Category: swineflu

MEwens
Drug Hospitalizations: New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that blood thinners and diabetes drugs were among the medications most commonly linked to hospitalizations of adults aged 65 and up for adverse drug reactions and accidental overdoses, the WSJ reports. A study author tells the WSJ that dosages for […]

MEwens
When you’re sick with the flu, public -health officials want to know what strain has infected you.
Figuring that out can take days. Most people come down with the seasonal variety, which can change from year to year. Seasonal flu can make people miserable and kills thousands every year, particularly young children and the […]

MEwens
No, summer isn’t over yet. But preparations for the next flu season, which typically begins in October, have already started.
The FDA said today it’s approved the formulation for the 2011-12 vaccine. As we reported last month, the new vaccine looks a lot like it did last year — it will protect against the […]

MEwens
The CDC is out with its wrap-up of the 2010-11 flu season and a look ahead at the next one.
In its report, the agency says the FDA has recommended that the 2011-12 flu vaccine protect against the same strains as it did this year: H1N1 (aka the swine flu, a type of influenza […]

MEwens
Mutual Consent: Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit faces at least five years of regulatory oversight under the terms of a consent decree that doesn’t fine the company or close down additional plants, the WSJ reports. The decree, prompted by manufacturing problems that have resulted in a series of recalls, requires J&J […]

Katherine Hobson
Authors of a NEJM piece write that increasing acceptance of a vaccine for the next flu pandemic may be tougher than producing the vaccine in a timely manner.
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MEwens
Some 119 million doses of this year’s vaccine, which protects against H1N1 and two other flu strains, had been distributed as of Sept. 24.
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Katherine Hobson
Also: most Americans now probably immune to 2009 H1N1 strain; federally funded embryonic stem cell research can continue — for now.
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MEwens
A more flexible way to evaluate the threat of pandemics would help WHO in the future, the director-general said.
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MEwens
Different brands and types of vaccines are approved for different age groups.
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