A surge of alternatives to newly popular weight-loss drugs is facing its biggest test yet after the FDA warned companies against skirting regulatory standards to put them on the market now that shortages are waning.
Why it matters: Widespread shortages of GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Mounjaro have triggered a rush of companies seeking to exploit a loophole that allows them to sell compounded versions of the injections.
Fewer young people are using condoms, prompting public health experts to rethink their approach to promoting safe sex.
Why it matters: Teens and young adults may be turning away from condoms, but they're also having less sex in general, and contracting fewer sexually transmitted infections, than previous generations. Teen pregnancy is also down.
Changes are coming to Medicare prescription drug coverage next year that are expected to lower many seniors' out-of-pocket costs.
Why it matters: The Inflation Reduction Act included an overhaul of Medicare's prescription drug benefit, and some key reforms kick in next year, including:
Major insurers including Aetna and Humana are scaling back their Medicare Advantage plans for next year, leaving some seniors around the country hunting for new care arrangements just weeks before the 2025 sign-up period begins.
Why it matters: Private Medicare plans will cover more than half of Medicare beneficiaries, or 35.7 million people, next year. Even small disruptions to coverage could be difficult for seniors living on fixed incomes to manage.
Former first lady Melania Trump vehemently defended abortion rights in her upcoming memoir, according to an advanced copy obtained by The Guardian.
Why it matters:Former President Trump has continuously boasted that he was responsible for the Supreme Court overturning federal abortion protections, and while he's flip flopped on the issue, he's now campaigning with the position that abortion should be left to states — a view women largely oppose.
During Tuesday's vice presidential debate, former President Trump announced on Truth Social that he would veto a national abortion ban — an issue on which he'd been waffling for months.
Why it matters: Trump's post came less than 35 days until the election, and as polling indicates that Vice President Harris has a clear edge among women voters and on abortion rights.
Hurricanes and tropical storms have long-term health consequences, generating 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths over the 15 years following the event, a new study finds.
Why it matters: The study demonstrates that long-term public health impacts are a concern in the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastating damage and long after direct deaths and damage is accounted for.
Intermittent fasting could improve blood sugar regulation, cholesterol counts and weight loss for the 1 in 3 Americans with metabolic syndrome, new research shows.
Why it matters: The findings in Annals of Internal Medicine show that limiting food intake to certain hours of the day can be a practical, low-cost way to improve cardiometabolic health, researchers from the Salk Institute and University of California San Diego School of Medicine write.
Asian American and Pacific Islander women saw the steepest rise in breast cancer cases of any other group over a decade, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.
Why it matters: While overall breast cancer deaths are falling, the report shows progress has been uneven and hindered by a stubborn rise in incidence of the disease, especially in middle-aged women.
The Steward Health debacle may be nearing an end, but critics worry some of the arrangements in place to keep the chain's hospitals and 5,000-person doctors group up and running could trigger another fiasco.
Why it matters: Almost everyone agrees that Steward's management had a big hand driving the system into bankruptcy. But some argue there were also systemic problems related to private equity ownership and risky sale-leasebacks of properties that still loom over the surviving entities.
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said the Republican Party has to do a better job in "earning the American people's trust back" on the issue of abortion "where they frankly, just don't trust us."
The big picture: The Republican vice presidential candidate sought to pivot to a more compassionate tone on the issue of abortion in the face of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's attacks, calling for public policy that would "give women more options," so they can afford to have and take care of children.
