US CDC panel broadly recommends flu shots free from thimerosal
June 26 (Reuters) - The external committee advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy voted that all adults in the country receive a seasonal flu shot in single-dose forms that are free from mercury-based preservative thimerosal.
The panel voted five-to-one in favor of the recommendation, while one member abstained from voting, following a presentation by an anti-vaccine advocate that made the case that thimerosal is a neurotoxin.
The panel recommended that pregnant women and children aged 6 months or younger also receive thimerosal-free shots.
The CDC has previously said there is no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal used in vaccines, except for minor reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
UnitedHealth appoints new CEO to run health services division
NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group's (UNH.N), opens new tab health services segment, Optum Health, will be led by Patrick Conway, according to an internal company memo. A spokesperson for UnitedHealth said Conway's experience in value-based care, where payment is generated from keeping patients healthy, drove the health insurer's new appointment. 'Leadership changes are consistent with the company's longstanding, intentional approach to develop an executive team with a range of experiences across its diverse portfolio of businesses," the spokesperson said. The company named former Optum Health CEO Amar Desai as vice-chairman of the unit. UnitedHealth Group named a new company-wide CEO, veteran Stephen Hemsley, to steer the healthcare giant following its first earnings miss since 2008. Conway in April was appointed CEO of UnitedHealth's Optum segment, which operates its Optum Health unit, and previously ran its Optum Rx pharmacy benefit manager. Optum Health, which operates medical clinics and offers nursing services, serves as UnitedHealth's healthcare delivery arm. In a first-quarter earnings call, UnitedHealth detailed underperforming revenue at Optum Health, citing reduced engagement from Medicare Advantage patients. A May Wall Street Journal report detailed a criminal probe by the Department of Justice on UnitedHealth's billing practices, related to in-home visits it conducts within Optum Health. Hemsley in a June shareholder meeting said that the company was undertaking a review of practices across its business, apologizing for recent underperformance in earnings.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Oklahoma seeks to exclude soda, candy from food stamp purchases
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday the state is seeking federal permission to exclude soft drinks and candy from the list of items that can be purchased under the benefit for low-income Americans long known as food stamps. Stitt made the announcement during an event at the Capitol with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as part of the 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative. Oklahoma would join several other states that already have sought federal waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit the purchase of items such as soda and energy drinks under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. 'If you want to drink a bottled soda, you should be able to have that right,' Kennedy said. 'But the federal government should not be paying for it with taxpayer money.' SNAP is a roughly $100 billion program that serves about 42 million Americans and is run by the U.S. Agriculture Department and administered through states. Stitt also signed an executive order on Thursday calling into question the appropriateness of mandatory fluoridation of public drinking water and the use of commonly used artificial food coloring, including Red Dye 40. Under the order, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and Department of Equality are directed to immediately stop any endorsement of fluoridation of the public water supply. Although Stitt said each local municipality will still have the autonomy to make a decision to continue the practice, which has long been encouraged as a means of promoting dental health. Under the order, the two state agencies are directed to conduct a comprehensive review of water fluoridation and make recommendations for transitioning away from the practice. Stitt also said he would direct agencies that provide meals, including prisons and public schools, to discontinue the use of artificial dyes in food. 'Today we're going to get the ball rolling on making Oklahoma healthy again,' Stitt said.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
CVS unit ordered to pay $95 million in Medicare whistleblower lawsuit
June 26 (Reuters) - CVS Health's (CVS.N), opens new tab pharmacy benefit manager unit must pay the U.S. government $95 million after a federal judge found it overcharged Medicare for prescription drugs. Chief Judge Mitchell Goldberg in Philadelphia ordered the payment by CVS Caremark on Wednesday, following an eight-day non-jury trial in March in the whistleblower case. Goldberg will decide after further briefing whether to triple the award to $285 million under the federal False Claims Act. The case was brought in 2014 by Sarah Behnke, a former head actuary for Medicare Part D at Aetna. Behnke accused CVS Caremark of having since 2010 caused health insurers, such as Aetna, to submit inflated claims to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), while pharmacies such as Rite Aid and Walgreens (WBA.O), opens new tab were paid less. CVS bought Aetna in 2018. Despite ruling for CVS Caremark on some claims, Goldberg concluded in a 105-page decision that the unit knew it was managing drug prices in a manner that boosted margins, and therefore profit. "Although it is true that Aetna had the ultimate responsibility to submit the claims, I disagree that this responsibility absolves Caremark of culpability," Goldberg wrote. CVS, based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, said on Thursday it was disappointed in the rulings against CVS Caremark. The False Claims Act lets whistleblowers sue on behalf of the government and share in recoveries, typically 15% to 30%. Though not directly involved in Behnke's case, the federal government said in an October 2023 court filing it had a strong interest in ensuring that Medicare Part D did not pay inflated drug prices, and information reported by plan sponsors and pharmacy benefit managers to CMS reflects the true costs. The case is US ex rel Behnke v CVS Caremark Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, No. 14-00824.
