attorneys for Carranza claimed in his federal lawsuit, which was filed in December in Chicago.
Numerous studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccinations are highly effective at preventing severe cases of the respiratory disease and that severe allergic reactions are exceedingly rare. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends the vaccine for nearly all people 6 months or older as a means of minimizing the severity of infections.
MLB encouraged players to get vaccinated but did not mandate it when the game returned early in the pandemic. Carranza later was diagnosed with a nervous-system disorder that his lawyers tie to the vaccine. He never advanced beyond the Sox’ High-A affiliate and hasn’t appeared in a minor-league game since 2022. Carranza’s estimated future medical expenses are more than $557,000, his lawyers say. A Sox spokesman declined to comment on the active litigation.
FDA Says Novo Nordisk’s TV Ad for Obesity Pill Includes ‘False or Misleading’ Claims
The Food and Drug Administration said Novo Nordisk’s TV advertisement for its newly launched Wegovy pill for obesity included “false or misleading” claims about the medicine’s abilities and benefits to patients. In a letter to Novo dated Feb. 5, the FDA said the ad misbrands the oral drug, making its distribution a violation of federal law.
The agency requested that the drugmaker take immediate action to address the violations, which could include ceasing all ads containing misleading claims. In a statement Monday, Novo Nordisk confirmed that it received the letter and clarified that the ad has been running since the pill’s launch, but is not the company’s Super Bowl spot.
“We take all regulatory feedback seriously and are in the process of responding to the FDA to address their concerns regarding the advertisement’s presentation,” Liz Skrbkova, Novo’s head of U.S. media and stakeholder relations, said in the statement.
Hims & Hers Responds to FDA Pressure, Pulls Knockoff Wegovy Drug Launch After Regulatory Threats
Following threats from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it would take “decisive” action against companies selling “illegal copycat drugs,” telehealth company Hims & Hers announced it would pull the launch of its knockoff Wegovy weight-loss drug. “Since launching the compounded semaglutide pill on our platform, we’ve had constructive conversations with stakeholders across the industry,” Hims & Hers said on Feb. 7. “As a result, we have decided to stop offering access to this treatment.”
The FDA named Hims & Hers in its Friday announcement, saying, “These actions are aimed to safeguard consumers from drugs for which the FDA cannot verify quality, safety, or efficacy. We take seriously any potential violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”
Hims & Hers’ decision also comes as Novo Nordisk threatened to take legal action over the cheaper version of its weight-loss pill, which has not been approved by the FDA or gone through clinical trials.
GLP-1 Obesity Drugs Can Complicate Life for People With Disordered Eating
Jason Krynicki will never forget how obesity made him a target for vicious bullying from the time he was little. Those memories haunt him even now, even though he weighs a willowy 127 pounds at age 43. “You try to eat, and in the back of your mind, your mind still goes back to what people said to you 20 years ago,” Krynicki says, recalling how he was derided for his large appetite or the food he ate. Other kids — his doctors, even — called him fat, and worse.
Krynicki, an insurance coordinator in Brick, NJ, got bariatric surgery a decade ago, but during the pandemic regained some of that weight. So his doctor eventually started him on Zepbound, a GLP-1 shot. That took 80 pounds off his frame — too much, causing other health effects — yet he fixates on losing still more. The increased availability and effectiveness of GLP-1s at curbing appetite is adding to the vulnerabilities for some people prone to eating disorders. They’re easy to obtain online, with little screening.
Meanwhile, eating disorders are very common. Nearly a tenth of people will meet the clinical benchmarks of an eating disorder at some point in their lives. And, experts say, a far greater percentage of Americans have problematic relationships with eating and body weight that fall short of the clinical definition. So far, very little is known about how GLP-1 use — or misuse — affects people who binge or restrict food, despite the prevalence of those behaviors.
Japanese Researchers to Begin Human Trial of Nipah Vaccine in April
INDIA New England News reported:
A team of researchers in Japan is preparing to launch a human clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a vaccine candidate against the deadly Nipah virus, with testing scheduled to begin in April. The vaccine, developed at the University of Tokyo, is expected to enter clinical trials in Belgium, according to a report by Nikkei Asia. Researchers say the candidate could represent a significant advance against a disease that has a global fatality rate estimated between 40 percent and 75 percent.
There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment available for Nipah virus infection. The announcement comes as India reported two confirmed Nipah cases in West Bengal in January, underscoring renewed concern about the virus in South Asia.
The vaccine is being developed using a modified measles virus as a delivery system, into which researchers have inserted a portion of the Nipah virus’s genetic material.
“When the vaccine is introduced in humans, antigen proteins similar to those of the Nipah virus are produced,” the report said. “The immune system’s response is seen strengthening the body’s defenses, helping to prevent the onset of symptoms.” “The modified measles virus is widely used globally for measles vaccines,” it added.
The research team has already confirmed the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness in animal studies conducted on hamsters. To assess safety in humans, the upcoming Phase 1 trial will involve 60 participants.
