US FDA advises COVID vaccine makers to develop shots aimed at XBB.1.5 variant

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday it has advised manufacturers that are updating their COVID-19 vaccines to develop monovalent shots to target the XBB.1.5 subvariant. So-called monovalent, or single-target vaccines, would be a change from the most recent bivalent COVID boosters that targeted both the original and Omicron strains…

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Humana joins UnitedHealth in flagging cost hit from rising surgeries

By Manas Mishra and Leroy Leo (Reuters) – Humana Inc on Friday joined larger health insurer UnitedHealth in warning of a jump in medical costs this year due to higher-than-expected demand for surgeries and other medical procedures. Pandemic-driven restrictions and hospital staffing shortages had led to long delays in elective procedures such as hip and…

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Pope Francis leaves hospital ‘in better shape than before’

By Philip Pullella and Cristiano Corvino ROME (Reuters) -Pope Francis was discharged from hospital on Friday morning, nine days after surgery to repair an abdominal hernia, and his doctor said he was stronger than before. The 86-year-old pontiff left Rome’s Gemelli hospital in a wheelchair, smiling and waving to reporters and well-wishers at the main…

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Analysis-Biden’s IRA climate bill won’t cut deficit as expected

By Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) – When President Joe Biden signed his signature Inflation Reduction Act last August, he hailed the collection of green energy tax credits as a major victory for climate change, and flagged “another win” for the American people: cutting the deficit. “We’re cutting the deficit to fight inflation by having the wealthy…

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FDA advisers back updated COVID vaccine targeting dominant variant

By Bhanvi Satija and Sriparna Roy (Reuters) – Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday unanimously recommended that updated COVID-19 shots being developed for a fall vaccination campaign target one of the currently dominant XBB coronavirus variants. The panel voted 21-0 in favor of XBB-targeted shots, and the committee’s discussion indicated that…

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U.S. House Republicans target deeper spending cuts, raising shutdown threat

By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans in the U.S House of Representatives on Thursday adopted government spending targets for the next fiscal year below the level agreed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democratic President Joe Biden, setting up a fight with the Democratic-led Senate that could again risk a government shutdown. The House Appropriations…

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Bayer reaches $6.9 million settlement with New York over Roundup safety claims

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -Bayer AG agreed on Thursday to pay $6.9 million to settle claims by New York Attorney General Letitia James that it misled consumers by advertising Roundup weedkiller, which has been linked to cancer, as environmentally safe. The settlement resolves accusations that Bayer and its Monsanto unit failed to substantiate…

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