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Swine Flu
Much of the influenza virus in the U.S. has mutated and this year's vaccine doesn't provide good protection against it, NBC News reports.
Ben Cowling, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong says that the fight against flu is far from over as a numbers of risks remain.
All three of the nation's largest drugstore chains—CVS Caremark, Walgreen and Rite Aid—as well as Target are making a big bets that they will be able to draw shoppers with their flu vaccination programs.
When I went to the FDA's Web site today I was surprised to see on the homepage a link to a letter written by Commissioner Dr. Peggy Hamburg. It's addressed to "Dear Healthcare Professional" aka a "Dear Doctor letter." That's a common type of communication from the agency and/or companies to the medical community, usually when they've got bad news to pass along about a drug or device. It's pretty rare for the commish to write one.
Stacy and Clinton definitely had nothing to do with it, but Sanofi-Pasteur (the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis) greets visitors with a "What Not To Wear" brochure.
It appears the federal government wants people to get the H1N1 flu vaccine this winter, though it would be nice if there were actually enough doses available. I say "it appears" the government wants us to get vaccinated, but I'm not sure.
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the handful of drug companies on the front lines of the fight against the flu. In fact, it is the only company that has products on both sides. GSK makes a vaccine and an antiviral. In the third quarter, GSK today reported that it sold nearly $300 million worth of the inhalable flu-fighter Relenza. That’s a more than 10-fold increase from a year ago. And CEO Andrew Witty reportedly forecast around $1.6 billion worth of flu shot sales in the fourth quarter.
Swiss drug giant Novartis says it has redeployed 300 workers from other divisions into its vaccines unit to meet what Chairman and CEO Dr. Daniel Vasella calls the "huge demand" for H1N1 shots.
My 17-year-old son had the H1N1 virus. My 19-year-old daughter probably had it too, but we don't know for sure. I thought I might blog about the experience to better inform people about how the virus works, at least in our case.
This Friday the CDC is expected to start giving weekly updates on where and how much H1N1 vaccine has been shipped. I'm curious what the demand will truly turn out to be. Some people are growing concerned about the increasing number of pediatric deaths from H1N1 and may rush to get their kids and themselves vaccinated. Others are afraid of or paranoid about the vaccine.
Yesterday and today thousands of kids and healthcare workers around the country started getting AstraZeneca's H1N1 FluMist, the vaccine that's sprayed into the nose. The first shots from Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis may be available later this week. GlaxoSmithKline and Baxter are still waiting for the FDA to approve their vaccines.
Healthcare workers in Indiana and Tennessee will be among the first to get swine flu vaccines in the United States Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Major US companies are bracing for a potentially stronger strain of swine flu this year that could threaten the nation's already fragile economic recovery.
Plus, Cramer reiterates one of his swine-flu plays.
It's a ubiquitous French tradition, as familiar as a baguette or an espresso at the neighborhood cafe. Now, "la bise," the cheek-to-cheek peck that the French use to say hello or goodbye, has come under pressure from a globalized threat: swine flu.
Events surrounding swine flu are unfolding rapidly. With so many new developments what's the trade?
A full-blown swine flu pandemic hitting the UK could see one in four employees forced to stay home at a cost of 1.5 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) each day, new research suggests.
Come October, markets could be well and truly be in an upswing, said Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy at AMP Capital Investors. He tells CNBC how he's gearing up for the pick up and where the opportunities lie against the backdrop of positive economic data.
As flu season goes into high gear in the southern hemisphere, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security is preparing for a potential flu outbreak in the United States, according to its top official.
More than two months into the swine flu outbreak, the H1N1 virus has infected over 70,000 people and taken some 300 lives. While H1N1 is highly infectious, it isn't as virulent as other flu strains such as H5N1, otherwise known as bird flu. However, it can potentially inflict grievous hurt on one's investments.
