Vanda Pharmaceuticals Wins FDA Approval for New Motion Sickness Drug After Four Decades 
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk Battle for India’s Fast-Growing Obesity Drug Market 
UAE Plans Temporary Housing Complex for Displaced Palestinians in Southern Gaza 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
California Jury Awards $40 Million in Johnson & Johnson Talc Cancer Lawsuit 
Sanofi Reports Positive Late-Stage Results for Amlitelimab in Eczema Treatment 
U.S. Vaccine Policy Shifts Under RFK Jr. Create Uncertainty for Pharma and Investors 
Royalty Pharma Stock Rises After Acquiring Full Evrysdi Royalty Rights from PTC Therapeutics 
Federal Judge Restores Funding for Gateway Rail Tunnel Project 
Trump Rejects Putin’s New START Extension Offer, Raising Fears of a New Nuclear Arms Race 
Trump Signs “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” to Prioritize U.S. Weapons Sales 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Viking Therapeutics Sees Growing Strategic Interest in $150 Billion Weight-Loss Drug Market 
Marco Rubio Steps Down as Acting U.S. Archivist Amid Federal Law Limits 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
A panel of independent U.S. vaccine experts has announced plans to review the long-standing recommendation for administering the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The Vaccine Integrity Project, an organization focused on ensuring vaccine safety and efficacy, said it expects to complete its review by early December. The move follows a decision by a federal advisory committee under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to delay a vote on whether to postpone the first hepatitis B dose for newborns of mothers who test negative for the virus.
The review will analyze decades of scientific research on the safety, effectiveness, and public health outcomes of administering the hepatitis B vaccine within the first 24 hours of life. It will also evaluate the potential risks of delaying the vaccine, including missed opportunities for immunization due to incomplete maternal screening or lack of follow-up.
Currently, the CDC and World Health Organization recommend that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine shortly after birth to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Data show that infants infected at birth or within their first year face up to a 90% chance of developing chronic hepatitis B, which can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer later in life.
The discussion has gained political attention after President Donald Trump questioned the necessity of giving the vaccine at birth, suggesting instead that it could be delayed until age 12, citing its transmission through sexual contact. However, health experts emphasize that perinatal infection remains a significant transmission route.
Since the introduction of widespread vaccination, hepatitis B infection rates in the United States have dropped by nearly 90%, from about 9.6 per 100,000 people before the vaccine program began to around one per 100,000 in 2018. Currently, six hepatitis vaccines are approved for use in the U.S., continuing to play a vital role in reducing the disease’s prevalence and protecting future generations.
