“Universal Flu Vaccine” Unveiled by DHHS
On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced plans to develop a universal influenza vaccine that would eliminate the need for annual flu shots and offer protection against other pandemic influenza threats, including bird flu and respiratory disease caused by coronaviruses. The initiative, called “Generation Gold Standard,” will cost […]
NIH Cuts Funding for “Vaccine Hesitancy” Research
Certain areas of research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is being reduced or discontinued with the justification that these areas no longer align with the agency’s current priorities. One of the areas in which funding will be cut is millions of dollars in NIH grants for studying vaccine hesitancy and strategies […]
Pfizer Settles Anti-Kickback Violation Claims for Nearly $60 Million
Pfizer, Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has paid almost $60 million dollars to settle claims that the pharmaceutical giant engaged in a kickback scheme from 2020 through 2022. Biohaven was charged with knowingly causing false claims to be submitted to Medicare and other health care programs, as well as […]
West Virginia on Track to Expand Childhood Vaccine Exemptions
Newly elected West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, within a day of inauguration, issued an executive order1 to establish a process for religious and conscientious objections to state school or state regulated day care center vaccination requirements. This is great news for families in West Virginia who, up to this point, have only had limited medical […]
Alarming Rise in Heart Attack Rates Among Young Adults in U.S.
Heart attacks were once considered a condition primarily affecting older adults, but concerning new data reveals a rise in heart attack cases among healthy young adults. In 2019, approximately 0.3 percent of Americans aged 18-44 years old experienced a heart attack; however, that figure increased to 0.5 percent in 2023, translating to one in every […]
Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Decrease as Vaccine Exemptions Increase
New data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that vaccination rates among U.S. kindergartners averaged about 92 percent for the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines and declined during the 2023-2024 school year, while the percentage of children with vaccine exemptions reached […]