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The median annual price of novel FDA approved drugs exceeded $200,000 in 2022. (Reuters)
As COVID tears through Beijing, hospital beds are becoming scarce, and running out at some hospitals. (AP)
The South Carolina Supreme Court struck down the state’s 6-week abortion ban, deeming it unconstitutional. (CNBC)
Meanwhile, the Idaho Supreme Court upheld multiple state laws that amount to a near total-ban on the procedure. (Politico)
And over in Minnesota, a bill to codify abortion rights just passed the House health panel. (CBS Minnesota)
The NIH announced it launched a pilot COVID-19 telehealth program with the hopes of offering rapid COVID-19 home tests, virtual consultants, and prescription antiviral medications.
A new CDC report showed that rates of childhood vaccination against COVID-19 varied widely by race. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)
Pfizer plans to scale back on some early-stage research on rare disease treatments, including pulling back on the development of viral-based gene therapies. (Barron’s)
The Infectious Diseases Society of America isn’t sold on the governments new plan to require pre-flight COVID-19 testing for travelers from China, saying this policy will have “limited impact on transmission” and could “fuel anti-Asian bias and xenophobia.”
Following Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest during an NFL game, the NHL will require mandatory EKGs of players and will update its own emergency action plan for cardiac events on the ice to include the presence of at least three physicians, two ambulances, and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at all arenas. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
A new law is being considered in New York state that would allow students to take mental health days from school. (CBS New York)
In New York City, a looming 10,000-nurse strike has hospitals moving sick babies and diverting ambulances. (NBC New York)
In-person visits are no longer required to get free pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Philadelphia through a new HIV prevention telehealth program at Einstein Medical Center. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Researchers at Stanford Medicine say they discovered how the COVID virus enters and exits the nose.
Alleged fentanyl trafficker Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo, was arrested in Mexico. (CNN)
Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey (D) revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but said he is expected to make a full recovery after surgery. (CBS News)
Thanks to a new defense bill passed late last year, federal firefighters will now automatically qualify for compensation benefits if diagnosed with certain types of cancer. (The Hill)
The FDA will review nirsevimab for approval, which has the potential to be the first single-dose respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) preventative option for newborns and infants, developer AstraZeneca announced.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruan decision, convictions of two Mobile, Alabama doctors were partially overturned by a court of appeals following their 2017 prosecution for running a pill mill. (Al.com)
DNA testing helped identify a man found floating in a Michigan river 50 years ago. (Fox 2 Detroit)
In Uzbekistan, four people were arrested in connection with the death of 19 children from cough syrup tainted with ethylene glycol. (Reuters)
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
