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HPV Vaccine Uptake in US Teens Hasn’t Increased in 4 Years
For the fourth year in a row, the number of US teenagers being vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) has not increased, according to survey results published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
A smaller percentage of adolescents received the HPV series compared with recipients of the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (Tdap) and the conjugate meningococcal vaccine against the A, C, W, and Y strains (Men ACWY). But uptake of these immunizations declined slightly from last year.
“The consistently lower HPV vaccination coverage compared with other routine adolescent vaccines might, in part, reflect differences in school entry requirements,” wrote the authors, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Tdap is required for school entry in all states, and MenACWY is required in most states; however, few states require HPV vaccination.”
GLP-1 Prescriptions for Kids Up More Than 30,000% Since 2019
Over the last seven years, GLP-1 medication use in children age 8 to 11 has increased by nearly 31,000 percent, according to a new NYU Langone Health study.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any GLP-1 medication for children under 12, but in drastic circumstances, doctors have prescribed it off-label.
Researchers analyzed health records for 3,520,531 children with obesity but without diabetes. The share of those children ages 8 to 11 who were prescribed a GLP-1 rose from 0.03 percent in 2019 to 9.3 percent in 2026 — a 310-fold increase.
Kids with obesity-related conditions, from high cholesterol to sleep apnea, were substantially more likely to be prescribed the drugs than those without.
More Than Two-Thirds of New Drugs Approved by FDA in 2024 Were Based on a Single Study
More than two-thirds of new drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024 were sanctioned based on findings from a single study, according to a new analysis that found that the number of studies used to grant approval has steadily declined since 2016.
The findings, published this week in PLOS One, also show a sharp rise in industry-sponsored studies, a decrease in studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and delays in reporting study results to the public.
The decline in the number of studies coincided with implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law in 2016 to accelerate the development of new medical products and drugs. Although the FDA could already approve a drug based on the strength of one well-designed trial, the law gave the agency greater flexibility to consider single trials.
GLP-1s May Be Taking Our Eyes Off the Real Obesity Problem
GLP-1 receptor agonists may be powerful tools for treating obesity and cardiometabolic disease, but relying on medications alone risks overlooking the forces helping drive the obesity epidemic, according to Laura Schmidt, PhD, of the University of California San Francisco.
In a new Science perspective, Schmidt and co-author Luc Hagenaars, PhD, of Amsterdam University Medical Center, argue that the “Ozempic era” should be accompanied by policies aimed at the food environment, including restrictions on marketing, warning labels, taxation, and other measures modeled on tobacco regulation.
In this exclusive MedPage Today interview, Schmidt explains why treatment and prevention can coexist, and why GLP-1 drugs shouldn’t be viewed as a “magic bullet” for what she sees as a systemic problem.
They’re not a magic bullet. And we have a history of kind of looking to medications as the magic bullet for problems that are really systemic.
Epinephrine Injection Recalled Over Potentially Fatal Health Risks
A pharmaceutical company is voluntarily recalling three lots of epinephrine injections, USP 30 mg/30 mL, over sterility concerns and the potential presence of particulate matter.
American Regent initiated the nationwide recall after customers complained about “leaking and cracked vials,” according to a company notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “The firm’s investigation also revealed the presence of particulate matter identified as Nylon, Cellulosic, Acrylic, Polyethylene and Glass,” the company said.
The company said epinephrine injections are used to treat allergic reactions and to increase blood pressure in adults, warning that intravenous administration of the medication “containing particulate matter may lead to serious adverse health consequences.”
