A new study suggests that some older adults may be taking medication that interacts with Pfizer’s nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) COVID-19 antiviral. The drug has been approved for early outpatient treatment of COVID-19 to prevent severe disease.

FDA has received reports of hundreds of thousands of serious adverse events associated with fluoroquinolones from more than 60,000 patients since the 1980s. The most frequent adverse effects include tendon rupture and neurological and psychiatric symptoms. However, experts estimate that only a small fraction of such events are reported to FDA.

CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, adopted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation to preferentially recommend the use of specific influenza vaccines for adults aged 65 years and older, including higher-dose and adjuvanted influenza vaccines.

On Monday, FDA issued a proposed rule aimed at expanding the range of marketed nonprescription drugs available to consumers. The Nonprescription Drug Product with an Additional Condition for Nonprescription Use rule seeks to empower consumers to self-treat certain common conditions and improve public health.

The U.S. House of Representative has passed a broad bipartisan mental health and substance use disorder package known as the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 (H.R. 7666).