Hello, everyone, and how are you this morning? We are doing just fine, thank you, as we muddle along, trying to organize our to-do list and set our priorities. There is an intensity to such mundane tasks, though, that calls for a cup of stimulation. So as we fire up the coffee kettle today, we are reaching for Vermont maple walnut. As always, you are invited to join us. Or grab a bottle of water if you prefer. Meanwhile, I have spent some time rummaging about for items of interest and collected the assortment below. We hope you find them useful and, more important, that you have a meaningful and productive day. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
It’s not every day that the pharmaceutical industry, the NAACP, a cancer center, and a nonpartisan think tank are all lobbying to achieve the same policy goal. But an effort to expand Medicare coverage for obesity drugs has managed to unite them all, and many more groups across the health care industry, too, STAT writes. These drugs could be life-changing for some of the estimated 42% of Americans over 60 who have obesity. But the treatments are also expensive — which is why advocates are gearing up for what is likely to be an uphill battle to ensure broader access through Medicare.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration disclosed that it is working with the World Health Organization and foreign regulatory authorities to support an investigation into the source of contaminated cough syrups that have killed more than 300 children in Africa and Asia, Reuters notes. The regulator said it had no indication that contaminated syrups had entered the U.S. drug supply chain, but it is “investigating the potential impact and scope of this hazard on FDA-regulated products.” The agency recommended consumers only take medicines which were made to be sold in the United States, especially for children.
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