January 6, 2026
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 393, no. 23, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
Pharma
January 5, 2026
Children who miss early vaccines more likely to not get the MMR shot by age 2: Study
(ABC News) – Children who miss early vaccinations are far more likely to miss the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine by age 2, a new study found. The findings come as the U.S. recently surpassed 2,000 measles cases for the … Read More
January 2, 2026
For Oprah Winfrey, a croissant is now just a croissant — not a struggle
(LA Times) – After decades of public and self-imposed shame, Oprah credits a GLP-1 drug with silencing “food noise” — the constant mental obsession about food. She now views obesity as a disease that causes overeating, a realization that transformed … Read More
January 2, 2026
ADHD Drugs May Target Reward Centers, Not Attention Networks
(Discover) – According to the CDC, around one in ten (11.4 percent) children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), millions of whom take prescription medication, like Ritalin and Adderall, to manage symptoms such as inattentiveness and impulsivity. … Read More
December 31, 2025
Tech Startups Are Handing Out Free Nicotine Pouches to Boost Productivity
(WSJ) – A nicotine replacement for smokers has started popping up in offices in the tech industry, despite health hazards Meet the tech industry’s latest perk: nicotine-pouch fridges and vending machines. Nicotine pouches, which have grown in popularity in recent … Read More
December 30, 2025
New measles cases in South Carolina put U.S. on the verge of losing elimination status
(NBC News) – The state reported 20 more measles cases in the last four days. If the disease spreads for three more weeks, it may no longer be considered eradicated in the U.S. A sizable uptick in measles cases in … Read More
December 30, 2025
Opioid Abuse in Pregnancy Surged in Recent Decades, Study Finds
(Gizmodo) – Pregnant women who reported opioid use disorder were more likely to face serious health complications, as were their children. Opioid abuse during pregnancy is on the rise, new research suggests—and that’s likely to endanger both expectant mothers and … Read More
December 30, 2025
Experts Question Denmark’s Vaccine Program as a Model for the U.S.
(New York Times) – The United States is expected to adopt the vaccine schedule used by Denmark, a much smaller country with universal health care. The United States, a nation of 343 million people with a complex and overburdened health … Read More
December 26, 2025
The King of Ozempic Is Scared as Hell
(Wired) – Now that Novo Nordisk is the world’s weight-loss juggernaut, will it have to betray its first patients—type 1 diabetics? Though Novo has as its controlling shareholder the largest altruistic foundation in the world, it has to act coldly … Read More
December 26, 2025
When porch pirates steal medicine instead of holiday gifts
(NPR) – Ethan takes a medicine called Epidiolex that prevents these seizures. But last holiday season, a thief stole it off the family’s front porch in Charlotte, N.C. Peterson remembers finding the empty box and then checking her Ring doorbell … Read More
December 26, 2025
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 393, no. 21, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
December 23, 2025
Older Americans Quit Weight-Loss Drugs in Droves
(NYT) – People over 65 represent prime targets for such medications. “The prevalence of obesity hovers around 40 percent” in older adults, as measured by body mass index, said Dr. John Batsis, a geriatrician and obesity specialist at the University … Read More
December 23, 2025
The FDA Often Doesn’t Test Generic Drugs for Quality Concerns, So ProPublica Did
(ProPublica) – ProPublica decided to test several generic versions of three of the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States: the antidepressant bupropion XL, the generic for Wellbutrin XL; the heart medicine metoprolol succinate, the generic for Toprol XL; … Read More
December 23, 2025
US regulators approve Wegovy pill for weight loss
(AP) – U.S. regulators on Monday gave the green light to a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval handed drugmaker Novo Nordisk an … Read More
December 22, 2025
America’s Seniors Are Overmedicated
(WSJ) – A Wall Street Journal analysis of Medicare data found one in six seniors enrolled in Medicare’s drug benefit were prescribed eight or more medications at the same time. Schmidt, who lives with her husband of 65 years in … Read More
December 19, 2025
Fighting for Breath
(ProPublica) – Lung transplant patient Hannah Goetz’s life depended on the generic version of a critical drug. It was supposed to be equivalent to the brand-name medication — but the FDA doesn’t always ensure that’s the case. In all, six … Read More
December 16, 2025
FDA approves label change for Depo-Provera, adding brain tumor warning
(NBC News) – he Food and Drug Administration approved on Friday a label change for Pfizer’s birth control shot Depo-Provera that warns patients of the risk of meningioma, a tumor in the lining of the brain. Pfizer is currently battling … Read More
December 16, 2025
The biggest mosquito-borne disease in the world has a cure. There’s just one problem.
(Vox) – No one wants to make it. A new antiviral pill for dengue called mosnodenvir showed promising results in early phase 2 trials. In a study where volunteers were deliberately exposed to dengue, roughly half of those who received … Read More
December 16, 2025
DES drug scandal: Mothers given controversial pregnancy drug in 1960s meet for first time
(ITV News) – After decades of suffering alone, more women exposed to the controversial drug Stilbestrol are breaking their silence to speak out on what’s been described as one of the worst medical disasters in NHS history. ITV News has … Read More
December 15, 2025
FDA Panelists Questioned Antidepressants in Pregnancy. But Doctors Call Them a Lifeline.
(KFF Health News) – Now medical experts are concerned that a July panel discussion convened by the Food and Drug Administration could lead to more cases of untreated depression. Many of the 10 members of the panel expressed concern about … Read More
December 12, 2025
Drugmakers Are Ditching Middlemen to Sell Directly to Patients
(WSJ) – Companies are rolling out direct-to-patient services, which are selling drugs for weight loss and other uses Drugmakers are moving to sell their medicines directly to patients, abandoning the middlemen they have long relied on. The shift is a … Read More
December 12, 2025
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine AI Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine AI (vol. 2, no. 12, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
December 5, 2025
Panel Votes to Stop Recommending Hepatitis B Shots at Birth for Most Newborns
(New York Times) – A federal vaccine committee took a major step toward Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s goal of remaking the childhood vaccine schedule on Friday, voting to end a decades-long recommendation that all newborns be immunized at … Read More
December 4, 2025
A Fentanyl Vaccine Is About to Get Its First Major Test
(Wired) – ARMR Sciences of New York is trialing a vaccine in the Netherlands to protect against fentanyl-related overdose and death. Just a tiny amount of fentanyl, the equivalent of a few grains of sand, is enough to stop a … Read More
December 4, 2025
Shingles vaccine may slow progression of dementia, new study suggests
(CNN) – Vaccination is estimated to be more than 90% effective at preventing shingles in older adults, but recent research has shed light on some other potential benefits, too. Emerging research suggests that getting the vaccine to protect against shingles … Read More
