COVID-19 deaths have fallen significantly over the last nine months, but the world must remain vigilant as new subvariants spread, the World Health Organization's top official said Nov. 9. Last week, about 9,400 deaths were reported globally, down nearly 90 percent from February, when the weekly death toll topped 75,000, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD. "We have come a long way, and this is definitely cause for optimism, but we continue to call on all governments, communities and individuals to remain vigilant," he said. "Almost 10,000 deaths a week is 10,000 too many, for a disease that can be prevented and treated." Dr. Tedros' call for vigilance comes as omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — dubbed 'escape variants' for [...]

The Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) has recognized four pharmacy leaders in Michigan with prestigious distinctions for notable contributions to their field Lama Hsaiky, Pharm.D., BCPS, of Bloomfield Hills, has received the 2022 MSHP Joseph A. Oddis Leadership Award for her ongoing support of the Society and the pharmacy profession and her continual work to develop future pharmacists and healthcare professionals of tomorrow. Nada M. Farhat, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCACP, of Dearborn, has been named the 2022 MSHP Pharmacist of the Year for her outstanding achievements and for leadership that embodies a model for other healthcare professionals to follow. The Henry Ford Health (HFH) Pharmacy Department in Detroit has received the 2022 MSHP President’s Award for its role in preventing gaps in care at discharge. Amber Lanae Martirosov, [...]

New CDC surveillance data show there have been more than 880,000 influenza infections nationwide so far this season, including 6,900 hospitalizations and 360 deaths, making for an unusually early and brutal cycle. The burden of influenza has not reached the current level in more than a decade. "The data are ominous," remarks William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University. "Not only is flu early, it also looks very severe." The troubling trend is even more concerning, he adds, considering that influenza vaccinations are trailing where they usually are at this point. According to CDC, an estimated 128 million doses have been administered so far, off from 139 million a year earlier. "That makes me doubly worried," says [...]

The Biden administration on Thursday extended the nation’s COVID-19 public health emergency for the next 90 days as officials brace for a potential surge of infections over the winter. The declaration comes as daily deaths and case rates have been falling, though the U.S. continues to see more than 300 people dying due to COVID-19 each day. White House health officials have been urging people to get the updated variant-specific COVID-19 vaccine, and have said the extent of any surge depends on the precautions people take and the vaccination rates. “If you are up to date with your vaccines and if you get treated, if you have a breakthrough infection, your risk of dying from COVID is now close to zero,” White [...]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed a shortage of the medication commonly referred to by the brand name Adderall. “FDA is in frequent communication with all manufacturers of amphetamine mixed salts, and one of those companies, Teva, is experiencing ongoing intermittent manufacturing delays,” the FDA said in a statement on Wednesday. “Other manufacturers continue to produce amphetamine mixed salts, but there is not sufficient supply to continue to meet U.S. market demand through those producers.” Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. in a statement to USA TODAY said it has "active supply of both branded Adderall and its generic version and continues to produce and refill the channel regularly at levels above historical demand." "It is possible that some people may encounter a [...]