House byline
Health correspondent
Michael Patel is a house byline for InfoHandle’s Health desk.
CVS and Walgreens are steering adults 65 and older toward high-dose and adjuvanted flu formulas as CDC keeps urging September–October shots before holiday travel, with all three vaccine strains updated for 2026–27.
Krasnyi Oktyabr recalled Starfish cold-smoked seafood trio sold in six states after New York inspectors detected Listeria—check your freezer for lot D139149161-153.
Medicare trustees project a $209.50 standard Part B premium for 2027, up $6.60 from 2026, while one-time $90 rebate checks reach original Medicare households this month—net cash depends on how CMS sets final premiums in November.
Aid workers say North Kivu now accounts for about 40 percent of new Bundibugyo-virus cases as security and staffing gaps leave patients without coordinated care.
Nova Biomedical's StatStrip hospital glucose meters can attach readings to the wrong patient chart after a barcode scan, the FDA says — a software flaw linked to inappropriate insulin dosing in at least one U.S. case.
Eden Brothers recalled Calabrese broccoli seeds in packet, one-ounce and one-pound sizes after supplier lot W4105 tested positive for Salmonella; products sold on EdenBrothers.com and Amazon from July through late September.
Sterling Pharmaceutical Services expanded a voluntary recall to 747,844 bottles of Walgreens, AvKare, and store-brand lubricating drops after FDA staff flagged uncertain sterility.
Health officials traced a Kenyan citizen from Congo through Uganda into Nairobi, listed 28 contacts and are chasing fellow passengers after the country's first Bundibugyo virus death.
Greenwich Rx recalled compounded glutathione vials sold nationwide after endotoxin tests flagged lots linked to two emergency-room visits, the FDA posted October 1.
Reporters and clinics say Vaccines.gov’s ZIP search still errors on valid codes; flu shots remain available at pharmacies, but you may need VaccineFinder or a direct call until HHS restores the federal locator.
Washington says it is tracking reports of a fatal pneumonia case tied to a Siberian plague-research institute, while Moscow insists there was no lab accident and no wider outbreak.
Stewart’s Shops recalled two half-gallon ice cream flavors sold in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire after a customer found metal in a carton bought between mid-July and Oct. 2.
The FDA posted an October 2 recall for Great Value and Trader Joe’s organic berry products after supplier testing flagged E. coli O145:H28 in frozen fruit sold nationwide.
Gias Foods recalled all lots of Bettergoods lemon alfredo fettuccine sold at Walmart after state labs detected Listeria; consumers should return bags for a refund.
CMS projects the weighted average Medicare Advantage premium will fall to $12 a month in 2027, giving beneficiaries two weeks to line up plan documents before open enrollment starts October 15.
CVS Caremark adds Zepbound to commercial templates Oct. 1, but only employers that elect obesity coverage benefit—while Lilly’s supply dashboard shows all doses available with local pharmacy delays.
Mezzetta recalled 32-ounce Golden Greek Peperoncini jars from lot 720106 after a social media video showed a pest contaminant; the company says no illnesses have been reported.
The FDA tied Sierra Nevada Graziers raw milk cheeses to a 13-state E. coli O26:H11 outbreak with eight hospitalizations and three cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome; all lots are recalled.
Otsuka ICU Medical recalled one lot of 0.9% sodium chloride IV bags after a customer found a potassium chloride vial inside a saline overwrap—a mix-up FDA says could cause fatal arrhythmias in vulnerable patients.
WHO confirms Bundibugyo Ebola in Sud Ubangi and Haut-Uélé as DRC’s confirmed tally reaches 7,890, with Ituri improving while North Kivu cases double.
A 100% duty on patented pharmaceuticals and their ingredients starts Sept. 29 for companies outside the Annex III exemptions, while generics are carved out. Most U.S. prescriptions are generics, so here is the one call worth making before Monday.
Medicare's annual enrollment window opens Oct. 15. Fraud advisories say the calls arriving ahead of it — spoofed numbers, card requests, manufactured urgency — are the ones to hang up on.
HHS reopened compliance reviews on nine drugmaker most-favored-nation pledges as CMS began shipping Medicare open-enrollment comparison kits to seniors, inserting MFN talking points into mailed plan materials even though January pharmacy prices may still reflect 2026 bids filed before pledge details landed.
WHO emergency director Marie Roseline Belizaire said Wednesday the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak remains uncontrolled, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths as North Kivu logged a 73 percent rise in infections between August 31 and September 20 while Ituri fell 26 percent.
Vice President JD Vance said a White House fraud task force canceled roughly 315,000 Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollments covering about 760,000 people and ordered extra verification on another 419,000 accounts, claiming $2.2 billion in blocked subsidies while pausing new broker sign-ups for six months.
The FDA cleared an updated nirsevimab labeling and lot-release pathway for infant RSV immunization ahead of winter ordering, letting hospitals and pediatric groups place bulk cold-chain orders without waiting on ad hoc compassionate-use paperwork.
Congress ordered hospitals to publish prices so Americans could shop for care — yet the number on the website is almost never the number on the bill.
CDC clinical guidance now treats updated COVID-19 doses as recommended for nursing home staff who share air with high-risk residents, pushing operators to schedule September clinics before influenza co-administration windows compress pharmacy bandwidth.
The National Health Insurance Administration told contracted clinics to extend evening hours through the Mid-Autumn break as free seasonal flu vaccines drew long lines at Taipei and New Taipei community health centers.
Chiba prefectural hospitals extended emergency shifts and diverted ambulances as Typhoon Dujuan injuries collided with more than 55,000 household outages, forcing wards to run on generators and postpone elective procedures.
HHS says nine manufacturers have signed most-favored-nation pricing pledges as Medicare Advantage and Part D open enrollment nears, but patient advocates warn the deals still leave employer plans and cash payers outside the frame.