A Food and Drug Administration staff report questions the safety of using the drug known as ecstasy to treat PTSD, citing the potential for abuse and possible harmful side effects to the heart and liver.
Why it matters: The findings cast new doubts on what could become the first psychedelic-based treatment approved in the U.S. ahead of a June 4 meeting during which FDA advisers will review a new drug application from Lykos Therapeutics.
Moderna's RSV shot for adults 60 and older was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, joining a growing group of vaccines protecting against the major respiratory threat.
Why it matters: It's Moderna's second approved product, and company officials said it's the first mRNA vaccine approved for a disease other than COVID-19.
The House Select Committee on the CCP asked the Biden administration for a briefing about the biotech company GenScript to determine its ties to the Chinese Communist Party and whether it poses any risks to the U.S., according to a letter seen by Axios.
Why it matters: It's the latest development in Congress' push to crack down on China-linked biotech companies that lawmakers say could pose a risk to U.S. national security — an effort some in the life sciences fear coulddisruptpharmaceutical supply chains.
Everyone knows the country's addiction crisis is bad, but even the direst headlines just barely scratch the surface.
Why it matters: We spend a lot of time talking about drug overdose deaths, which each year are nearly double the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. But overdose deaths are only one measure of the drug epidemic's severity — and even the formal toll doesn't capture the true extent of drugs' lethal power, experts say.
Health care lobbyists and conservative groups are stepping up preparations for what a second Trump presidency could mean for drug prices, health insurance subsidies and changes to health care entitlements.
Why it matters: A Trump win would once again shock the system, bringing unpredictability and the possibility of cuts to federal health programs.
