Health News

FDA sign at its headquarters in Washington, D.C.  (Getty Images stock photo/JHVEPhoto) (WASHINGTON) -- The Food and Drug Administration approved on Wednesday a drug that could extend the survival of those with metastatic pancreatic cancer.The drug, called daraxonrasib, will be sold under the brand name Rasonque. The daily pill targets multiple forms of a protein called RAS, which is a main driver of tumor growth.This is a developing story. Please […]

Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine (Getty stock photo/Kittisak Kaewchalun) (NEW YORK) — Two people have died in Pennsylvania from measles, the state health department said Tuesday. Both were unvaccinated.These the first deaths related to measles within the state in 35 years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the first deaths reported this year in the U.S."My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss," […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Federal health officials have been investigating five different clusters of cyclosporiasis cases since the start of parasite season in May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said during a press conference on Monday.Three of those clusters are considered over, acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said. Meanwhile, the largest cluster, linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five states, has seen cases as recently as last week.The […]

(NEW YORK) -- Hospitalizations in Michigan linked to an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a parasite, have surpassed 100, health officials said Friday.So far, 102 people have been hospitalized, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). There are more than 5,000 cases in the state, an increase of nearly 700 since Thursday, officials said.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug […]

A sign for the Food And Drug Administration is seen outside of the headquarters on July 20, 2020 in White Oak, Maryland. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) -- At least 55 people have been sickened in a salmonella and E. coli outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts in 15 states, health officials said Friday.At least 4 people have been hospitalized.The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control […]

(NEW YORK) -- Merck and Moderna announced Wednesday that a personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine succeeded in a large, late-stage trial among high-risk patients with melanoma.The individualized vaccine, when paired with the existing immunotherapy, Keytruda, is the first and only combination regimen that demonstrated success in potentially extending melanoma patients' lifespans.In Phase 3 trials, the regimen significantly reduced the risk of cancer returning or spreading. The trial was conducted among patients […]

(WASHINGTON) -- A confirmation hearing began on Wednesday for Dr. Erica Schwartz to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Schwartz, a formal deputy surgeon general, was nominated by President Donald Trump in April. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, describing Schwartz as "incredibly talented."Schwartz is the fourth person named or nominated as head of the CDC since last summer. If […]

(NEW YORK) -- As Venezuela continues to recover from powerful twin earthquakes that rocked the north-central part of the country in late June, humanitarian organizations are warning of a "dire" situation on the ground.The earthquakes, which officials say killed more than 4,400 people and injured more than 16,000, have displaced thousands of Venezuelans.Aid workers told ABC News that countless people are in need of psychosocial support, in addition to those […]

(NEW YORK) -- A second American citizen infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been transferred to Germany for care, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced over the weekend that the unnamed patient works for a humanitarian aid organization and tested positive for the Bundibugyo virus, the strain of Ebola that is behind the DRC's […]