Axios

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus, making it the first authorized RSV shot in the U.S.

Why it matters: GSK's vaccine is approved for adults aged 60 and older, a population that is particularly vulnerable to RSV. The disease causes up to 10,000 deaths and as many as 160,000 hospitalizations for people 65 and up per year, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. overdose death rate involving fentanyl nearly quadrupled between 2016 and 2021, according to a report published Wednesday.

The big picture: The growing fentanyl crisis has spurred state and federal lawmakers to target the trafficking of the synthetic opioid, expand access to opioid overdose antidote Narcan, and decriminalize fentanyl test strips to use as a prevention tool.

Allergy seasons are becoming more intense and lasting longer, in part due to climate change.

Why it matters: Warmer temperatures are fueling longer and more intense pollen seasons, studies find. If those trends continue, places that typically have short or less intense allergy seasons could see them extend, experts predict.

North Carolina's state Senate passed a bill this week that would exempt the UNC Health Care system from federal and state antitrust laws.

Why it matters: The bill could increase health care consolidation in the state by making it easier for the University of North Carolina-affiliated hospital system to acquire other health care organizations.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants the nation to see loneliness as one of the top health challenges, issuing an advisory warning on Tuesday about what he sees as a threat to Americans' health and well-being.

Why it matters: Studies have estimated that the impact of social isolation on mortality is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, according to the advisory.

A Utah judge ruled in favor of a Planned Parenthood request on Tuesday to block the state's latest anti-abortion law from going into effect Wednesday.

Driving the news: Third District Court Judge Andrew Stone approved an injunction that prevents the state from enacting its abortion clinic ban while courts review a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and ACLU of Utah.

The 340B Drug Discount Program — which gives hospitals a break on drug purchases from manufacturers — may be slowing the uptake of lower-cost alternatives known as biosimilars, according to a study led by Cornell University.

Why it matters: Biologics made up 43% of U.S. drug spending in 2019 and accounted for 83% of drug spending growth between 2015 and 2019, the authors said.

A new survey found that approximately 41% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered suicide in the past year amid the record-breaking number of anti-LGBTQ bills being introduced and enacted in U.S. states.

Providers in states where abortion is banned may find themselves forced to navigate conflicting state and federal laws when pregnant patients come to emergency departments for care — and face serious consequences for noncompliance with both.

Driving the news: For the first time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Department of Health and Human Services is investigating hospitals for allegedly violating a federal law that protects a patient's ability to get an abortion in emergency situations, regardless of whether a state has a ban or restrictions in place.