Another Effective Vaccine; COVID Vax Mandate Suit Dismissed; Whither FDA Chief?

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Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated 90.4% efficacy overall, and was 100% effective against moderate and severe disease in a phase III trial, the company announced.

A judge dismissed a staff lawsuit against Houston Methodist hospital system over their COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees, saying the employees weren’t “illegally” being forced to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. (The Hill)

Dartmouth Medical School said it is dropping charges against students who were accused of cheating when they accessed online course materials while taking exams. (AP)

CDC’s retiring principal deputy director, Anne Schuchat, MD, weighed in on what she learned in 33 years at the CDC. (New York Times)

An American Medical Association survey indicated that 96% of physicians reported that they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

As of Monday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll is 33,462,286 cases and 599,769 deaths, up 98,922 cases and 2,138 deaths versus a week ago.

In the last 3 years, NIH received 300 complaints of harassment and removed 75 principal investigators from grants. (Science)

Why has the Biden administration yet to select a permanent FDA commissioner, especially after the agency’s controversial approval of Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab (Aduhelm)? (Politico)

Meanwhile the Alzheimer’s Association criticized the drug’s proposed $56,000 price tag.

Phillips announced a recall on certain ventilators and sleep apnea devices containing a foam component that can degrade and have possible toxic or carcinogenic effects for the user.

FDA again declined to approve tramadol, an intravenous non-opioid painkiller, Avenue Therapeutics announced.

HHS announced that it revised its reporting requirements for those receiving Provider Relief Fund payments.

Why are women more likely to develop to “long COVID” than men? (The Guardian)

Southeast China provided an unsettling look at the Delta variant, saying patients are getting sicker faster compared to the initial virus. (New York Times)

Danish soccer star Christian Eriksen collapsed during a match against Finland on Saturday due to a cardiac arrest, but was revived after cardiac resuscitation and is currently in stable condition. (CNN)

An outbreak of explosive diarrhea in up to 40 crew members stopped production on the upcoming NBC series, “Ultimate Slip-N-Slide.” (HuffPost)

Last Updated June 14, 2021