Mandy Cohen,the former head of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is expected to become the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two sources familiar with the move confirmed to Axios.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday issued 30 warning letters to retailers and a distributor for illegally selling unauthorized tobacco products, including some widely used Puff and Hyde brand disposable e-cigarettes.
Why it matters: The warnings were part of a nationwide crackdown on e-cigarettes popular with youths, including the Puff Bar — the top brand among kids who reported using e-cigarettes in a 2022 national survey.
Some state policies that require reporting pregnant patients who use illicit drugs to child protective services also use treatment for opioid use disorder as a proxy for alleged child abuse and neglect.
Driving the news: That's led pregnant patients to face discrimination in health care settings, experience higher overdose risk due to stress and opt to discontinue the opioid addiction drug buprenorphine, according to a new report in Maternal and Child Health Journal from Massachusetts General Hospital.
UnitedHealth is backing off a controversial plan to require prior authorizations for colonoscopies and other endoscopic procedures. But the debate over insurer sign-offs that it stoked will likely linger.
Why it matters: While prior authorizations are supposed to ensure that health services are medically necessary, critics say they can create barriers to care and drown the health system in red tape.
The general advice that you should get a "protective" base tan before your beach vacation? It's not science-backed.
Why it matters: Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) adults think getting a base tan will prevent sunburn, according to a new American Academy of Dermatology survey shared with Axios.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Pfizer's vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus for people aged 60 and older, making it the second RSV shot authorized for use in the U.S.
Why it matters: With the earlier approval of GlaxoSmithKline's RSV vaccine, older adults could soon have a choice of shots against the virus.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down on Wednesday two state laws banning nearly all abortions, though the procedure still remains largely illegal due to the state's pre-Roe ban.
Driving the news: The state's high court ruled in the 6-3 decision that the state's 2022 near-total abortion ban and a six-week ban as unconstitutional because they interfere with the "inherent right to terminate a pregnancy to preserve the woman's life."
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday proposed overhauling the paper inserts that come with prescription drugs so that risks and safety information are summarized on a single page.
Why it matters: The agency said existing medication guides, or patient package inserts, can be cumbersome and confusing and lead patients to stop taking their drugs, or not take them as directed.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday potentially laid the groundwork for corporations to avoid legal exposure in future opioid lawsuits through a technicality in bankruptcy law.
Driving the news: The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that, as part of a proposed bankruptcy settlement, members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma could be shielded from current and future civil claims in exchange for paying up to $6 billion and giving up control of the company.
