May 16, 2025
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 392, no. 16, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
Pharma
May 15, 2025
Blocked From Selling Off-Brand Ozempic, Telehealth Startups Embrace a Less Effective Drug
(Wired) – As the FDA halts the sale of Ozempic and Zepbound copycats, online clinics have begun offering liraglutide, an older GLP-1 medication injected daily instead of weekly. After telehealth startups recently lost the ability to sell exact copies of … Read More
May 14, 2025
People who stop weight loss drugs return to original weight within year, analysis finds
(The Guardian) – Research raises questions about long-term treatment of and support for people using weight loss drugs People on weight loss drugs regain all the weight they have lost within a year of stopping the medication, analysis has shown. … Read More
May 14, 2025
Creatine Is All the Rage. Should You Take It?
(Wall Street Journal) – Creatine: It’s what’s hot and not just among the bodybuilder set. The popular supplement may do more than boost athletic performance and muscle mass, scientists say. It is being studied—with good preliminary results—to improve bone health, … Read More
May 14, 2025
Patients Are Left With Few Options as GLP-1 Copycats Disappear
(Wired) – With the active ingredients in drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound no longer in shortage, access to medicine for millions who had come to rely on compounded versions is increasingly uncertain. The injectable medications have become so popular that … Read More
May 14, 2025
The F.D.A. Says Fluoride Pills May Harm Children’s Health. Researchers Disagree.
(New York Times) – The Food and Drug Administration will work to pull fluoride supplements for children from the market, the agency announced Tuesday. The move comes at the same time as a wave of bills aiming to restrict use … Read More
May 14, 2025
New hope for patients with breast cancer gene
(BBC) – A new treatment approach can significantly improve survival rates for patients with aggressive, inherited breast cancer, a study suggests. The trial, led by Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, and published in Nature Communications, involved women with early-stage breast cancer … Read More
May 13, 2025
Weight-Loss Drugs Aren’t Really About Weight
(The Atlantic) – GLP-1 drugs are remarkably effective at reducing visceral fat. In fact, that may be a large part of why GLP-1s so improve the metabolic health of people who take them. The strongest case for use of GLP-1s, … Read More
May 13, 2025
Pharmacists stockpile most common drugs on chance of targeted Trump tariffs
(NPR) – Squeezed by insurers and middlemen, independent pharmacists such as Jolley find themselves on the front lines of a tariff storm. Nearly everyone down the line — drugmakers, pharmacies, wholesalers and middlemen — opposes most tariffs. Slashing drug imports … Read More
May 13, 2025
Survey: U.S. adults’ use of illicit opioids 20 times higher than previously estimated
(UPI) – The number of Americans using illicit opioids, including fentanyl, is 20 times higher than previously estimated, according to a study published Friday by researchers from the RAND Corp. and the University of Southern California. Researchers said government counts … Read More
May 12, 2025
Why this U.S. ambassador cried at a press conference — and is being called a hero
(NPR) – The U.S. ambassador to Zambia — Michael Gonzales — began his Thursday press conference on a somber note. After 29 minutes, he was wiping away tears. His distress goes back to a discovery made in late 2021: Medications … Read More
May 12, 2025
The Price of Remission
(ProPublica) – When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked … Read More
May 12, 2025
FDA’s plan to roll out AI agencywide raises questions
(Axios) – The Food and Drug Administration is rolling out an aggressive plan to make generative AI a linchpin in its decision-making, part of a bid to get faster and leaner in evaluating drugs, foods, medical devices and diagnostic tests. … Read More
May 12, 2025
The fall of Weight Watchers isn’t the victory against diet culture you think it is
(The Independent) – This week, Weight Watchers, the company that commercialised the diet group and has reigned over the industry for around six decades, announced that it had filed for bankruptcy, reportedly in an attempt to eliminate $1.15bn (£863m) worth … Read More
May 12, 2025
Walgreens doubles down on prescription-filling robots to cut costs, free up pharmacists amid turnaround
(CNBC) – As struggling drugstore chains work to regain their footing, Walgreens is doubling down on automation. The company is expanding the number of retail stores served by its micro-fulfillment centers, which use robots to fill thousands of prescriptions for patients … Read More
May 12, 2025
Why Moderna Merged Its Tech and HR Departments
(Wall Street Journal) – The vaccine maker, which has partnered with OpenAI since 2023, is rethinking how it does workforce planning thanks to the growing capabilities of AI and other tech Moderna’s move to merge technology and human resources into … Read More
May 12, 2025
Why Patients Are Being Forced to Switch to a 2nd-Choice Obesity Drug
(New York Times) – CVS Caremark decided to stop offering Zepbound in favor of Wegovy for weight loss. It’s the latest example of limits imposed by insurance that disrupt treatments for patients. Tens of thousands of Americans will soon be … Read More
May 8, 2025
OpenAI and the FDA Are Holding Talks About Using AI In Drug Evaluation
(Wired) – High-ranking OpenAI employees have met with the FDA multiple times in recent weeks to discuss AI and a project called cderGPT. The Food and Drug Administration has been meeting with OpenAI to discuss the agency’s use of AI, … Read More
May 7, 2025
Dr. Vinay Prasad to head FDA vaccine, biologics division
(Medical Xpress) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has chosen Dr. Vinay Prasad, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco, to lead its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The division oversees vaccines and biologic medicines, including … Read More
May 7, 2025
WeightWatchers files bankruptcy amid weight-loss drugs disruption
(Axios) – WeightWatchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday, saying it plans to slash debt and stay in business. Why it matters: The company has been grappling with sinking sales amid the surge of weight-loss drugs and changing health … Read More
May 6, 2025
FDA’s top inspector abruptly retires
(CBS News) – The Food and Drug Administration’s top official overseeing drug and food safety inspections told staff on Monday he has decided to leave the agency, and multiple federal health officials told CBS News it comes amid frustration from … Read More
May 6, 2025
Despite Historic Indictment, Doctors Will Keep Mailing Abortion Pills Across State Lines
(KFF Health News) – Eight states — New York, Maine, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington — have passed laws since 2022 to protect doctors who mail abortion pills out of state, and thereby block or “shield” them … Read More
May 6, 2025
Talk therapy is up, and use of psych meds without therapy is down, a study finds
(NPR) – More American adults with mental health needs have been getting talk therapy in recent years, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study also found that the number of people using only … Read More
May 5, 2025
Trump Administration Asks Court to Dismiss Abortion Pill Case
(New York Times) – The Trump administration on Monday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to sharply restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone — taking the same position as the Biden administration in a closely … Read More
May 2, 2025
Excerpt: (Don’t Be Squeamish) The Unlikely Cure for a Gut Disease
(Undark) – When I was at medical school, we students loved to characterize bacteria as villains, the better to revel in how to thrash them with antibiotics. Lately, though, C. Diff has become a virtuoso at resisting treatment. As our pharmacological prowess has … Read More
