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Kindergartener Vaccination Rates Slide Further as Exemptions Continue to Rise in the U.S.
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates dipped last year and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Tuesday.
The share of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 3.3%, up from 3% the year before.
Meanwhile, 92.7% of kindergartners got their required shots, which is a little lower than the previous two years.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic the vaccination rate was 95%, the coverage level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak.
The changes may seem slight but are significant, translating to about 80,000 kids not getting vaccinated, health officials say.
CDC Warns of Fake Drug Dangers From Online Pharmacies
Americans who turn to online pharmacies to find cheaper versions of expensive prescription medications, especially opioids, may instead be buying themselves dangerous drugs that could trigger an overdose, U.S. health officials warned Wednesday.
The warning, issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, follows a federal indictment announced last week against 18 individuals who are accused of running a massive illegal online pharmacy operation.
“The victims of the scheme include people from all walks of life — people of all ages and occupations — from all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Germany and Slovenia,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement announcing the indictment.
“At least nine victims who purchased counterfeit pills from the defendants died of narcotics poisoning, including a 45-year-old army veteran who thought she was purchasing real oxycodone.”
Eli Lilly’s Shortage of Diabetes and Obesity Drugs Is Over, Halting Competition With Knock-Offs
Eli Lilly’s juggernaut diabetes and obesity drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound have been erased from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) shortage list, freeing the company from competing with compounding pharmacies that have been producing copycat versions of the in-demand treatments.
The move ends a 22-month stretch in which tirzepatide products were in shortage.
The FDA first listed Mounjaro on its shortage page in December of 2022 and then added Zepbound in April of this year.
As a result, compounders were allowed to manufacture cheaper knock-off versions of the injected drugs, which were easy to access, particularly online, and surged in popularity as demand for the treatments has skyrocketed.
But their permission to produce the copycats ends with the removal of tirzepatide from the shortage list.
Small compounding pharmacies must stop production immediately, while larger compounders — which operate under section 503B of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act — have a 60-day grace period.
Lithium Aspartate Didn’t Relieve Long-COVID Fatigue, Brain Fog in Trial Participants
A randomized clinical trial (RCT) published today in JAMA Network Open concludes that study doses of lithium aspartate don’t improve long-COVID fatigue or brain fog but doesn’t rule out the potential effectiveness of higher doses of the drug.
“Due to the lack of effective treatments, PCC [post-COVID condition] continues to cause major disability and reduced quality of life in an estimated 65 million people worldwide,” the authors noted.
“PCC can also cause substantial financial consequences, with about 45% of patients requiring reduced working hours and about 22% of patients unable to be employed.”
Lithium aspartate is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any indication, although it is sometimes sold as a dietary supplement.
Another form of the drug, lithium carbonate, is used to treat bipolar disorder and can reduce inflammation of the brain, the researchers said.
