WHO clears China's CanSino COVID vaccine for emergency use
GENEVA — (AP) — The World Health Organization said Thursday that it has granted an emergency use authorization for the coronavirus vaccine made by China's CanSino Biologics, the 11th such shot to receive the green light. The U.N. health agency said the single-dose CanSino vaccine was found to be about 92% effective against severe COVID-19 and 64% effective in preventing people from getting symptoms of the disease. WHO's expert vaccine group recommended the vaccine for everyone age 18 and over. The CanSino vaccine uses a harmless virus called an adenovirus to deliver the spike protein of the coronavirus into the body, which then prompts an immune response. The technology is similar to vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, which use different adenoviruses.
wftv.comBaltimore vaccine maker hid potential problem, House report says
Cross-contamination of coronavirus vaccines being made for Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca was discovered in March 2021. The company had more than $1.3 billion worth of contracts from the federal government and from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca to make the vaccines. The hold tags indicated a potential quality problem with the vaccine in the containers, the House panel found. After discovery of cross-contamination, the Biden administration suspended the plant’s production of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April and permanently halted production of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the plant. But even after the restart in August, problems continued, according to the House report.
washingtonpost.comCoronavirus: FDA limits Johnson & Johnson vaccine to adults over blood clot risks
Vaccines limited: The use of COVID-19 vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson are now limited to patients who cannot take other coronavirus shots. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)The use of Johnson & Johnson vaccines for COVID-19 has been limited to adults who cannot receive other coronavirus shots, U.S. regulators said Thursday. The agency cited a rare but serious risk of blood clots for strictly limiting who can receive the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, The Associated Press reported. Today, we limited the authorized use of the Janssen #COVID19 Vaccine to those 18+ for whom other auth/approved vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate, & to those who elect Janssen because they would otherwise not receive a COVID vaccine. https://t.co/L9JUsP67Pm pic.twitter.com/HvHiIDqJKZ — U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) May 5, 2022“We recognize that the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine still has a role in the current pandemic response in the United States and across the global community.
wftv.comFDA restricts J&J's COVID-19 vaccine due to blood clot risk
Virus Outbreak J And J Vaccine FILE - Vials of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine are seen at a pharmacy in Denver on Saturday, March 6, 2021. On Thursday, May 5, 2022, U.S. regulators strictly limited who can receive this vaccine due to a rare but serious risk of blood clots. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) (David Zalubowski)WASHINGTON — (AP) — U.S. regulators on Thursday strictly limited who can receive Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine due to a rare but serious risk of blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration said the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&J's vaccine. But follow-up studies have consistently shown lower effectiveness for J&J's vaccine.
wftv.comJudge lets Tulsa Race Massacre reparations lawsuit proceed
OKLAHOMA CITY — (AP) — An Oklahoma judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit can proceed that seeks reparations for survivors and descendants of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons filed the lawsuit in 2020 under the state's public nuisance law. Eric Miller, a Loyola Marymount University law professor working with the plaintiffs, said the state court's ruling in the Johnson & Johnson has no effect on the lawsuit. Other defendants include the Tulsa County Board of County Commissioners, Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, Tulsa County Sheriff and the Oklahoma Military Department. The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages and calls for creation of a hospital in north Tulsa, in addition to mental health and education programs and a Tulsa Massacre Victims Compensation Fund.
wftv.comStocks rise broadly as tech reverses course and rallies
Financial Markets Wall Street FILE - A Wall Street sign is shown in the Financial District, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in the Manhattan borough of New York. Stocks are opening mostly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, April 19, 2022, as more earnings reports from big companies roll in. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) (John Minchillo)NEW YORK — (AP) — Stocks rose broadly in afternoon trading on Wall Street Tuesday as technology stocks rallied following a weak start. Railroad giant CSX will report earnings on Wednesday, along with Tesla. The Fed has already announced a quarter-percentage point rate hike and Wall Street expects a half-percentage rate hike at its next meeting.
wftv.comStocks rise as Wall Street reviews latest company earnings
Financial Markets Wall Street FILE - A Wall Street sign is shown in the Financial District, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in the Manhattan borough of New York. Stocks are opening mostly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, April 19, 2022, as more earnings reports from big companies roll in. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) (John Minchillo)NEW YORK — (AP) — Stocks rose in morning trading on Wall Street Tuesday as investors continue reviewing earnings reports from big companies. Wall Street is increasingly focusing on the latest round of corporate report cards as more big companies release earnings. The Fed has already announced a quarter-percentage point rate hike and Wall Street expects a half-percentage rate hike at its next meeting.
wftv.comStocks open higher, but tech weakness holds gains in check
Financial Markets Wall Street FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is seen in New York on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Stocks are mixed in the early going on Wall Street Monday, April 18, 2022, as traders get back to work after a holiday weekend. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) (Seth Wenig)NEW YORK — (AP) — Stocks are opening mostly higher on Wall Street Tuesday as more earnings reports from big companies roll in. Banks were higher as Treasury yields continued to rise, which allows banks to charge higher interest rates on loans. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.7% to 26,985.09 and the Kospi in Seoul added 1% to 2,718.89.
wftv.comJ&J suspends COVID-19 vaccine sales forecast
Johnson & Johnson-COVID-19 Vaccine FILE - The Johnson & Johnson logo appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, July 12, 2021. Johnson & Johnson is suspending sales forecasts for its COVID-19 vaccine only a few months after saying the shot could bring in as much as $3.5 billion this year. J&J’s one-shot vaccine brought in $457 million in global sales during the first quarter, with most of that coming from outside the United States. Vaccine sales are a small part of the total revenue picture for Johnson & Johnson, which also sells medical devices, consumer health products like Band Aids and a range of pharmaceuticals, including the cancer treatment Darzalex. Shares of New Brunswick, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson, which is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, slipped less than 1% to $176.49 before markets opened Tuesday.
wftv.comJ&J lowers 2022 revenue and earnings expectations, stops giving Covid vaccine sales guidance
Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday lowered its full-year sales and earnings outlook, and stopped providing Covid-19 vaccine sales guidance due to a global supply surplus and demand uncertainty. J&J is now forecasting 2022 sales of $94.8 billion to $95.8 billion, about one billion dollars lower than the guidance provided in January. J&J reported first-quarter sales of $23.4 billion, slightly missing Wall Street expectations but growing 5% over the same quarter last year. The company's medical devices business grew by 5.9% to $6.97 billion in sales compared to the first quarter of 2021. "Looking ahead, I remain confident in the future of Johnson & Johnson as we continue advancing our portfolio and innovative pipeline."
cnbc.comJ&J's Janssen settles with WVa for $99M in opioid lawsuit
The attorney general said the figure is reflective of the severity of the opioid crisis in West Virginia. The companies are accused of downplaying or failing to mention the risks of addiction associated with opioid use in West Virginia while overstating the prescription drugs' benefits. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson and Janssen said the settlement is not an “admission of liability or wrongdoing” by the company. The money will be used to help communities combat the opioid crisis. Nationwide settlements were completed in February by Johnson & Johnson and distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson over their role in the opioid addiction crisis.
wftv.comJ&J's Janssen settles with WVa for $99M in opioid lawsuit
West Virginia will receive $99 million in a settlement finalized with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. The state filed a lawsuit accusing the drugmaker of contributing to the opioid crisis in the state that's led the nation in overdose deaths.
Appeals court: J&J must pay $302M in pelvic mesh case
Johnson & Johnson Pelvic Mesh FILE - In this July 30, 2013, photo, large banners hang in an atrium at the headquarters of Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J. A California appeals court on Monday, April 11, 2022, has ruled Johnson & Johnson must pay $302 million in penalties to the state for deceptively marketing pelvic mesh implants for women. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File) (Mel Evans)SAN DIEGO — (AP) — A California appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that Johnson & Johnson must pay penalties to the state for deceptively marketing pelvic mesh implants for women, but reduced the amount by $42 million to $302 million. Johnson & Johnson had appealed in 2020 after Superior Court Judge Eddie Sturgeon assessed the $344 million in penalties against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon. But the appeals court said Sturgeon received ample evidence that Ethicon knowingly deceived both physicians and patients about the risks posed by its products, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Ryan Carbain, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson, told the Chronicle that the company would appeal the appeals court ruling to the state Supreme Court.
wftv.comJohnson & Johnson ordered to pay $302M in pelvic mesh case
Johnson & Johnson Pelvic Mesh FILE - In this July 30, 2013, photo, large banners hang in an atrium at the headquarters of Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J. A California appeals court on Monday, April 11, 2022, has ruled Johnson & Johnson must pay $302 million in penalties to the state for deceptively marketing pelvic mesh implants for women. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File) (Mel Evans)SAN DIEGO — (AP) — A California appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that Johnson & Johnson must pay penalties to the state for deceptively marketing pelvic mesh implants for women, but reduced the amount by $42 million to $302 million. Johnson & Johnson had appealed in 2020 after Superior Court Judge Eddie Sturgeon assessed the $344 million in penalties against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon. Ryan Carbain, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson, told the Chronicle that the company would appeal the appeals court ruling to the state Supreme Court. Johnson & Johnson, the world’s biggest maker of health care products, is contesting other lawsuits over drug side effects, its role in the U.S. opioid epidemic and allegations its baby powder caused cancer in some users.
wftv.comEXPLAINER: Where do US opioid trials, settlements stand?
Opioid Crisis Explainer FILE - Signs are displayed at a tent during a health event on June 26, 2021, in Charleston, W.Va. OTHER DRUGMAKERSIn a major court victory for drugmakers last year, a California judge ruled against some local governments in their case against pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson, Endo International and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Some of those drugmakers — Johnson & Johnson, Allergan and Teva — are now on trial in West Virginia. Late last year, a New York jury found Teva partly responsible for the state's opioid crisis through its marketing of the fentanyl drugs Actiq and Fentora. Unlike the tobacco settlements of the 1990s, there are safeguards intended to steer most of the opioid settlement funds to addressing the crisis.
wftv.comWVa trial expert: Drug makers downplayed risks in marketing
Opioid Trial West Virginia FILE - Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, is shown at the White House, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Washington. The bench trial began Monday in the state's case against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., AbbVie Inc.’s Allergan and their family of companies. He was confirmed last fall by the U.S. Senate as the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. His testimony was recorded before he was named to his White House position. West Virginia long has led the nation in the rate of drug overdose deaths.
wftv.comTrial begins in West Virginia lawsuit against opioid makers
The bench trial started in Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., Allergan and their family of companies. The defendants are accused of engaging in strategic campaigns to deceive prescribers, which led to opioids becoming a common treatment for chronic pain and fueled substance abuse in West Virginia. The lawsuit alleges violations of the state Consumer Credit and Protection Act and accuses the companies of causing a public nuisance. Morrisey announced last week that the state had reached a $26 million settlement with another defendant, Endo Health Solutions Inc. In Charleston, a separate bench trial wrapped up last summer in federal court in a lawsuit accusing AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson of fueling the opioid crisis in Cabell County and the city of Huntington.
wftv.comCDC: If you got a J&J vaccine, you should consider Pfizer, Moderna booster
J&J vaccine with mRNA booster The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that those who receive one or two shots of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine follow up with a booster of an mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. The study from the CDC that analyzed the results of mix-and-match vaccine-and-booster combinations showed that combining the J&J vaccine with one of the mRNA vaccines provided much stronger protection against severe COVID-19 symptoms than did the one-dose J&J shot with a J&J booster. · Two J&J shots offered 54% effectiveness. · A combination of J&J shot(s) with one mRNA booster offered 79% effectiveness. · Three mRNA shots offered 83% effectiveness.
wftv.comJ&J, distributors finalize $26B landmark opioid settlement
Opioid Crisis Settlement Keith Lewis disposes of used syringes at a needle exchange run by Camden Area Health Education Center in Camden, N.J., Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. New Brunswick, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson has nine years to pay its $5 billion share. In those cases, states used big chunks of the settlement money to fill budget gaps and fund other priorities. The amount sent to each state under the opioid settlement depends on a formula that takes into account the severity of the crisis and the population. ___This story has been corrected with Johnson & Johnson saying it has nine years to pay its share of the settlement, not 10 years.
wftv.comJ&J, distributors finalize $26B landmark opioid settlement
Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson announced the settlement plan last year, but the deal was contingent on getting participation from a critical mass of state and local governments. Kathleen Noonan, CEO of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, said a portion of the settlement money should be used to provide housing to people with addictions who are homeless. New Brunswick, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson has 10 years to pay its $5 billion share. In those cases, states used big chunks of the settlement money to fill budget gaps and fund other priorities. The amount sent to each state under the opioid settlement depends on a formula that takes into account the severity of the crisis and the population.
wftv.comCoronavirus: Johnson & Johnson plant pauses production of COVID-19 vaccine, report says
Johnson & Johnson plant pauses production of COVID-19 vaccine The temporary pause is expected to be lifted in March. LEIDEN, Netherlands — The lone Johnson & Johnson facility currently making usable batches of the company’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine has temporarily halted production in favor of an experimental vaccine targeting an unrelated virus, a report published Tuesday claimed. J&J spokesperson Jake Sargent told CNBC in a statement that the company is “focused on ensuring our vaccine is available where people are in need,” and that it is fulfilling its obligations to the international groups trying to boost access to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the Times report, it has not been determined if the pause has already affected vaccine stockpile levels, but J&J anticipates resuming production at the Leiden facility in March. More coronavirus pandemic coverage:>> Coronavirus: How long between exposure to the virus and the start of symptoms?
wftv.comTribes: Settlement in opioids case will bolster healing
Earlier in the week, Native American tribes across the U.S. settled a lawsuit against drug maker Johnson & Johnson and the largest three drug distribution companies in the U.S. for $590 million. Tribes settled with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the three largest U.S. drug distribution companies this week for $590 million. Each of the 574 federally recognized tribes are eligible for a share of the settlement money made public Tuesday. It's unclear how quickly the money would flow to tribes, but it won't much and not until 95% of tribes and tribal organizations that sued agree to the settlement. Tribes have turned to wellness or healing centers to treat those with opioid addictions, their families and the larger community.
wftv.comReport: US cancels vaccine maker’s multimillion dollar deal
The federal government has canceled a multimillion dollar deal with Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland- based vaccine manufacturer with facilities in Baltimore that were found to have produced millions of contaminated vaccine doses this spring.