Health News Roundup: U.S. FDA says it needs more time to decide on Juul, other e-cigarettes; U.S. government to tackle Medicare drug payments to try to cut costs and more

The new measures cover about two-thirds of all U.S. employees, part of a broader, more aggressive attempt to get Americans vaccinated amid a surge in COVID-19 cases from the fast-spreading Delta variant. U.S. government to tackle Medicare drug payments to try to cut costs President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday unveiled its promised initiative aimed at cutting drug prices, saying it will test new ways to reduce such costs for the Medicare health insurance program including tying payments for medications to their effectiveness.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. FDA says it needs more time to decide on Juul, other e-cigarettes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it needs more time to decide whether e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc and other major manufacturers can sell their products in the United States. The agency had been expected to make a decision by Thursday, a year after Juul and other e-cigarette brands, including British American Tobacco Plc's Vuse and Imperial Brands Plc's Blu, faced a deadline to file applications showing their products provided a net benefit to public health.

U.S. lawmaker urges mandatory COVID-19 vaccines, tests for air, train travel

A senior U.S. lawmaker wants Congress to mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccines or recent negative tests for all domestic air and train travelers. Representative Don Beyer, a Democrat, introduced legislation to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of travel for domestic airline and Amtrak rail trips. It would also require all airport or Amtrak employees to be vaccinated or be subject to weekly COVID testing.

Corporate, union reaction to Biden vaccine mandate for companies

President Joe Biden will require all federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the U.S. Department of Labor will issue a rule requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to have their workers vaccinated or tested weekly, officials said on Thursday. The new measures cover about two-thirds of all U.S. employees, part of a broader, more aggressive attempt to get Americans vaccinated amid a surge in COVID-19 cases from the fast-spreading Delta variant.

U.S. government to tackle Medicare drug payments to try to cut costs

President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday unveiled its promised initiative aimed at cutting drug prices, saying it will test new ways to reduce such costs for the Medicare health insurance program including tying payments for medications to their effectiveness. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the federal medical insurance program for people age 65 and older and the disabled, announced the initiative, which will use models to gauge the clinical value of medicines to determine how much Medicare pays for them.

Factbox - Biden's new COVID-19 plan includes vaccine, test mandates

The White House unveiled an new plan https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-deliver-six-step-plan-covid-19-pandemic-2021-09-09 to combat COVID-19 as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads and some 80 million eligible Americans remain unvaccinated. The following are some of the details of the plan and who it affects. EMPLOYEES OF PRIVATE BUSINESSES

White House to offer limited exceptions for federal worker COVID vaccine mandate

The White House said on Thursday there will be limited exceptions for a coronavirus vaccine requirement for federal workers. "There will be limited exceptions for legally recognized reasons such as disability or religious objections," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in a daily briefing.

Amazon.com to cut cost of COVID-19 PCR test kits

Amazon.com said it will cut the cost of its direct-to-consumer COVID-19 PCR Test Collection kit to $36.99, a $3 price reduction. The U.S. retailer said the price cut reflects its costs for selling the FDA-approved kit and is the result of a public-private partnership with the Biden administration.

Biden administration sues Texas, seeking to block new abortion ban

President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday sued Texas, seeking to block enforcement of a new law almost entirely banning abortion in the state, as Democrats fear the right to abortion established almost 50 years ago may be at risk. The U.S. Supreme Court last week https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/texas-six-week-abortion-ban-takes-effect-2021-09-01 let stand the Texas law banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many woman realize they are pregnant.

Los Angeles expected to pass COVID-19 vaccine mandate for school students

The Los Angeles Board of Education was to vote on Thursday on a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for all children age 12 and older in the second-largest school district in the United States. The meeting http://laschoolboard.org/9-9-21SpclBD was set for 2 p.m. PDT (2100 GMT) with a session for the public to comment to the board, which has previously been sued over its COVID-19 precautions. About 2,000 people a day test positive for the coronavirus in Los Angeles County.

New Biden plan could mandate COVID shots or tests for two-thirds of U.S. workers

President Joe Biden will require all federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the U.S. Department of Labor will issue a rule requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to have their workers vaccinated or tested weekly, officials said on Thursday. The new measures, which Biden was due to lay out in remarks at 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT), cover about two-thirds of all U.S. employees, part of a broader, more aggressive attempt to get Americans vaccinated amid a surge in COVID-19 cases from the fast-spreading Delta variant.