Ebola Vaccines for High-Risk Workers, Antitrust Allegations, and Abortion Pill Rulings

Global health efforts include routine Ebola vaccinations for high-risk workers. Alchem faces EU antitrust charges, and employer coverage for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs rises. The US Supreme Court upholds abortion pill access, while Moderna's next-gen COVID vaccine shows promising results. Bird flu in US dairy herds raises human infection concerns.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

High-risk health workers can get routine Ebola vaccine, Gavi says

A global stockpile of Ebola vaccines can be used to protect frontline health workers in high-risk countries routinely, rather than just as an emergency measure during outbreaks, international vaccine group Gavi said on Thursday. A stockpile of half-a-million Ebola vaccine doses was established by Gavi and other global health partners in 2019 for use in outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever, which has an average fatality rate of roughly 60%. Around 11,000 people died in a 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa, the largest ever.

Alchem accused of pharma price fixing by EU watchdog

EU antitrust regulators has accused Indian drugmaker Alchem International of taking part in a pharmaceutical cartel to fix prices of a key ingredient, which could lead to a hefty fine for the company. The European Commission, which acts as the EU competition watchdog, said it had sent a statement of objections to Alchem, laying out its charges.

Employer coverage for weight-loss drugs rises sharply, survey finds

About one-third of U.S. employer health plans are offering coverage of GLP-1 drugs for both diabetes management and weight loss, up from last year, according to a survey of global employers released on Thursday by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. GLP-1 drugs for weight loss grew as a portion of employers' overall medical claims spending to 8.9% in 2024 from 6.9% in 2023, the trade group's survey found. Only about 26% of employers offered the drugs last year.

Reactions to US Supreme Court ruling to preserve access to abortion pill

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to the abortion pill, handing a victory on Thursday to President Joe Biden's administration in its efforts to preserve broad access to the drug. The justices, two years after ending the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion, ruled 9-0 to overturn a lower court's decision to roll back Food and Drug Administration steps in 2016 and 2021 that eased how the drug, called mifepristone, is prescribed and distributed.

Moderna says next-generation COVID vaccine efficacy non-inferior to current shot

Moderna said on Thursday its next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate showed it was not inferior in efficacy compared to its approved shot in a late-stage study. The experimental vaccine, which met the main trial goal, was being tested in more than 11,000 people aged 12 years and older. The shot showed superior efficacy in adults than the current vaccine sold under the brand Spikevax.

More US bird flu spread would heighten human infection risk, officials say

Further spread of bird flu among U.S. dairy herds presents additional opportunities for human infections, federal officials said on Thursday while urging farms to take enhanced biosecurity measures to contain the virus. Bird flu has been reported in 94 dairy herds across 12 states since late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

US charges executives at ADHD startup in Adderall fraud

The founder and the top doctor of a San Francisco-based telehealth startup were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday with running a fraudulent $100 million scheme to distribute Adderall and other stimulants online. Done Global founder Ruthia He and clinical president David Brody are the first to be federally prosecuted in connection with alleged illegal drug distribution related to a telehealth company.

US Supreme Court preserves access to abortion pill mifepristone

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to the abortion pill, handing a victory on Thursday to President Joe Biden's administration in its efforts to preserve broad access to the drug. The justices, two years after ending the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion, ruled 9-0 to overturn a lower court's decision to roll back U.S. Food and Drug Administration steps in 2016 and 2021 that eased how the drug, called mifepristone, is prescribed and distributed. The decision was authored by conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Abortion pill still under legal threat despite US Supreme Court ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday keeping the abortion drug mifepristone on the market with no new restrictions ends one chapter of the legal fight over the drug, but efforts by abortion opponents to restrict its use may not be over. In rejecting a lawsuit by anti-abortion medical groups and doctors, the Supreme Court did not rule on their claim that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acted improperly when it eased restrictions on mifepristone, including allowing it to be prescribed by telemedicine and dispensed by mail. Instead, the court found that they had not shown that they had suffered the kind of harm that would allow them to bring a lawsuit.

Medicare will recalculate quality ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans, WSJ reports

The federal government plans to redo this year's quality ratings of private Medicare plans, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The move could deliver hundreds of millions in additional bonus payments to insurers next year, benefiting Medicare insurers at a time when their business is under pressure from rising healthcare costs and lower-than-expected rates for next year, according to the report.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)