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☆ Obesity drug data could boost companies' case for US coverage, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Wegovy prescriptions were up 300% at their peak, according to data from Barclays, before supply issues began to hamper sales. A COMPELLING CASEAnalysts said the data made a compelling case for long-term health benefits of the drug. Analysts were divided on whether Medicare could potentially cover Wegovy as a cardiovascular treatment without a new law passing. Three doctors specializing in obesity treatment, including a cardiologist, were not sure whether such an indication would allow for Medicare coverage. Companies that provide healthcare insurance have begun pulling back on coverage of weight loss drugs because of the high cost of the medicines.

Persons: Read, Eli Lilly, Stacie Dusetzina, Wegovy, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Evan Seigerman, Eugene Yang, Morningstar, Damien Conover, Tom Carper, Eli Lilly's, Dusetzina, Patrick Wingrove, Elissa Welle, Ahmed Aboulenein, Caroline Humer Organizations: Novo Nordisk, U.S, Vanderbilt University, Medicare, Barclays, University of Washington Medicine, Companies, Democratic, Novo, Reuters, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: New York, Danish, Washington

☆ Focus: US psychiatrists prescribe Wegovy to battle medication-induced weight gain
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Elissa Welle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] A selection of injector pens for the Wegovy weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 31, 2023. The global market for weight-loss drugs is forecast to reach as much as $100 billion within the decade. Beyond severe mental health disorders, other patients struggling with obesity tend to suffer from mental health issues like depression and anxiety at higher levels than the general population, studies show. However, psychiatrists specializing in eating disorders are wary that drugs like Wegovy could exacerbate their patients’ focus on weight loss because they are so effective. Dr. Michael Weintraub, an endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health, said ideally psychiatrists will work with endocrinologists because weight-loss drugs require careful monitoring not related to mental health issues.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Wegovy, Novo, It's, doggedly, Joseph Goldberg, Eli Lilly, Natalia Salomao, Dost Ongur, Brigham, Roy Chengappa, New Yorker Alexander Roger, Roger, Michael Weintraub, McLean's Ongur, Elissa Welle, Michele Gershberg, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Icahn School of Medicine, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Reuters, Mass, Brigham McLean Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, New Yorker, Fordham University, Nordisk, NYU Langone Health, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Mount Sinai, New York, Europe, Danish, Boston

Wegovy is a weekly injection that can help patients shed 15% of their weight alongside diet and exercise changes. Walgreens (WBA.O), one of the biggest U.S. pharmacies, is experiencing supply shortages for the higher strengths, spokesperson Erin Loverher confirmed. Doctors in six U.S. states told Reuters patients are reporting problems filling their prescriptions for the higher doses. Three of the doctors said supply delays at pharmacies had resulted in patients missing their Wegovy injections at the prescribed weekly interval. "Patients are often having to delay their injections because it's harder for pharmacies to get Wegovy in stock," he said.

Persons: Erin Loverher, Novo, Alicia Shelly, Shelly, Robert Kushner, Wegovy, Kushner, Denise Wells, Wells, Holly Lofton, New York University Langone, Disha Narang, Narang, Maggie Fick, Patrick Wingrove, Elissa Welle, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Walgreens, Wellstar, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Amazon Pharmacy, New York University, Northwestern Medicine, Barclays Research, Novo, Thomson Locations: U.S, Danish, Georgia, Chicago, Michigan, Chicago , New York, San Francisco, Detroit, Atlanta, Charlottesville , Virginia, London, New York

☆ What is aspartame and what do the new WHO rulings mean?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Discovered in 1965 by American chemist James Schlatter, aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than regular table sugar. One group of experts, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), said aspartame is a "possible carcinogen". For aspartame, this limit is 40 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day. Aspartame's use in food products has been debated for decades and has also prompted some companies to remove the compound from their products. PepsiCo (PEP.O) removed aspartame from Diet Pepsi in 2015 but brought it back a year later.

Persons: James Schlatter, Gunter Kuhnle, Mills, Yoplait, JECFA, Elissa Welle, Savyata Mishra, Deborah Sophia, Caroline Humer, Catherine Evans Organizations: World Health, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, WHO, International Agency for Research, Cancer, FAO, United Kingdom's University of Reading, PepsiCo, Pepsi, FDA, IARC, National Library of Medicine, Thomson Locations: Diet, saccharin, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Members of Congress called actor and Senate candidate Hill Harper in an attempt to dissuade him from running: Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Actor Hill Harper announced on Monday that he's running for Senate. According to Time, members of Congress called Harper to dissuade him from running. He faces off against Rep. Elissa Slotkin and a handful of other Democrats running for the open seat. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Hill, 57, announced his candidacy to run for a US Senate seat on Monday where he'll face off against Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a three-term representative and former CIA analyst.

Persons: Hill Harper, Harper, Elissa Slotkin, he's, Michigan Sen, Debbie Stabenow, Slotkin, Hill, Haley Stevens, he'd Organizations: Rep, Service, CIA, New York Times, Senate, Michigan, CSI, Congress, Detroit News Locations: Wall, Silicon, Michigan, Slotkin, Detroit, Young

☆ Hill Harper, ‘Good Doctor’ Actor, Enters Senate Race in Michigan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Jazmine Ulloa | More About Jazmine Ulloa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hill Harper, an author and actor, on Monday entered Michigan’s 2024 Senate race, pledging to run to the left of Representative Elissa Slotkin, a moderate Democrat, in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched Democratic primary races in a 2024 presidential battleground state. Mr. Harper, a first-time candidate known for his roles on “CSI: NY” and “The Good Doctor,” began his campaign with a message focused on expanding Social Security and access to affordable health care, as well as tackling income inequality and student debt. In an interview, he said he planned to position himself as “the most progressive candidate” in the race and would work to bring jaded and unheard voters back into the Democratic fold. Donald J. Trump won this industrial Midwestern state by nearly 11,000 votes in 2016, and lost it to Joseph R. Biden Jr. by more than 150,000 votes in his 2020 re-election bid. Mr. Trump focused on the voting in Michigan in his efforts to subvert the 2020 election.

Persons: Hill Harper, Elissa Slotkin, Harper, ”, Donald J, Trump, Joseph R, Biden Organizations: Monday, Senate, Democratic, CSI, NY, Social Security, Washington , D.C, Michigan Statehouse Locations: Michigan, Washington ,, Washington

☆ 'The Good Doctor' actor Hill Harper is inching toward a potential Senate bid in Michigan, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The actor Hill Harper is making moves toward a US Senate campaign launch in Michigan, per Politico. According to Politico, Harper, who lives in Detroit, is putting the final touches on a campaign launch that is still likely a few weeks away. "I think Hill getting in the race would be a really good thing for Michigan Democrats," Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton told Politico. Most major Democratic officials in the state passed on the race earlier this year, but the Democratic primary is not hurting for candidates. Besides Slotkin, the other announced Democratic candidates include former state Rep. Leslie Love, businessman Nasser Beydoun, Michigan State Board of Education president Pamela Pugh, and attorney Zack Burns.

Persons: Hill Harper, Harper, —, John Fetterman's, Elissa Slotkin, Sen, Debbie Stabenow, Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton, Harper —, Barack Obama, Harvard Law School —, Leslie Love, Nasser Beydoun, Pamela Pugh, Zack Burns, Nikki Snyder, Ezra Scott, Michael Hoover, Alexandria Taylor Organizations: Senate, Politico, Democratic, Allies, Service, CSI, Win Company, Michigan Democrats, Washtenaw County Sheriff, Brown University, Harvard Law School, President's, Slotkin, Michigan State, of, Republicans, of Education Locations: Michigan, Detroit, Pennsylvania, Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids , Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Washtenaw County, Berrien

☆ The world’s most eco-conscious airlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Elissa Garay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Most sustainability experts will scoff at the idea of “sustainable” and “airlines” in the same sentence. In 2022, an Airbus wide-body Beluga XL transport aircraft was filled with Sustainable Aviation Fuel" (SAF) for the first time. WiderøeNorway-based Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, says it is on track to become one of the world’s first fully emissions-free airlines. Alaska AirlinesAlaska Airlines has invested heavily in Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty ImagesWhile most major global airlines are targeting 2050 for net-zero carbon emissions, Alaska Airlines intends to meet that target as soon as 2040.

Persons: ”, Pedro Piris, Sola Zheng, Sina Schuldt, Nicolas Jammes, ” Akbar Al Baker, “, Zheng, –, that’s, it’s, Beata Zawrzel, Fabrizio Gandolfo, Nicolas Economou, Bauer, Griffin, It’s Organizations: CNN, Environmental Defense Fund, International Council, Clean Transportation, Commercial, International Air Transport Association, UN, Airbus, Beluga XL, Sustainable Aviation, Qatar Airways, SAF, European Union, Google, Environmental Defense, Airlines, United Airlines United, Aerospace, United, Flight Fund, Widerøe Norway, Widerøe, Royce, SAS SAS, Scandinavian, SAS, Wizz, Wizz Air, Etihad Airways Etihad, Getty, Etihad Airways, United Arab Emirates, Boeing, Etihad, Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines, Aviation Fuels, AaronP, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada Canadian, Air Canada Locations: Europe, Denmark, Sweden, ICCT, Scandinavia, Norway, Canada

☆ The Case for Democrats to Stop Playing Defense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( The Run-Up | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Heading into the 2024 presidential election, a big part of the Democratic Party’s approach is to win through defense — to watch Republicans and promise voters that Democrats will be the solution to G.O.P. Some Democrats, however, argue that this is not a viable long-term strategy. This week, Representative Elissa Slotkin shares what happens when Democrats have a plan, and Megan Hunt, a Nebraska state senator, explains what happens when they don’t.

Persons: Elissa Slotkin, Megan Hunt Organizations: Democratic Locations: Nebraska

☆ How a 39-year-old engineer spends her $169,000 paycheck: Xbox, therapy, coffee, and skincare
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Vartika Puranik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She said her video game subscription is one thing she'd never cut back on — even during a recession. My career kicked off 17 years ago at a Los Angeles startup and I've been working as an engineer ever since. Since recessions are uncontrollable, I tend not to stress about the possibility of one, but there are things I'll always spend money on no matter what. Coffee subscriptionI have a coffee subscription to pump me up in the morning. So I pay $50 a month for my coffee subscription.

Persons: Elissa Voris, Voris, —, Dolby, I'm, it's, I'd, Logan Organizations: Dolby, Service, Costco, Apple, CPA Locations: —, Enumclaw , Washington, Los Angeles, mlogan

☆ I make $169,000 a year and these are the 7 things I'll keep splurging on even during an economic slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Vartika Puranik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Voris earns enough income to pay her bills and have extra money for things she enjoys. She said her video game subscription is one thing she'd never cut back on — even during a recession. Since recessions are uncontrollable, I tend not to stress about the possibility of one, but there are things I'll always spend money on no matter what. Coffee subscriptionI have a coffee subscription to pump me up in the morning. If a recession ever hits and forces me to alter my spending, I'd cut back on things based on its aftermath.

Persons: Elissa Voris, Voris, —, Dolby, it's, I'd, Logan Organizations: Dolby, Service, Costco, Apple, CPA Locations: —, Enumclaw , Washington, Los Angeles, mlogan

☆ Hakeem Jeffries is enjoying an early honeymoon leading House Democrats. But one day, he'll have to make 'hard commitments.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

House Democrats say Hakeem Jeffries is a better listener and is more consensus-oriented than Pelosi. There's one big reason for it: House Democrats can't pass any of their own bills right now. Pelosi and Jeffries on the House floor after she announced she would step down from party leadership on November 17, 2022. 'He gets it'Jeffries, 52, has enjoyed a rapid ascent to the top of the Democratic caucus. "There were always very different views within the Democratic caucus on people who voted their district," said Slotkin.

☆ The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Simone Pathe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

The GOP needs a net gain of one or two seats to flip the chamber, depending on which party wins the White House in 2024, and it’s Democrats who are defending the tougher seats. Jim Justice announcing his Senate bid in West Virginia – the seat most likely to flip party control in 2024. In a presidential year, the national environment is likely to loom large, especially with battleground states hosting key Senate races. Two businessmen with the ability to tap into or raise significant resources could be in the mix – Eric Hovde, who lost the GOP Senate nomination in 2012, and Scott Mayer. Still, unseating Cruz in a state Trump won by nearly 6 points in 2020 will be a tall order.

☆ These are the top Senate races to watch in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

They have reason to be hopeful: Democrats face a daunting 2024 Senate map that puts them on defense in 23 of the cycle's 34 races, including multiple seats considered ripe for GOP challenges. The grim outlook has some Senate Democrats considering retirement, even after the caucus expanded to a 51-49 majority following a better-than-expected showing in the midterms. Jim Justice, reportedly the state's richest man and one of its favored contenders for the Senate race. But the 2024 Senate race in Ohio is currently considered a toss-up, as Republicans have made significant gains in the state in the last two election cycles. Sabato's Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report both say the Michigan Senate race leans Democratic.

☆ A former fentanyl user describes the first time she took the illicit drug laced with xylazine as 'the scariest experience of my life'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Opioids contributed to 80,411 overdose deaths in 2021, up from 68,630 deaths in 2020, data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows. Xylazine is a sedative that can lead to respiratory and cardiac issuesOpioids, like fentanyl, contributed to more than 80,000 overdose deaths in 2021. Mixing xylazine with fentanyl is particularly problematicMixing xylazine and fentanyl can amplify xylazine's sedative effect and the associated health risks. ReutersThe opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan, also known as naloxone, will not reverse the impact of xylazine, since the drug is not an opioid, according to the DEA. That's because opioids account for nearly 75% of all drug overdose deaths in the US.

LONDON—In a small windowless room in the basement of the British Museum sit some of the holiest relics of the Ethiopian Orthodox church: 11 small wooden plaques called Tabots that are considered by Ethiopian Christians to contain God’s presence. Each is meant to represent the biblical Ark of the Covenant. So holy are the pieces that they cannot be publicly displayed—Ethiopian Orthodox believers say only priests should look at them—and not even the director of the British Museum can view them. Covered in pieces of cloth, the 14-inch tablets with carved inscriptions have hardly been seen since they were looted from an Ethiopian fort in 1868 by invading British forces.

☆ A longevity expert shares the 2 exercises she does every week to 'slow down aging' and reduce stress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Elissa Epel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As a longevity researcher and psychiatrist, I've seen how toxic stress can wear out our cells prematurely and increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, dementia and depression. To slow down aging and prevent things from reaching a chronic state, I use a technique called "stress fitness." Stress fitness: A dose of healthy stressStress fitness is a way of exercising the body with short bursts of stress. How to practice stress fitnessI like to do my stress fitness exercises in the mornings a few times a week, or at least once a week. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) Complete one round of high-intensity interval training, which takes roughly seven minutes.

☆ Michigan Attorney General Nessel says she and other Jewish officials were targeted for murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 16: U.S. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel speaks at a campaign rally held by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) designed to get Michigan State University students, faculty and staff out to the polls on October 16, 2022 in East Lansing, Michigan. The race between Congresswoman Slotkin and Michigan State Senator Tom Barrett for Michigan's newly configured 7th Congressional District is one of the two most expensive U.S. House campaigns in the country. In her tweet, Nessel wrote: "The FBI has confirmed I was a target of the heavily armed defendant in this matter." "Probable cause exists that [Carpenter] made threats to cause injury and death to Jewish members of the Michigan government," an FBI agent wrote in a complaint against Carpenter. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday that the FBI told her that she was among the group of Jewish state elected officials targeted for murder by a "heavily armed defendant" who has been arrested.

☆ Democratic congresswoman Slotkin announces run for open Michigan Senate seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin of Michigan on Monday said she will run for the Senate seat being left open by Debbie Stabenow in 2024. Stabenow, 72, a Democrat serving a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, said in January she would not seek re-election. Keeping the seat in Democrats' hands could be vital for the party to maintain control of the Senate in 2025. No widely known Republicans have entered the race for Stabenow's seat so far. Michigan Republicans earlier in February selected Trump loyalist Kristina Karamo to be their next state chair, elevating an election denier as far-right members gain clout in the battleground state.

Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin's decision to run for Senate gives her party a top recruit as it looks to defend a key seat in that chamber next fall. But the move also leaves the party forced to compete in an open House seat instead of leaning on one of their top incumbents — all in one of the nation's most evenly divided districts. After redistricting created new congressional lines for the 2022 election, Slotkin won her seat over Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett by more than 5%. That's one main reason why the race drew about $37 million in ad spending, more than every House race in the country except one, per the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. And despite the virtually even political divide in Michigan's 7th, at least according to 2020 presidential numbers, Slotkin was able to defeat Barrett by that 5-point margin.

☆ Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin Enters Race for Michigan Senate Seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin is a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official. WASHINGTON—Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin said she plans to run for the Senate in 2024 to succeed the retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the first big-name candidate to enter the contest as Democrats try to hang on to the seat in a competitive state. “There are certain things that should be really simple—like living a middle-class life in the state that invented the middle class,” she said in a statement and video. “Like making things in America, so that we’re in control of our own economic security. Like protecting our children from the things that are truly harming them.”

China widened its dispute with the United States on Monday, claiming that U.S. high-altitude balloons had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022. Washington called that a surveillance balloon, while China has insisted it was a weather-monitoring craft blown badly off course. A White House spokeswoman denied it, and accused China of violating the sovereignty of the United States and more than 40 other countries across five continents with surveillance balloons linked to its military. "It has repeatedly and wrongly claimed the surveillance balloon it sent over the United States was a weather balloon and to this day has failed to offer any credible explanations for its intrusion into our airspace and the airspace of others." Reuters GraphicsThe three objects were flying at altitudes that could have posed a risk to air traffic, officials have said.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), said she has personally spoken to Jeffries and recommended that Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., should be the ranking member. “The Republicans made it very clear that the committee is primarily focused on … counter intelligence and economic espionage issues which have been the focus of my own work, especially on the Intelligence Committee,” Krishnamoorthi said in an interview. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA analyst who is eyeing a possible Senate bid in 2024, has also expressed interest in the top role on the China panel. But while CAPAC is divided, its members agree that the ranking member of the new panel should be Asian American. Think about that," said one CAPAC member.

The Democrats’ 2024 Senate map was already going to be tough, and it got a little bit harder now that Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced Thursday she would not run for re-election. Michigan is one of the five states President Biden won in 2020 by less than 4 percentage points where the Democrats currently have a seat up for re-election next year. And there are three more Democratic seats up in 2024 in states that Trump won. In other 2024 news:Gallego makes more moves: Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is making high-profile hires as he considers a Senate bid, Politico reports. Chris Sununu told Fox News “a lot of folks” want him to run for president and took a swipe at Florida Republican Gov.

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