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Only 4 in 10 U.S. Adults Believe COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe in Pregnancy, National Cohort Study Reports
Researchers led by Rachael Piltch-Loeb, Ph.D., MSPH, at the City University of New York (CUNY) report findings from the national CHASING COVID Cohort, published in January 2026 as a medRxiv preprint, examining public perceptions of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.
Analyzing survey data from 4,488 U.S. adults collected between March 2020 and December 2023, the investigators assessed beliefs about vaccine safety and efficacy during pregnancy. Fewer than 40% of respondents viewed COVID-19 vaccination as safe in pregnancy, while just over half believed it to be effective, with trust in healthcare providers and public health institutions emerging as the strongest predictors of positive perceptions.
The findings help contextualize persistently low vaccine uptake among pregnant individuals and suggest that institutional trust — not anxiety or depression — is the dominant factor shaping confidence.
Common ADHD Drug Linked to Obesity Risks
Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — especially those treated long term with Ritalin — may face increased risks of becoming overweight and experiencing shorter stature later in life, a recent large-scale research suggests. The study examined health data from about 35,000 young people in South Korea over roughly 12 years. Researchers tracked children ages 6 to 19 who received an ADHD diagnosis between 2008 and 2013, following them until they reached adulthood.
The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that children with ADHD had a higher average body mass index than children without ADHD, with average BMIs of 24.3 versus 23.3. Children who used methylphenidate, the generic name for Ritalin, for more than a year had an even greater likelihood of being overweight or obese, with a 60 percent higher odds compared with their peers without ADHD.
Notably, the prevalence of severe obesity — a BMI of 30 or higher — was nearly twice as high among children with ADHD on long-term Ritalin therapy, rising from 9.3 percent in controls to 16.1 percent in the medication group.
Weight Loss Jab Users Warned Over Rare but Serious Pancreas Issue
People using GLP-1 injections like Wegovy to lose weight should be aware of the rare but real chance of developing severe inflammation of the pancreas, known as acute pancreatitis. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said symptoms to look out for include extreme pain in the stomach and back which does not go away.
It advises users of the drug to see a doctor immediately if they experience this.
Product information for healthcare professionals and patients regarding the risk has been updated. There have been hundreds of reports of acute and chronic pancreatitis from people who have taken drugs such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, although none are confirmed as being caused by the medicines.
An estimated 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland are thought to have used drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro in the last year or so. Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA’s chief safety officer, said patient safety was a top priority. “For the vast majority of patients who are prescribed GLP-1s, they are safe and effective medicines which deliver significant health benefits,” she said.
ADHD Medication Use Has Accelerated in Adults and Children
Prescriptions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are rising rapidly, but the numbers themselves don’t explain what’s really going on. When large segments of the population need medication to function at school, work, or home, that’s a sign something in the environment has shifted — not that human biology changed overnight.
A study published in JAMA Network Open analyzed every stimulant prescription dispensed in Ontario, Canada, from 2015 through 2023 using the province’s Narcotics Monitoring System. The goal was to determine whether ADHD stimulant prescribing changed over time and which groups drove those changes.
Researchers analyzed prescription data from more than 15 million individuals between ages 5 and 105, making this one of the most comprehensive ADHD prescribing analyses available. About 3.9% of the population received at least one stimulant prescription during the study period, which highlights how common these medications have become.
TrumpRx Delayed as Senators Question if It’s a Giant Scam With Big Pharma
The Trump administration is delaying the release of TrumpRx, an online platform that lets people buy prescription drugs directly from pharmaceutical companies at a discount, according to Politico. While the reason for the delay is unclear, it comes as Democratic senators raise questions about how the platform will work—and whether it will be legal.
Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sent a letter to the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday seeking answers on how the OIG will oversee the direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform and, specifically, how it will apply the anti-kickback statute.
“Legitimate concerns about inappropriate prescribing, conflicts of interest, and inadequate care have been raised about the exact types of DTC platforms to which TrumpRx would route patients,” the senators write.
Sanofi Is Reprimanded by a U.K. Trade Group for Misleading Claims About a Pfizer Vaccine
Sanofi was criticized by a U.K. trade group for violating several voluntary codes and “bringing discredit” on the pharmaceutical industry for making misleading and unsubstantiated claims about its RSV medication and disparaging a rival product from Pfizer.
The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), a self-regulatory panel overseen by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), reached that conclusion after reviewing a complaint filed by Pfizer, which was prompted by remarks Sanofi chief executive Paul Hudson made in an interview with The Observer, a U.K. newspaper, in October 2024.
In its complaint, Pfizer argued Hudson made inaccurate superiority claims about the Beyfortus RSV monoclonal antibody that lacked relevant safety information. In doing so, he allegedly promoted a prescription-only medicine directly to the public, which is not permitted in the U.K., and risked undermining a government national immunization program.
