AJMC Staff

Pharmacy workers embark on a multiday strike; Fathers are taking paid family leave to bond with their newborns; the FDA is set to evaluate a pioneering gene therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD).

The number of suicides among US military members and their families slightly decreased in 2022; Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation that would require employers to provide paid time off following a pregnancy loss; Pfizer and BioNTech’s flu–COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response against strains of the viruses in an early- to mid-stage trial.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

The Biden administration requested $1.55 billion from Congress to help address the nationwide fentanyl crisis; the US Department of Agriculture reported that millions more Americans were food insecure in 2022; the Biden administration released an updated cybersecurity toolkit to help defend the US health care infrastructure against hackers.

Senators advocate for TRICARE to stock and cover the OTC birth control pill; double the amount of health care workers experienced workplace harassment in 2022 compared with 2018; a survey found that young adults in the United States experienced depression and anxiety twice as often as teenagers.

FluMist Quadrivalent could become the first self-administered flu vaccine in the United States; the American Society of Reproductive Medicine updates its definition of infertility to be more inclusive; the Environmental Protection Agency moves to ban the use of a cancer-causing chemical .

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans pose financial challenges for small rural hospitals; 2 bans proposed in Texas would prohibit transportation for abortion procedures; delays in reauthorizing US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) risk the program’s effectiveness and integrity.

Three US senators asked the Social Security Administration to respond to a report saying it reduced or suspended benefits for those who received COVID-19 relief payments; mifepristone, a drug taken to help manage miscarriages, remains widely unavailable to patients experiencing pregnancy loss; pharmaceutical companies are beginning trials to get weight-loss shots approved for patients with obesity 6 years and older.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

Monica Bertagnolli, MD, fielded questions on hot-button issues during the long-delayed Senate hearing on her nomination to head the National Institutes of Health; Pfizer announces the list price for a 5-day course of its COVID-19 antiviral, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid); a federal initiative is distributing funds to programs aiming to prevent drug overdoses in pregnant women.

Amazon Prime air service is testing delivery of medication within an hour or ordering; Surging insurance costs are affecting 150 million Americans; Opponents of President Joe Biden's mental health care proposal argue potential rules could hinder access to quality care.

School nurses play an overworked and understaffed role; Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda (pembroilzumab) has been granted approval for pre- and postsurgical treatment in lung cancer; the FDA is helping to curb tobacco-related health disparities.

Medicare Advantage star ratings reveal shifts in plan quality and performance; Rite Aid seeks debt reduction and restructures amid financial challenges; workers secure improved wages and staffing

Medicare Part A and B premiums are set to increase by $9.80 next year; 20 experts from various specialties and institutions have developed updated brain death guidelines; many Black patients are strongly affected by multiple COVID-19 infections due to a lack of health insurance and health care access.

Blood tests offer a less invasive and more accessible means of detecting Alzheimer disease; Democrats address a year-long Adderall shortage; A new study shows significantly improved clinical outcomes in Type 2 diabetes management with a digital behavioral therapy app.

Advances in treatments and early detection methods have led to improved survival rates; staffing shortages and rising demands take their toll; the US blood supply is under increasing strain.

Updated vaccines are on their way to US pharmacies; importance of early diagnosis and treatment for individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease; Walgreens pharmacists stage their own protest.

A minimally invasive procedure could revolutionize breast surgery; Black women experience the worst birthing outcomes; Kaiser Permanente health workers' concerns over labor disputes persist.

The effects of flat or reduced reimbursements alongside inflation have been quantified in a report by Avalere Health, prepared for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA.)

FDA is investigating fraudulent schemes trafficking counterfeit semaglutide (Ozempic); Moderna plans to begin a late-stage trial of its combined COVID-19 and flu vaccine later this year; CMS will begin restricting predictive software used by insurance companies next year.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

Americans with college degrees live longer than those without; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) accessibility is low for Black women; new COVID-19 vaccine access is proving difficult for some Americans, as the COVID-19 vaccine card is being phased out.

Kaiser Permanente workers strike; CDC proposes a new policy to decrease sexually transmitted infection (STI) cases; New Jersey court tosses $223.8 million decision against J&J in talc cancer case.

Major companies committed to joining Medicare drug price negotiations; Boehringer Ingelheim introduced a low-cost version of its adalimumab biosimilar; schools begin to stock naloxone amid rising opioid deaths among young people.

A new grant aims to address maternal mortality in predominantly Black rural areas; Eli Lilly's drug to treat atopic dermatitis has not received FDA approval; a preliminary injunction is granted to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

ViiV Healthcare is developing a self-injectable HIV drug similar to Cabenuva; HHS met with insurance companies to resolve COVID-19 vaccine coverage issues; the FDA has greenlit drugmaker Novo Nordisk to add reports of ileus, or intestinal blockage, to its Ozempic label.

A government shutdown could impact Medicaid and Medicare in important ways; new Medicare Advantage plans personalize offerings to special populations; nursing homes are still waiting for COVID-19 shots since the US government has stepped back.

Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans will maintain stability in 2024; a report found that women encounter disadvantages in cancer prevention and care; prescriptions for semaglutide, similar drugs surpass 9 million.