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The popular weight-loss drug Wegovy reduced the risk of serious heart problems by 20% in a large, international study that experts say could change the way doctors treat certain heart patients. Wegovy is a high-dose version of the diabetes treatment Ozempic, which already has been shown to reduce the risk of serious heart problems in people who have diabetes. Study volunteers who took Wegovy lost about 9% of their weight while the placebo group lost less than 1%. About 17% in the Wegovy group and about 8% in the comparison group left the study, mostly because of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other stomach-related problems. In 2006, Medicare was allowed to cover weight-loss surgery to treat the complications of severe obesity, if not obesity itself, he noted.

Persons: Wegovy, pare, ”, Michael Lincoff, hasn’t, Dr, Francisco Lopez, Jimenez, Lopez, Martha Gulati, Gulati, Eli Lilly's Zepbound, Mark McClellan Organizations: Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, New England, of Medicine, Novo Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Sinai Medical Center, Medicare, Centers, Services, FDA, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: U.S, Philadelphia, Novo, Los Angeles

☆ Novo Nordisk says Wegovy heart benefits due to more than weight loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPHILADELPHIA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) on Saturday said the heart protective benefits of its wildly popular Wegovy obesity treatment are due to more than weight loss alone, according to new data presented at a major medical meeting on Saturday. Given that patients had not started losing weight when the cardiovascular benefits first appeared suggests the heart protection was not purely the result of weight loss, Novo said. Though the trial was not conducted to test weight loss, participants lost an average of nearly 10% of their total body weight. Novo said patients in the heart study were not required to track diet and exercise as they are in obesity trials.

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Wegovy, Novo, Martin Lange, Lange, Eli Lilly's, Patrick Wingrove, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Novo Nordisk, American Heart Association, New England, of Medicine, Novo Nordisk's, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Victoria, Philadelphia, U.S, EU

☆ Trial confirms heart benefits of Wegovy, but is weight loss responsible – or something else?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

To cardiologist Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who wasn’t involved in the trial but is leading a similar one of tirzepatide, those effects are all evidence of the benefits of weight loss. Tirzepatide has shown greater levels of weight loss than semaglutide in clinical trials, leading many, including Nissen, to hope it will show even stronger cardiovascular benefits. Importantly, participants didn’t have a history of diabetes; a previous trial had shown that treating people with diabetes with a GLP-1 drug, Ozempic, reduced their cardiovascular risk. The Wegovy trial showed that 569 of 8,803 people taking the drug had a heart attack or stroke or died from heart-related causes, or 6.5%. The amount of weight loss seen in the trial, 9.4%, was less than in other studies of Wegovy, which showed average weight loss closer to 15%.

Persons: Ania Jastreboff, Wegovy, Dr, Amit Khera, National Institutes of Health’s Dr, Tiffany M, Powell, Wiley, Eli Lilly, Steven Nissen, wasn’t, ” Nissen, “, Tirzepatide, Nissen, Michael Lincoff, Lincoff, ”, Jastreboff, Sanjay Gupta, hadn’t, “ semaglutide Organizations: CNN, Nordisk’s Wegovy, American Heart Association, Yale Obesity Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, National Institutes of Health’s, New England, of Medicine, US Food and Drug, Cleveland Clinic, Novo Nordisk, Cleveland, CNN Health Locations: Philadelphia, Powell

☆ Bladder cancer studies suggest new ways to treat the disease and improve survival
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

This is one of several new studies exploring ways to improve how bladder cancer is treated. “Ever since I was in med school, a metastatic bladder cancer treatment was gemcitabine and platinum. Urothelial cancer is a type of bladder cancer that begins in the urothelial cells, which line the inside of the bladder. The drug became the first therapy targeting a genetic alteration to be approved by the FDA to treat patients with the most common type of bladder cancer, metastatic urothelial cancer. “These results support nivolumab plus cisplatin-based chemo as a new standard approach for the treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer.”

Persons: vedotin, hadn’t, ”, Thomas Powles, ” Powles, we’ve, —, Powles, Toni Choueiri, Dana, “, enfortumab, ” Choueiri, drugmaker Janssen, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, nivolumab, Matthew Galsky Organizations: CNN, Society for Medical Oncology, University of London, Barts Cancer, US, Inc, Astellas Pharma, Merck, Co, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, EMA, Lank, Genitourinary Oncology, Farber Cancer Institute, ESMO, New England, of Medicine, University of Texas, Anderson Cancer Center, US Food and Drug Administration, National Library of Medicine, CNN Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ono Pharmaceutical Company, Cancer, The Tisch Cancer Institute Locations: Madrid, United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Mount Sinai

☆ Doctors are now prescribing doxy-PEP, a morning-after pill that helps prevent STIs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Taking doxy-PEP within 72 hours of unprotected sex has the potential to help anyone concerned about their risk of bacterial STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, doctors say. More recently, studies have found it can reduce STI risk in certain groups. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year found that doxy-PEP reduced the risk for STIs like chlamydia. The medication is already approved for use in anyone 12 or older, and an updated CDC recommendation isn't necessary for doctors to prescribe it. Condoms are still importantThe CDC recommendation is in what's called a public comment period, which will last through mid-November.

Persons: aren't, —, Stephanie Cohen, Laura Purdy, Purdy, Doxycycline, gonorrhea, Dahlia Philips, chlamydia, Philips Organizations: CDC, Service, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco City Clinic, Associated Press, The New England, of, Care Locations: The, what's

Sept 7 (Reuters) - Insulet Corp's (PODD.O) shares hit an over three-year low on Thursday on concerns that strong demand for a new class of diabetes drugs that also aid in weight loss could hit sales of its insulin pumps. CEO James Hollingshead said at the Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference that GLP-1 drugs, which are used to treat type-2 diabetes and obesity, could delay the onset of insulin dependency in diabetes patients. GLP-1s are highly effective weight-loss drugs that some analysts predict could become a $100 billion market by 2030. Shares of Massachusetts-based Insulet fell about 12% to $170.87 and were on track to wipe off about $1.6 billion from the company's market capitalization if losses hold. Insulet manufactures and sells insulin delivery devices, which eliminate the need for multiple daily injections for people with insulin-dependent diabetes.

Persons: James Hollingshead, Novo, Trang Ly, Bhanvi, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Wells, Healthcare Conference, New England, of Medicine, Massachusetts, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Obesity Treatment Relieves Heart Failure Symptoms, Drugmaker’s Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Benjamin Mueller | More About Benjamin Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the leading new obesity drugs, Wegovy, eased symptoms and raised the quality of life of patients with obesity and a common type of heart failure, a study funded by the drug’s maker found, adding to the evidence that the medications can produce health benefits beyond weight loss. The condition accounts for roughly half of all heart failure cases. Patients given Wegovy in the trial showed greater improvements in physical fitness and in symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath than those administered a placebo. The study, which included 529 participants and lasted for a year, was not designed to assess cardiac emergencies, but it found that 12 patients on the placebo and only one on Wegovy were hospitalized or required an urgent medical visit for heart failure. The drug showed more pronounced relief of heart failure symptoms than other treatments, the study said.

Persons: Wegovy Organizations: The New England, of Medicine Locations: The

☆ Weight-loss drug Wegovy produces ‘largest benefit ever seen’ for patients with most common form of heart failure, trial finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

There are 64 million people globally living with heart failure, Novo Nordisk said in a statement about the trial results. This type of heart failure accounts for more than half of all cases in the US and is increasing in prevalence, according to Kosiborod and his co-authors. He noted that 80% of patients with this kind of heart failure in the US have obesity or are characterized as overweight. Until recently, the main treatment options for people with this kind of heart failure were diuretics, sometimes called water pills, Kosiborod said. They’re also changing the way researchers think about obesity, and the results in heart failure contribute to that paradigm shift, Kosiborod said.

Persons: Mikhail Kosiborod, ” Kosiborod, Kosiborod, semaglutide, ”, “, Eli Lilly, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, They’re, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, drugmaker Novo Nordisk, New England, of Medicine, Saint, Kansas, European Society of Cardiology, Novo Nordisk, CNN Health Locations: Kansas, Kansas City, Amsterdam

☆ Wegovy helps reduce heart failure symptoms in obese people, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A selection of injector pens for the Wegovy weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, March 31, 2023. Wegovy, the popular weight loss drug from Novo Nordisk , significantly reduced symptoms of a common type of heart failure in patients with obesity, according to a late-stage clinical trial released Friday. Wegovy helped alleviate symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and irregular heart beat. There were fewer serious safety events in patients who took Wegovy compared to those who took the placebo. But more patients stopped taking Wegovy because of gastrointestinal issues, which are commonly observed with other weight loss drugs.

Persons: Wegovy, Martin Lange, Novo, Ozempic Organizations: Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk's, New England, of Medicine, Nordisk Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Novo, U.S

☆ STIs are on the rise in the US. A pill taken after sex could help slow them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Yet recent research suggests that one pill of the drug can be effective in preventing such infections among men who have sex with men if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex. He added that any guidance from the CDC will help “fill gaps,” provide direction to clinics and offer a framework for using doxyPEP for STI prevention. “Drug resistance when taking doxyPEP is currently being studied in people using this treatment for STI prevention. “There are still many STI prevention and treatment gaps left to fill. “In STI prevention, we’ve been relying on tools that are decades, sometimes centuries old.

Persons: Dr, Jonathan Mermin, ”, doxyPEP, Stephanie Cohen, “, “ We’re, ” Cohen, ” David C, Harvey, ” Harvey, DoxyPEP, someone’s, Annie Luetkemeyer, gonorrhea, ” Luetkemeyer, Connie Celum, Kenya Medical Research Institute —, Jenell Stewart, Stewart, ” Stewart, Suneer Chander, Wisp, ” Chander, Sanjay Gupta, Mermin, Deidre McPhillips Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC’s National Center, HIV, CDC, San Francisco Department of Public Health, California Department of Public Health, San Francisco Department of Public, National Coalition, STD, “, New England, of Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF, University of Washington, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Hennepin Healthcare, University of Minnesota, PEP, Food and Drug Administration, CNN Health Locations: United States, San Francisco, Seattle, King County, Washington, Kenya, Hennepin

☆ Insurers face long road, high cost to cover obesity drugs after promising Wegovy heart health data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

There is likely a long way to go before the U.S. sees increased insurance coverage for obesity drugs. While the trial results demonstrate that obesity drugs may have significant health benefits beyond shedding unwanted pounds, organizations representing U.S. insurers emphasized that the data is still preliminary. "Health insurance providers will continue to analyze new evidence as it becomes available," he added. Ceci Connolly, CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, acknowledged the promise of the data but said "outrageous prices should give everyone pause." The organization represents regional, community-based health plans that cover more than 18 million Americans across the U.S.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Wegovy, Eli Lilly, David Allen, Ceci Connolly, Jared Holz, It's, Debra Tyler's, Joe Buglewicz, Eduardo Grunvald, George Frey, UCSD's Gunvald, Eli, Ethan Lazarus, Lazarus Organizations: Reuters Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk, America's Health, Alliance of Community Health, U.S, Drugs, Pfizer, Medicare, CVS, Aetna, CNBC, Washington Post, Getty, UCSD Health's Center, International Foundation of Employee, University of Texas System, UTS, Novo, Reuters, Obesity Medicine Association, New England, of Medicine Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Mizuho, Killingworth, Conn, Texas

☆ A pregnant woman traveled to Oregon get an abortion due to the Louisiana ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Christina Zdanowicz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And for women in Texas and Louisiana, average travel times to the nearest abortion facility were seven hours longer – almost a full workday in travel time to get an abortion. She researched the parameters for abortion in a state, how long she would have to take off work, travel options and how soon she could get an appointment. “The second I got the definitive pregnancy result, I was like, ‘OK, let’s book a flight to Oregon. Victoria took two medications as part of a medication abortion. She says she got an excellent standard of care around her surgeries, but it felt dissonant with her state’s laws around abortion.

Persons: ” Victoria, Roe, Wade, Victoria, ”, “, Austin Steele, “ Victoria, it’s, Emily, –, “ I’ve, you’re Organizations: CNN, New, Victoria, US, American Medical Association, Catholic, New England, of Medicine Locations: Victoria, New Orleans, Louisiana, Texas, Oregon, Florida, Portland , Oregon

☆ Australia ushers in a new era of psychedelic medicine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Australia may be the first country to regulate the therapeutic use of MDMA and psilocybin, but it isn’t alone in ushering in a new era of psychedelic medicine. In October 2022, Alberta became the first jurisdiction in Canada to regulate the use of psychedelic drugs. Combining psychotherapy with psychedelic drugs is thought to be necessary for a beneficial outcome. He said that psychedelic drugs resulted in “powerful altered states of consciousness that can be intensely therapeutic, but also intensely destabilizing. “If you have a regulated, insured, safe context, and a good psychotherapeutic relationship, and yes, there’s the potential for great benefit there.”However, Rucker stressed that psychedelic drugs were not “a chemical switch to make everything seem fine.

Persons: ”, haven’t, Colleen Loo, Loo, “, Cole Burston, Celia Morgan, Morgan, James Rucker, “ You’re, ” Morgan, ” Rucker, prescriber, Rucker Organizations: CNN, Goods Administration, US Food and Drug Administration, University of New, Black Dog Institute, The Royal, New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Oregon Health Authority, Getty, University of Exeter, The New England, of Medicine, of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, King’s College London, Therapeutic Goods Locations: Australia, University of New South Wales, Sydney, RANZCP, Alberta, Canada, AFP, United Kingdom, The, psychopharmacology

☆ Ex-Pfizer employee charged with illegal trading based on unreleased Covid pill trial data
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Federal authorities charged a former Pfizer employee and his close friend Thursday with illegally trading shares based on non-public trial results on the pharmaceutical company's Covid antiviral pill Paxlovid. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission both announced respective insider trading charges against the former employee, Amit Dagar, and his friend, Atul Bhiwapurkar. "The charges in this case relate to the personal conduct of a former Pfizer employee in violation of the company's policies," a Pfizer spokesperson told CNBC. He was also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The DOJ announced the charges along with several other allegations of illegal trading, including charges related to the Trump media merger.

Persons: Paxlovid, Amit Dagar, Atul Bhiwapurkar, Dagar, didn't Organizations: New England, of Medicine, Pfizer, The Justice Department, Securities and Exchange Commission, DOJ, CNBC, Attorneys, Trump Locations: Hillsborough , New Jersey, Bhiwapurkar, Milpitas , California

☆ Here's a list of weight-loss drugs in development and awaiting approval to take on Ozempic
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The company's chief rival, Denmark-based Novo Nordisk (NVO), also published promising data on drugs in its pipeline, including its own oral weight-loss treatment. Other pharmaceutical companies are racing to compete with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, including Amgen (AMGN) and Pfizer (PFE). Barclays on Tuesday projected Eli Lilly's three leading obesity-and-diabetes drugs could generate nearly $49 billion in combined sales in 2030. Eli Lilly Eli Lilly has multiple drugs in development that fall under the GLP-1 umbrella in various stages of clinical development. Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk currently dominates the market for GLP-1 drugs, with three products in the class on the U.S. market already: Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus.

Persons: It's, Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly's, retatrutide, Lilly, there's, Lilly's, Geoff Meacham, Eli Lilly Eli Lilly, Jim Cramer, Evan David Seigerman, —, — Morgan Stanley, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Mike Segar Organizations: Club, Novo Nordisk, New England, of Medicine, American Diabetes Association, Pfizer, Reuters, Barclays, Bank of America, CNBC, JPMorgan, Drug Administration, Equity, BMO Capital, Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk, GLP, FDA, Nordisk, Company Locations: San Diego, Denmark, GLP, It's, Novo, Novo Nordisk's, Branchburg , New Jersey

☆ Lilly experimental 'triple G' obesity drug leads to 24.2% weight loss in trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Eli Lilly and Co FollowJune 26 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly (LLY.N) on Monday said a mid-stage trial of its next-generation obesity drug candidate "triple G" showed that it led to weight loss of up to 24.2% after 48 weeks, surpassing results seen with other weight loss drugs. Lilly's Mounjaro, which is awaiting U.S. regulatory approval for treatment of obesity, targets GLP-1 as well as a second obesity-related hormone called GIP. Retatrutide targets GLP-1, GIP and the body's receptors for a third hormone, glucagon. Given the three targets, Lilly has nicknamed the drug triple G.The company reported last year that a trial of Mounjaro in people who were obese or overweight found it led to weight loss of 22.5% after 72 weeks. Lilly is conducting longer-duration phase 3 trials of retatrutide to see if weight loss might be further improved.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Lilly's, Lilly, ” Dan Skovronsky, Deena Beasley, Deepa Babington, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: American Diabetes Association, New England, of Medicine, Thomson Locations: San Diego

☆ New data fortifies Eli Lilly's standing in the burgeoning market for weight-loss drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Eli Lilly (LLY) bolstered its position in the budding weight-loss drug market after new data showed its oral obesity pill was highly effective in a mid-stage study. Eli Lilly shares are taking a breather Monday, but we see no reason to join the sellers. Eli Lilly funded the trial. Eli Lilly stock is down about 1.3% Monday afternoon, likely on some profit-taking following a solid move up last week. Eli Lilly and Company, Pharmaceutical company headquarters in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain.

Persons: Eli Lilly, LLY, orforglipron, Orforglipron, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Mounjaro, Jim Cramer, Lilly's, Geoff Meacham, Meacham, Lilly, It's, we've, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Cristina Arias Organizations: Club, New England, of Medicine, Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Novo Nordisk, Sunday, Bank of America, CNBC, UBS, Pfizer, Company, Pharmaceutical Locations: U.S, Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain

☆ A Pill Form of Ozempic Is on the Horizon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Novo Nordisk, the company that manufactures Wegovy and Ozempic, funded both trials. “If you could say, ‘Well, actually, it doesn’t,’ that’s big.”The higher the dose of oral semaglutide, the more side effects seem to come with it. In the trial of people who were overweight or obese, 80 percent of those who took oral semaglutide reported gastrointestinal issues like vomiting, nausea, constipation or diarrhea. Pfizer has also tested its own pill in that drug class. Oral semaglutide is not new: There’s already a tablet form of the compound on the market, sold under the name Rybelsus.

Persons: “, ”, Robert Gabbay, ’, Eli Lilly, Andrew Kraftson Organizations: Novo Nordisk, American Diabetes Association, New England, of Medicine, Pfizer, Drug Administration, Michigan Medicine Locations: Wegovy

☆ Daily pill from Eli Lilly leads to 15% weight loss in midstage study, rivaling Wegovy results without the shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Currently approved medicines for weight loss like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy are given as once-weekly injections. Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, which contains the same key ingredient as Wegovy, called semaglutide, and Lilly’s Mounjaro are both approved for Type 2 diabetes but used off-label for weight loss. Weight loss at 36 weeks ranged from 9.4% to 14.7%, compared with 2.3% on placebo, the results showed. Lilly’s is just one of a crop of experimental weight loss drugs seeking to join blockbusters like Wegovy on the market. Novo Nordisk reported results last month showing that a pill version of semaglutide yielded 15% weight loss over 68 weeks, similar to Wegovy’s results.

Persons: Eli Lilly’s, what’s, Lilly, Lilly’s, ”, Nadia Ahmad, orforglipron, “ you’re, Dr, Sean Wharton, White, Ahmad, it’s, Sanjay Gupta, semaglutide Organizations: CNN, New England, of Medicine, American Diabetes Association, Nordisk’s, Nordisk’s Ozempic, Wharton Medical Clinic, CNN Health, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Locations: San Diego

☆ Opinion | When Corporations Take Over Health Care
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Insurers Add Primary Care to Portfolios” (front page, May 9):It seems to me that the fact that “multibillion-dollar corporations, particularly giant health insurers,” are gobbling up primary care practices to make more money and increase their control of health care delivery is old news to most American physicians. As the power of the corporations in our health care system increases, the power of our physicians decreases. Back in the day when physicians, and not corporations, ran the whole show, it used to be a beautiful thing to be a primary care physician in America. To the Editor:In 1980 the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Arnold Relman, saw the rise of a “new medical-industrial complex” as “the most important health care development of the day.”Having built a vast empire, corporate America is now solidifying it by adding primary care, squelching any remaining autonomy in the medical profession. Profit-seeking organizations should not be given this overwhelming authority to administer health care, precisely because it is a conflict of interest: profit motive over equitable patient care.

☆ CDC urges mpox vaccination among people at high risk to prevent summer surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The patients in the Chicago cluster all have mild symptoms, according Demetre Daskalakis, deputy head of the White house mpox task force. Many of the people who caught mpox in the Chicago cluster were fully vaccinated against the virus, raising questions about whether immunity from the shots might wane over time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday urged gay men and other individuals at high risk from mpox to get fully vaccinated to prevent a summer resurgence of the virus. Though the estimates of mpox vaccine effectiveness vary, Daskalakis said the message is clear: "One dose is good, two doses are better." It's also possible that the vaccine the patients in the Chicago cluster received were compromised in some way or weren't administered properly, he said.

☆ When will an RSV vaccine be available?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, for adults 60 and older. Could the vaccine be available this winter, and how can people access it? The RSV vaccine specifically targets RSV. However, there is an RSV vaccine being developed by the drug company Pfizer that is being tested in pregnant women for the purpose of conveying protection to the infant. However, the FDA may not make a decision on when to make the vaccine available for pregnant people until this summer.

☆ Opinion | How to Use the Debt Ceiling to Inflict Cruelty on the Poor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Firestone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In 2021, 61 percent of the 25 million people on Medicaid were working in full- or part-time jobs. The bill would also require many adults 19 to 55 to work 80 hours a month to receive federally subsidized health coverage from Medicaid. Republicans couldn’t repeal the act through the front door, so they are using the leverage provided by the debt ceiling to try to achieve their ideological aim. It’s been clear for years that these kinds of work requirements don’t actually put people back to work; they just pry people away from the benefits they need. In 2018, Arkansas became the first state to impose very similar work requirements on Medicaid, before a federal judge ended the experiment the next year.

☆ Addiction Treatment Medicine Is Vastly Underprescribed, Especially by Race, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jan Hoffman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Despite the continuing rise in opioid overdose deaths, one of the most effective treatments for opioid addiction is still drastically underprescribed in the United States, especially for Black patients, according to a large new study. Within six months following a high-risk event like an overdose, white patients filled buprenorphine prescriptions up to 80 percent more often than Black patients, and up to 25 percent more often than Latino patients, the study found. Rates of use for methadone, another effective treatment, were generally even lower. Noting that all the patients regardless of race encountered doctors roughly once a month, he said, “There are two mechanisms left that could explain disparities this large. One is where people of color get their health care, which we know is highly segregated, and another is racial differences in patient trust and demand for buprenorphine.“

☆ How promising are new drugs to treat obesity?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced last week that a medication developed to treat diabetes, tirzepatide, also had a substantial effect on reducing weight. Another pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk, manufactures the medication semaglutide, which the FDA has already approved to treat diabetes under the brand name Ozempic and to treat obesity under the brand name Wegovy. How promising are they to treat obesity? CNN: How promising are these drugs to treat obesity? It is really important to treat obesity as the disease that it is — and having effective medications to do so is crucial.

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