Rapid Tests Recalled; Paxlovid Knockoffs Coming; 2nd Moderna Booster for All Adults?

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The FDA issued Class I recalls — the most serious type — for SD Biosensor’s Standard Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test and Celltrion’s DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test.

A federal judge set an August 1st trial start date for the Justice Department’s lawsuit to block UnitedHealth Group’s $8 billion deal to buy Change Healthcare. (Reuters)

In other legal news, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals announced it is suing and seeking compensation from both Pfizer and Moderna for using its biodegradable lipids in their mRNA vaccines. (Endpoints News)

The U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool said 35 generic drugmakers are gearing up to make cheaper versions of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral antiviral Paxlovid to supply the treatment in poorer countries. (Reuters)

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed there have been “at least 43 attacks on health care” facilities and patients since the start of the war in Ukraine. (Washington Post)

On Thursday, Moderna asked the FDA to okay a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults, a plan that’s broader than Pfizer’s recent request for a booster for all seniors. (AP)

New CDC data reported 19% of U.S. adults used a tobacco product in 2020, a small drop from 2019.

Other CDC data found roughly 105,752 people died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending October 2021, reaching record highs due to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. (CNN)

As of Friday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll was 79,742,036 cases and 973,273 deaths, increases of 37,329 and 1,413, respectively, from the same time yesterday.

However, experts are warning of a possible rise in U.S. cases over the coming weeks with the BA.2 variant. (ABC News)

With this rise in cases, a WHO spokesperson warned that the pandemic is “far from over”, saying “we are definitely in the middle of the pandemic.” (Reuters)

An AstraZeneca exec said the drugmaker would consider dropping plans to submit its COVID-19 vaccine for FDA approval due to the long regulatory process and instead shift focus to other countries. (CNBC)

Most medical debts will be removed from consumers’ credit reports, based on changes planned by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion this year. (Wall Street Journal)

A new bill will help states create crisis response systems for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the mental health emergency line that will be referred to as 988. (NBC News)

A New York union health fund reported that the cost of cesarean-section deliveries can vary greatly across the city: $55,000 at Montefiore versus $30,000 at Mount Sinai Health System, but less than $18,000 at the NYC public Health + Hospitals system. (Bloomberg)

Lawmakers in California voted in favor of making abortions more affordable for people with private health insurance. (ABC News)

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced a bill to Congress that would potentially cancel student loans for frontline healthcare workers and teachers. (Forbes)

Now headed to the state Senate, the Idaho House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would guarantee patients and residents of care facilities be granted visits from a designated caregiver even if other visitors are excluded by the facility. (Idaho Capital Sun)