Demographic Health

An experimental vaccine from Moderna Inc. significantly reduced the risk of a viral respiratory disease among older adults in a large clinical trial, the latest promising sign in drugmakers’ efforts to fight the deadly RSV virus.Based on the results, the Cambridge, Mass., company said Tuesday it would apply in the coming months for U.S. regulatory approval to sell its vaccine against RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus. If regulators approve, it could become available by early…

LAS VEGAS—A head-worn smell generator. Cameras mounted on hummingbird feeders. A plane mask that covers your mouth for quiet phone calls at 30,000 feet. The annual tech confab in Las Vegas is back.  We saw hundreds of gadgets. Some were unproven and many could go sideways, but here’s what intrigued, delighted and puzzled us most in Vegas. Just remember, while you’ll be able to buy some of them in coming months or years, these aren’t recommendations.…

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. is the first major national pharmacy chain to say it plans to dispense the abortion pill under new rules laid out by the Food and Drug Administration. The new rules, issued Tuesday, allow any pharmacy to become certified to dispense mifepristone, the drug that blocks a hormone needed for pregnancy and is FDA-approved for use up to 10 weeks in pregnancy. Until the changes, the agency had allowed only a handful of mail-order…

Clovis Oncology Inc., maker of the ovarian and prostate cancer drug Rubraca, filed for bankruptcy over the weekend with a proposed deal in hand to sell its rights to a cancer therapy under development to Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG . Novartis Innovative Therapies AG has agreed to make an upfront payment of $50 million for Clovis’s clinical candidate, FAP-2286, and could pay an additional $333.75 million if certain development milestones are reached, plus $297 million for subsequent sales…

Trying to have a baby? Trying not to have a baby? There’s now a smartwatch for that—and a smart ring, too.The new Apple Watch Series 8 ($399 and up) and Ultra ($799), as well as the third-generation Oura ring ($299 and up), are modernizing the age-old practice of fertility tracking with advanced temperature sensors. Their accompanying software can detect slight rises in temperature to determine your ovulation, which typically causes an upswing of 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit. This is the time of month you’re most likely to…

An experimental vaccine from Pfizer Inc. significantly reduced the risk of infants developing severe cases of a respiratory virus that kills hundreds of children each year, according to the company.Among mothers who received the vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus, their infants had an 81.8% lower risk of developing severe lower respiratory tract infections requiring medical attention within three months of birth than infants whose mothers received a placebo, Pfizer said Tuesday.…

Many U.S. households are still struggling to find baby formula, almost a year since supplies thinned on store shelves and eight months after a nationwide recall.Adults in roughly one-third of households with infant children who typically use formula had trouble obtaining it last month, according to a recent survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly one in five of affected households has less than a week of formula on hand, the survey showed. The survey offers one of the most detailed views yet into the…

Michelle Hirschboeck was looking for a way to keep track of her husband, Paul, who has dementia. She settled on something not intended for people: AirTags.Caregivers have turned to Apple’s AAPL -3.22% tiny, $29 tracking devices after finding other methods of monitoring people with dementia aren’t a fit, or are too expensive. Many tracking apps require people to have their phones with them. People with dementia might forget them when they leave the house, say caregivers.…

LONDON– GSK PLC said its experimental vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus sharply reduced the risk of disease in a key trial, paving the way for a contest with Pfizer Inc. in what the companies expect to be a lucrative market.Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common virus that proves deadly for some 14,000 older adults in the U.S. every year. Although identified decades ago, there are no approved vaccines against the virus, which in most people…

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE asked U.S. health regulators to clear use of their updated Covid-19 booster in children 5 years to 11 years.The companies made the request on Monday as retooled shots for people 12 and older roll out across the country. Health authorities people to get the shots to increase protection against the virus in case of fall or winter surges. A decision by the Food and Drug Administration on the request could come before the end of the…