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FDA approved Rexulti to be the first antipsychotic for treating agitation in elderly patients with dementia

In trials, the antipsychotic drug brexpiprazole (Rexulti) failed to provide a clinically meaningful benefit and increased the risk of death. Yet the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fast tracked its approval, making Rexulti the first antipsychotic for treating agitation in elderly patients with dementia.

18 Aug 2023

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion pill’s legal limbo continues

A divided three-judge federal appeals court panel has ruled that a lower court was wrong to try to reverse entirely the FDA's approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.

17 Aug 2023

Community with high medical debt questions its hospitals’ charity spending

As 41% of American adults face medical debt, residents of this southern Colorado city contend their local nonprofit hospitals aren't providing enough charity care to justify the millions in tax breaks they receive.

17 Aug 2023

Feds say hospitals that redistribute Medicaid money violate law

The Biden administration wants to crack down on private arrangements among some hospitals to reimburse themselves for taxes that help fund coverage for low-income people. It contends the practice violates federal law.

16 Aug 2023

Expert consensus on how to help patients with chronic pain get adequate care and coverage

The pendulum of opioid prescribing for pain has swung sharply in the last decade, as the epidemic of opioid overuse, addiction and overdose led policymakers and health care providers to ratchet back on the prescriptions patients receive.

14 Aug 2023

Proposed rule would make hospital prices even more transparent

"How much is the ice cream?" A simple enough question, featured on a new TV and online advertisement, posed by a man who just wants something cold. A woman behind the counter responds with a smile: "Prices? No, we don't have those anymore. We have estimates."

14 Aug 2023

CORRECTION: Air pollution linked to increased risk of non-lung cancers in older adults

Chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may increase non-lung cancer risk in older adults, according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

11 Aug 2023

Your exorbitant medical bill, brought to you by the latest hospital merger

When Mark Finney moved to southwestern Virginia with his young family a decade ago, there were different hospital systems and a range of independent doctors to choose from.

11 Aug 2023

New Alzheimer’s drug raises hopes — along with questions

The FDA has approved Leqembi, the first disease-modifying treatment for early-stage Alzheimer's and a precursor condition, mild cognitive impairment.

11 Aug 2023

A blood test that screens for cancer: Does it do more harm than good?

By summer 2021, Gilbert Milam Jr. was living a good life. A nationally renowned rapper who performs under the name Berner, Milam was also enjoying the global expansion of Cookies, a brand of cannabis products and clothing that he co-founded and was running as CEO.

11 Aug 2023

Study analyzes the risk of death after hospital discharge with COVID-19 among older adults

As of June 2023, more than 1.1 million Americans have died of COVID-19. Adults older than 65 - who make up just 16 percent of the population - account for more than 75 percent of U.S. COVID-19 deaths and were hospitalized at three times the rate of younger people, highlighting the heightened vulnerability of this population.

11 Aug 2023

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On abortion rights, Ohio is the new Kansas

Ohio voters — in a rare August election — turned out in unexpectedly high numbers to defeat a ballot measure that would have made it harder to pass an abortion-rights constitutional amendment on the ballot in November.

10 Aug 2023

Seeking Medicare coverage for weight loss drugs, pharma giant courts Black influencers

Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has turned to influential Black Americans in pursuit of what would be a lucrative victory: having Medicare cover a new class of weight loss drugs, including the company's highly sought Wegovy, which can cost patients more than $1,000 a month.

8 Aug 2023

Air pollution linked to increased risk of non-lung cancer in older adults

7 Aug 2023

Exploring the safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in the elderly

Researchers evaluate the risks of possible adverse events following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in the elderly.

7 Aug 2023

Survey: Americans want weight loss drugs despite high cost

Many Americans really want to lose weight — and a new poll shows nearly half of adults would be interested in taking a prescription drug to help them do so.

5 Aug 2023

Air pollution linked to increased risk of non-lung cancers in older adults

3 Aug 2023

AGA announces support for the reintroduced Treat and Reduce Obesity Act

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) today announced support for the reintroduced Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), which would expand Medicare coverage to include screening and treatment of obesity from a diverse range of health care providers who specialize in obesity care.

3 Aug 2023

CDC report highlights the gaps in care of hepatitis C treatment

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus clearance was only 34% overall and even lower in individuals between 20 and 39 years of age.

3 Aug 2023

Moderna vaccine linked to lower risk of adverse events in older adults

While mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 have been found to be safe and effective for the general population, in-depth evidence about safety and effectiveness for older adults and individuals with chronic health conditions is more limited.

2 Aug 2023