Schools across the U.S. have been rocked by a spate of false threats of violence in recent weeks, forcing them to evacuate or temporarily close.
Why it matters: Threats of bombs, shooters and other dangers disrupt learning and stir community-wide anxiety about school safety. Responding to them can also be expensive and time-consuming for local governments and law enforcement.
The chief executive of the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy blamed insurers and middlemen for the high costs of weight-loss drugs in the U.S. during a congressional testimony on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, who leads drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk, passed along accountability for access to these medications while being questioned about his company's role in setting prices.
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. counties lacked opioid treatment programs or any office-based providers of buprenorphine, which reduces the risk of future overdoses, according to a federal review of whether drugs for opioid abuse are reaching areas of greatest need.
Why it matters: It's the latest sign that many Americans in the throes of the addiction crisis aren't getting access to potentially life-saving treatments.
Health data startup Particle Health sued electronic health records giant Epic Systems for federal antitrust violations on Monday, charging it uses its control over troves of patient records to stifle competition.
Why it matters: About 36% of hospitals use Epic for their EHRs, and Particle estimates in its lawsuit that as many as 94% of American patients have at least one record stored in an Epic EHR.
Doctors of color may be bearing a disproportionate burden caring for patients most in need, with Black and Latino physicians far likelier to accept Medicaid than their white peers, new research shows.
Why it matters: The findings provide compelling evidence that race and ethnicity are directly connected to participation in the safety net program, and that diversity in the health care workforce is needed to address inequities.
California sued ExxonMobil on Monday alleging a decades-long campaign that falsely promised recycling would effectively address plastic waste.
The big picture: The first-of-its-kind lawsuit seeks to hold the oil giant— one of the largest producers of petroleum-based polymers — accountable for misleading the public and polluting the state.
Top Senate Democrats will force Republicans to vote on access to emergency abortion care this week, in one of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)'s final pre-election messaging pushes, Axios has learned.
The big picture:The death of a Georgia woman who was refused emergency care because of the state's abortion restrictions has become the latest rallying cry for Democrats who are wagering abortion will be a winning issue for their party on Nov. 5.
A nasal spray flu vaccine for people up to 49 will be available for home use starting in the fall of 2025 after the Food and Drug Administration expanded its approval of AstraZeneca's FluMist.
Why it matters: It will be the first flu vaccine that doesn't need to be administered by a health provider and will be sold direct to consumers for home use via an online pharmacy.
Childhood trauma can raise the risk of developing major diseases later in life that vary based on a person's unique experiences and even their sex, new research concludes.
Why it matters: Although it's widely understood that trauma early in life has biological and real-world health impacts, the findings shed light on how different life experiences can shape the way the body functions and make a person susceptible to chronic diseases.
