Weight-Loss Drug Zepbound Faces Supply Issues
Another popular weight-loss drug is in short supply. Doses of tirzepatide (Zepbound) are few and far between, experts told MedPage Today, although the injectable has not been listed in the FDA Drug Shortage Database as of today. Another version of tirzepatide, for type 2 diabetes (Mounjaro), has been on the FDA shortage list since December […]
MedPAC Wrestles With How to Fix Deep Flaws in Medicare Advantage Quality Metrics
The methods used to compare quality between one Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and another are so seriously flawed that the system needs an overhaul, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) suggested last week. A commission review has determined the program “is costly and not a good basis for judging quality,” MedPAC principal policy […]
King Charles’ Cancer Diagnosis Highlights Long Wait Times Across the Pond
For Anna Gittins, 3 months would have spelled the difference between life and death. The elementary school principal from Hereford in western England was shocked when she found out she had advanced colorectal cancer in 2022. But when she contacted her local hospital, she was told no one would be able to see her for […]
No Survival Benefit to Higher Intranasal Naloxone Dose
There was no difference in survival between recipients of 4-mg or 8-mg intranasal naloxone (Narcan) administered by law enforcement, according to data from New York state. A review of 354 naloxone administration reports from New York State Police from March 2022 to August 2023 showed that 99% of people who received the 8-mg dose and […]
Prenatal Fentanyl Exposure Suspected in Novel Syndrome
A possible link between a novel cholesterol metabolism disorder and prenatal fentanyl exposure is under investigation. The hypothesis is that prenatal fentanyl exposure possibly interferes with cholesterol metabolism, leading to findings resembling Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) in 10 infants. However, Erica Fernandes, DO, a clinical geneticist at Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Delaware, and study co-authors […]
Hibernating Squirrels for Obesity? Dialysis Warning; Endocrinology and Telehealth
Could hibernating squirrels open new doors to novel obesity treatments? The new partnership between Eli Lilly and Fauna Bio plans to find out. (Endpoints News) A total of 51 members from 18 countries joined together on an expert panel to draft a consensus statement aimed at tackling diabetes stigma and discrimination. (Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology) […]
Here’s How Quickly You Can Get Infected With The Flu After An Exposure
Xavier Lorenzo via Getty Images It takes between 1 and 5 days to show symptoms of the flu after getting infected. Throughout the United States, we are fully in flu season. Cases of influenza are currently increasing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and flu hospitalizations are up, too. It’s important to […]
Senators Discuss Making Medicare’s Relaxed Telehealth Rules Permanent
It’s the rare Senate hearing when the only disagreements occur not between senators, but between panelists themselves. Yet that’s what happened at Tuesday’s Senate Finance Healthcare Subcommittee hearing on making particular telehealth rules permanent for the Medicare program. The senators present all agreed on one thing: the current flexible rules for telehealth — such as […]
Tackling Climate Change Starts With a Focus on Health, Lancet Report Says
The eighth Lancet Countdown report — a collaboration between scientists and health practitioners from around the world — paints a dire picture of continued inaction around climate change and its human cost. “In this year’s report, new projections reveal the dangers of further delays in action, with every tracked health dimension worsening as the climate […]
Vascular Conditions Offer No Clarity on Pollution-Dementia Link
Investigators appeared to rule out vascular dysfunction mediating the previously reported link between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and dementia. Contrasting with prior studies, their nationally representative U.S. cohort study found no significant association between greater long-term exposure to PM2.5 and a higher dementia risk 10 years later (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.98-1.11). Sensitivity analysis suggested […]