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RFK Jr. Wants Fewer Americans on Antidepressants — Here’s Why the Debate Is Exploding
U.S. health officials last week discussed whether certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs — a widely prescribed class of antidepressants — could face new restrictions as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepared a broader initiative aimed at reducing use of the medications, according to people familiar with the matter.
The discussions reportedly centered on several commonly prescribed SSRIs, including Viatris Inc.’s VTRS antidepressant Zoloft (sertraline), as well as generic versions of Prozac and Lexapro, which have been used in the U.S. for decades. Reuters reported Friday that sources familiar with the matter did not specify which drugs were under review or how far the discussions had progressed.
An HHS spokesperson told Reuters that claims the department was considering banning SSRIs were false.Kennedy on Monday announced several initiatives aimed at curbing SSRI use while addressing concerns around patients already taking the medications. The plan includes new reimbursement guidance for physicians helping patients taper off antidepressants, expanded provider training, and efforts to publish data on prescribing trends.
One Type of ADHD Med May Affect Kids’ Weight
Two top treatments both eased kids’ ADHD symptoms in a new study, though one caused more significant weight loss within the first year. Children who were given dexamphetamine lost more weight than those prescribed methylphenidate, according to an Australian study recently published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.
ADHD is shorthand for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Kids with the neurological disorder have trouble with everyday functions such as school performance, making friends and staying focused.
“The main difference was that kids taking dexamphetamine experienced greater weight loss, which is an important consideration when choosing treatment and monitoring growth,” study leader Dr. Alison Poulton, a lecturer in pediatrics and child health at the University of Sydney, said in a news release.
For the study, 100 children with ADHD who had not previously been treated with either drug were randomly prescribed one or the other. Both groups experienced what researchers described as substantial improvements in their ADHD symptoms.
During the first three months of the yearlong treatment, kids taking dexamphetamine also dropped an average of 3 pounds, compared to a little more than 6/10 of a pound for those taking methylphenidate.
Lilly to Buy AtaiBeckley for $2.8b, Further Validating Psychedelics
Eli Lilly plans to acquire psychedelics specialist AtaiBeckley through a multibillion-dollar deal that shows big pharma’s growing endorsement of a once-dimissed, now rapidly emerging research field. Per deal terms, Lilly will pay $6.75 up front for each share of the New York-based biotechnology company, reflecting a 26% premium and an equity value of approximately $2.8 billion.
AtaiBeckley investors will also receive so-called contingent value rights that could be worth up to $2.50 a share depending on whether select drug programs hit certain milestones. The total value could therefore hover around $3.8 billion. The companies expect to close their deal before the end of September.
If completed, the acquisition would hand Lilly a few experimental drugs that have moved into human studies. The most advanced of those, codenamed BPL-003, just entered late-stage testing as a potential therapy for hard-to-treat depression. BPL-003 is a version of mebufotenin — a molecular cousin to psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in some mushroom species. A mid-sized study found that a single dose of the drug quickly reduced symptoms of treatment-resistant depression.
Gilead Launches Ebola Antiviral Trial in DR Congo as Cases Near 2,000
Today the first participants were enrolled in a trial testing Gilead Sciences’ experimental antiviral drug obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP, for preventing disease) for the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The trial, called EBO-PEP, is being conducted in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, and is being run by the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa and several humanitarian partners. It comes as Ebola cases in the region approach 2,000. For the trial, researchers aim to enroll nearly 1,000 participants, who are being recruited outside Ebola treatment centers in Ituri.
“Participants, adults or children over the age of 12, must have been in direct contact with a confirmed case (a sick person shedding the virus, a corpse, or a needle-stick injury caused by a contaminated syringe) within the preceding five days, and must not be showing any signs or symptoms of the disease,” according to a news release. Each participant will be monitored daily for 21 days, with a final visit at 42 days.
Teenagers From 15 Should Be Given Free MenB Vaccine, Say UK Experts
All teenagers should be offered a free vaccine against meningitis B (MenB) at around the age of 15, UK experts are now recommending — a change to previous advice. It follows concerns over the UK’s largest and fastest growing outbreak that happened in Kent earlier this year, in which two people died. As a precaution, a one-off vaccination campaign is already being launched around the UK this summer for young people heading off to university for the first time, among some others.
Advisers are asking the government to consider introducing MenB jabs routinely for secondary school-aged people to better protect them against a disease that can be deadly. The advice has now changed in recognition of teenagers being more likely to catch it and fall ill. Two doses are needed for the fullest protection. Meningitis infections can be spread through close contact — including kissing or sharing vapes.
