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☆ Fact Check-COVID ‘monovalent’ vaccines not banned, FDA approval not withdrawn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But the original vaccines remain licensed in the United States and are not “banned” as suggested by some social media users. An FDA spokesperson also commented on the agency’s official Twitter account: “It's probably worth clarifying that the monovalent vaccines are still approved (licensed). EUA information for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines can be seen on the FDA website (here) , (here). The FDA withdrew authorizations for emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna monovalent COVID vaccines while authorizing use of the updated, bivalent versions in all age groups. The agency did not withdraw its approval or license of the original vaccines, nor “ban” their use.

☆ Sleep gummies: Possibly harmful doses of melatonin, CBD found
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Testing of over two dozen melatonin “gummies” sold as sleep aids found some had potentially dangerous amounts of the hormone that helps regulate sleep, according to a new study. “Four of the tested products contained levels of CBD that were between 4% and 18% higher than on the label,” Cohen said. “We choose gummies over other products because we thought parents would chose edibles to give to their children,” Cohen said. Gummies sold as sleep aids had much higher levels of melatonin than stated on the label, as well as CBD, according to the study. “However, that doesn’t mean melatonin products are going to work or they’re a good idea to take.

☆ Little Journey helps children prepare for hospital procedures and clinical trials. Check out the 12-slide deck it used to raise $3.1 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

London-based Little Journey has raised $3.1 million for its children's health platform. The startup helps children and families prepare for hospital procedures and clinical trials. Check out the 12-slide deck Little Journey used to raise the fresh funds. A startup that has developed a platform to support children and their families during hospital procedures and clinical trials has just raised $3.1 million. Little Journey makes children aware of who they're meeting and where they're going and gives them coping strategies before their clinical procedures.

☆ ADHD medication abuse in schools is a ‘wake-up call’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Schools with the highest rates of teens using prescribed ADHD medications were about 36% more likely to have students misusing prescription stimulants during the past year, the study found. Schools with more White students and those who had medium levels of student binge drinking were also more likely to see teen abuse of stimulants. “But these findings were not being driven solely by teens with ADHD misusing their medications,” McCabe said. Research has also shown people who misuse ADHD medications are highly likely to have multiple substance use disorders. “Parents can make sure the schools their kids attend have safe storage for medication and strict dispensing policies.

☆ More people with Down syndrome are living longer, but medical systems aren’t keeping up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Tony Leys | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Marilyn researched online and learned the University of Kansas Health System has a special medical clinic for adults with Down syndrome. The clinic Marilyn found is in Kansas City, Kansas, 80 miles northwest of the family’s cattle farm in central Missouri. A directory published by the Global Down Syndrome Foundation lists just 15 medical programs nationwide that are housed outside of children’s hospitals and that accept Down syndrome patients who are 30 or older. But she has felt treated like a child by other health care providers, who have spoken to her parents instead of to her during appointments. Advocates and clinicians say it’s crucial for health care providers to communicate as much as possible with patients who have disabilities.

☆ Rep. Katie Porter recounts her frustration at having to explain housing policy to onetime HUD secretary Ben Carson during a congressional hearing: 'I was tutoring a neurosurgeon'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Katie Porter detailed an odd 2019 exchange she had with Ben Carson over housing policy. Carson was unaware of the term REO and thought she said Oreo, as in the cookie sandwich. But Carson thought she was talking about a cookie — an Oreo to be specific. Porter detailed how she asked Carson if he knew the meaning of an REO during the hearing. "Secretary Ben Carson, the man in charge of housing for our nation, asked me if I meant 'Oreo.'

☆ What Are People Even Doing All Day?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Malia Wollan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

For Laroi, there is no clearly defined day or night. Sometimes he drives all night and sleeps all day; sometimes he sleeps all day and drives all night. One day a week, Sophie works late so she can meet with far-flung colleagues in real time. Now she has enough energy left at the end of the day to go grocery shopping and cook dinner. The time markers reflect the time of day when participants told an interviewer they would normally be doing the activity shown.

☆ Grime, dirt, stink and funk: Tween boys are skin care’s hottest market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But, until recently, there’s been a glaring shortage of products targeting the skin-care needs of one key demographic – tween boys. The affordable line, which includes a face wash, body wash, moisturizer and topical acne treatment priced under $25, rolled into Target stores and online the following year. “Whether it’s young sensitive skin, or acne, eczema or their first shave, boys have specific skin needs,” said Maguiness. courtesy Stryke ClubThe personal care products market overall in the US amounts to more than $25 billion annually (according to market research firm NPD), but very little of it caters to boys. The body wash, for example, contains prebiotic chia seed extract, which acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial ingredient, said Biren.

☆ Grime, dirt, stink and funk: Tween boys are skincare’s hottest market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But, until recently, there’s been a glaring shortage of products targeting the skincare needs of one key demographic – tween boys. Maguiness, a board-certified pediatric dermatologist, and three other co-founders launched the boys skincare brand in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. The affordable line, which includes a face wash, body wash, moisturizer and topical acne treatment priced under $25, rolled into Target stores and online the following year. courtesy Stryke ClubThe personal care products market overall in the US amounts to more than $25 billion annually (according to market research firm NPD), but very little of it caters to boys. The body wash, for example, contains prebiotic chia eed extract, which acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial ingredient, said Biren.

Some 65% of respondents - including 46% of Republicans and 68% of independents - said they were less likely to vote for a presidential candidate in 2024 who supports laws banning or severely restricting abortion access. DeSantis last year signed a Florida law banning abortions after 15 weeks, saying the measure would protect "the rights of unborn children." The online Reuters/Ipsos poll had a credibility interval of between around two and four percentage points. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 61% of respondents nationwide, including 66% of independents, prefer a candidate who opposes allowing medical treatment for minors related to gender identity. Reuters GraphicsThe Reuters/Ipsos poll found that nationwide, women were more likely than men to oppose severe abortion restrictions and permitless concealed guns.

☆ US FDA expands use of Regeneron's cholesterol drug in young children
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The drug, Evkeeza, was approved in February 2021 as an additional treatment with other lipid-lowering therapies for patients aged 12 years and above with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). HoFH is an inherited condition that affects about 1,300 people in the United States. The expanded approval makes Regeneron's Evkeeza the first drug to treat kids under 10 with the condition. The drugmaker estimates there are roughly 200 pediatric patients suffering from HoFH in the United States. The company recorded $48 million in sales of Evkeeza in the United States in 2022.

☆ U.S. FDA approves Acadia's Rett syndrome drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The approval comes months after the FDA declined to approve expanded use of Acadia's drug Nuplazid to treat psychosis related to Alzheimer's disease. Acadia said it plans to make the drug available to patients by the end of April. He forecast peak U.S. trofinetide sales of $487.2 million by 2035. After the FDA declined to approve the expanded use of Nuplazid, Acadia said it would not pursue that indication for Nuplazid further. Improvement of symptoms was measured according to the assessment scales Rett Syndrome Behaviour Questionnaire and the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement.

☆ France's Sanofi to acquire US-based Provention Bio for $2.9 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dina Kartit | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 13 (Reuters) - France's Sanofi (SASY.PA) said on Monday it has entered into a deal to acquire U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company Provention Bio in a transaction worth $2.9 billion, or $25.00 per share in cash. This transaction builds on an existing co-promotion deal between Sanofi and Provention Bio to provide TZIELD to patients in need, said the French firm. "Provention Bio also brings certain pipeline assets in early development in immune-mediated diseases," added the group. Sanofi said it expects to complete the acquisition in the second quarter of 2023. Reporting by Dina Kartit; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. FDA approves Acadia's genetic Rett syndrome drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc's (ACAD.O) drug for the treatment of Rett syndrome, a genetic brain disorder, the company said on Friday, making it the first approved drug for the condition. The approval comes months after the FDA declined to approve expanded use of Acadia's drug Nuplazid to treat psychosis related to Alzheimer's disease. Acadia said it plans to make the drug available to patients by the end of April. He forecast peak U.S. trofinetide sales of $487.2 million by 2035. Improvement of symptoms was measured according to the assessment scales Rett Syndrome Behaviour Questionnaire and the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement.

☆ The founder of Elemy raised more than $200 million to provide better autism therapy for kids. Now he's ditching patient care to chase billions selling healthcare software.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Yakubchyk told Insider that the venture studio is separate from Elemy and that he's only passively involved in it. Now they have to email a help desk, which takes longer and is less helpful, three behavior analysts said. Yakubchyk told Insider, however, that the company is still in the early stages of finding the right model for the long term. In the meeting, Tim Eby, Elemy's president, told analysts that running their own businesses would offer them more "empowerment." At Elemy, clinicians who leave largely aren't being replaced because everyone in clinical recruiting has been laid off.

☆ If Student Loan Forgiveness Is Overturned by the Supreme Court, Refinancers Are Waiting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Thomas Gokey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The PSLF program cancels federal student loans for people who work in public-service jobs for 10 years, and the impact of relief is profound. In the process, borrowers forfeit many protections that come with federal student loans, including the chance to get their loans canceled. In one survey, more than one-third of respondents who refinanced their federal student loans said they eventually came to regret it. President Biden announced a plan to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt, but if you privately refinanced, you won't benefit. Most private student loans allow for some kind of "cosigner release" so no one else is on the hook for your loans.

☆ A teenage crash victim's life was saved after part of her skull was stored inside her stomach
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A teenager's skull bone was placed in her abdomen to preserve it after surgery. Chelsey Smith was 15 when she got in a life-threatening car crash that caused her brain to swell. To save Smith's life, consultant pediatric neurosurgeon Roddy O'Kane removed the bone under Smith's forehead to give her brain space to swell. To keep it healthy, the surgeon implanted part of Smith's skull in her abdomen, just under her skin. While the idea of keeping the skull bone in the abdomen is fairly new, the idea of drilling a hole in the skull to relieve the pressure in the skull is not.

☆ Student-Debt Relief: Why Refinancing Your Student Loans Is a Trap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Thomas Gokey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The PSLF program cancels federal student loans for people who work in public-service jobs for 10 years, and the impact of relief is profound. In the process, borrowers forfeit many protections that come with federal student loans, including the chance to get their loans canceled. Recent changes to the law require private student loans to be discharged if you die, but that isn't the case with older loans. Most private student loans allow for some kind of "cosigner release" so no one else is on the hook for your loans. Refinancing companies make the system worse for everyonePrivate refinancing companies don't just hand out their loans to anyone.

☆ Nobody likes negative customer reviews, but 3 small-business owners share why the feedback has actually been great for business
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Erica Sweeney | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"These changes have helped me deliver a better product to my customers and avoid future negative reviews," Kuhl said. Negative reviews help companies learn where to improveOne of the biggest benefits of negative reviews is that they identify areas where companies can improve, Leff said. Showing you value feedback builds customer trustIt may be tempting to ignore or even delete negative customer reviews. Create a process to respond to negative reviewsTo help you handle the inevitable negative customer review, Leff recommends establishing a process. "We grow from the negative reviews and the feedback they provide, especially if the feedback is warranted.

☆ Reality TV Attracts More Applicants Than Ever. For Reality-TV Coaches, It’s a Gold Rush
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Daryl Austin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When casting veteran Jodi Wincheski met Lindsay Carmine in 2020, she knew she had a reality star on her hands. A pediatric nurse from Pennsylvania, Ms. Carmine was magnetic and strategic, making her a fit to compete on “Survivor”—“the toughest reality show to land,” according to Ms. Wincheski. But years of submitting audition tapes failed to get her past the initial interview stage. She hired Ms. Wincheski to help her change that.

☆ Fact Check-Suramin is not a proven cure for autism
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Examples of users sharing the claim that suramin is a “relatively cheap” autism “cure” can be seen (here) and (here)Some posts refer to the treatment having caused “non-verbal” children with autism to start speaking within hours, but without citing the source of that alleged result. NO CURE FOR ASDThe U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) websites say that there is no cure for ASD, and caution against using any non-approved medication to treat ASD (here), (here). Other drugs may improve ASD symptoms, according to the NIH (here). The study found small, temporary improvements in scores on a diagnostic assessment for autism known as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition (ADOS-2) examination (here). Suramin is not a proven cure or treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but preliminary research suggests it might have promise to improve symptoms associated with ASD.

☆ U.S. FDA classifies recall of Philips' respiratory devices as most serious
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday classified the recall of Dutch medical devices maker Philips' (PHG.AS) respiratory machines as most serious, saying their use could lead to injuries or death. The company's ventilators provide breathing assistance to both pediatric and adult patients. The recall follows Philips' move to call back millions of breathing devices and ventilators in June 2021 due to the potential of a foam part degrading and becoming toxic, possibly causing cancer. Its subsidiary, Philips Respironics, had in December also recalled about 13,811 ventilators which were distributed between March 1, 2022 and Sept. 6, 2022. Philips did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the impact from the recall.

☆ Similac maker Abbott could face criminal penalties of up to $500,000 per offense in DOJ probe of factory conditions amid the baby formula shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Similac maker Abbott is under federal criminal investigation for its role in the baby formula shortage. The possible charges carry penalties of up to $500,000 for corporations and up to a year of prison time for individuals. "It's a layup for a misdemeanor charge against Abbott," a food-safety attorney told Crain's Chicago. "It's a layup for a misdemeanor charge against Abbott and/or particular executives who were in charge of that plant," food-safety attorney Bill Merler told Crain's Chicago Business. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control said it could not conclusively link the multiple strains of bacteria found at the Abbott plant with those that led to the deaths of two infants in Ohio.

☆ More Money for Mental-Health Programs Gets Bipartisan Support in Many States
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Dan Frosch | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pediatric emergency-department cases requiring psychiatric care have roughly tripled in the past 10 years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s health system. Governors and lawmakers in a number of states are pushing for billions of dollars in funding increases for mental health this year, as Republicans and Democrats alike say that a shortage of available services has reached crisis levels. The budget proposals seek to address the nationwide scarcity of mental-health workers, the mental-health needs in schools and growing demand for emergency services. They represent a rare bipartisan point of agreement for more government action and underscore how dire many think the problem has become.

☆ I made nearly $2 million in 2 years selling my nursing-school study notes on Etsy and TikTok — here's how
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Stephanee Beggs, 28, started posting her study sheets on TikTok while in nursing school. She plans to keep her day job and loves that her influencer work ties back to her hospital job. It's also humbling and exciting seeing how many people have gravitated toward my TikTok videos and study sheets. My approach to TikTok is organized and strategicWhen I first started posting on TikTok, I didn't have much of a strategy or direction. Once my study sheets started selling on Etsy, I decided to come up with a game plan of how to continue to monetize my audience.

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