Federal health officials have found vitamin E acetate in the lung fluids of 29 patients diagnosed with a mysterious vaping-related illness, the Centers for Disease Control announced Friday, a "breakthrough" in the search for the culprit of the mysterious disease, the Washington Post writes.
Why it matters: The development further links vitamin E acetate as "a very strong culprit of" the illness, said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director at the CDC, per the Post. But the agency isn't ruling out other compounds or ingredients as sources for the illness, which has afflicted more than 2,000 people, and killed 39.
Air ambulances' use declined between 2008 and 2017 among people with employer coverage, but the average price of a trip more than doubled, according to new data from the Health Care Cost Institute, which is funded by insurers.
Why it matters: Air ambulances are a frequent source of surprise medical bills, and often aren't covered by private insurance. These bills can be for eye-popping amounts.
Walgreens handled nearly one in five oxycodone and hydrocodone pills that were shipped to pharmacies between 2006 and 2012, as the opioid epidemic worsened, the Washington Post reports.
Between the lines: Walgreens is one of the companies being sued by thousands of communities across the country in federal court.
In the past year, Juul has gone from exceeding its 2018 projections and becoming a venture capital fundraising machine to being regulators' favorite punching bag.
Driving the news: Juul, the nation's largest maker of vaping products, announced Thursday it will freeze sales of its popular mint flavor, leaving only menthol and tobacco flavors available, as it tries to stay ahead of the looming crackdown on vaping by the Trump administration.
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