The Food and Drug Administration took a big step toward ending the most common inherited blood disorder on Friday by approving a pair of gene therapies for sickle cell disease.
Yes, but: The one-time treatments are both grueling and could cost millions of dollars, raising questions about equity and access.
A pregnant woman in Kentucky filed a lawsuit Friday challenging two abortion bans in the state.
The big picture: The lawsuit comes a day after a Texas woman was granted permission to receive an emergency abortion despite a restrictive ban that went into effect in the state after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first therapy based on CRISPR gene-editing technology to address the painful effects of sickle cell disease.
Why it matters: The technology could be applied beyond the estimated 100,000 Americans with sickle cell to other blood disorders like hemophilia, as well as certain cancers and infectious diseases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data Friday indicating that roughly 3.3 million adults in the U.S. suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome.
Why it matters: The study is the first nationally representative estimate of the condition and estimate proves larger than previous studies suggested, AP reported.
Medicare negotiations of prescription drug prices could have cut seniors' out-of-pocket costs by nearly a quarter had the program been in effect in 2021, according to an analysis Mathematica provided first to Axios.
Why it matters: The research consultancy's analysis offers a glimpse at potential savings enrollees might see as Medicare begins negotiating the prices of certain high-cost drugs.
Now coming to a mall, gym or office building near you: A self-contained doctor's office, powered by artificial intelligence, where you — the patient — draw your own blood and take your own vitals.
Why it matters: The traditional annual checkup is being disrupted in various tech-heavy ways, from telehealth to concierge medicine to the CarePod, above, a DIY health clinic-in-a-box.
The era of massive overhauls of the health care system appears to be over — at least for now.
Why it matters: Health care is shaping up to be a prominent 2024 campaign issue, but today's political environment has all but extinguished hopes for sweeping changes to the system.
