Americans Struggling With Addiction, Mental Health, SAMHSA Survey Shows
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the results of its 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) on Tuesday, which showed that nearly one in five Americans ages 12 and older reported having a substance use disorder in the past year, and roughly one in four adults reported having […]
OSHA Comes in for Both Praise and Harsh Criticism at House Hearing
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came in for blistering criticism from House Republicans at a hearing Wednesday, as Democrats defended the agency’s work in the face of underfunding. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Education & the Workforce Committee’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee, started the hearing by mentioning that OSHA head Douglas […]
These States Have The Biden Administration Sounding Alarms – And Issuing Warnings
The Biden administration is calling on state officials to slow down reviews of their Medicaid programs that have already reduced enrollment by more than 1 million nationwide and will likely reduce it by several million more in the months to come. The worry is that many of the people losing Medicaid still qualify under the […]
FDA Panel Backs Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill
FILE – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration building behind FDA logos at a bus stop on the agency’s campus in Silver Spring, Md., on Aug. 2, 2018. via Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health advisers said Wednesday that a decades-old birth control pill should be sold without a prescription, paving the way for […]
FDA Authorizes First At-Home Test That Can Detect Flu And COVID-19
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first over-the-counter at-home test to detect and differentiate influenza (commonly known as the flu) and COVID-19. The test, made by California-based Lucira Health, works similarly to standard at-home COVID tests where users swirl a self-collected nasal swab in a vial and place it in a test unit. […]
How Will Medicare’s New Drug Rebate Law Work?
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration issued initial guidance yesterday on how it plans to implement the Medicare drug rebate program, which will affect doctors who administer drugs under Medicare Part B. The program, passed in August 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, requires manufacturers who raise their drugs’ prices faster than the rate […]
Biden Administration Targets Trump-Era Exemptions to Birth Control Coverage
In an attempt to expand access to birth control under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Biden administration took aim at moral and religious exemptions in a proposed rule released on Monday. “Now more than ever, access to and coverage of birth control is critical as the Biden-Harris Administration works to help ensure women everywhere […]
Not So Fast for NSAID Closure of Heart Defect in Preterm Newborns
Early ibuprofen administration did not help babies born preterm with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), as waiting for the heart defect to close on its own was associated with non-inferior, perhaps even better clinical outcomes, in a randomized trial. For infants born with moderate or larger PDAs, expectant management worked at least as well as early […]
Low Rates of PSA Screening Linked to Increase in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
SAN ANTONIO — A study of men treated in Veterans Health Administration facilities suggested that lower prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening rates were associated with subsequent increased rates of metastatic prostate cancer. Across 128 facilities, PSA screening rates declined from 47% in 2005 to 37% in 2019, which was observed across all ages and races, reported […]
What To Do If You’re Impacted By The Adderall Shortage
The Food and Drug Administration announced a nationwide shortage of Adderall last week — and this is not the first time that supply has struggled to keep up with demand. Adderall shortages have occurred on a regular basis for the past three or four months, according to Dr. Royce Lee, an associate professor of psychiatry […]