06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Says Morning-After Pill Isn’t Abortion

FDA Says Morning-After Pill Isn’t Abortion

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is changing the packaging information for the emergency contraception pill Plan B to explicitly state a fact that has long been well understood in the medical community: This drug can prevent pregnancy but can’t cause an abortion.Plan B is approved for women to take within 72 hours of sex to prevent pregnancy, and is available over the counter without a prescription or medical exam. The FDA is revising labels inside the package for Plan B to remove a statement unsupported by scientific evidence: that this drug might stop a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.Changes to the packaging labels for Plan B clearly distinguish this form of contraception from medication abortion pills, which can stop a pregnancy after a fertilized egg is…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Approves Briumvi to Treat Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

FDA Approves Briumvi to Treat Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

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On December 28, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Briumvi (ublituximab), a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) in adults, including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, and active secondary-progressive MS.An estimated one million people in the United States live with MS, with about 25,000 new people diagnosed each year, according to the National MS Society.Briumvi, manufactured by TG Therapeutics, is a glycoengineered monoclonal antibody designed to target B cells — a type of white blood cell — and reduce their numbers. These cells are thought to be one of the immune cells that attacks myelin — the protective coating that insulates nerve cells — in people with MS.Glycoengineered means removing certain sugar molecules normally expressed on the antibody, which is thought to…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Overconsumption of Common Red Food Dye May Lead to Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Overconsumption of Common Red Food Dye May Lead to Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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Skittles, Doritos, Gatorade, Jell-O, Fruit Loops, and many other top-selling food products contain a synthetic dye called Allura Red AC that, consumed too frequently, may increase the likelihood of developing inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.A small study involving laboratory mice suggests that frequent and long-term exposure to the dye (also called FD&C Red 40 and Food Red 17) harms gut health and promotes inflammation.Recently published in Nature Communications, the research found that the additive directly disrupts the gut barrier (which helps prevent bacterial intrusion) and increases the production of serotonin, a hormone and neurotransmitter found in the gut. This reaction changes the gut microbiome, leading to increased susceptibility to inflammatory bowel conditions, according to the report.“What we have found is striking and alarming, as this common…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Some COVID-19 Patients Don’t Recover Their Sense of Smell — Scientists May Know Why

Some COVID-19 Patients Don’t Recover Their Sense of Smell — Scientists May Know Why

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New research suggests that the presence of ongoing inflammation that damages and destroys cells in the nose may be the reason that some people fail to recover their sense of smell after COVID-19.The study, a collaboration between researchers at Duke, Harvard, and the University of California in San Diego, adds an important insight into a problem that has affected millions of people who have not fully recovered their sense of smell after COVID-19. The findings were published online December 21, 2022, in the journal Science Translational Medicine.Millions Have Not Fully Recovered Their Sense of Smell After COVID-19One symptom long associated with COVID-19 infection is loss of smell, says the senior author of the study, Bradley Goldstein, MD, PhD, associate professor in head and neck surgery and communication sciences and neurobiology at…
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05Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Cluster Headache More Likely to Be Chronic in Women, Study Finds

Cluster Headache More Likely to Be Chronic in Women, Study Finds

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Compared with other types of headache, cluster headache is rare. Defined by short but extremely painful episodes that can occur for many days or even weeks in a row, the condition can be excruciating. In fact, the pain can be so unbearable that these attacks have been given the name “suicide headaches.”“Historically, about half the patients who had them would kill themselves [because] the pain was so bad,” says Merle Diamond, MD, the managing director of the Diamond Headache Clinic and the director of the Diamond Inpatient Headache Unit at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago. “It’s a knife-searing pain. People have described it as having a hot poker through their eye or somebody stabbing them through their skull.”Although this debilitating condition has been more frequently reported among men, a new…
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05Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Good Hydration May Slow Aging and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk, Study Says

Good Hydration May Slow Aging and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk, Study Says

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Looking to make a low-effort, high-payoff change to your everyday health habits? A new study found that people who stay well hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions (including stroke, diabetes, and dementia), and live longer compared with people who may not be drinking enough fluids.The National Institutes of Health (NIH) study was published on January 2, 2022, in the journal eBioMedicine.“The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life,” said study author Natalia Dmitrieva, PhD, a researcher at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, in a press release.Staying Hydrated Can Help You Stay HealthyIn the short term, getting enough water can help prevent dehydration, a health issue that can cause your body to overheat, cloud your thinking and…
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05Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Now Allows Retail Pharmacies to Dispense Abortion Pills

FDA Now Allows Retail Pharmacies to Dispense Abortion Pills

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will now allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion pills to people with prescriptions.Before this recent decision, only specially certified clinics or healthcare providers or mail-order pharmacies could dispense mifepristone, a drug used along with the medication misoprostol to end pregnancies. But under new rules posted on the FDA website, mifepristone can now be dispensed by healthcare providers who prescribe the drug or by retail or mail-order pharmacies.“Being able to access your prescribed medication abortion through the mail or to pick it up in person from a pharmacy like any other prescription is a game changer for people trying to access basic healthcare,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and chief executive officer of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in a statement.FDA Ruling Will…
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05Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Coffee Tied to Premature Death Risk in Some People With High Blood Pressure

Coffee Tied to Premature Death Risk in Some People With High Blood Pressure

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Drinking two or more daily cups of coffee is associated with roughly twice the risk of a premature death from cardiovascular disease in people with severe hypertension, a new study suggests.One cup of coffee a day doesn’t appear to carry this risk, and neither does green tea, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.“These findings may support the assertion that people with severe high blood pressure should avoid drinking excessive coffee,” said senior study author Hiroyasu Iso, MD, PhD, MPH, in a statement. Dr. Iso serves as a director of the Institute for Global Health Policy Research at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo, said.“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to find an association between drinking two or more…
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05Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Updates Labeling Rules to Protect People With Sesame Allergy

FDA Updates Labeling Rules to Protect People With Sesame Allergy

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Effective January 1, 2023, sesame has been added to the list of major food allergens according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The change is a result of the FASTER Act (Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research), which became law in April 2021.Sesame joins eight other major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. The original list dates back to 2004 as a response to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act.This update is “a game changer” for people with a sesame allergy, says Ruchi S. Gupta, MD, MPH, a professor of pediatrics and director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.“Now if a product contains…
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