Last fall, STAT’s Anil Oza wrote about the science on water fluoridation in response to criticisms of the practice from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s pick to head HHS. Now Anil reports on a new study that found a slight decrease in children’s IQ scores as their levels of fluoride exposure increased. You read that right....
Category: <span>News</span>
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Eli Lilly seeks to join lawsuit over end of tirzepatide shortage
January 3, 2025 01:08 PM ESTUpdated 02:13 PM PharmaLawHealth TechEli Lilly seeks to join lawsuit over end of tirzepatide shortageShelby LivingstonSenior health tech reporterEli Lilly has asked to intervene in litigation between a compounding pharmacy trade group and the FDA over the agency’s decision to remove Lilly’s blockbuster obesity and diabetes drug tirzepatide from its...
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GLP-1 withdrawal can have lasting effects
By Maya Goldman Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios The surging popularity of GLP-1 drugs is beginning to obscure the health consequences if people stop taking them, physicians warn.Why it matters: While many patients can shed up to 20% of their body weight using the injectables, the cost of the drugs and side effects like nausea and vomiting lead...
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Vertex drug for cystic fibrosis wins approval
The FDA just approved Alyftrek, a once-daily medicine for a small slice of cystic fibrosis patients that carry certain mutations, including F508del. It’s a triple combination CFTR modulator that works across 31 other mutations, and outperformed Trikafta — another popular Vertex drug for cystic fibrosis — in its ability to reduce sweat chloride levels. This is the...
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A drug price dynamic to watch
from AXIOS: Reproduced from Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker; Chart: Axios VisualsEven the Medicare-negotiated rates that the U.S. pays for some drugs is generally much higher than what other comparable countries pay for the same products, a new KFF analysis found.Why it matters: Trump seemingly dropped his proposal to drive better bargains for what the U.S. pays for drugs when he...
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Another PD-1/VEGF program sees hefty funding
From my colleague Drew Joseph: Just a few months after its unveiling, the startup Ottimo Pharma said Thursday it had raised a $140 million Series A round, a hefty sum that reflects the biopharma’s industry excitement around the targets Ottimo’s going after with its experimental cancer therapy. The financing was led by OrbiMed, Avoro Capital, and Samsara BioCapital,...
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PBMs took secret payments to allow free flow of opioids
By The New York Times | December 17, 2024 Topics addiction business strategy culture epidemic medical ethics opioids pharmacy regulation For years, P.B.M.s took payments from opioid manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, in return for not restricting the flow of pills. As tens of thousands of Americans overdosed and died from prescription painkillers, the middlemen collected billions of...
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Woman receives kidney transplant from genetically modified pig
Woman receives kidney transplant from genetically modified pigJoe Carrotta for NYU Langone HealthOver seven hours on November 25, surgeons in New York moved a kidney from a genetically modified pig into a 53-year-old woman who had needed a transplant since 2017. This is the third time doctors have performed a kidney transplant with an organ...
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Scientists urge ban on creating “mirror life”
By Tina Reed Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Scientists are sounding new alarms about man-made organisms whose constituent molecules are mirror images of what’s found in nature and could pose unprecedented risks to humans, animals and the environment.Why it matters: While the ability to create “mirror life” is probably at least a decade away, researchers already have synthesized...
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GLP-1 drugs spark disagreements in Trump’s circle
From STAT’s Elaine Chen: GLP-1 drugs seem to be a source of contention among the people in President-elect Trump’s circle. Earlier this week, Elon Musk tweeted: “Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public.” It’s a sentiment he’s expressed several times before. (The...