By Fatima Mirza
- Officials are considering using an unapproved vaccine at Princeton to contain a campus outbreak of meningitis. The FDA approved importing Bexsero, the only vaccine used against type B meningococcal bacteria.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics is pushing to limit antibiotic use in children. The initiative is being taken in part to address the concern of the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacterials strains.
- GlaxoSmithKlin PLC and Theravance Inc, two pharmaceutical companies, have received marketing approval from the European Commission for a jointly-developed asthma treatment, Relvar Ellipta. The drug is currently licesnsed in 31 European countries.
- Bill & Melinda Gates and the World Health Organization, among others, have come together to develop technology that is helping Nigeria fight polio. The phone-tracking program follows health workers in real-time to keep records of immunization coverage.
- President Obama has nominated a Harvard Medical School physician to the position of Surgeon General. Dr. Vivek Murthy still faces a senate confirmation process before assuming the position.
- According to the Insurance Journal, the Obama administration has indicated that it is willing to consider Democratic legislation that will halt a proportion of the insurance policy cancellations. The proposal has been put forward by Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu.
- The John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future released a report scolding meat producers for inadequate responses to health and environmental concerns. The findings denounce the industry and the government agencies for not heeding recommendations from a landmark report in 2008.
- In light of a new federal push to eliminate trans fats from food, two developers of genetically modified crops have developed a genetically modified soybean. The product makes the oil longer-lasting, potentially healthier and free of trans fat.
