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RFK Jr. And the Case of the Onesies: Concerns About Vaccine Views Flare at Confirmation Hearing
At a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s pick to be the nation’s health secretary, there was discussion of abortion, Medicaid, and Covid-19.
There was also discussion of onesies. About two hours into the hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, one member, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), displayed posters showing onesies for infants sold online by Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit that RFK Jr. chaired until last year. The onesies say “Unvaxxed, Unafraid” and “No vax. No problem.”
Sanders noted the onesies cost $26 apiece and pressed RFK Jr. to say whether he supported their message. “Are you supportive of these onesies?” Sanders repeated several times, raising his voice in a contentious exchange. RFK Jr. responded that he has nothing to do with the merchandise and that he supports “vaccines and good science.”
US Government Agencies File Objection to J&J’s $9B Talc Bankruptcy Settlement
Two attempts by Johnson & Johnson to resolve approximately 60,000 talcum powder lawsuits through bankruptcy courts have crumbled because the company could not show that the subsidiaries it erected to handle the claims were in financial distress.
As the company’s third try works its way through another Chapter 11 procedure, the U.S. government has stepped in, objecting to the planned $9 billion settlement and making the same claim — that bankruptcy procedures are reserved for companies that are in financial trouble.
The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs filed the objection Friday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. The agencies argue that J&J’s plan is in “violation of the Bankruptcy Code and federal law.”
Interviews ID Factors Tied to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Black Women
Three main themes may largely explain COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women in the United States: mistrust in health care and government, concerns over vaccine safety, and disapproval of coercive vaccine communication, according to a study published online Jan. 9 in JAMA Network Open.
Brittany C. Slatton, Ph.D., from the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences at Texas Southern University in Houston, and colleagues explored factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among U.S. Black women. The analysis included interviews from 54 Black women (aged 21 to 66 years).
The researchers found that three primary themes emerged, including (1) mistrust in health care and government, rooted in past medical exploitation; (2) concerns over vaccine safety and long-term effects, particularly regarding reproductive health; and (3) ineffective and coercive vaccine communication and promotion. Many women reported the desire for more comprehensive education about vaccine mechanisms and disapproved of the use of coercive financial incentives and celebrity endorsements in vaccine promotion.
Why Scientists’ Fears About Bird Flu Are Intensifying
Bird flu or avian influenza is continuing to spread among livestock and other mammals in the U.S., raising fears that another pandemic is in our future. Last month, California declared a state of emergency due to rising cases in dairy cattle, and there have been over 65 human cases in the U.S. during this outbreak.
While cases have been largely mild, scientists like Dr. Jesse Goodman, an infectious disease physician at Georgetown University and former FDA official, warn it could evolve and become more dangerous.
“This is like some brush burning around your house,” he says. “You better pay attention because it could turn into something else.”
Trump’s ‘Blackout’ at CDC Letting ‘World’s Deadliest Infection’ Enter US, Ex-WH Doctor Warns Against Marburg Virus
Trump’s actions could allow harmful viruses like the Marburg virus, which is similar to Ebola, warned former White House Director. Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a top doctor has warned that the newly-elected US President’s “blackout” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may allow one of the deadliest illnesses in the world to enter the United States.
One of Trump’s first actions as president was to halt travel, foreign aid, and some external communications at the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute of Health and CDC for 90 days as the new administration gets ready to restructure the organisations.
In addition, the CDC has been instructed to “immediately” cease its collaboration with the World Health Organization.
Big Pharma Has Raised the Prices on Over 800 Drugs So Far This Year
Pharmaceutical companies have already raised the price of over 800 brand-name prescription drugs this year. Nearly all the price increases are under 10%, with the median increase across all the affected medications being 4%, slightly below the 4.5% median increase from last year, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing data from the nonprofit drug-pricing research firm 46brooklyn.
The increases apply to list prices before accounting for insurance, rebates to pharmacy benefit managers, or other discounts. This year’s increases reflect a significant increase from Dec. 29 of last year, when drugmakers had shared plans to raise prices on just over 140 brands.
More price hikes are also expected to be announced through the end of January, historically the busiest month for drugmakers to make increases. This is also a sizable increase from an earlier 46brooklyn analysis this month, when only about 250 drug price hikes had been announced.
UK on Alert Over Rise in Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infections in Ukraine
The number of drug-resistant infections is rapidly rising in Ukraine, according to reports — with the U.K.’s government agency for health security on alert over a risk of case numbers increasing. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infections occur when bacteria evolves to learn how to defend itself against common antibiotic and other medicines, making treatment ineffective.
Overuse of antibiotics is the main cause of the so-called “silent pandemic” of AMR infections, with a type of infection called Klebsiella pneumoniae now becoming a major issue for hospitals near Ukraine’s frontline.
Last week, the BBC reported on a sharp rise in cases faced by clinicians in Ukraine. While globally, 1.4m people died from AMR infections in 2023. In the same year, 58,000 people had AMR infections in the U.K. The U.K. Health Security Agency has called it a global crisis with the agency calling for action to drive down infections around the world.
