Popular hot sauce recalled in 10 states due to possible ‘life-threatening' allergen
A popular hot sauce brand is recalling select products because they may contain an unlisted ingredient that could pose life-threatening risks to some consumers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last Thursday that T.W. Garner Food Company is recalling its Texas Pete Habanero Buffalo Sauce because it may contain Sriracha Sauce, which includes sulfites — a known allergen not disclosed on the product label. Sulfites can trigger severe or potentially fatal allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
In addition, the company is recalling its Texas Pete Sweet CHAbanero Sauce due to an omission of Aged Peppers in the ingredients list.
The recall includes both the 12-ounce and the two-ounce bottles of the habanero buffalo sauce with 'best-by' dates of November 7, 2025, and December 5, 2025.
For the Sweet CHAbanero Sauce, the two-ounce bottles with MFR codes BB 090427M and BB 082627M, as well as the 20 fluid-ounce and half-gallon containers, were recalled.
The hot sauce bottles were distributed between February 5 and March 26, according to the FDA's report. They were shipped to distribution centers and other stores in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, and Vermont.
There have currently been no reported illnesses as a result of the labeling error. Customers who have purchased the recalled bottles of hot sauce are urged to either dispose of them or return them in exchange for a full refund.
The news comes just a few days after a popular brand of sausages was recalled due to a potential plastic contamination.
Johnsonville, LLC is recalling approximately 22,672 pounds of its cheddar bratwurst product, according to an announcement shared by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Saturday.
The recall was issued because the sausages may have been contaminated 'with foreign material, specifically hard plastic.'
Each of the tray packages contains five pieces of 'Johnsonville BRATS CHEDDAR Bratwurst' and the package code B9FOD. The recalled product has the establishment number 'Est. 1647' on the front of the label. They were first produced on February 5, 2025.
The affected sausages were sent to various retailers in 10 states: Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The recall was initiated after Johnsonville, LLC received complaints from two different customers reporting hard plastic found in their bratwurst. At the time of writing, there have been no reports of injuries due to the consumption of the sausage.
FSIS is urging consumers not to eat these products and to throw them away immediately. Consumers can also return the recalled product to the store they bought it from.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Medera and Novoheart Presented Breakthroughs in Human mini-Heart Platforms and Gene Therapy at ISSCR 2025
Showcased 7 presentations at ISSCR 2025, including a featured oral presentation on first-in-human gene therapy for heart failure, powered by their proprietary human mini-Heart technology. FDA-backed human-based screening platform recognized as an animal-free alternative in drug development, supporting IND and Fast Track approvals under the FDA Modernization Act 2.0. Breakthroughs in high-throughput screening, AI-driven drug classification, and patient-specific disease modelling underscored the platform's potential to de-risk development and accelerate clinical translation. BOSTON, June 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medera Inc. ('Medera'), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on targeting cardiovascular diseases by developing a range of next-generation therapeutics, and Novoheart, its wholly owned pre-clinical subsidiary pioneering human-based cardiac tissue engineering for disease modelling and drug screening, today announced the successful presentation of seven scientific abstracts at the 2025 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting, held June 11–14 in Hong Kong. The annual ISSCR meeting brought together nearly 4,000 of the world's leading stem cell researchers and regenerative medicine experts. Medera's presentations showcased how the company's human mini-Heart technology has informed and accelerated clinical translation of novel gene therapies, including two ongoing first-in-human clinical trials for heart failure. 'Regulatory momentum is clearly building toward human-specific models in place of traditional animal testing,' said Ronald Li, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Medera and Novoheart. 'At ISSCR 2025, we demonstrated that engineered human mini-Hearts not only predict human outcomes better, as well as directly support clinical and regulatory decisions—including trial design and therapeutic validation.' 'The advances in human mini-Heart platforms presented at ISSCR exemplify the translational promise of stem cell technologies,' said Dr. Kevin Costa, co-founder of Novoheart. 'By creating more physiologically relevant human cardiac tissues, we significantly reduce the time and cost of bringing new therapies to patients while aligning with evolving FDA guidance on alternatives to animal testing.' Featured Oral Presentation 'Gene Therapy Clinical Trial for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (MUSIC-HFpEF) Informed by In Vitro Screening with Stem Cell-Based Bioengineered Mini-Hearts' (Abstract #2036995)Track: Clinical ApplicationsPresenter: Dr. Kevin Costa, co-founder of NovoheartThis presentation showcased how data generated from Novoheart's human mini-Heart platform informed both the FDA's Investigational New Drug (IND) approval and Fast Track Designation of the MUSIC-HFpEF gene therapy trial (NCT06061549). The trial is investigating SRD-002, a one-time gene therapy treatment delivered through proprietary minimally invasive intracoronary infusion methodology. The FDA's recognition of these in vitro human cardiac models reflects a broader regulatory embrace of non-animal technologies to advance safer and more targeted therapies, in line with new federal policy. Poster Highlights 'Reversal of Contractile Defects in Engineered Human Tissue Models of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) Leads to First-In-Human Gene Therapy Clinical Trial' (Abstract #2035967)Track: Disease Modeling and Drug DiscoveryThis poster described how disease-specific mini-Heart models enabled rational dose selection and mechanistic insight into SERCA2a-targeted AAV gene therapy now in clinical trials for HFpEF. 'Modulation of SERCA2a of Intra-Myocytic Calcium Trafficking in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (MUSIC-HFrEF) and Stem Cell Models of Heart Failure' (Abstract #2036913)Track: Clinical ApplicationsThis presentation detailed how mini-Heart models supported the ongoing MUSIC-HFrEF trial (NCT04703842) evaluating SRD-001 gene therapy for patients with HFrEF. 'Enhanced Drug Classification Using Machine Learning with Multiplexed Cardiac Contractility Assays' (Abstract #2035910)Track: Disease Modeling and Drug DiscoveryNovel ensemble algorithms trained on contractility and electrophysiology data from human cardiac tissues were demonstrated to outperform conventional approaches for drug classification. 'Automating High-Throughput Screening of Cardiac Contractility by Robotically Controlled Functional Testing of Stem Cell-Derived Micro-Tissues in a 96-Well Plate Format' (Abstract #2036321)Track: Disease Modeling and Drug DiscoveryThis technology was shown to reduce cell use and screening time by over 90%, scaling up human-relevant cardiac safety and efficacy profiling. 'Collagen Matrix Improves Cardiomyocyte Contractility and Maturity Compared to Fibrin in 3D Engineered hiPSC Cardiac Tissue Strips' (Abstract #2036017)Track: Disease Modeling and Drug DiscoveryThe researchers demonstrated how matrix optimization yields more physiologically relevant tissue phenotypes for improved drug screening and disease modeling. 'Transcriptomic Analysis and Bioengineered Tissue Model of Dystrophinopathy with Patient-Derived iPSC-Cardiomyocytes" (Abstract #2035586)Track: Disease Modeling and Drug DiscoveryA personalized medicine platform was presented for understanding and treating rare genetic cardiomyopathies such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy. These advances underscore the transformative role of human organoid technologies in bridging the lab-to-clinic gap while helping to realize the vision of ethical, efficient, and precision-driven biomedical innovation. On September 5, 2024, Medera and Keen Vision Acquisition Corporation ('KVAC') (NASDAQ: KVAC, KVACW), announced they had entered into a definitive merger agreement. About Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) Heart failure (HF) is a global pandemic with an estimated 64.3 million cases worldwide and a rising prevalence trend. Accounting for 50% or more of the overall HF population, HFpEF is an age-related condition that has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. This surge is partly due to better awareness and identification of the condition and partly due to lifestyle changes affecting cardiac myocytes. Individuals affected by HFpEF experience similar morbidity and mortality to patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Despite the growing epidemic of this emerging syndrome, HFpEF-focused interventional trials have had little success, except for the use of sacubitril-valsartan (Entresto™) and the sodium glucose transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor empagliflozin (Jardiance™) for reducing cardiovascular mortality and heart failure hospitalization. However, these agents are not disease-modifying, highlighting the critical need for therapeutic interventions targeting the physiological mechanisms involved in HFpEF. About Medera Medera is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on targeting difficult-to-treat and currently incurable diseases by developing a range of next-generation therapeutics. Medera operates via its two preclinical and clinical business units, Novoheart and Sardocor, respectively. Novoheart capitalizes on the world's first and award-winning 'mini-Heart' Technology for revolutionary disease modelling and drug discovery, uniquely enabling the modelling of human-specific diseases and discovery of therapeutic candidates free from species-specific differences in accordance to the FDA Modernization Act 2.0. Novoheart's versatile technology platform provides a range of state-of-the-art automation hardware and software as well as screening services, for human-specific disease modelling, therapeutic target discovery and validation, drug toxicity and efficacy screening, and dosage optimization carried out in the context of healthy and/or diseased human heart chambers and tissues. Global pharmaceutical and academic leaders are using Novoheart's technology platform for their drug discovery and development purposes. The Novoheart platform has facilitated and accelerated the development of Sardocor's lead therapeutic candidates that are currently in clinical trials. Sardocor is dedicated to the clinical development of novel next-generation therapies for Medera. Leveraging Novoheart's human-based drug discovery and validation platforms, Sardocor aims to expedite drug development and regulatory timelines for its gene and cell therapy pipeline. Sardocor has received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearances from the FDA for three ongoing AAV-based cardiac gene therapy clinical trials targeting Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF), Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) with the Fast Track Designation, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-associated Cardiomyopathy (DMD-CM) with the Orphan Drug Designation. Additionally, Sardocor's pipeline includes four preclinical gene therapy and three preclinical small molecule candidates targeting various cardiac, pulmonary, and vascular diseases. For more information, please visit About Keen Vision Acquisition Corporation Keen Vision Acquisition Corp ("KVAC"), listed on Nasdaq, is a blank check company incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. KVAC is focused on biotechnology, consumer goods or agriculture opportunities, which are also evaluated on their sustainability, environmental, social, and corporate governance ("ESG") imperatives. For more information, please visit Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements included in this press release are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are also forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "may," "target," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," "preliminary," or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, KVAC's, Medera's, or their respective management teams' expectations concerning the outlook for their or Medera's business, productivity, plans, and goals for future operational improvements and capital investments, operational performance, future market conditions, or economic performance and developments in the capital and credit markets and expected future financial performance, including expected net proceeds, expected additional funding, the percentage of redemptions of KVAC's public shareholders, growth prospects and outlook of Medera' operations, individually or in the aggregate, including the achievement of project milestones, commencement and completion of commercial operations of certain of Medera's projects, as well as any information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of Medera. Forward-looking statements also include statements regarding the expected benefits of the transactions contemplated by the merger ("Transaction"). The forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of the respective management teams of Medera and KVAC, as applicable, and are inherently subject to uncertainties and changes in circumstance and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, (i) the risk that the Transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of KVAC's securities; (ii) the risk that the Transaction may not be completed by KVAC's business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain an extension of the business combination deadline if sought by KVAC; (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the Transaction, including the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the shareholders of KVAC and the receipt of certain regulatory approvals; (iv) market risks; (v) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement; (vi) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the Transaction on Medera's business relationships, performance, and business generally; (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Medera or KVAC related to the Merger Agreement or the Transaction; (viii) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Transaction; (ix) the inability to maintain the listing of KVAC's securities or to meet listing requirements and maintain the listing of Medera's securities on Nasdaq; (x) the inability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the Transaction, identify and realize additional opportunities, and manage its growth and expanding operations; (xi) risks related to Medera's ability to develop, license or acquire new therapeutics; (xii) the risk that Medera will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; (xiii) the risk of product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to Medera's business; (xiv) uncertainties inherent in the execution, cost, and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials; (xv) risks related to regulatory review, and approval and commercial development; (xvi) risks associated with intellectual property protection; (xvii) Medera's limited operating history and risk that it may never successfully commercialise its products; (xviii) Medera expects to continue to incur significant losses and may never achieve or maintain profitability; and (xix) the risk that additional financing in connection with the Transaction may not be raised on favorable terms. The foregoing list is not exhaustive, and there may be additional risks that neither KVAC nor Medera presently knows or that KVAC and Medera currently believe are immaterial. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors, any other factors discussed in this press release and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of KVAC's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on March 29, 2024, the risks to be described in the registration statement, which will include a preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, and those discussed and identified in filings made with the SEC by KVAC from time to time. Medera and KVAC caution you against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect current beliefs and are based on information currently available as of the date a forward-looking statement is made. Forward-looking statements set forth in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Neither Medera nor KVAC undertakes any obligation to revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs. In the event that any forward-looking statement is updated, no inference should be made that Medera or KVAC will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any other forward-looking statements. Any corrections or revisions and other important assumptions and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, including discussions of significant risk factors, may appear, up to the consummation of the Transaction, in KVAC's public filings with the SEC, and which you are advised to review carefully. Important Information for Investors and Shareholders In connection with the Transaction, KVAC and Medera filed a registration statement with the SEC, which includes a prospectus with respect to the securities to be issued in connection with the Transaction and a proxy statement to be distributed to holders of KVAC's ordinary shares in connection with KVAC's solicitation of proxies for the vote by KVAC's shareholders with respect to the Transaction and other matters to be described in the Registration Statement (the "Proxy Statement"). After the SEC declares the registration statement effective, KVAC plans to mail copies to shareholders of KVAC as of a record date to be established for voting on the Transaction. This press release does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the Transaction and is not a substitute for the registration statement, Proxy Statement or for any other document that KVAC may file with the SEC. Before making any investment or voting decision, investors and security holders of KVAC are urged to read the registration statement and the Proxy Statement, and any amendments or supplements thereto, as well as all other relevant materials filed or that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the Transaction as they become available because they will contain important information about, Medera, KVAC and the Transaction. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement, the Proxy Statement and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by KVAC through the website maintained by the SEC at In addition, the documents filed by KVAC may be obtained free of charge from KVAC's website at or by directing a request to info@ The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the websites referenced in this press release is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release. Participants in the Solicitation KVAC, Medera and their respective directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed to be participants in the solicitations of proxies in connection with the Transaction. For more information about the names, affiliations and interests of KVAC's directors and executive officers, please refer to KVAC's annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 29, 2024, which can be found at and registration statement, Proxy Statement and other relevant materials filed with the SEC in connection with the Transaction when they become available. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, which may, in some cases, be different than those of KVAC's shareholders generally, will be included in the registration statement and the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials when they are filed with the SEC when they become available. Shareholders, potential investors and other interested persons should read the registration statement and the Proxy Statement and other such documents carefully, when they become available, before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from the sources indicated above. No Offer or Solicitation This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities in the Transaction shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Contacts: Keen Vision Acquisition CorporationAlex DavidkhanianChief Financial OfficerEmail: MederaInvestor RelationsStephanie CarringtonICR 277-1282 Media RelationsSean LeousICR 866-4012
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
BioRestorative Reports Compelling Preliminary Data for FDA-Fast-Tracked BRTX-100 – an Autologous Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Chronic Lumbar Disc Disease
– The International Society for Stem Cell Research ('ISSCR') 2025 Annual Meeting is the world's foremost gathering of stem cell and regenerative medicine leaders – – Updated data presented at ISSCR 2025 demonstrates >50% improvement in pain and function in a significant portion of cLDD subjects – – Number of evaluated subjects increases by more than two-fold since last update –– MELVILLE, N.Y., June 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ('BioRestorative,' 'BRTX' or the 'Company') (NASDAQ: BRTX), a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing stem cell-based therapies for serious musculoskeletal conditions, today announced the presentation of promising preliminary blinded data from the first 36 subjects in its ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of BRTX-100, an autologous stem cell therapy for chronic lumbar disc disease (cLDD). This data was shared at the prestigious ISSCR 2025 Annual Meeting in Hong Kong by Francisco Silva, Vice President of Research and Development. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ('FDA') is requiring at least a greater than 30% improvement in function in the Oswestry Disability Index ('ODI') and a greater than 30% reduction in pain on the Visual Analog Scale ('VAS') in determining whether the clinical trial will be allowed to proceed and ultimately gain Biologics License Application (BLA) approval. Key Highlights: Patient Numbers Growing: The number of subjects evaluated has increased from 15 to 36 since the Company's last press release — an important milestone toward full Phase 2 enrollment (up to 99 subjects). Compelling Clinical Signals: Over 74% of subjects showed >50% improvement in function (ODI) by 52 weeks; Over 72% of subjects reported >50% reduction in pain (VAS) by 52 weeks; Combined >50% improvement in both ODI and VAS measures was achieved by a meaningful portion of subjects across all timepoints. Excellent Safety Profile: No serious adverse events (SAEs) or dose-limiting toxicities reported between 26 and 104 weeks at the target dose (40 million cells). Strengthening Data: Each new data analysis has outperformed prior releases, highlighting an upward trend in efficacy markers. The following is a detailed breakdown of the subjects that had greater than 50% improvement in function, as measured by ODI, greater than 50% decrease in pain, as measured by VAS, and greater than 50% improvement in both ODI and VAS: Week Percentage of Subjects With >50% Average Improvement in ODI Percentage of Subjects With >50% Average Improvement in VAS Number of Subjects With >50% Average Improvement in Both ODI and VAS Baseline 0.00 % 0.00 % 0/36 12 67.57 % 73.82 % 5/25 26 74.04 % 76.94 % 6/15 52 74.63 % 72.35 % 8/10 104 75.13 % 68.54 % 2/4 'With every new analysis, our confidence grows that BRTX-100 is positioned to meet and potentially exceed the FDA's functional and pain reduction thresholds,' said Lance Alstodt, Chief Executive Officer of BioRestorative. 'We are excited by the trajectory of this material milestone and its potential to address a massive unmet need in chronic lower back pain — one of the largest global healthcare burdens. We believe this data moves us one step closer to bringing a much-needed, non-surgical therapeutic option to market and should add to further value enhancing inflection points in the near-term.' The data were presented as part of the Clinical Innovations track at ISSCR 2025, an event that attracts the world's top stem cell and regenerative medicine researchers, clinicians, and investors. About the BRTX-100 Phase 2 Trial BRTX-100 is a novel, autologous cell-based therapy designed to treat patients suffering from painful lumbosacral disc degeneration. The Phase 2 trial is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study that will enroll up to 99 subjects at 16 leading U.S. sites. Subjects are randomized 2:1 to receive either BRTX-100 or placebo via a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. BioRestorative ( develops therapeutic products using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells. As described below, our two core clinical development programs relate to the treatment of disc/spine disease and metabolic disorders, and we also operate a commercial BioCosmeceutical platform: • Disc/Spine Program (brtxDISC™): Our lead cell therapy candidate, BRTX-100, is a product formulated from autologous (or a person's own) cultured mesenchymal stem cells collected from the patient's bone marrow. We intend that the product will be used for the non-surgical treatment of painful lumbosacral disc disorders or as a complementary therapeutic to a surgical procedure. The BRTX-100 production process utilizes proprietary technology and involves collecting a patient's bone marrow, isolating and culturing stem cells from the bone marrow and cryopreserving the cells. In an outpatient procedure, BRTX-100 is to be injected by a physician into the patient's damaged disc. The treatment is intended for patients whose pain has not been alleviated by non-invasive procedures and who potentially face the prospect of surgery. We have commenced a Phase 2 clinical trial using BRTX-100 to treat chronic lower back pain arising from degenerative disc disease. We have also obtained U.S. Food and Drug Administration ('FDA') Investigational New Drug ('IND') clearance to evaluate BRTX-100 in the treatment of chronic cervical discogenic pain. • Metabolic Program (ThermoStem®): We are developing cell-based therapy candidates to target obesity and metabolic disorders using brown adipose (fat) derived stem cells ('BADSC') to generate brown adipose tissue ('BAT'), as well as exosomes secreted by BADSC. BAT is intended to mimic naturally occurring brown adipose depots that regulate metabolic homeostasis in humans. Initial preclinical research indicates that increased amounts of brown fat in animals may be responsible for additional caloric burning as well as reduced glucose and lipid levels. Researchers have found that people with higher levels of brown fat may have a reduced risk for obesity and diabetes. BADSC secreted exosomes may also impact weight loss. • BioCosmeceuticals: We operate a commercial BioCosmeceutical platform. Our current commercial product, formulated and manufactured using our cGMP ISO-7 certified clean room, is a cell-based secretome containing exosomes, proteins and growth factors. This proprietary biologic serum has been specifically engineered by us to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and bring forth other areas of cosmetic effectiveness. Moving forward, we also intend to explore the potential of expanding our commercial offering to include a broader family of cell-based biologic aesthetic products and therapeutics via IND-enabling studies, with the aim of pioneering FDA approvals in the emerging BioCosmeceuticals space. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including, without limitation, those set forth in the Company's latest Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements. CONTACT: Stephen KilmerInvestor RelationsDirect: (646) 274-3580 Email: skilmer@
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
The FDA Wants AI To Speed Up Health Care Decisions — Here's Why Experts Are Concerned
Read on Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy's war on health care in the U.S. Earlier this week, Dr. Marty Makary, the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Association and Dr. Vinay Prasad, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, published an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association about the FDA's plans to use artificial intelligence to accelerate decision-making in a realm of health-related fields. Exactly what AI use at the FDA will look like is still to be determined, but the article stated that AI could be used to: accelerate the approval of drugs and devices reduce animal testing address 'concerning' ingredients in food. Many people within the health and science world (and beyond) are concerned by this move, including Elisabeth Marnik, a scientist and science communicator based in Maine, who is particularly worried about the shift to AI after fake citations made their way into a Make America Healthy Again report just a few weeks ago, likely due to unsystematic AI use. There are other concerns, too. 'The FDA's move to explore AI for accelerating drug and device approvals and for food ingredient oversight marks a critical inflection point in regulatory innovation, but it also introduces a series of legal, ethical and structural tensions that can't be glossed over,' Stacey B. Lee, a professor of law and ethics at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Bloomberg School of Public Health, told HuffPost via email. The Department of Health and Human Services didn't immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment. Below, experts share more thoughts on the FDA's AI implementation. 'It's a bit disorienting because it feels like they are doing the thing that they are also criticizing in that they're on this big agenda of almost re-litigating all processes established by our public health agencies to ensure 'safety and efficacy' and yet they're also wanting to expedite things,' said Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious disease epidemiologist. Moving quickly through processes while guaranteeing 'safety and efficacy' generally don't go hand-in-hand. 'That feels like you can't have both things at the same time,' she added. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants to put many vaccines through longer trials, and while the FDA's AI use hasn't been pegged for vaccine trials, 'they are still saying that they want to shorten review times and speed up the delivery of treatments to people who need them,' Malaty Rivera said. Kennedy also repeatedly promises 'radical transparency' in health care, yet AI threatens that transparency, experts say. 'I haven't been able to find great, transparent information about exactly where and how they're using AI. They talk about using it for review, but in what way?' said Marnik. 'The law doesn't prohibit innovation, but it does demand accountability,' said Lee. 'Any AI implementation must be subject to clear statutory authority, rigorous oversight and published methodologies to preserve public trust,' she added. This goes back to transparency. 'The core concern is opacity. AI tools, especially proprietary or black-box models, can obscure how decisions are made. If a drug is greenlit or a food ingredient is flagged based on an algorithm that the public can't scrutinize, it erodes due process and patient safety,' Lee said. 'This move also raises critical structural questions: If an AI system contributes to a faulty approval or missed red flag, who's accountable? The software developer? The FDA staffer who relied on the tool?' There is currently a large liability gap, she noted — 'and the regulatory framework hasn't caught up.' When it comes to using AI to look at the 'concerning' ingredients in food in the U.S., Malaty Rivera has concerns. 'MAHA and Marty Makary, in particular, continue to spread misinformation about the safety of food,' she said. 'They continue to malign things that are not harmful to people, like seed oils, they continue to misrepresent even the ingredients of baby formula.' Many of the words used to vilify certain foods and certain ingredients are wellness marketing gimmicks, 'things like non-GMO and organic and pushing things like beef tallow and raw milk,' she added. She also voiced concerns about the data and language that could be used to inform the AI systems when it comes to food regulations. 'I don't trust the people that are in charge of these decisions to make evidence-based decisions on food ingredients. I really don't,' she said. 'We also need to consider bias in training data. If the AI is trained on historically biased data — say, clinical trials that underrepresent women or communities of color, we risk automating disparities in approvals or warnings,' Lee said. Research shows that AI itself is biased and even is known to prop up racist stereotypes. More, how would AI handle the so-called 'DEI-related' words that are currently banned from science research by the Trump administration? 'I don't even know if, because of all these banned words, if applications that even have words that have been considered banned would even pass through these AI models designed by people creating the word bans,' added Malaty Rivera, who added that she wants to know how equity and unbiased review will be ensured in the AI process. 'I would love to see the methodology. I would love to see the ways in which it's not going to cause further harm,' she said. Many people are leery of AI, and for good reason. It's taking jobs, has plagiarism issues, is linked to privacy concerns and, as mentioned above, it's known to be biased. But, when used properly, there are pros to AI both at the FDA and in everyday life. 'In food regulation, especially, this could be a breakthrough. AI can scan molecular structures and evaluate safety profiles at a scale no human team could match,' said Lee. 'But the system has to be designed to prioritize health, not convenience,' 'I do think eventually AI will be a useful tool in helping streamline things and potentially even helping analyze big data sets,' Marnik said, 'but I think that there's a lot of steps we have to go through to make sure that's actually happening correctly before it's used on such a federal level. Malaty Rivera noted that AI isn't going anywhere and while it could be useful to review thousands of pages of information, it would be a mistake to completely remove humans from the process. No matter what AI is used for at the FDA, processes must be in place to ensure fairness and accuracy, experts say. 'If this is going to be what you want to eventually use, there should be essentially a scientific process to establish that the system is actually working as well as you think it's working and is actually working as well as a human review process,' Marnik said, adding that without systems (and people) to make sure AI is functioning properly, there can be major issues. Lee noted informed decisions need to be reviewed, explained and equitable for patients, researchers and policy makers. 'AI in health care is not just a tech issue; it's a trust issue,' Lee said. Otherwise, more people could be led to distrust the medical system. And levels of distrust are already high, with roughly two-thirds of Americans expressing a lack of faith in the medical establishment. 'The FDA's AI pilot comes at a moment when public trust in health institutions is already fragile. Getting this right means building the right guardrails now, not after the first high-profile failure,' Lee said. 'That includes independent audits, transparent reporting, human oversight and clear legal responsibility.' Malaty Rivera said if she believed in the scientific rigor and integrity of the people at the helm of the FDA, the use of AI in health and science would be one thing. 'But I don't. And so I don't trust these decision makers to be designing and/or navigating these tools,' she said. Malaty Rivera also added that the people appointed under the MAHA regime have an agenda that isn't evidence-based science. 'The agenda is this alternative, contrarian version of health and wellness that is often spreading a lot of harmful misinformation,' she said. Marnik added that she doesn't think AI is currently able to do rigorous scientific reviews or find limitations associated with scientific data, which is crucial for the FDA when it comes to medical approvals. 'AI is only as good as the prompts and the directions that you give it, and what it's been trained on,' Marnik said. 'So, ultimately, I think this is too soon, and I would like to know more about exactly how they plan to use it.' RFK Jr. Went Swimming In Sewage Water — Health Experts Beg You Not To Do That. If RFK Jr. Actually Gave An F About Health, Here's What He'd Focus On Instead RFK Jr.'s Stunning Claim About Black People And Vaccines Sparks Concern From Medical Experts