Merck, which was founded in 1891, has been in the vaccine business for more than 100 years, having developed some of the world’s most well-known vaccines, including those for mumps, hepatitis A and chickenpox. In 2019, it was the first company to win approval from the Food and Drug Administration for an Ebola vaccine. When…
A year into the pandemic, the disposable, virus-filtering N95 mask remains a coveted piece of protective gear. Continuing shortages have forced doctors and nurses to reuse their N95s, and ordinary Americans have scoured the internet — mostly in vain — to get them. But Luis Arguello Jr. has plenty of N95s for sale — 30…
Federal health officials on Wednesday urged Americans to keep their masks on and take steps to make them fit more snugly — or even to layer a cloth covering over a surgical mask — saying that new research had shown that masks greatly reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Recent laboratory experiments found that viral…
For the first time, a drug has been shown so effective against obesity that patients may dodge many of its worst consequences, including diabetes, researchers reported on Wednesday. The drug, semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk, already is marketed as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. In a clinical trial published in the New England Journal…
Despite their eagerness to participate, only one of five primary care physicians said they were giving the vaccine to their patients, according to a survey conducted in mid-January by the Larry A. Green Center with the Primary Care Collaborative, a nonprofit. Given the widespread shortages of supply, many could not get the vaccine, and a…
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here. Helen Etuk dreamed of becoming a pediatrician. A senior in college, she loved children and planned to dedicate herself to giving them healthy lives. And because she was raised by a single mother, Ms. Etuk…
The sun broke through the cream-colored blinds at my mother’s New Jersey home. I felt its warmth on my face before throwing my body weight to one side, trying once again to roll and push up to sit. I hoped the sudden movement would give me some momentum, but it wasn’t enough and I rolled…
During his day shift at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Anthony Scarpone-Lambert steps into a patient’s room. The lights are off, but he knows he has to change the IV without disturbing the patient. He has two choices: turn on the overhead lights or attempt to use some sort of hand-held light to…
Much of this research came from the mind and laboratory of Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary anatomy at Harvard University and author of the new book “Exercised,” which delves into exercise and evolution. At first, most of his and other scientists’ work related to evolution and running centered on lower bodies, since legs…
In an unusual display of unity, groups representing nearly all the major players in the American health care system — hospitals, doctors, insurance companies and employers — are joining forces to urge Congress to embrace President Biden’s broad vision of building on the Affordable Care Act to reach the long elusive goal of universal coverage.…