Prescription drug prices in the U.S. are significantly higher than in other nations, with prices in the U.S. averaging 2.78 times those seen in 33 other nations, according to a new RAND report.

The gap between prices in the U.S. and other countries is even larger for brand-named drugs, with U.S. prices averaging 4.22 times those in comparison nations.

Since the 1st of June 2022, the Long COVID Consortium, led by HUS Helsinki University Hospital, is working to elucidate the predisposing factors and mechanisms for the development of Long COVID Syndrome (LCS). This is essential to be able to develop and improve the care of patients suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection.

The EU has awarded a 6.55 million EUR funding to a HUS Helsinki University Hospital-led consortium to examine the mechanisms behind the long-term effects of a COVID-19 infection. The objective is also to create a Decision support system for prediction and management of Long Covid Syndrome (LCS).

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Svante Pääbo for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.

A Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the antiviral tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX, is now enrolling adults and children with monkeypox infection in the United States. Study investigators aim to enroll more than 500 people from clinical research sites nationwide. Interested volunteers can visit the ACTG website (clinical trial A5418) for more information.

The national science academies of the G7 states publish a joint statement on Russia's attack on Ukraine.

The science academies have been accompanying the annual meetings of the G7 states for more than 15 years. In the run-up to each summit, they address scientific agenda-related issues that require multilateral action.

On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO's Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, for example, on how easily it spreads or the severity of illness it causes.