Readers and Tweeters Weigh In on Medical Debt, the Obesity Epidemic, and Opioid Battles
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Drugs
381-400 of 1,313 results
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The FDA Goes After Nicotine
The FDA is using its power to regulate tobacco products 鈥 ordering the vaping device Juul off the market and announcing its intention to lower the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and other products. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court rules on Medicare and kidney dialysis, and Congress makes progress on legislation surrounding guns and mental health. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Noam N. Levey about the new KHN-NPR project on the growing impact of medical debt.
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New Weight Loss Treatment Is Marked by Heavy Marketing and Modest Results
Approved as a device, not a drug, Plenity contains a plant-based gel that swells to fill 25% of a person鈥檚 stomach, to help people eat less. Results vary widely but are modest on average.
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A Proposal to Import Drugs from Other Countries Creates an Unusual Alliance in the Senate
As a Senate committee considered legislation to reauthorize the FDA鈥檚 user fee program, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul agreed on a proposed amendment related to importing drugs from Canada, the U.K., and other nations.
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At a Bay Area 鈥楾est-to-Treat鈥 Site, Few Takers for Free Antivirals
In carrying out the federal covid-19 鈥渢est-to-treat鈥 initiative, California is targeting the uninsured by outfitting 138 testing sites with screenings for free antiviral drugs. But as of mid-June, fewer than 800 people had been prescribed the medicines. And two-thirds of those undergoing screenings are insured.
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As Biden Fights Overdoses, Harm Reduction Groups Face Local Opposition
The Biden administration鈥檚 latest plan to address opioid overdose deaths includes $30 million for harm reduction measures, but many conservative states don鈥檛 allow them.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Taking a Shot at Gun Control
The U.S. House passed a package of bills seeking to keep some guns out of the hands of children and teenagers, but its fate in the Senate remains a big question mark. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission takes on drug and hospital prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Cori Uccello of the American Academy of Actuaries about the most recent report from Medicare鈥檚 trustees board.
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Lawmaker Takes on Insurance Companies and Gets Personal About His Health
State Sen. Scott Wiener opens up about a weeklong stint in the hospital last year and what it鈥檚 like to live with Crohn鈥檚 disease. The San Francisco Democrat is pushing a bill that would require insurance companies to cover certain medications while patients appeal denials.
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Misinformation Clouds America鈥檚 Most Popular Emergency Contraception
At a moment when half of U.S. states stand poised to outlaw or sharply curtail abortion services, the nation鈥檚 most popular emergency contraception brand rests in the unlikely stewardship of two private equity firms.
By Sarah Varney -
California Wants to Slash Insulin Prices by Becoming a Drugmaker. Can It Succeed?
Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed spending $100 million to make insulin affordable to millions of people with diabetes under a new state generic drug label, CalRx. But state officials haven鈥檛 said how much the insulin will cost patients or how the state will deal with distribution and other challenges.
By Angela Hart -
Readers and Tweeters Go to the Mat on Abortion Rights and Perceived Wrongs
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Novavax Missed Its Global Moonshot but Is Angling to Win Over mRNA Defectors
After years of failure, the Maryland company aims to attract the vaccine-hesitant with an alternative to mRNA shots. But will it find a market?
By Arthur Allen and Sarah Jane Tribble -
Postcard From Minneapolis
Tribal Pharmacy Dispenses Free Meds and Fills Gaps for Native Americans in the City
The Mashkiki Waakaa鈥檌gan Pharmacy in downtown Minneapolis gives Native Americans an economical option for filling prescriptions while being sensitive to tribal traditions and expectations.
By Katherine Huggins and Julia Mueller -
Watch: Going Beyond the Script of 鈥楾he G Word鈥 and How Government Responds to Disease (Or Not)
KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal joins comedian Adam Conover to discuss his new Netflix series, 鈥淭he G Word,鈥 which examines the federal government's role in Americans' lives, and how it plays out in the covid era.
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Journalists Recap the Latest on the Supreme Court Leak, Mental Health Care, and Fentanyl Testing Strips
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Invisible Pandemic
Covid cases are again climbing, but you wouldn鈥檛 know it from the behavior of public health and elected officials, much less the general public, all of whom seem to want to put the pandemic in the rearview mirror. Meanwhile, the fallout over the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion continues even as the Senate fails 鈥 again 鈥 to muster the votes to write abortion rights into law. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
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Is Paxlovid, the Covid Pill, Reaching Those Who Most Need It? The Government Won鈥檛 Say
Many public health workers are unable to see how many doses of Pfizer鈥檚 antiviral treatment are shipped to their communities and cannot tell whether vulnerable residents are filling prescriptions as often as their wealthier neighbors.
By Hannah Recht -
Can a Monthly Injection Be the Key to Curbing Addiction? These Experts Say Yes
In California, where overdose deaths are on the rise, physicians say administering anti-addiction medication as a monthly injection holds tremendous potential. So, why aren鈥檛 more patients getting it?
By Jenny Gold -
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Leaked Abortion Opinion Rocks Washington鈥檚 World
The unprecedented early leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark abortion-rights ruling Roe v. Wade has heated the national abortion debate to boiling. Meanwhile, the FDA, after years of consideration, moves to ban menthol flavors in cigarettes and cigars. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Shefali Luthra of the 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Paula Andalo, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about a family whose medical debt drove them to seek care south of the border.
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As Overdoses Soar, More States Decriminalize Fentanyl Testing Strips
Georgia may soon join a growing list of states decriminalizing the use of fentanyl testing strips. Bans of the strips 鈥 on the books in about half of states, experts say 鈥 stem from laws criminalizing drug paraphernalia adopted decades ago. But the testing devices are now recommended to help prevent overdose deaths.
By Andy Miller