Category: health
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Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products
Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products Federal health officials on Wednesday expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to recalled ByHeart baby formula to include all illnesses reported since the company began production in March 2022. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said investigators “cannot rule out the possibility that…
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STAT+: In a first, a nonprofit wins FDA approval for rare disease gene therapy
STAT+: In a first, a nonprofit wins FDA approval for rare disease gene therapy The Food and Drug Administration this week granted approval to a new gene therapy for a rare immune disorder, the maker of which is notably not a drug company, but an Italian charity. The authorization of Waskyra on Tuesday for Wiskott-Aldrich…
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STAT+: J&J’s two-drug combo blocked tumors in advanced multiple myeloma
STAT+: J&J’s two-drug combo blocked tumors in advanced multiple myeloma This is the web version of ASH in 30 Seconds, STAT’s report from the American Society of Hematology meeting. And on the last day of ASH, the sun shone once again. Thanks for joining us on this hematology-oncology journey. We hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage.…
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STAT+: At ASH, Terns looks like rival to Novartis with drug for chronic myeloid leukemia
STAT+: At ASH, Terns looks like rival to Novartis with drug for chronic myeloid leukemia This is the online version of ASH in 30 Seconds, STAT’s report from the American Society of Hematology meeting. Sign up for the email version here. It rains in Florida. A lot. This ASH meeting started sunny and wonderful, but quickly…
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STAT+: Fulcrum study suggests improved efficacy for higher dose sickle cell pill
STAT+: Fulcrum study suggests improved efficacy for higher dose sickle cell pill Fulcrum Therapeutics said Sunday that a higher dose of its experimental pill for sickle cell disease was more effective at inducing an alternative form of the oxygen-carrying molecule hemoglobin — boosting hopes it could one day provide a simple and effective treatment for…
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STAT+: A promising sickle cell pill and a new way to treat myelofibrosis
STAT+: A promising sickle cell pill and a new way to treat myelofibrosis This is the online version of ASH in 30 Seconds, STAT’s report from the American Society of Hematology meeting. Sign up for the email version here. It’s Day 2 of the ASH meeting. Let’s get straight into the news. Fulcrum study suggests…
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Opinion: RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel is beset by incompetence, bias, and procedural chaos
Opinion: RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel is beset by incompetence, bias, and procedural chaos The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) meetings used to be a geek’s dream: hours of long, maybe dreary presentation of extensive data followed by lengthy discussions that drilled into details of vaccine safety, effectiveness, and the best way to balance…
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STAT+: ‘Remarkable’ drug results against an aggressive leukemia
STAT+: ‘Remarkable’ drug results against an aggressive leukemia This is the online version of ASH in 30 Seconds, STAT’s report from the American Society of Hematology meeting. Sign up for the email version here. We hear most of the country is freezing. We wouldn’t know. We’re in Orlando, Fla. where the temps are in the…
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RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel is laying the groundwork for more scrutiny of childhood shots
RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel is laying the groundwork for more scrutiny of childhood shots WASHINGTON — Federal vaccine advisers, through a freewheeling, and at times combative two-day meeting, recommended a major change to childhood vaccinations that runs counter to the medical consensus — and began setting the stage for a larger rethink in the future. …
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CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine
CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine A panel that advises on U.S. vaccine policy voted on Friday to recommend a delay in when most babies begin to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, overturning a 30-year-old policy that has contributed to a massive decline in cases of the virus. The Advisory Committee…
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STAT+: Ashish Jha to step down as Brown University public health dean
STAT+: Ashish Jha to step down as Brown University public health dean PROVIDENCE — Ashish K. Jha, one of the nation’s leading public health experts who became a household name during the Covid pandemic, is leaving his post as the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health at the end of this year. Jha, a practicing physician…
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A single shot of HPV vaccine may be enough to fight cervical cancer, study finds
A single shot of HPV vaccine may be enough to fight cervical cancer, study finds WASHINGTON — A single HPV vaccination appears just as effective as two doses at preventing the viral infection that causes cervical cancer, researchers reported Wednesday. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and spread through sex. Most HPV infections clear…
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STAT+: Why so many primary care doctors are switching between two Harvard-affiliated hospital systems
STAT+: Why so many primary care doctors are switching between two Harvard-affiliated hospital systems Six primary care providers at a single Mass General Brigham practice are moving to rival Beth Israel Lahey Health in January, raising to at least 18 the total number of such defections from the state’s largest health care system to the second largest…
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As vaccine panel prepares hepatitis B review, CDC and industry experts are excluded
As vaccine panel prepares hepatitis B review, CDC and industry experts are excluded WASHINGTON — The federal government’s vaccine advisory panel is scheduled to review the hepatitis B vaccine this week. But experts on the shot — both in and outside of the government — told STAT they’ve been shut out of the process. Makers…
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STAT+: Top drug regulator Richard Pazdur set to leave the FDA
STAT+: Top drug regulator Richard Pazdur set to leave the FDA WASHINGTON — Top drug regulator Richard Pazdur has filed papers to retire from the Food and Drug Administration at the end of this month, adding to the turmoil atop the agency. Pazdur informed leaders at the FDA’s drug center of his intention to leave…
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Congo declares its latest Ebola outbreak over, after 43 deaths
Congo declares its latest Ebola outbreak over, after 43 deaths KINSHASA, Congo — Congo on Monday announced the end of an Ebola outbreak that killed 43 people in one of the country’s southern provinces, with authorities saying no new confirmed cases had been reported in the past 45 days. Health Minister Roger Kamba said the…
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Experts say top FDA official’s claim that Covid vaccines caused kids’ deaths requires more evidence
Experts say top FDA official’s claim that Covid vaccines caused kids’ deaths requires more evidence The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine regulator asserted in an email to staff sent Friday that the Covid-19 vaccine caused at least 10 deaths in children and called for changes to the way the agency regulates vaccines. But experts…
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Global measles vaccinations are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, WHO report finds
Global measles vaccinations are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, WHO report finds A new report suggests that the number of children vaccinated against measles globally — which declined during the Covid-19 pandemic — is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. But the number of cases of the highly infectious disease surpassed the pre-Covid tally in 2024, according…
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Louisiana official is now No. 2 at the CDC
Louisiana official is now No. 2 at the CDC Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning. The newsletter will be off tomorrow and Friday. I hope you can get some rest this holiday weekend. I’ll see you back here on Monday. Read…
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STAT+: Trump weighs plan to extend extra ACA subsidies for two years
STAT+: Trump weighs plan to extend extra ACA subsidies for two years WASHINGTON — In an about-face, the White House is weighing a proposal to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies that Democrats have been clamoring for since last year. ACA health insurance enrollees face a spike in premium payments if Congress does not…
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STAT+: Kidney cancer cases spiked in this town. Will residents find out why?
STAT+: Kidney cancer cases spiked in this town. Will residents find out why? After the largest ground water contamination in New Hampshire history, a state-commissioned study released this fall found significantly elevated rates of kidney cancer in the town of Merrimack. Residents fear that toxic “forever chemicals” are to blame. But to pin down a…
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Vaccines aren’t linked to autism, despite CDC website change
Vaccines aren’t linked to autism, despite CDC website change Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Lots of important CDC news in the last 48 hours. We’ve got you covered below. Read the rest… O. Rose Broderick Go to statnews
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STAT+: Cassidy and other Republicans have little to say about change to CDC’s position on vaccines and autism
STAT+: Cassidy and other Republicans have little to say about change to CDC’s position on vaccines and autism WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke another promise to Senate health committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) this week. So far, there don’t seem to have been any consequences. To secure Cassidy’s decisive confirmation vote,…
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STAT+: Trump administration lists 16 new CDC initiatives, from hepatitis B testing to bolstering workforce
STAT+: Trump administration lists 16 new CDC initiatives, from hepatitis B testing to bolstering workforce WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laid out 16 strategic initiatives this week, many of them bolstering health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s priorities, according to an internal agency memo obtained by STAT.…
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STAT+: FDA’s stronger warning on Sarepta gene therapy raises new questions about heart risk
STAT+: FDA’s stronger warning on Sarepta gene therapy raises new questions about heart risk New warnings and restrictions placed on Sarepta Therapeutics’ gene therapy last week by the Food and Drug Administration have cast a spotlight on an important but overlooked heart-safety risk. “Acute, serious, and life-threatening” cases of heart inflammation called myocarditis and elevations…
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Advocates decry intersex exceptions in trans health bans
Advocates decry intersex exceptions in trans health bans The scars have been there as long as Emory Hufbauer can remember. When Hufbauer was a baby, doctors performed an operation that Hufbauer describes generally as one that took away their fertility and their ability to produce their own hormones; they also describe it emphatically as intersex…
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Covid-era rules for addiction medication, Ritalin are extended again
Covid-era rules for addiction medication, Ritalin are extended again The Trump administration appears poised to extend a temporary, Covid-era rule allowing health providers to prescribe certain controlled substances, like ADHD medications and treatments for opioid addiction, via telemedicine. Under the current rules, providers can initiate prescriptions for drugs like Ritalin or Adderall for ADHD, or…
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STAT+: At ‘hush-hush’ MAHA summit, RFK Jr. and deputies to mix with biotech leaders
STAT+: At ‘hush-hush’ MAHA summit, RFK Jr. and deputies to mix with biotech leaders WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and many top deputies are scheduled to speak alongside industry executives and health activists at a daylong MAHA event on Wednesday that has not been publicly disclosed by administration officials or event organizers.…
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FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause
FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is reversing a 2003 decision that put a stringent warning on hormone therapy products for menopausal women, saying that the treatments offer heart, brain, and bone health benefits. Commissioner Marty Makary wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed…
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Canada loses measles elimination status — as does the entire Americas region
Canada loses measles elimination status — as does the entire Americas region Canada has formally lost its measles elimination status, the country’s public health agency announced Monday, meaning all of the Americas have lost that status as well. The decision, which was widely expected, comes after a meeting last week where an expert committee of the…
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STAT+: Does coffee mix with AFib, and other new data from heart meeting
STAT+: Does coffee mix with AFib, and other new data from heart meeting This is the online version of AHA in 30 Seconds, the latest from the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions. Hello from New Orleans. Coming from Boston, running on the River Walk this morning felt balmy, not as shockingly hot and humid…
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New AHA leader sees AI as way to address cardiology’s blind spot: women
New AHA leader sees AI as way to address cardiology’s blind spot: women NEW ORLEANS — Stacey Rosen is a cardiologist who has been coming to American Heart Association meetings for 30 years. Executive director of Northwell’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health, she is also senior vice president of Women’s Health at Northwell, a professor…
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STAT+: Cassidy drops into Liver Meeting to talk of shutdown, insurance overhaul and vaccines
STAT+: Cassidy drops into Liver Meeting to talk of shutdown, insurance overhaul and vaccines WASHINGTON — On day 39 of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he is still working toward finding bipartisan compromise on health care costs. In a surprise appearance Saturday at the annual American Association for…
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STAT+: Francis Collins issues call to action at Liver Meeting
STAT+: Francis Collins issues call to action at Liver Meeting Francis Collins, the former NIH director, tells liver researcher that the partisanship that has pervaded science “is really a dangerous sign for the future of our society.” Isabella Cueto and Katherine MacPhail Go to statnews
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STAT+: Merck’s pill to reduce cholesterol on top of statins matches results from injectables
STAT+: Merck’s pill to reduce cholesterol on top of statins matches results from injectables NEW ORLEANS — A pill designed to further lower cholesterol in people already on statins but at risk of a serious cardiovascular event — their first or a recurrence — reduced LDL cholesterol by up to 60%, a new late-stage trial…
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STAT+: Amgen’s cholesterol shot prevented first heart attacks and strokes, more detailed data affirm
STAT+: Amgen’s cholesterol shot prevented first heart attacks and strokes, more detailed data affirm NEW ORLEANS — A cholesterol-lowering injection that’s been on the market for nearly a decade has now shown its power to cut cardiovascular events in people considered at high risk but who haven’t yet suffered a heart attack or stroke. A…
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STAT+: How Children’s Health Defense plans to cement its agenda beyond RFK Jr.
STAT+: How Children’s Health Defense plans to cement its agenda beyond RFK Jr. WASHINGTON — Children’s Health Defense, the vaccine-skeptical organization once led by now-health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is playing the long game. The group has more power in Washington than the group’s CEO, Mary Holland, imagined possible in her lifetime. In an…
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STAT+: Seven burning questions about Trump’s big deal for cheaper weight loss drugs
STAT+: Seven burning questions about Trump’s big deal for cheaper weight loss drugs WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s deal to expand access to and lower the cost of weight loss drugs has left industry leaders, public health experts, and patients with a host of open questions. The administration’s agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk…
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Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November
Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. gave President Donald Trump’s administration until Friday to make the payments…
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The long-term risks of spinal injuries
The long-term risks of spinal injuries Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Did you know: Yesterday was STAT’s official 10-year anniversary! The site was launched on Nov. 4, 2015. Stories from that first day include: A man who was infected with tapeworm cancer;…
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STAT+: Trump administration nears deals for cheaper weight loss drugs with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly
STAT+: Trump administration nears deals for cheaper weight loss drugs with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is nearing deals with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of their weight loss drugs and expand access to them, people familiar with the talks told STAT. The companies have been close to…
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STAT+: Children’s hospital lobby shifts strategy amid MAHA’s rise in Washington
STAT+: Children’s hospital lobby shifts strategy amid MAHA’s rise in Washington WASHINGTON — As long-revered health institutions come under new scrutiny in President Trump’s Washington, one powerful group is shifting its strategy. The Children’s Hospital Association, which represents more than 200 hospitals and spends millions on lobbying each year, announced Tuesday a new messaging approach…
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STAT+: UnitedHealth pays its own physician groups 17% more than outside ones, study shows
STAT+: UnitedHealth pays its own physician groups 17% more than outside ones, study shows UnitedHealth Group pays its own physician practices much more than it pays competing practices, a new study finds, reinforcing STAT’s own analysis on the subject and presenting fresh evidence that the conglomerate may be skirting a rule designed to curb health…
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Trump administration says SNAP will be partially funded in November
Trump administration says SNAP will be partially funded in November PROVIDENCE, R.I. — President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it will partially fund SNAP after two judges issued rulings requiring it to keep the nation’s largest food aid program running. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, had planned to freeze…
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Opinion: A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway
Opinion: A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway The Q-Collar — a neck collar inspired by the woodpecker — has been worn by NFL players and thousands of young athletes. When it debuted in 2012, it originally promised to reduce concussion risk by lightly squeezing the…
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Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease
Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease The long-drawn-out process of science can mean that work is published in a very different world than when it was conceived. That helps explain how research on the health impact of structural racism that was led by the National Institutes of…
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Judges order the Trump administration to use contingency funds for SNAP payments during the shutdown
Judges order the Trump administration to use contingency funds for SNAP payments during the shutdown BOSTON — Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown. The judges in Massachusetts and…
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Texas lawsuit targets Tylenol
Texas lawsuit targets Tylenol Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Remember Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse? A colleague in the newsroom said the name yesterday, and even though I hadn’t thought about it in decades, the smell instantly came back to me. Also, the talking…
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STAT+: UnitedHealth wants to employ more of its doctors
STAT+: UnitedHealth wants to employ more of its doctors After assembling the largest collection of doctors in the U.S., UnitedHealth Group is switching strategies in an effort to improve its financial performance. The company plans to revamp its enterprise of 90,000 clinicians into one more heavily weighted toward employed physicians, rather than affiliated doctors, executives…
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Texas lawsuit against companies behind Tylenol asserts unproven claims of autism risk
Texas lawsuit against companies behind Tylenol asserts unproven claims of autism risk Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday accused the companies behind Tylenol of deceptively marketing the pain reliever to pregnant mothers in a lawsuit that asserted unproven claims that early exposure to acetaminophen increased risk of autism and other disorders. Paxton, an ally of President…
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STAT+: Hope and ‘no regrets’: How pancreatic cancer surgeon Dr. Michael Zinner faced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis
STAT+: Hope and ‘no regrets’: How pancreatic cancer surgeon Dr. Michael Zinner faced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis “The irony’s not lost — going from the physician to the caregiver to the patient,” Michael Zinner mused in June. He was speaking by phone from his Florida home about the unusual and heart-rending way his professional life…
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When SNAP benefits run out, ‘people can die,’ say health experts
When SNAP benefits run out, ‘people can die,’ say health experts Millions of Americans are set to lose access to food benefits starting Saturday because of the government shutdown, with at least 25 states telling recipients they won’t receive checks for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in November. Health care experts warn that families…
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STAT+: For heart health, physical activity favors women
STAT+: For heart health, physical activity favors women When it comes to reaping heart health benefits from physical activity, women saw bigger drops than men in their risk of developing coronary heart disease when they followed or exceeded weekly exercise recommendations. And as a new study published Monday in Nature Cardiovascular Research reports, they needed…
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STAT+: Blue Cross plans to target doctors for overcharging. Physicians are furious
STAT+: Blue Cross plans to target doctors for overcharging. Physicians are furious With the help of a computer algorithm, the state’s biggest health insurer says it will scrutinize doctors who frequently bill it for the most expensive patient visits. It will then unilaterally cut payments to physicians it concludes charged too much. Targeting what it…
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STAT+: Trump’s IVF deal spurs hopes — and adjustments — across fertility sector
STAT+: Trump’s IVF deal spurs hopes — and adjustments — across fertility sector WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s push to make in vitro fertilization more affordable is changing the outlook and offerings in the fertility sector, even as some details of its policies remain confidential and others have yet to be released. The administration’s changes…
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Stanford’s Light-Powered Eye Chip Brings Sight Back to the Blind
Stanford’s Light-Powered Eye Chip Brings Sight Back to the Blind In a medical first, Stanford scientists have restored functional vision to patients with advanced macular degeneration using a wireless implant that turns light into sight—allowing the blind to read, recognize faces, and see the world again. Jason Nelson Go to decrypt.co
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Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections — vaccines, milk safety and fluoride — have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An Associated Press investigation found that the wave…
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NEJM and public health group are launching rival to CDC’s MMWR publication
NEJM and public health group are launching rival to CDC’s MMWR publication In the latest bid to plug gaps in the federal government’s public health infrastructure, two institutions are coming together to create an alternative to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaunted Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report — often called “the voice of the…
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Government shutdown means many CDC experts are skipping a pivotal meeting on infectious disease
Government shutdown means many CDC experts are skipping a pivotal meeting on infectious disease ATLANTA — CDC researchers are being forced to skip a pivotal conference on infectious disease this week due to the government shutdown, missing out on high-level discussions not long after surges in measles and whooping cough hit the U.S. IDWeek, the largest annual meeting…
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STAT+: mRNA Covid shots may boost the effects of certain cancer treatments, study suggests
STAT+: mRNA Covid shots may boost the effects of certain cancer treatments, study suggests mRNA-based Covid vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna may have an unexpected benefit for cancer patients who undergo immunotherapy. A new study suggests that these vaccines might boost the effects of immunotherapy drugs, perhaps by alerting the immune system and helping direct…
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STAT+: Roche suffers a fresh blow as India’s Supreme Court allows generic sales of its pricey rare disease drug
STAT+: Roche suffers a fresh blow as India’s Supreme Court allows generic sales of its pricey rare disease drug In a case that was billed as profits versus patients, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition in which Roche sought to prevent a generic drugmaker from selling a lower-cost version of a pricey rare disease medication.…
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Some of CDC’s health statistics employees are still in the dark
Some of CDC’s health statistics employees are still in the dark Confusion rules in one corner of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where the purpose is the pursuit of certainty. The National Center for Health Statistics plans and disseminates research informing public health policies on everything from food to oral health to environmental…
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STAT+: Grail says new data on multi-cancer screening test show improved performance
STAT+: Grail says new data on multi-cancer screening test show improved performance As part of its bid to transform the future of cancer screening and seize control of a potentially vast and increasingly competitive market, Grail announced fresh data on Friday from a large U.S. study of its flagship blood-based test for detecting dozens of…
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Trump announces plan to expand fertility treatment coverage alongside latest pharma deal
Trump announces plan to expand fertility treatment coverage alongside latest pharma deal The Trump administration has struck a deal with EMD Serono to lower drug prices — part of a larger push from the administration to expand coverage and improve affordability for fertility services, officials announced at the White House on Thursday. The administration’s plan…
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STAT+: Biotech leaders say uncertainty at FDA threatens drug development
STAT+: Biotech leaders say uncertainty at FDA threatens drug development BOSTON — Replimune Group and Capricor Therapeutics both seemed on track to receive long-awaited drug approvals from the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. Then, amid tumult at the agency as the Trump administration took power, their applications were rejected. The companies’ CEOs talked…
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Doctor groups need to ‘step up to the plate’ as CDC guidance becomes harder to trust, former leaders say
Doctor groups need to ‘step up to the plate’ as CDC guidance becomes harder to trust, former leaders say BOSTON — It’s getting harder to trust guidance coming out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, creating an opening for physician groups to step up and fill the void, two former top agency officials…
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Democratic governors form a public health alliance in rebuke of Trump administration
Democratic governors form a public health alliance in rebuke of Trump administration A group of Democratic state governors has launched a new alliance aimed at coordinating their public health efforts. They’re framing it as a way to share data, messages about threats, emergency preparedness and public health policy — and as a rebuke to President…
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‘Doctor Mike,’ the popular YouTube creator, faults AMA communication strategies to counter misinformation
‘Doctor Mike,’ the popular YouTube creator, faults AMA communication strategies to counter misinformation BOSTON — Mike Varshavski, a family physician and content creator who goes by Doctor Mike on YouTube, has made it his mission to combat medical misinformation. He’s attracted 14 million followers by communicating both clearly and entertainingly. He wishes leaders in medicine…
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CDC team running top survey on health and nutrition is laid off
CDC team running top survey on health and nutrition is laid off Protecting the nation’s public health demands data, whether it be new measles cases, a surge in ER visits, or shifting patterns in obesity. The most recent job cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threaten the mostly unseen foundation of that…
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LGBTQ+ clinicians hold the line, plan for future
LGBTQ+ clinicians hold the line, plan for future Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Happy STAT Summit week! Excited to see y’all in Boston. Still planning to come but don’t have tickets? Click here. Read the rest… O. Rose Broderick Go to statnews
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Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy to treat his prostate cancer
Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy to treat his prostate cancer WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy as part of a new phase of treating the aggressive form of prostate cancer he was diagnosed with after leaving office, a spokesperson said Saturday. “As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President…
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‘It’s a massacre’: CDC battered by government shutdown firings
‘It’s a massacre’: CDC battered by government shutdown firings WASHINGTON — The White House’s mass firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff on Friday has decimated offices related to injury prevention, respiratory disease surveillance, and chronic disease, according to four people familiar with the cuts. Overall, the White House is expected to cut…
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STAT+: Deep cuts made to CDC’s flagship MMWR publication, a cornerstone of public health
STAT+: Deep cuts made to CDC’s flagship MMWR publication, a cornerstone of public health WASHINGTON — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff behind the agency’s flagship publication have suffered deep cuts as part of the firings the Health and Human Services Department has blamed on the government shutdown, according to five people familiar with the situation. Almost the…
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President Trump is in ‘exceptional health,’ his doctor says, after visit to Walter Reed
President Trump is in ‘exceptional health,’ his doctor says, after visit to Walter Reed WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is in “exceptional health,” his physician said Friday after he underwent a checkup that included lab tests and preventive health assessments at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Trump spent roughly three hours at the Bethesda, Maryland, hospital…
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STAT+: HHS employees to be fired as White House enacts mass terminations it blames on shutdown
STAT+: HHS employees to be fired as White House enacts mass terminations it blames on shutdown WASHINGTON — Federal health employees on Friday were being fired as the White House followed through on its threat to terminate federal employees en masse as the second week of the government shutdown drags to a close. Between 1,100…
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STAT+: Key GOP lawmaker tones down rhetoric on medical care for immigrants
STAT+: Key GOP lawmaker tones down rhetoric on medical care for immigrants You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Three cheers for Johns Hopkins epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers, who spent her Saturday…
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STAT+: Metal-organic frameworks win chemistry Nobel
STAT+: Metal-organic frameworks win chemistry Nobel Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning. We are officially one week out from the STAT Summit. I’m excited to see my colleagues IRL, to eat great snacks, and of course, to experience amazing live journalism.…
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More people with psychosis are using cannabis. Medical professionals are worried
More people with psychosis are using cannabis. Medical professionals are worried Cannabis use rates among people with psychosis have surged in states that have legalized the drug, according to a new study. Medical professionals say the trend — especially when combined with more potent variants of the drug available on the market — could worsen…
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STAT+: House speaker backs emergency care law as GOP targets immigrant medical treatment in shutdown fight
STAT+: House speaker backs emergency care law as GOP targets immigrant medical treatment in shutdown fight WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday that Republicans don’t want to change a law requiring hospitals to provide care to any individual experiencing a medical emergency, including immigrants without legal status. His remarks capped off more…
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As Supreme Court weighs conversion therapy, conservative justices question medical authority
As Supreme Court weighs conversion therapy, conservative justices question medical authority At the Supreme Court on Tuesday, a majority of justices seemed poised to rule against a Colorado law banning licensed mental health practitioners from engaging in any therapy that tries to change a young person’s sexual or gender identity. The justices have until the…
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STAT+: Who is winning the government shutdown?
STAT+: Who is winning the government shutdown? You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thankfully, this year the saltwater cowboys of Virginia’s Eastern Shore rounded up wild ponies for their horsy…
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CDC approves updated Covid-19, chickenpox vaccine recommendations
CDC approves updated Covid-19, chickenpox vaccine recommendations WASHINGTON — A top federal health official has approved recommendations allowing anyone over the age of 6 months to receive an updated Covid-19 shot after discussing the risks and benefits with their provider. While the updated recommendation maintains insurance coverage for those who want the vaccine, it doesn’t…
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Acting CDC director calls for MMR vaccine to be broken up into three shots
Acting CDC director calls for MMR vaccine to be broken up into three shots Jim O’Neill, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called for drastic changes to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine that aren’t supported by medical research, intensifying the Trump administration’s criticism of a shot that’s a cornerstone of…
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The NIH’s $50 million autism bet
The NIH’s $50 million autism bet Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. It’s October, which means it’s time to make hot apple cider and watch Over the Garden Wall. Potatoes and Molasses, anyone? Read the rest… O. Rose Broderick Go to statnews
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FDA approves another generic abortion pill, prompting outrage from conservatives
FDA approves another generic abortion pill, prompting outrage from conservatives WASHINGTON — Federal officials have approved another generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, a regulatory formality that quickly triggered pushback from anti-abortion groups and politicians aligned with the Trump administration. Drugmaker Evita Solutions announced on its website that the Food and Drug Administration signed off on its low-cost form…
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Home hospital programs in ‘terror’ as they grind to halt ahead of government shutdown
Home hospital programs in ‘terror’ as they grind to halt ahead of government shutdown On any given day, dozens of patients waiting for hospital rooms line the hallways of the emergency department at UMass Memorial Medical Center’s University Campus. It’s one reason the Worcester-based health system dove into delivering home hospital care four years ago. …
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Answering burning questions on MMR vaccines
Answering burning questions on MMR vaccines Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning. Outside of concerts, have you ever screamed at the top of your lungs with thousands of other people? Attendees at this year’s AAP National Conference let one out the…
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Warning: Serious cardiovascular events don’t come out of the blue
Warning: Serious cardiovascular events don’t come out of the blue Heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes don’t come out of nowhere, a new study concludes. The first time they strike, patients, clinicians, and researchers might think there were no red flags. But a prospective cohort study reports that more than 99% of people who experienced…
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3 burning questions about the MMR vaccine, answered
3 burning questions about the MMR vaccine, answered On Friday, President Trump doubled down on calling for changes to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. “BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!),” he wrote on his Truth Social account. Currently, parents are offered either the MMR vaccine or a one-shot…
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STAT+: Patients set to lose hospital care at home if government funding isn’t extended
STAT+: Patients set to lose hospital care at home if government funding isn’t extended WASHINGTON — If Congress doesn’t fund the government by the end of the day on Tuesday, patients across the country who have been receiving hospital-level care at home will be placed back in hospitals. The Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative…
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Kennedy launches abortion pill review
Kennedy launches abortion pill review Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. What a wild week to cover disability. On Wednesday, just before dinnertime, I finished my third story in three days in a daze. Not realizing I hadn’t eaten all day and desperate…
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A new Ebola outbreak in Congo kills dozens as health officials warn of lack of funds
A new Ebola outbreak in Congo kills dozens as health officials warn of lack of funds GOMA, Congo — As a deadly new Ebola outbreak kills dozens in southern Congo, health authorities and organizations are sounding the alarm, warning they lack the funds and resources to mount an effective response to the crisis. The World Health Organization…
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BMJ group retracts study on apple cider vinegar for weight loss
BMJ group retracts study on apple cider vinegar for weight loss Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning. Scroll down for a(nother) real show of strength from across the STAT newsroom. In the last 24 hours, I think we’ve published more than…
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STAT+: Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute
STAT+: Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute Anthony Letai, a cancer researcher and oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University, has emerged as a leading candidate to be the next director of the National Cancer Institute, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation. The NCI…
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STAT+: With Trump’s anti-vaccine comments, Kennedy’s influence grows
STAT+: With Trump’s anti-vaccine comments, Kennedy’s influence grows WASHINGTON — President Trump’s anti-vaccine comments on Monday signal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s growing influence — and raise new questions about how far the pair may go to upend vaccine policy. Standing with Kennedy beside him at the White House, Trump called the childhood vaccine…
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What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism
What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism Could Tylenol, one of the most ubiquitous medicines in the U.S., be linked to some cases of autism spectrum disorder when taken during pregnancy? And could leucovorin, a form of folic acid, improve the verbal ability of some people with autism spectrum disorder? Those are…
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STAT+: FDA brings back GSK’s leucovorin drug that RFK Jr. touted as autism treatment
STAT+: FDA brings back GSK’s leucovorin drug that RFK Jr. touted as autism treatment In a highly unusual move, the Food and Drug Administration reapproved a drug on Monday that stopped being sold more than 25 years ago, part of a push from the Trump administration to identify the causes of and potential treatments for…
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Citing possible link to autism, Trump urges limiting use of Tylenol during pregnancy
Citing possible link to autism, Trump urges limiting use of Tylenol during pregnancy President Trump announced on Monday that his administration has concluded that some cases of autism may be linked to pregnant women’s use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and said the medication should be used sparingly and only if absolutely needed…