First Edition: March 6, 2023
KHN:Struggling To Survive, The First Rural Hospitals Line Up For New Federal Lifeline
Just off the historic U.S. Route 66 in eastern New Mexico, a 10-bed hospital has for decades provided emergency care for a steady flow of people injured in car crashes and ranching accidents. It also has served as a close-to-home option for the occasional overnight patient, usually older residents with pneumonia or heart trouble. Its the only hospital for the more than 4,500 people living on a swath of 3,000 square miles of high plains and lakes east of Albuquerque. (Tribble, 3/6)
KHN:Despite Pharma Claims, Illicit Drug Shipments To US Arent Full Of Opioids. Its Generic Viagra.
For years, the FDA has defended its efforts to intercept prescription drugs coming from abroad by mail as necessary to keep out dangerous opioids, including fentanyl. The pharmaceutical industry frequently cites such concerns in its battle to stymie numerous proposals in Washington to allow Americans to buy drugs from Canada and other countries where prices are almost always much lower. (Galewitz, 3/6)
KHN:Virtual Or In Person: Which Kind Of Doctors Visit Is Better, And When It Matters
When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face. During the early months of the pandemic, telehealth visits for care exploded. (Andrews, 3/6)
KHN:Journalists Discuss Insulin Prices, Gun Violence, Distracted Driving, And More
Midwest KHN correspondent Bram Sable-Smith discussed the Eli Lilly news on insulin prices on PBS NewsHour and insulin prices on Slates What Next on March 1. ... KHN contributor Andy Miller discussed Georgias legislative wrap-up including Medicaid work requirements on Georgia Public Broadcastings Lawmakers on Feb. 28. He also discussed health care for foster children on WUGAs The Georgia Health Report on Feb. 3. (3/4)
The Washington Post:Diabetes And Obesity Rising In Young Americans, Study Finds
Diabetes and obesity are rising among young adults in the United States, an alarming development that puts them at higher risk for heart disease, according to a study of 13,000 people between 20 and 44 years old. The authors of the study, published Sunday in a major medical journal, warn the trends could have major public health implications: a rising generation dying prematurely of heart attacks, strokes and other complications. And Black and Hispanic people, particularly Mexican Americans, would bear the brunt. (Nirappil, 3/5)
Stat:The Obesity Revolution: New Weight Loss Drugs Change The Narrative
A two-part message is permeating the halls of medicine and the fabric of society, sliding into medical school lectures, pediatricians offices, happy hours and social feeds: Obesity is a chronic biological disease and its treatable with a new class of medications. (Chen and Herper, 3/5)
ABC News:Eating Disorder Experts Are Worried About Ozempic
The popularity around weight loss drugs like Ozempic is worrying eating disorder experts, who say the conversation risks making recovery harder and could put others at risk of developing disorders. "My fear is that there is now a belief that anyone can and should achieve a certain body shape and size with the help of these medications, so there's going to be an even greater drive towards a certain body type," said Tracy Richmond, director of the eating disorder program at Boston Children's Hospital. (Wetsman, 3/6)
AP:Can't Take Statins? New Pill Cuts Cholesterol, Heart Attacks
In a major study, a different kind of cholesterol-lowering drug named Nexletol reduced the risk of heart attacks and some other cardiovascular problems in people who cant tolerate statins, researchers reported Saturday. Doctors already prescribe the drug, known chemically as bempedoic acid, to be used together with a statin to help certain high-risk patients further lower their cholesterol. The new study tested Nexletol without the statin combination -- and offers the first evidence that it also reduces the risk of cholesterol-caused health problems. (Neergaard, 3/4)
USA Today:Is There An Alternative To Statins For High Cholesterol? Bempedoic Acid Just Passed A Key Test
More than a quarter of Americans over 40 take medications to lower their cholesterol, most of them statins. But not everyone can tolerate statins or wants to. Now a new study confirms that bempedoic acid, approved in 2020, not only lowers cholesterol, but also reduces the risk for heart attack and stroke. (Weintraub, 3/4)
Stat:After Its Drug Was Shown To Prevent Heart Attacks, Whats Next For Esperion?
On Saturday a new study showed that Nexletol, the cholesterol-lowering medicine made by Esperion Therapeutics, prevented heart attacks among people who cannot or will not take potent cholesterol-lowering statins. The question now is whether those benefits are going to be enough to make sales of Nexletol take off. They have been basically dead in the water since the oral medicine was approved three years ago. (Herper, 3/6)
CNN:'Keto-Like' Diet May Be Associated With Heart Disease, According To New Research
A low-carb, high-fat keto-like diet may be linked to higher levels of bad cholesterol and double the risk of cardiovascular events such as blocked arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to new research. Our study found that regular consumption of a self-reported diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat was associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol and a higher risk of heart disease, lead study author Dr. Iulia Iatan with the Healthy Heart Program Prevention Clinic, St. Pauls Hospital and University of British Columbias Centre for Heart Lung Innovation in Vancouver, Canada, said in a news release. (Hassan and LaMotte, 3/6)
The New York Times:New Treatment Could Help Fix The Hearts Forgotten Valve
For the first time, patients with damaged tricuspid valves in their hearts might have a safe treatment that actually helps. More than 1 million mostly older Americans have seriously leaking tricuspids, a valve on the right side of the heart that lets deoxygenated blood flow between the right atrium and the right ventricle. When the valve leaks, blood flows backward. As a result, fluid accumulates in vital organs while legs and feet get swollen. The eventual outcome is heart failure. (Kolata, 3/4)
The New York Times:Lesion Removed During Bidens Physical Was Cancerous
President Biden had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest during his physical last month, the presidents doctor said Friday. The existence of the lesion was included in the summary of Mr. Bidens physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in mid-February. On Friday, Dr. Kevin C. OConnor, the presidents longtime physician, said a biopsy confirmed that it was basal cell carcinoma, a common and relatively unaggressive form of skin can
Monday, March 6, 2023 at 11:25 am