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In response to continuing US drug shortages, two lawmakers have asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide information on the country's continuing drug shortages. "The FDA is failing to ensure vitally important pharmaceuticals remain on pharmacy shelves," House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky) and Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich) wrote in a letter yesterday to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD. (Van Beusekom, 11/3)

Pfizer’s plunging COVID-19 product demand has spurred a companywide cost-cutting campaign, with nearly 200 jobs now on the chopping block in Michigan. The New York drug giant is cutting roughly 200 positions at its Kalamazoo, Michigan, site following a review of demand for its COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and antiviral Paxlovid, a spokesperson said Friday. (Kansteiner, 11/3)

The Cleveland Clinic’s announcement that it plans to begin drone delivery of prescriptions in 2025 has people asking questions about what in the not-too-distant future could become a common method to get packages to the doorsteps of homes in Northeast Ohio. How safe are drones in the air? Can they fly in a snowstorm? Can people who live in apartment buildings get packages this way? (Washington, 11/6)

The claim: “In the United States Congress, extreme MAGA Republicans are trying to undo virtually every bit of progress we’ve made,” Biden said Oct. 14 at the Human Rights Campaign event. “They’re trying to wipe out federal funding to end the HIV epidemic.” PolitiFact ruling: Half true. A subcommittee of House Republicans has proposed cutting some HIV prevention programs anywhere from 53% to 9% in fiscal 2024, depending on the program. (Abels, 11/6)

The problem for tobacco companies is that the American cigarette market is shrinking faster than anyone expected. Over the three months through September, the number of sticks sold across the industry fell 8% year-over-year, almost double long-term averages. Smoking trends became less predictable during the pandemic and never settled back to normal.   Something has happened to underlying demand. Altria thinks illegal disposable vapes are now taking customers from cigarette companies. The market for these vapes is booming, growing 20% so far this year according to Barclays estimates. If Altria is right about the trend, better enforcement by the Food and Drug Administration could help to stabilize cigarette volumes. (Ryan, 11/4)

A 85-foot-tall, dark-gray building stands in southern Virginia, surrounded by grassy fields and rolling blue mountains. This brand-new chemical plant was set up during the pandemic to produce a special type of synthetic rubber that's needed to make medical exam gloves, the kind used everyday by doctors and nurses. But so far, this factory has produced nothing. (Greenfieldboyce, 11/3)