What We’re Reading: DOJ Health Fraud Charges; Demand for Weight Loss Drugs; MDMA Therapy for PTSD

DOJ Files Charges in $2.5B Health Care Fraud Scheme

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged 78 people regarding their alleged connection in defrauding care programs for the elderly and people with disabilities of more than $2.5 billion, it declared Wednesday, according to The Hill. Included in the charges filed against them are allegations of telemedicine and pharmaceutical fraud, and opioid distribution claims. Most of the defendants acquired their money by making fraudulent Medicare requirement claims for things that were frequently ineligible.

Almost 50% of US Adults Would Shell Out $100/Month for Weight Loss Drugs

Nearly 50% of Americans would be prepared to spend up to $100 monthly for new weight loss drugs like Wegovy, which also marketed as Ozembic for diabetes, and 33% said they would open-endedly pay whatever they can manage to obtain the drugs, according to a survey by STAT and The Harris Poll, reported STAT. Even though 47% said they would be able to spend the money up to a specific point, like losing a fixed amount of weight or until a special event, demand is so high that almost 25% say that they would pay up to $250 monthly, and another 17% would be ready to pay as much as $500 monthly. The survey polled 2046 US adults and was administered in early June.

Australia First in the World to Offer MDMA for PTSD

Australia announced that it would become the first country in the world to permit psychiatrists to broadly prescribe 3,4-methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy), for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to The Washington Post. The unit of scientists at the University of Western Australia have been working to alter the chemical so that it’s better equipped to treat mental health conditions. The Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia’s drug regulator, ruled that MDMA would be considered a controlled substance starting in July, and permit psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, to be used for treatment-resistant depression therapy.