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Texas Asks Judge for Restraining Order Against Tylenol Maker to Stop It From Advertising That Drug Is Safe
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked a federal judge to issue a restraining order against the makers of Tylenol to force them to immediately stop advertising to consumers that in consultation with a doctor the pain reliever is safe for pregnant women and young children to use.
Paxton made the request in a Thursday filing, one week after he sued the drug’s makers, Johnson & Johnson and its corporate spin-off Kenvue, claiming that they deceptively marketed the over-the-counter medication to pregnant women despite alleged links to autism and other disorders.
In the new filing, Paxton alleges that Kenvue “continue[s] to falsely assure Texans that Tylenol is entirely safe — contrary to the specific instructions of the federal health authorities and indeed the President of the United States.”
Big Food’s Fight Against Kennedy Is Heating Up
After months of shaking hands with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and pledging to take artificial colors out of candy and drinks, food company executives are done playing nice.
In recent weeks, a coalition of food dye makers sued West Virginia, arguing that its ban on artificial colors is unconstitutional. In September, food companies opposed a California law that banned ultraprocessed food from school meals.
And a new organization called Americans for Ingredient Transparency, or AFIT, has emerged, seemingly endorsing Mr. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. But AFIT is financed by a who’s who of food and beverage companies like General Mills, Hormel, Kraft Heinz and industry lobbying groups.
Heritage Foundation Wants RFK Jr. To Study Impact of Birth Control Pill
The Heritage Foundation is calling for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to study the long-term health impacts of the birth control pill. The conservative think tank wrote in a newly published commentary: “Because oral contraception has been touted as a cornerstone of women’s equality and freedom, its health repercussions are rarely called into question.”
According to the CDC, 14% of women ages 15 to 49 are currently using the birth control pill. Well-known side effects include mood changes, weight gain, spotting, headaches and decreased libido, but some medical experts have pushed for more insight into the long-term implications.
In the Heritage Foundation commentary, Scott Yenor and Jennifer Galardi argued that birth control’s presence in society has been touted as integral to women’s freedom but has many long-standing consequences.
Medical Schools Boost Nutrition Education in Response to RFK Jr.
The Washington Examiner reported:
Medical educators are responding to the call from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to better incorporate nutrition-based medical education into their curricula, a pillar of his Make America Healthy Again agenda. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the largest nonprofit association representing medical educators, on Thursday called upon the deans and faculty members of medical schools across the country to evaluate their institutions’ current practices on nutrition education and identify more opportunities to integrate nutrition into their curricula.
The call from AAMC came as part of the organization’s commitment to Kennedy, following his request in August that educators in medical schools, as well as pre-med undergraduate programs, better prepare tomorrow’s physicians and nurses for holistic wellness and chronic disease prevention through a balanced diet.
AAMC, which represents all 160 U.S. medical schools and nearly 500 academic health systems and teaching hospitals, provides medical educators with best practices and various resources to help with designing curricula and standards on all issues necessary to train the next generation of medical professionals, including nutrition.
Trump Strikes Deal to Lower Cost of Weight Loss Drugs
President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration has reached an agreement with drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to lower the cost of their blockbuster GLP-1 weight loss drugs, Wegovy and Zepbound, respectively.
Under the deal, the monthly out-of-pocket cost of the drugs could range from $50 to $350, depending on the dosage and insurance coverage, a senior administration official said. Currently, Zepbound and Wegovy carry list prices above $1,000 a month, although both companies have introduced lower cost options for patients paying in cash and purchasing the drugs directly through their websites.
To further expand access, Costco recently announced it would sell Wegovy and Ozempic for $499 for people who paid cash, while Walmart launched a similar arrangement with Lilly’s Zepbound. People whose insurance covers the drugs usually pay much less than the list price. However, many insurers do not cover them.
