The drugmaker Moderna said on Wednesday that it would soon begin testing its coronavirus vaccine in children aged 12 years through 17 years. The study is to include 3,000 children, with one-half receiving two shots of vaccine 4 weeks apart, and one-half getting placebo shots of salt water. The…

The new coronavirus infected people in the United States in mid-December 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier than public health authorities found the first U.S. case, according to a new government study. The findings significantly strengthen…

Baxter Healthcare announced a recall of the Baxter Healthcare Sigma Spectrum Infusion Pumps with Master Drug Library (versions 6 and 8) and the Baxter Spectrum IQ Infusion Systems with Dose IQ Safety Software (version 9) due to unplanned shutdown issues. According to Baxter, improper cleaning of…

Members of Spain's BCN-PEP-CoV2 Research Group conducted a study to examine the use of hydroxychloroquine as a postexposure therapy to prevent COVID-19. They conducted an open-label, cluster-randomized trial involving asymptomatic contacts of patients with polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR)–…

Physicians are diagnosing some long-term COVID-19 patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that can have a variety of causes. A frequent trigger for POTS is an infection, such as by a virus. Experts say protocols and treatments for…

Drugmaker Merck said on Wednesday it has sold its equity investment in Moderna, after benefiting from a surge in the stock price of the vaccine developer this year. Merck did not disclose the details of the sale proceeds, but said it expects to record a small gain from the sale in the fourth…

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it would sell rights to its erstwhile blockbuster cholesterol drug, rosuvastatin calcium (Crestor), to German pharmaceutical company Gruenenthal for an upfront payment of $320 million. AstraZeneca, which is among the front-runners in the race to develop a vaccine for the…

A new survey from STAT and The Harris Poll found that 6 in 10 Americans said they are somewhat or very likely to get a coronavirus vaccine if doing so would reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 by roughly one-half. Moreover, the poll suggests that more Americans are likely to get a vaccine,…

Despite increasing pressure from President Donald Trump to speed up the process to authorize COVID-19 vaccines, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, said the agency would take the time needed to "get this right." Hahn said the FDA will thoroughly review each vaccine before making it available to the…

The Trump administration has so far had no comment on Canada's decision to block U.S. imports of certain prescription drugs from north of the border. Health Minister Patty Hajdu on November 28 prohibited bulk drug exports if they pose a risk of creating or worsening drug shortages in the Canadian…