Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of June 20, 2022–June 24, 2022.
FDA orders all Juul e-cigarette products off U.S. market
The Washington Post (6/23, McGinley) reports Juul “was grounded Thursday by federal regulators who ordered all of its e-cigarette products off the market, a move they blamed on ‘inconsistent and conflicting data’ on safety.” Also, the FDA “said it was denying Juul’s applications to continue selling the company’s e-cigarette device and pre-filled cartridges in menthol and tobacco flavors.” Furthermore, “the agency said the company failed to provide sufficient information proving the products were safe – for people of any age.”
The New York Times (6/23, Richtel, Jacobs) reports, “There was not an imminent health threat to consumers, the FDA said, but it did not have enough evidence to assess the potential risks.”
HPV vaccination rates among U.S. teens increased between 2015 and 2020
HealthDay (6/22, Mozes) reports that more U.S. teens “are getting vaccinated against the human papillomavirus virus (HPV),” according to a study published in Pediatrics. The study found that “between 2015 and 2020...the percentage of 13- to 17-year-olds who had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine steadily increased, rising from 56% to just over 75%.”
MedPage Today (6/22, Ruprecht) says the “rates for those completing the full vaccine series jumped from 40.3% to 59.3%, respectively, reported” researchers.
Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 appear to evade antibody responses
CNN (6/22, Howard) reports “Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 appear to escape antibody responses among both people who had previous COVID-19 infection and those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted, according to” study data published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study author wrote, “We observed 3-fold reductions of neutralizing antibody titers induced by vaccination and infection against BA4 and BA5 compared with BA1 and BA2, which are already substantially lower than the original COVID-19 variants.”
USPSTF issues recommendation against use of beta carotene, vitamins in prevention of CVD, cancer
Healio (6/21, Buzby) reports, “The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation statement against the use of beta carotene or vitamin E supplements for the prevention of” CVD (cardiovascular disease) or cancer. The recommendations “are consistent with those of the 2014 USPSTF recommendation statement on vitamin, mineral and multivitamin supplements for the prevention of CVD and cancer.” The statement says, “The USPSTF again concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of multivitamins and single- or paired-nutrient supplements (except beta carotene and vitamin E) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer. The USPSTF again recommends against the use of beta carotene or vitamin E supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer.”
HealthDay (6/21, Mann) reports, “The recommendations were published online June 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.”
Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for youngest children rolling out in U.S. this week
The AP (6/20, Tanner, Wang) reports, “The nation’s infants, toddlers and preschoolers are finally getting their chance at COVID-19 vaccination as the U.S. rolls out shots for tots this week.” The FDA “greenlighted the Moderna and Pfizer kid shots on Friday and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them Saturday.” The authorization makes the vaccine available to “roughly 18 million youngsters under 5.” The Biden Administration “hailed the moment,” though it “also acknowledged that getting some parents on board may be a challenge given disappointing vaccination rates – about 30% – in school-age kids.” According to the AP, the American Medical Association was “among physician groups that encouraged doctors and families to get young children vaccinated.”
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