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Merck Allows Poor Nations to Make COVID-19 Pill

A deal for Merck's COVID-19 pill to be made and sold cheaply in poor nations has been reached with Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed nonprofit organization.

The royalty-free license means that companies in 105 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, can sublicense the formulation for the antiviral pill molnupiravir and start mak...

Many Blood Cancer Patients Get Little Protection From COVID Vaccine

Anti-vaxxers felt their suspicions confirmed when former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell died from COVID-19 complications in mid-October despite being fully vaccinated.

But Powell, 84, was being treated for blood cancer at the time of his death, and a new study reports that the COVID vaccines are producing little to no protection for ...

Would You Like Phthalates With That? Fast Food Contains Industrial Chemicals: Report

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Do you like your burgers well done with a side of plastic?

Probably not. But a new study suggests that fast food often comes with a sizable helping of plastic-softening chemicals that could potentially lead to hormone disruption, infertility and learning...

Long COVID Can Last a Year; Many Sufferers Quit Jobs

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Patients suffering from "long COVID" can have symptoms that last a year or more, putting their jobs and everyday routines in jeopardy, a new study finds.

Looking at more than 150 people with long-lasting effects from COVID-19, researchers said the patients reported thinking pr...

Shorter Course of Post-Op Radiation May Work Well for Prostate Cancer Patients

After prostate cancer surgery, men can safely undergo fewer radiation treatments at higher doses, a new clinical trial shows.

Researchers found that the shorter regimen — given over five weeks, instead of seven — did not raise patients' odds of lasting side effects.

Safety has been a "major concern" because when patients have few...

AHA News: Could a Halloween-Induced Nightmare Be Bad for Your Health?

The nightmare was so vivid that you woke up in a cold sweat, heart racing and certain that the creepy catastrophe was all too real.

Should you have skipped the haunted house and those terrifying Halloween movies? More importantly, was that nightmare bad for your health?

On both counts, sleep experts say, probably not. But repeated tr...

Liver Transplants Soar as Some Americans Drink Their Way Through the Pandemic

Demand for liver transplants among heavy drinking Americans surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows.

It found that the number of people with alcoholic hepatitis who received a new liver (32,320) or were put on a liver transplant waiting list (51,488) between March 2020 and January 2021 was 50% higher than what was expected b...

Immunocompromised May Need Fourth COVID Shot: CDC

Severely immunocompromised people may require a fourth mRNA coronavirus shot, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The agency didn't provide an official recommendation about a fourth shot in its updated guidelines, but did say that people should talk to their doctors to determine if one is necessary, CNN repor...

Routine Ventilation of Surgical Patients Won't Raise COVID Transmission Risk

Routine face mask ventilation during an operation doesn't increase the surgical team's risk of coronavirus infection, according to a new study.

Face mask ventilation is typically used for surgical patients under general anesthesia. However, its designation as an "aerosol-generating procedure" by the World Health Organization has altered op...

Is Sheltering Under an Overpass Safe When Tornadoes Strike?

You're driving down the highway when a tornado warning is issued over your car radio. Is it safe to follow widespread advice and seek shelter under an overpass?

While the U.S. National Weather Service warns that the wind from a tornado can accelerate as it flows under the overpass, creating a wind tunnel effect, a new study found different...

Too Little Vitamin D Could Raise Colon Cancer Risk in Black Women

Black American women with low levels of vitamin D have higher odds of developing colon cancer, according to a new research that echoes previous findings in white women.

Researchers used a vitamin D prediction model for nearly 50,000 participants in the Black Women's Health Study and concluded that those with predicted levels in the bottom ...

How Folks Are Coping With Post-COVID Loss of Smell, Taste

People who've lost their ability to smell and taste due to COVID-19 have significant struggles, but they can find ways to cope with their situation, a new study shows.

One of the most common side effects of COVID-19 is the loss of the sense of smell, which severely affects the sense of taste. This can lead to anxiety, depression and reduce...

Vision Troubles Could Raise Midlife Depression Risk for Women

Midlife vision problems could increase women's risk of depression, new research suggests.

Rates of eye problems and depression rise during midlife, but knowledge about how vision affects depression at that time has been limited. The new study identified a significant link between impaired vision and development of depression.

"Given ...

FDA Advisors Approve Emergency Use of Pfizer COVID Vaccine in Kids 5 to 11

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend emergency use of a smaller dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, advancing plans to offer the shots to 28 million young kids across the United States.

The vote was nearly unanimous at 17-0, with one abstention, and the FDA is expected to...

Targeted High-Dose Radiation Helps Fight Advanced Lung Cancer

High-dose radiation therapy may stall tumor growth in patients with advanced lung cancer who are not fully responding to drug therapies, a preliminary study suggests.

The study involved patients whose lung cancer was considered "oligoprogressive." That means the cancer had spread to other sites in the body, and the patients were having a m...

Pandemic Uncertainty Keeping Americans in Limbo: Poll

One-third of Americans are struggling to make basic decisions due to ongoing stress about the pandemic, and younger adults and parents are having the most difficulty of all, a new survey reveals.

"The pandemic has imposed a regimen of constant risk assessment upon many. Each day brings an onslaught of choices with an ever-changing context,...

Even a $25 Cash Card Can Motivate Some to Get Vaccinated

TUESDAY, Oct. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Can offering small cash cards, say for $25, be the difference between someone choosing to get their COVID-19 vaccine or waiting?

Yes, according to a study in North Carolina that offered $25 cash cards to people who got vaccines last spring at sites in four participating counties...

COVID Vaccination Can Be Safe Even in People With Severe Allergies

TUESDAY, Oct. 26, 2021 (HealthDayNews) -- If you suffer from severe allergies and worry about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, you can relax: A new study shows that even when people report a history of severe allergic reactions to medications, vaccines or allergens, nearly all of them can be fully vaccinated.

The research involved cl...

Cataracts Tied to Higher Odds of Death From Heart Disease

Cataracts, a common eye disorder that often comes with age, may also be linked to a heightened risk of death from heart disease, new research shows.

Experts stressed that the finding doesn't mean that cataracts somehow cause heart trouble, and the study wasn't designed to prove cause and effect.

"A variety of medical conditions lik...

AHA News: After Weeks of Flu-Like Symptoms, Open-Heart Surgery at 26

On the first crisp day of fall, Melanie Falcon went for a run in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

She returned home feeling more worn out than usual. In the days that followed, Falcon – a TV news anchor and reporter who was then 26 – endured fever, chills, headaches and fatigue.

She thought it was a bad cold or the flu. When the symptoms...