Australia apologizes for thalidomide tragedy as some survivors listen in the Parliament gallery
Survivors of the harmful morning sickness drug thalidomide were in the public gallery when Australia’s Parliament made a national apology for what was described as one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history.
British inquiry finds serious failings at hospitals where worker had sex with more than 100 corpses
A British government-ordered inquiry says it found serious failings at hospitals where an electrician who was later convicted of murder was able to have sex with more than 100 corpses over 15 years without being detected.
China says a surge in respiratory illnesses is caused by flu and other known pathogens
China’s health ministry says a surge in respiratory illnesses across the country that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus.
South Africa, Colombia and others are fighting drugmakers over access to TB and HIV drugs
In a series of moves experts say signal a shift in how developing countries deal with pharmaceuticals, South Africa, Colombia and others have recently adopted a more combative approach towards drugmakers, pushing back on policies that deny treatment to millions of people with tuberculosis and HIV.
Biden declares emergency over lead in water in US Virgin Islands
President Joe Biden declared an emergency over lead-in-water contamination in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this week after tests on St. Croix revealed levels more than 100 times the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency – among the worst results a U.S. community has seen in decades.
Michigan school shooting survivor heals with surgery, a trusted horse and a chance to tell her story
A 19-year-old college student who has survived two deadly mass school shootings in Michigan says things are looking up, but she remains dismayed by continued gun violence in the U.S. Kylie Ossege was shot and temporarily paralyzed when an armed classmate attacked Oxford High School in 2021.
The world's first gene therapy for sickle cell disease has been approved in Britain
Britain’s medicines regulator has authorized the world’s first gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease, in a move that could offer relief to thousands of people with the crippling illness in the U.K. In a statement on Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said it had approved Casgevy, the first medicine licensed using the gene editing tool CRISPR, which won its makers a Nobel prize in 2020.
Barefoot workers and cracked floors were found at a factory that made recalled eyedrops, FDA says
U.S. health inspectors found a host of sanitation and manufacturing problems at an Indian plant that recently recalled eyedrops sold in the U.S. The problems include cracked floors, barefoot workers and manipulated testing records.
Lawyers for religious leaders challenging Missouri abortion ban say law imposes beliefs on everyone
Lawyers for a group of religious leaders who support abortion rights said during a hearing that Missouri lawmakers intended to “impose their religious beliefs on everyone" in the state when they passed a restrictive abortion ban.
FTC warns food industry trade groups and influencers about disclosures on paid social media posts
The Federal Trade Commission says it issued warnings to two food and beverage industry groups, as well as to a dozen online influencers and dieticians for failing to adequately disclose paid social media posts that promoted a sweetener and sugary products.
UK experts recommend chickenpox shot for kids for the first time, decades after other countries
An expert scientific committee advising the British government recommended for the first time Tuesday that children should be immunized with the chickenpox vaccine — decades after the shots were made widely available in other countries, including the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Internal documents show the World Health Organization paid sexual abuse victims in Congo $250 each
Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press show that the World Health Organization has paid $250 each to at least 104 women in Congo who say they were sexually abused or exploited by Ebola outbreak responders.