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CDC Slightly Increases Risk Bird Flu Could Cause a Pandemic in Latest Assessment
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new risk assessment of the H5N1 bird flu virus circulating in dairy cows on Friday, increasing slightly its estimate of the chance it poses of triggering a pandemic.
The new assessment, developed using the CDC’s influenza risk assessment tool or IRAT, gauged the risk the virus might someday cause a pandemic at 5.79, up from a previous score of 5.12 from an assessment of a related virus conducted in April 2023.
Both numbers are within what the CDC tool terms a “moderate” risk of 4.0 to 7.9. Some swine influenza viruses and the H7N9 bird flu virus have scored higher than this version of H5N1 using the IRAT process.
Wegovy and Similar Weight-Loss Drugs May Increase Risk of Eating Disorders, Doctors Tell NBC News
According to a recent report by NBC News, there are growing concerns that the use of weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound could trigger, or worsen, eating disorders in the patients using them.
Over the past few years, GLP1-RA medications have been used by millions of Americans to delay gastric emptying and promote weight loss. However, there have been growing concerns over the side effects of these medications.
Although advertisements promote the drugs as safe and effective, with few long-term side effects, GLP1 RAs have been linked to a number of potentially serious health risks, including gastroparesis, and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy vision problems, which can cause sudden vision loss due to a lack of blood flow to the optic nerve.
The NBC News report indicates that, in addition to the previous concerns, more and more doctors are trying to raise the alarm over rising reports of eating disorders, like anorexia, which could be the result of dietary restrictions that come as part of treatment regimen.
The FDA Should Withdraw Approval of More Than 400 Tainted Medicines
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) learned that a testing facility in India had submitted fraudulent data for more than 400 drugs (most of them generics), the agency should have withdrawn them from the market.
Instead, it has allowed these drugs to continue to be prescribed and distributed for at least a year as the pharmaceutical companies retest them for equivalency to the original brand-name drugs.
As someone whose work focuses on the hidden and minimized side effects of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, I know the FDA’s decision is wrong.
That’s why I published an open letter to the agency asking that approval be withdrawn for all of these medicines until new, clean data has been submitted, reviewed, and approved by the FDA. The European Medicine Agency has already suspended distribution of these 400-plus drugs.
Global Study Predicts Increases in Cancer Cases and Deaths Among Men, With Widening Disparities
In an analysis of 30 cancer types among men, investigators uncover substantial disparities in cancer cases and deaths by age and countries’ economic status — disparities that are projected to widen by 2050. The study is published in the journal Cancer.
Men face higher rates of cancer and cancer-related deaths than women, likely due to various factors including lower participation in cancer prevention activities; underuse of screening and treatment options; increased exposure to cancer risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and occupational exposure to carcinogens; and biological differences.
Between 2022 and 2050, cancer cases are projected to increase from 10.3 million to 19 million, an 84% increase. Deaths are projected to increase from 5.4 million to 10.5 million, a 93% increase, with a greater than two-fold increase among men aged 65+ years and for countries/territories with low and medium human development index.
FDA Approves First Nasal Spray to Treat Dangerous Allergic Reactions
U.S. health officials on Friday approved a nasal spray to treat severe allergic reactions, the first needle-free alternative to shots like EpiPen.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it approved the spray from drugmaker ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. as an emergency treatment for adults and older children experiencing life-threatening allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis.
Anaphylaxis occurs when the body’s immune system develops a sudden, unexpected reaction to a foreign substance, such as food, insect stings or medications. Common symptoms include hives, swelling, itching, vomiting and difficulty breathing.
Pfizer, Looking to Expand RSV Vaccine’s Reach, Touts Its Benefits in Immunocompromised Adults
Locked in a closely watched respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine competition, Pfizer aims to expand the reach of its offering Abrysvo.
Monday, Pfizer said Abrysvo elicited a strong response in adults of various ages with compromised immune systems.
A single dose of the vaccine generated strong neutralizing antibodies against both subtypes of RSV across all cohorts, Pfizer said, even though the phase 3 study, coded MONeT, tested Abrysvo in two doses given one month apart.
Based on the positive readout, Pfizer said it plans to submit the data to regulators for review and share the full details at an upcoming scientific conference.
FDA Warns Against Smelling Salts
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) warned consumers not to buy or use “smelling salts” that are promoted to boost alertness and energy.
The agency said the products — also known as ammonia inhalants — are unapproved drugs and would need to be approved as any other over-the-counter product for this particular use.
FDA also warned that inhaling ammonia “can quickly lead to coughing, airway constriction, and eye, nose, and throat irritation.” It said it received reports of “shortness of breath, seizures, migraines, vomiting, diarrhea, and fainting from consumers after using these types of products, possibly purchased through various websites.”
Smelling salts have been in use for centuries, as a first-aid staple to revive the faint, or to revive athletes knocked unconscious, such as in boxing or hockey. But today, these smelling salts are marketed as a stimulant for athletic performance, sniffed out of packets or small containers on the sidelines or before lifting weights.
