Maybe it’s time for a Ticketmaster ticket? Parent company Live Nation Entertainment is reportedly facing a DOJ investigation – an investigation that predates the Taylor Swift debacle.
Welcome to night health care, where we follow the latest developments in policies and news concerning your health. For The Hill, we are Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Sign up in the box below or subscribe online here.
Senate Democrats urge FDA to make abortion pills easier to access
A group of Senate Democrats is calling on the Biden administration to make it easier for patients to access medical abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Lawmakers, led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), want the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift some restrictions on how patients can obtain mifepristone, as well as add a new indication to clarify that the drug can be used safely to help reduce complications from miscarriage.
- “For more than two decades, women have safely and effectively used medical abortion — mifepristone and misoprostol — to terminate a pregnancy,” lawmakers wrote in a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf.
- “But the Supreme Court’s reckless decision to overturn Roe v. Wade now puts millions of women in this country at risk who face restrictions on care and life-saving rights.”
With Republicans in control of the House starting next year and with a maximum Senate majority of just 51 seats, Democrats are unlikely to be able to take action to protect abortion unless it is through the executive branch.
Miscarriage Etiquette: In 2000, the FDA approved mifepristone for medical abortion. The drug is used in combination with a second pill, misoprostol, during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.
The combination of mifepristone and misoprostol can also significantly improve the management of early abortion and lead to fewer complications.
But this combination is not explicitly indicated for the management of miscarriages, and patients in states that have restricted access to abortion have reported being denied medication to treat their miscarriages because pharmacists said that they feared prosecution for delivering the drugs.
Learn more here.
FDA approves first treatment that delays diabetes
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved the first drug that delays the onset of one stage of type 1 diabetes, a chronic disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
- The teplizumab monoclonal antibody will be marketed under the brand name Tzield. It is made by Provention Bio.
- The therapy will incur a wholesale cost of around $194,000 for a full treatment, the drug’s maker said.
- The drug does not cure or prevent type 1 diabetes, but it delays the onset of the disease by an average of two years.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when immune cells are triggered to attack and destroy insulin-producing cells. The disease progresses to stage 3 when a person has lost a significant proportion of their insulin-producing cells.
Treatment involves a 14-day infusion of the drug. Injections of the diabetes drug Tzield are now approved to delay the onset of high-risk type 1 diabetes in adults and children 8 years of age and older.
The new drug is not a treatment for the much more common type of diabetes, type 2.
Learn more here.
BIDEN: OBAMACARE LISTINGS JUMP 40 PERCENT
The number of people who purchased health insurance through HealthCare.gov jumped 40% from the same time last year, President Biden said Friday.
“Right now, four out of five people who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act can get health care coverage for $10 a month or less. These lower rates were supposed to expire on January 1 of this coming year, but instead we were able to extend them,” Biden said during remarks to business and labor leaders.
“We have already seen an increase of almost 40% in new registrations compared to last year.”
- More than 13.6 million people were enrolled in health insurance coverage through HealthCare.gov in 2021. At the time, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that a record number of people – more than 9.7 million – were enrolled in coverage in 33 states. .
- Registrations for health insurance in the federal market are expected to reach new records this year.
Learn more here
AS STATES LEGALIZE MARIJUANA, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION HAS INCREASED: STUDY
Rates of alcohol consumption have risen alongside policies legalizing marijuana for recreational use, according to findings from a new study that reflects data on more than 4 million American adults.
In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, and in the decade since, more than 20 states and Washington, DC have followed suit.
The study, published in the JAMA Health Forum, found that between 2010 and 2019, recreational cannabis laws were linked to a 0.9 percentage point increase in alcohol consumption across the country. American population.
According to the researchers, the higher alcohol consumption was mainly due to young adults aged 18 to 24 and men. These increases were also more common in non-Hispanic white people and those without a college education.
Associations were also strongest in the first year of the law’s implementation, but data show that the relationship may diminish over time. No association between the legalization of cannabis and alcohol consumption was observed among the elderly.
However, the results showed no association between legalized cannabis and increased binge or binge drinking.
Learn more here.
Measles epidemic among children in Ohio grows; The CDC appealed
A measles outbreak in Columbus, Ohio has sickened more than a dozen unvaccinated children, according to local officials who called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for help.
According to Columbus Public Health, there are 19 confirmed cases linked to 12 different schools or daycares. Nine children were hospitalized.
“All facilities are actively working with Columbus Public Health and following our advice,” said Kelli Newman, spokeswoman for Columbus Public Health.
Newman said 18 of the children were under 4 years old and one child was 6 years old. None of them are vaccinated.
- The CDC and Columbus Public Health officials encourage parents to make sure their children are up to date on their vaccinations, including the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
- Measles is extremely contagious and can be very serious, especially for babies and young children. The CDC recommends that children receive the MMR vaccine in two doses: a first between 12 months and 15 months and a second between 4 and 6 years.
Learn more here.
WHAT WE READ
- The end of vaccines at “lightning speed” (New York Times)
- The flu variant that hits children and the elderly harder than other strains is currently dominant in the United States (CNBC)
- As STDs proliferate, companies rush to market home test kits. But are they reliable? (Kaiser Health News)
STATE BY STATE
- Blackfeet Nation challenges Montana’s ban on vaccination mandates as an attack on sovereignty (Kaiser Health News)
- State Health Officials Hold ‘Triple Outbreak’ Briefing (KOB 4)
- Top state health officials are encouraging Mainers to stock up on home COVID tests ahead of the holidays (Lewiston Sun Journal)
That’s all for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s healthcare page for the latest news and coverage. See you next week.
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