The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, rising fuel costs, manufacturing concerns and the ripple of other global events have led to supply chain issues across the world that, in the United States, has been most recently highlighted by a shortage of baby formula.

U.S. House Democrats on May 17 unveiled a bill to provide $28 million in emergency funds to the Food and Drug Administration to help the regulatory agency respond to a nationwide shortage of infant formula and strengthen supervision of the industry.

Top baby formula makers Reckitt Benckiser and Nestle ramped up supplies to the United States to resolve a shortage that has emptied shelves and caused panic among parents. Leading U.S. manufacturer Abbott Laboratories on May 16 announced an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to resume production of baby formula at the company’s Michigan plant, marking a major step towards resolving the nationwide shortage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Phathom Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Voquezna Triple Pak (vonoprazan tablets, amoxicillin capsules, clarithromycin tablets) and Voquezna Dual Pak (vonoprazan tablets, amoxicillin capsules) for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults.

Building on the success of its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, Moderna, Inc. is partnering with the nonprofit scientific research organization IAVI to develop treatments and vaccines against global health threats.

Merck & Co. logo sign

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act date for Merck’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Vaxneuvance, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine intended for preventative use in infants and children.

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is causing a dramatic rise in cases of croup, a dangerous respiratory condition usually seen in babies and toddlers, new data suggest. Additionally, new research sheds light on how a tuberculosis vaccine might help protect against COVID-19.

Venatorx Pharmaceuticals shared that the company’s Phase III trial on the investigational treatment for complicated urinary tract infections in adults delivered positive outcomes. 

Pfizer Inc. said on March 1 the company’s vaccine to prevent infections from a bacteria that mainly spreads through hospitals and doctors’ offices and can even prove fatal, failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage study.

Researchers at Emory investigated the use of an FDA-approved ADHD medication on patients with mild Alzheimer’s symptoms and found it appeared to reduce levels of tau.