WASHINGTON (AP) — Shortly before he was forced to resign, the nation's top vaccine regulator says he refused to grant Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s team unrestricted access to a tightly held vaccine safety database, fearing that the information might be manipulated or even deleted.

2. Shingles is awful, but there may be another reason to get vaccinated. It may fight dementia - Friday, March 28, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — A vaccine to fight dementia? It turns out there may already be one – shots that prevent painful shingles also appear to protect aging brains.

A new study found shingles vaccination cut older adults' risk of developing dementia over the next seven years by 20%.

3. FDA's top tobacco official is removed from post in latest blow to health agency's leadership - Friday, March 28, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration's chief tobacco regulator has been removed from his post as part of sweeping cuts to the federal health workforce on Tuesday, the latest in a series of actions that have cleared out many of the nation's top experts overseeing food, drugs, vaccines and tobacco products.

4. Layoffs begin at US health agencies responsible for research, tracking disease, regulating food - Friday, March 28, 2025

Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department began receiving notices of dismissal Tuesday in an overhaul ultimately expected to lay off up to 10,000 people.

The cuts include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders, leaving the federal government without many of the key experts who have long guided U.S. decisions on medical research, drug approvals and other issues.

5. Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals recalled for 'wood-like material' linked to choking - Friday, March 21, 2025

Nestle USA is recalling certain batches of its Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's frozen meals for possible contamination with "wood-like material" after a report of potential choking.

The recall applies to limited quantities of meals with best-before dates between September 2025 and April 2026. They include Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Spinach Artichoke Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry and Stouffer's Party Size Chicken Lasagna. The products were distributed to major stores in the U.S. between September 2024 and this month. No products beyond those listed are affected.

6. This cutting edge hair loss treatment is a repurposed drug from the 1990s - Friday, March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest trend in treating hair loss may sound familiar — essentially, it's a repurposed drug first popularized in the 1990s.

Back then, TV viewers were inundated with ads for Rogaine, a sticky topical solution that could help treat thinning hair when applied to the scalp.

7. What to know about the bird flu outbreak in wild birds and what it means for backyard bird feeders - Friday, March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bird flu has devastated poultry and dairy farms, and sent the price of eggs soaring in the United States since it was first detected in North America in late 2021.

But what has been the toll on wild birds? More than 170 species of North American wild birds – including ducks, geese, gulls, owls, eagles and others – have been infected with bird flu.

8. FDA staff return to crowded offices, broken equipment and missing chairs - Friday, March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of employees returned to the Food and Drug Administration's headquarters Monday to find overflowing parking lots, long security lines and makeshift office spaces without chairs and other basic supplies.

9. As AI nurses reshape hospital care, human nurses are pushing back - Friday, March 14, 2025

The next time you're due for a medical exam you may get a call from someone like Ana: a friendly voice that can help you prepare for your appointment and answer any pressing questions you might have.

10. Dr. Mehmet Oz makes his pitch to oversee America's health insurance programs - Friday, March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services presents a "monumental opportunity" to make the country healthier, Dr. Mehmet Oz told senators Friday at his confirmation hearing.

11. Some La Roche-Posay, Proactiv and Walgreens acne treatments recalled due to benzene levels - Friday, March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials are asking retailers to pull a small number of acne creams from their store shelves after government testing found they contain slightly elevated levels of a chemical associated with cancer.

12. Trump administration withdraws nomination of David Weldon for CDC director - Friday, March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Dr. David Weldon, a former Florida congressman, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

13. Ducks were once a conservation bright spot. Now they're declining in the US, new report shows - Friday, March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least 112 North American bird species have lost more than half their populations in the past 50 years, according to a new report published Thursday.

Among the birds showing the steepest declines are Allen's hummingbirds, Florida scrub jays, golden-cheeked warblers, tricolored blackbirds and yellow-billed magpies.

14. Researchers are learning the Trump administration axed their work to improve vaccination - Friday, March 7, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is canceling studies about ways to improve vaccine trust and access, a move that comes in the midst of a large measles outbreak fueled by unvaccinated children.

15. Private lunar lander is declared dead after landing sideways in a crater near the moon's south pole - Friday, March 7, 2025

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lunar lander is no longer working after landing sideways in a crater near the moon's south pole and its mission is over, officials said Friday.

The news came less than 24 hours after the botched landing attempt by Texas-based Intuitive Machines.

16. Jobs lost in every state and lifesaving cures not discovered: Possible impacts of research cuts - Friday, March 7, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rural cancer patients may miss out on cutting-edge treatments in Utah. Therapies for intellectual disorders could stall in Maryland. Red states and blue states alike are poised to lose jobs in research labs and the local businesses serving them.

17. Novo Nordisk cuts Wegovy prices, following similar move by Zepbound-maker Eli Lilly - Friday, February 28, 2025

Makers of the popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound are cutting prices for people without insurance.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that it will drop prices 23% for all doses of Wegovy. The new monthly price of $499, down from $650, takes effect immediately.

18. Trump nominee to lead National Institutes of Health questioned on funding cuts, vaccines - Friday, February 28, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — A health economist who once famously clashed with officials at the National Institutes of Health and now is the nominee to lead the agency faced questions from senators from both parties Wednesday about drastic funding cuts and research priorities.

19. Trump's FDA pick made his name by bashing the medical establishment. Soon he may be leading it - Friday, February 28, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Marty Makary rose to national attention by skewering the medical establishment in books and papers and bashing the federal response to COVID-19 on TV.

Now the Johns Hopkins University surgeon and researcher has been nominated to lead the Food and Drug Administration. The agency — responsible for regulating products ranging from toothpaste to vaccines — is famously understated, issuing carefully worded statements devoid of opinion or scientific speculation.

20. Harsh flu season has health officials worried about brain complications in children - Friday, February 28, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — This year's harsh flu season – the most intense in 15 years – has federal health officials trying to understand if it sparked an increase in a rare but life-threatening brain complication in children.

21. FDA moves to rehire medical device staffers fired only days earlier - Friday, February 21, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barely a week after mass firings at the Food and Drug Administration, some probationary staffers received unexpected news over the weekend: The government wants them back.

Beginning Friday night, FDA employees overseeing medical devices and other key areas received calls and emails notifying them that their recent terminations had been "rescinded effective immediately," according to messages viewed by The Associated Press.

22. Patients struggle with lack of consistent coverage for popular weight-loss drugs - Friday, February 21, 2025

Supplies of high-demand obesity treatments are improving, but that doesn't mean it's easier to get them.

Many employers and insurers are scaling back coverage of Wegovy and Zepbound and a key government program, Medicare, doesn't cover the drugs for obesity. Meanwhile, some big employers are adding coverage, but their commitment isn't guaranteed.

23. Kennedy says panel will examine childhood vaccine schedule after promising not to change it - Friday, February 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — To earn the vote he needed to become the nation's top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a special promise to a U.S. senator: He would not change the nation's current vaccination schedule.

24. Trump administration cuts reach FDA employees in food safety, medical devices, tobacco products - Friday, February 14, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's effort to slash the size of the federal workforce reached the Food and Drug Administration this weekend, as recently hired employees who review the safety of food ingredients, medical devices and other products were fired.

25. Death row inmate says he is on hunger strike over medical care and other issues - Friday, February 14, 2025

NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee death row prisoner declared a hunger strike on Wednesday, saying he was protesting issues with medical care, the quality of the food, and individual padlocks installed on cell doors that he says are a safety hazard.

26. Patients using diabetes apps can miss critical alerts. Here's how to make sure you're getting them - Friday, January 31, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Patients who use smartphone apps to manage their diabetes could face serious health problems if they miss notifications needed to control their blood sugar, U.S. health officials warned.

27. FDA approves painkiller designed to eliminate the risk of addiction associated with opioids - Friday, January 31, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials on Thursday approved a new type of pain pill designed to eliminate the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid medications like Vicodin and OxyContin.

28. CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately, upending expectations of an extended withdrawal - Friday, January 24, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, John Nkengasong, sent a memo to senior leaders at the agency on Sunday night telling them that all agency staff who work with the WHO must immediately stop their collaborations and "await further guidance."

29. Trump wants to pull the US out of the World Health Organization again. Here's what may happen next - Friday, January 17, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump used one of the flurry of executive actions that he issued on his first day back in the White House to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization for the second time in less than five years — a move many scientists fear could roll back decadeslong gains made in fighting diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

30. FDA OKs sales of Zyn nicotine pouches, citing health benefits for adult smokers - Friday, January 17, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday backed the public health benefits of nicotine pouches, authorizing Philip Morris International's Zyn to help adult smokers cut back or quit cigarettes.

31. FDA floats plan to make cigarettes nonaddictive, but its fate rests with Trump - Friday, January 10, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials on Wednesday released a far-reaching proposal to make cigarettes far less addictive by capping their nicotine content, a goal long sought by antismoking advocates that is unlikely to go into effect anytime soon.

32. USDA documented insects and slime at Boar's Head plants, records show - Friday, January 10, 2025

Government inspectors documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar's Head deli meat plants, not just the factory that was shut down last year after a deadly outbreak of listeria poisoning, federal records show.

33. Up to 4 in 10 people could develop dementia after 55. What you can do to lower your risk - Friday, January 10, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — About a million Americans a year are expected to develop dementia by 2060, roughly double today's toll, researchers reported Monday.

That estimate is based on a new study that found a higher lifetime risk than previously thought: After age 55, people have up to a 4 in 10 chance of eventually developing dementia -- if they live long enough.

34. Musk says a third patient got a Neuralink brain implant. The work is part of a booming field - Friday, January 10, 2025

Elon Musk said a third person has received an implant from his brain-computer interface company Neuralink, one of many groups working to connect the nervous system to machines.

"We've got ... three humans with Neuralinks and all are working well," he said during a wide-ranging interview at a Las Vegas event streamed on his social media platform X.

35. Jeff Bezos' space company calls off debut launch of massive new rocket in final minutes of countdown - Friday, January 10, 2025

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Blue Origin called off the debut launch of its massive new rocket early Monday because of technical trouble.

The 320-foot (98-meter) New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn with a prototype satellite from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. But launch controllers had to deal with an unspecified rocket issue in the final minutes of the countdown and ran out of time. Once the countdown clock was halted, they immediately began draining all the fuel from the rocket.

36. New research shows a quarter of freshwater animals are threatened with extinction - Friday, January 3, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes and other freshwater sources are threatened with extinction, according to new research published Wednesday.

"Huge rivers like the Amazon can appear mighty, but at the same time freshwater environments are very fragile," said study co-author Patricia Charvet, a biologist at Brazil's Federal University of Ceará.

37. Takeaways from AP's report on social safety nets in states that ban abortion - Friday, December 27, 2024

MEMPHIS (AP) — States with restrictive abortion laws generally have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children, according to recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press.

Tennessee is an example of how this plays out. Tennessee residents of childbearing age are more likely to live in maternal care deserts and face overall doctor shortages. Women, infants and children are less likely to be enrolled in a government nutrition program known as WIC. And Tennessee is one of only 10 states that hasn't expanded Medicaid to a greater share of low-income families.

38. In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families - Friday, December 27, 2024

MEMPHIS (AP) — Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty.

But she's infuriated by Tennessee's meager social services, which leave her and many other moms struggling in a state where abortion is banned with limited exceptions.

39. FDA says decongestant in many cold medicines doesn't work. So what does? - Friday, December 20, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Changes are coming to the cold and cough aisle of your local pharmacy: U.S. officials are moving to phase out the leading decongestant found in hundreds of over-the-counter medicines, concluding that it doesn't actually relieve nasal congestion.

40. Giant sloths and mastodons coexisted with humans for millennia in Americas, new discoveries suggest - Friday, December 20, 2024

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — Sloths weren't always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge — up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) — and when startled, they brandished immense claws.

41. Trump's picks for key positions in his second administration - Friday, December 6, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has filled the key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal squabbling during his first term.

Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and two candidates have already withdrawn from consideration.

42. Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend - Friday, December 6, 2024

A message left at the scene of a health insurance executive's fatal shooting — "deny," "defend" and "depose" — echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.

43. What medical care for transgender minors is at stake in Supreme Court case? - Friday, November 29, 2024

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender people under age 18.

At least 26 states have adopted laws restricting or banning such care for minors, and most of those states face lawsuits.

44. Trump's picks for key positions in his second administration - Friday, November 29, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has filled the key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal squabbling during his first term.

Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and one candidate has already withdrawn from consideration.

45. Meet the medical contrarians picked to lead health agencies under Trump and Kennedy - Friday, November 29, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has assembled a team of medical contrarians and health care critics to fulfill an agenda aimed at remaking how the federal government oversees medicines, health programs and nutrition.

46. New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants - Friday, November 22, 2024

People with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV under a new rule announced Tuesday by U.S. health officials.

Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule, which takes effect Wednesday, is expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, regardless of HIV status, by increasing the pool of available organs.

47. New FDA rules for TV drug ads: Simpler language and no distractions - Friday, November 15, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Those ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: New rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications' risks and side effects.

48. Don't wait for a holiday surge. Now is a good time to get your flu and COVID-19 vaccines - Friday, November 8, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — If you missed the early fall push for flu and COVID-19 vaccines, it's not too late.

Health officials say it's important to get vaccinated ahead of the holidays, when respiratory bugs tend to spread with travel and indoor celebrations.

49. Trump and Harris both support a bigger child tax credit. But which families should get it? - Friday, November 1, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Never before in a presidential election cycle has there been so much discussion of the child tax credit — a tool many Democrats and Republicans have endorsed as a way to lift children and young families out of poverty.

50. RFK Jr. wants federal health data so he can show vaccines are unsafe, Trump transition co-chair says - Friday, November 1, 2024

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A co-chair of Donald Trump's transition team said Trump supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants access to federal health data so he can show vaccines are unsafe and lead to them being pulled from the market in a second Trump administration.

51. EU Commission fines Teva $500 million for trying to stop rival's multiple sclerosis drug - Friday, November 1, 2024

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission said Thursday it has fined Israeli generic drugmaker Teva more than 460 million euros ($500 million) for improperly seeking to protect the patent for its multiple sclerosis drug and for disparaging a rival company's development of a competing medicine.

52. McDonald's E. coli case count rises as federal officials inspect an onion grower - Friday, November 1, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials on Wednesday reported more cases of E. coli poisoning among people who ate at McDonald's, as government investigators seeking the outbreak's source identified an "onion grower of interest" in Washington state.

53. People opt out of organ donation programs after reports of a man mistakenly declared dead - Friday, October 25, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transplant experts are seeing a spike in people revoking organ donor registrations, their confidence shaken by reports that organs were nearly retrieved from a Kentucky man mistakenly declared dead.

54. At least 75 people are sickened as the deadly McDonald's E. coli outbreak expands - Friday, October 25, 2024

A deadly outbreak of E. coli poisoning tied to McDonald's Quarter Pounders has expanded, with at least 75 people sick in 13 states, federal health officials said Friday.

A total of 22 people have now been hospitalized, and two have developed a dangerous kidney disease complication, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One person has died in Colorado.

55. McDonald's and Boar's Head outbreaks may have you worried. Experts say the food supply is safe - Friday, October 25, 2024

From Boar's Head deli meat and waffles to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, this year's illness outbreaks — some deadly — and food recalls may have Americans wondering whether there are new risks in the U.S. food supply.

56. More frozen waffles and pancakes recalled over possible listeria contamination - Friday, October 18, 2024

A recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded because they may be contaminated with dangerous listeria bacteria, the manufacturer said Tuesday.

57. Hospitals' IV fluid shortage may impact surgeries for weeks - Friday, October 18, 2024

Surgery schedules around the country may be washed out for several more weeks while a crucial IV and sterile fluids factory remains shut down for hurricane-related damage.

People often plan non-emergency surgeries in the fall and early-winter months when their insurance coverage will pick up more of the bill, but they may have to wait while health systems preserve supplies for emergencies.

58. USDA launches an internal investigation into the deadly Boar's Head outbreak - Friday, October 11, 2024

U.S. Agriculture Department officials have launched an internal investigation into how the agency handled reports of serious problems at a Boar's Head deli meat plant tied to a deadly listeria outbreak, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

59. Harris will sit with Bret Baier for her first Fox News interview - Friday, October 11, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will be interviewed by Fox News anchor Bret Baier on Wednesday in Pennsylvania as she steps up her travel and conversations with media outlets in the closing stretch of the presidential campaign.

60. Expect employers to get more picky about who you see for care - Friday, October 11, 2024

A health care spending surge looms in the new year, and Business Group on Health is helping employers understand it.

The nonprofit found in a recent survey that large employers expect the cost to treat patients will jump nearly 8% next year before they make coverage changes to address it. That's the highest growth rate in a decade.

61. Company recalls nearly 10 million pounds of meat and poultry dishes for listeria contamination - Friday, October 11, 2024

A company is recalling nearly 10 million pounds of meat and poultry products made at an Oklahoma plant because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria that can cause illness and death.

BrucePac of Woodburn, Oregon, recalled the roughly 5,000 tons of ready-to-eat foods this week after U.S. Agriculture Department officials detected listeria in samples of poultry during routine testing. Further tests identified BrucePac chicken as the source. The recall includes 75 meat and chicken products.

62. Bakery that makes Sara Lee and Entenmann's pushes back on FDA sesame warning - Friday, October 4, 2024

A top U.S. commercial bakery is pushing back on a Food and Drug Administration warning to stop using labels that say its products contain sesame — a potentially dangerous allergen — when they don't.

63. Swine fever sweeps Italy's north, threatening production of prized prosciutto and livelihoods - Friday, September 27, 2024

CORTELEONA E GENZONE, Italy (AP) — One of Giovanni Airoli's sows tested positive for African swine fever in late August. Within a week, all 6,200 sows, piglets and fattening pigs on his farm south of Milan were slaughtered under strict protocols to halt the disease threatening Italy's 20 billion euro prosciutto, cured sausage and pork industry.

64. It's time to roll up sleeves for new COVID, flu shots - Friday, September 20, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fall means it's time for just about everybody to get up to date on their flu and COVID-19 vaccines – and a lot of older adults also need protection against another risky winter virus, RSV.

65. Policing group says officers must change how and when they use physical force on US streets - Friday, September 20, 2024

An influential group of law enforcement leaders is pushing police departments across the U.S. to change how officers use force when they subdue people and to improve training so they avoid "consistent blind spots" that have contributed to civilian deaths.

66. High insulin prices spur a federal lawsuit against three pharmacy benefit managers - Friday, September 20, 2024

The federal government is suing some big pharmacy benefit managers over a system of drug rebates that regulators say has made the price of insulin soar for diabetic patients.

Three companies that process about 80% of prescriptions in the United States — Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx — have engaged in anticompetitive practices that spur price increases, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday.

67. Key takeaways from a debate that featured tense clashes and closed with a Taylor Swift endorsement - Friday, September 6, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage for the first — and possibly the last — time.

The Democratic vice president opened Tuesday night's faceoff with a power move, marching across the stage to Trump's lectern to shake his hand.

68. SpaceX launches billionaire to conduct the first private spacewalk - Friday, September 6, 2024

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A daredevil billionaire rocketed back into orbit Tuesday, aiming to perform the first private spacewalk and venture farther than anyone since NASA's Apollo moonshots.

Unlike his previous chartered flight, tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman shared the cost with SpaceX this time around, which included developing and testing brand new spacesuits to see how they'll hold up in the harsh vacuum.

69. Nearly 2,000 drug plants are overdue for FDA checks after COVID delays, AP finds - Friday, September 6, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators responsible for the safety of the U.S. drug supply are still struggling to get back to where they were in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic upended factory inspections in the U.S. and across the world, The Associated Press has found.

70. Boar's Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records show - Friday, August 30, 2024

A Boar's Head deli meat plant in Virginia tied to a deadly food poisoning outbreak repeatedly violated federal regulations, including instances of mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment, newly released records show.

71. FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines, shots should be available in days - Friday, August 23, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, shots designed to more closely target recent virus strains -- and hopefully whatever variants cause trouble this winter, too.

72. COVID-19 is on the upswing in the US - Friday, August 16, 2024

COVID-19 hasn't gone away, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests it's on the upswing around the country.

"We've seen these summer increases every summer that COVID-19 has been with us," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Johns Hopkins University infectious disease physician. "What's different about these cases this summer vs. prior summers is that they don't translate into hospitals in crisis."

73. Tennessee family's lawsuit says video long kept from them shows police force, not drugs, killed son - Friday, August 16, 2024

A mother whose son was having a seizure in his Tennessee apartment said in a federal lawsuit that police and paramedics subjected the 23-year-old to "inhumane acts of violence" instead of treating him, then covered up their use of deadly force.

74. FDA approves first nasal spray to treat dangerous allergic reactions - Friday, August 9, 2024

U.S. health officials on Friday approved a nasal spray to treat severe allergic reactions, the first needle-free alternative to shots like EpiPen.

The Food and Drug Administration said it approved the spray from drugmaker ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. as an emergency treatment for adults and older children experiencing life-threatening allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis.

75. Bloomberg gives $600M to Meharry, 3 other Black medical schools' endowments - Friday, August 2, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Bloomberg's organization Bloomberg Philanthropies committed $600 million to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools to help secure their future economic stability.

76. Drugstores tinker with new looks as their usual way of doing business faces challenges - Friday, August 2, 2024

America's drugstores are testing smaller locations and more ways to offer care as price-sensitive shoppers look elsewhere.

Customers may see Walgreens stores that are one-fourth the size of a regular location or CVS drugstores with entire primary clinics stuffed inside. If these experiments succeed, the new stores might improve access to care and create a more lasting connection with customers, analysts say.

77. Boar's Head expands recall to include 7 million more pounds of deli meats tied to listeria outbreak - Friday, July 26, 2024

The popular deli meat company Boar's Head is recalling an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a Virginia plant as an investigation into a deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning continues, U.S. Agriculture Department officials said Tuesday.

78. Blood test for colon cancer screening is approved by US regulators - Friday, July 26, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a first-of-its-kind blood test for colon cancer, offering a new way of screening for a leading cause of cancer deaths.

Test manufacturer Guardant said the Food and Drug Administration approved its Shield test for screening in adults 45 and older who have an average risk of colon cancer. The test isn't a replacement for colonoscopies, but provides a noninvasive approach to screening.

79. Infants' tongue-tie may be overdiagnosed and needlessly treated, American Academy of Pediatrics says - Friday, July 26, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Tongue-tie — a condition in infants that can affect breastfeeding — may be overdiagnosed in the U.S. and too often treated with unnecessary surgery, a prominent doctors' group said Monday.

80. Blood tests for Alzheimer's may be coming to your doctor's office. Here's what to know - Friday, July 26, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — New blood tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer's disease faster and more accurately, researchers reported Sunday – but some appear to work far better than others.

It's tricky to tell if memory problems are caused by Alzheimer's. That requires confirming one of the disease's hallmark signs — buildup of a sticky protein called beta-amyloid — with a hard-to-get brain scan or uncomfortable spinal tap. Many patients instead are diagnosed based on symptoms and cognitive exams.

81. Too many pills? How to talk to your doctor about reviewing what's needed - Friday, July 19, 2024

Swallowing a handful of pills is a daily ritual for many people, from young adults coping with anxiety to older adults managing chronic conditions. Overall, 13% of people in the U.S. take five or more prescription drugs. For those 65 and older, that number is 42%.

82. FDA OKs best-selling e-cigarette Vuse Alto, but only in tobacco flavor - Friday, July 19, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday authorized sales of the best-selling e-cigarette in the U.S., Vuse Alto, allowing manufacturer Reynolds American to keep the vaping brand on the market for years to come.

83. Biden and Trump offer worlds-apart contrasts on issues in 2024's rare contest between two presidents - Friday, July 12, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden and Donald Trump are two presidents with unfinished business and an itch to get it done.

Their track records and plans on abortion, immigration, taxes, wars abroad — you name it — leave no doubt that the man voters choose in November will seek to shape the landscape of American life in ways wholly distinct from the other.

84. Celebrities are getting $2,000 MRI scans to learn about their health. Should you? - Friday, July 12, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — What if there was a way to peer into your body and spot early signs of cancer and other life-threatening ailments before they became serious?

That's the pitch from a new cluster of companies selling high-tech scans to healthy people interested in learning more about their wellness.

85. Tiny homes, built largely with philanthropic support, offer more patch than solution to homelessness - Friday, July 5, 2024

In response to a nationwide crisis that has left more than 650,000 people without housing, 100 tiny home villages for the homeless have opened in the United States over the past five years.

That growth, from just 34 in 2019 to 123 today, represents a quadrupling, according to data collected by Yetimoni Kpeebi, a researcher at Missouri State University. At least 43% of these villages are privately funded through donations from philanthropists, businesses, and corporations, Kpeebi said.

86. A rare voice box transplant helped a cancer patient speak again, part of a pioneering study - Friday, July 5, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man has regained his voice after surgeons removed his cancerous larynx and, in a pioneering move, replaced it with a donated one.

Transplants of the so-called voice box are extremely rare, and normally aren't an option for people with active cancer. Marty Kedian is only the third person in the U.S. ever to undergo a total larynx transplant – the others, years ago, because of injuries – and one of a handful reported worldwide.

87. FDA approves a second Alzheimer's drug that can modestly slow disease - Friday, July 5, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials have approved another Alzheimer's drug that can modestly slow the disease, providing a new option for patients in the early stages of the incurable, memory-destroying ailment.

88. FDA approves a second Alzheimer's drug that can modestly slow disease - Friday, June 28, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials have approved another Alzheimer's drug that can modestly slow the disease, providing a new option for patients in the early stages of the incurable, memory-destroying ailment.

89. Dollar Tree left lead-tainted applesauce pouches on store shelves for weeks after recall, FDA says - Friday, June 14, 2024

Dollar Tree failed to effectively recall lead-tainted applesauce pouches linked to reports of illness in more than 500 children, leaving the products on some stores shelves for two months, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

90. Abortion pill access is unchanged after the Supreme Court's decision. Here's what you need to know - Friday, June 14, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Access to the abortion pill mifepristone will not change after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected an effort Thursday by anti-abortion groups to roll back its availability, a win for abortion rights supporters and millions of women in states where abortion is legal.

91. Senators blast health regulators and law enforcement over illegal e-cigarettes - Friday, June 7, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators on Wednesday blasted top health and law enforcement officials for not doing more to combat the rise of illegal electronic cigarettes in the U.S., a multibillion-dollar business that has flourished amid haphazard enforcement.

92. Alzheimer's drug that can slow disease gets backing from FDA advisers - Friday, June 7, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — A closely watched Alzheimer's drug from Eli Lilly won the backing of federal health advisers on Monday, setting the stage for the treatment's expected approval for people with mild dementia caused by the brain-robbing disease.

93. FDA and DOJ pledge more cooperation on illegal e-cigarettes ahead of congressional hearing - Friday, June 7, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators and law enforcement officials on Monday vowed to work more closely to stop sales of illegal electronic cigarettes, which have grown into a multibillion-dollar business in the U.S. while skirting government oversight.

94. FDA advisers urge targeting JN.1 strain in recipe for fall's COVID vaccines - Friday, June 7, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government advisers Wednesday said it's time to update the recipe for the COVID-19 vaccines Americans will receive in the fall -- targeting a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus called JN.1.

95. Panel rejects psychedelic drug MDMA as a PTSD treatment in possible setback for advocates - Friday, May 31, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — A first-of-a-kind proposal to begin using the mind-altering drug MDMA as a treatment for PTSD was roundly criticized Tuesday — a potentially major setback to psychedelic advocates who hope to win a landmark federal approval and bring the banned drugs into the medical mainstream.

96. Fauci testifies publicly before House panel on COVID origins, controversies - Friday, May 31, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert until leaving the government in 2022, faced heated questioning Monday from Republican lawmakers about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

97. Psychedelic drug MDMA faces questions as FDA considers approval for PTSD - Friday, May 31, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators are questioning the safety and evidence behind the first bid to use MDMA, the mind-altering club drug, as a treatment for PTSD, part of a decadeslong effort by advocates to move psychedelic drugs into the medical mainstream.

98. FINN’s Button, Lindsley now senior partners - Friday, May 31, 2024

FINN Partners has promoted Lisa Button and Andrea Lindsley to senior partners in recognition. Button and Lindsley lead the fast-growing Community Impact Group in the Southeast, along with senior partner Philip McGowan.

99. Despite surging demand for long-term care, providers struggle to find workers - Friday, May 24, 2024

The hardest part of Culix Wibonele's first job in long-term care was not getting injured.

Originally from Kenya, Wibonele worked as a certified nursing assistant in Atlanta in 2014. She went to the homes of mostly older clients, helping them with everything from bathing to cooking. Wibonele worked alone and sometimes had to lift clients much bigger than her.

100. Black Americans are underrepresented in residential care communities, AP/CNHI News analysis finds - Friday, May 24, 2024

Norma Upshaw was living alone south of Nashville when her doctor said she needed to start in-home dialysis.

Her closest family lived 40 miles away, and they'd already scrambled once when the independent senior living facility the 82-year-old had called home — a community of largely Black residents — had closed with 30 days' notice. Here they were searching, yet again, for an assisted living facility or maybe an affordable apartment that was closer.