New Weight-Loss Drug Zepbound Is Now Available, Company Says

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• December 6, 2023
• Full Page

The newly approved weight-loss medication known as Zepbound is now available for patients to take, drug maker Eli Lilly announced Tuesday.

"Today opens another chapter for adults living with obesity who have been looking for a new treatment option like Zepbound," Rhonda ...

Amazon to Test Drones to Deliver Prescriptions to Your Door

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 19, 2023
• Full Page

Soon, you may be able to step out on your front porch and wait for your prescription medication to drop from the sky.

On Wednesday, Amazon Pharmacy announced that it is starting to test speedy prescription drug delivery by drones in selected locations.

"We're taug...

Americans Can Expect to Spend Half Their Lives Taking a Prescription Drug

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2023
• Full Page

Americans born in recent years can likely count on taking prescription drugs for about half their life, according to new research.

For males born in 2019, it's about 48% of their lives. For women, it's 60% of their lifetime, the study found.

"The years that pe...

Rite Aid Pharmacy Chain Files for Bankruptcy

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2023
• Full Page

The drugstore chain Rite Aid has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, due largely to competition and thousands of lawsuits for its role in allegedly filling unlawful opioid prescriptions.

The company filed a notice Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sa...

In Study, Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Helped Dieters Shed an Average of 60 Pounds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2023
• Full Page

A new trial demonstrates the power of the diabetes drug Mounjaro in fighting obesity, helping folks who used the medication lose about 60 pounds.

"In this study, people who added tirzepatide [Mounjaro] to diet and exercise saw greater, longer-lasting weight reduction tha...

Wegovy, Ozempic Help Folks Lose Weight, But How?

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 10, 2023
• Full Page

As many doctors and patients hail the advent of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy as the perfect fix for obesity, some experts are urging caution.

The drugs are not well-tolerated by everyone struggling with obesity. For some folks, the weight piles back on as so...

Cancer Drug Shortages Persist Across U.S.

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 5, 2023
• Full Page

U.S. cancer centers continue to have shortages of commonly used chemotherapy drugs, a new survey shows, though the medications are not as scarce as they were last June.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a nonprofit alliance of leading cancer centers,

Major Drug Companies Agree to Price Negotiations With U.S. Government

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 3, 2023
• Full Page

Pharmaceutical companies that make the 10 prescription drugs chosen to be the first for price negotiations for Medicare patients have agreed to talks with the government.

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that the drugmakers, including Merck, Bristol Myers Squib...

Despite New Long-Term Options, People Still Prefer Daily PrEP Pill to Prevent HIV

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 3, 2023
• Full Page

New ways to deliver drugs that prevent infection with HIV are out there, but many people still prefer the standard daily PrEP pill, a new study shows.

"The oral pill is very efficacious when people take it every day, and it really has the potential to curb HIV transmiss...

FDA Panel Says No to Experimental ALS Drug

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 28, 2023
• Full Page

An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday voted resoundingly against recommending a stem cell-based experimental treatment for ALS.

Although the FDA isn't bound by the votes of its advisory panels, agency scientists have already penned a sca...

ADHD Drug Errors Among Kids Have Quadrupled in 20 Years

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 18, 2023
• Full Page

Over 3 million American children now take medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but new research shows medication errors have spiked nearly 300% in the past two decades for these kids.

The increase in ADHD medication errors parallels the increas...

In Small Study, Ozempic Helped People With Type 1 Diabetes Quit Insulin Treatments

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 7, 2023
• Full Page

The blockbuster drug Ozempic has become a household name for its ability to spur weight loss. Now an early study hints at an intriguing possibility: The drug might allow people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes to drop their daily insulin shots.

Experts emphasized tha...

Heart, Diabetes, Cancer Drugs on List for Medicare Price Negotiations, White House Says

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 29, 2023
• Full Page

The Biden administration on Tuesday named the first 10 medicines that will be subject to price negotiations between Medicare and participating drug companies.

The list represents the first step in a landmark program aimed at reducing the government's drug spending, and p...

Wegovy May Be Valuable New Option for Heart Failure Patients

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• August 25, 2023
• Full Page

Weight-loss drug Wegovy (semaglutide) and its diabetes-focused cousin, Ozempic, have already upended the treatment of both obesity and diabetes, with sales of both drugs skyrocketing.

Now, injected Wegovy could prove a boon for many patients battling heart failure, a new...

Most Alzheimer's Patients May Be Ineligible for Newly Approved Drugs

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 17, 2023
• Full Page

Two recently approved treatments offer newfound hope for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, but most people who could benefit will likely be deemed ineligible, a new study finds.

Alzheimer's affects about 6.7 million Americans age 65 and older. Bu...

Amid Shortages, Maker Says Restrictions on Wegovy Will Continue Into 2024

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 11, 2023
• Full Page

As demand for the wildly popular weight-loss drug Wegovy continues to climb, drug maker Novo Nordisk said Thursday that it will continue restrictions on starter doses of the medication into 2024.

The new plan extends by months existing restrictions and means patients who...

After U.S. Warns of Counterfeit Pills Laced With Fentanyl, Mexico Shuts Down 23 Pharmacies

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 9, 2023
• Full Page

Following a four-day raid, Mexico has closed 23 pharmacies in Caribbean resorts of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum for irregular pill sales.

Last spring, the United States

Amid Shortages, Federal Agencies Ask Drugmakers to Boost Output of ADHD Meds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 2, 2023
• Full Page

While demand for prescription stimulants is surging, a shortage of the drugs persists, so federal officials have stepped in and asked drug companies to ramp up production of the medications.

Officials from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Drug Enfo...

The Earlier MS Is Treated, the Better

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 26, 2023
• Full Page

Patients who get treatment for multiple sclerosis at the earliest signs of disease may have a lower risk of disability later, new research suggests.

Among nearly 600 patients, there were lower odds of disability and progression among people diagnosed and treated within s...

Are These Pricey New Alzheimer's Drugs Worth It?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• July 24, 2023
• Full Page

Breakthrough new drugs that clear amyloid beta plaques from the brain are shaking up the field of Alzheimer's disease research.

The fact that patients' mental deterioration slows when they're on anti-amyloid drugs is solid proof that abnormal amyloid proteins are one of ...

Major Drug Shortages Not Likely After Tornado Damages Pfizer Plant, FDA says

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• July 24, 2023
• Full Page

Tornado damage to a Pfizer drug-making plant in North Carolina is unlikely to trigger drug shortages across the country, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

"We do not expect there to be any immediate significant impacts on supply, given the products are current...

Risk of Suicidal Thoughts With Popular Weight-Loss Drugs Being Investigated by European Regulators

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 11, 2023
• Full Page

The European Medicines Agency is investigating concerns that popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Saxenda may be linked to suicidal thoughts and thoughts of self-harm.

Three case reports from Iceland spurred the agency's safety committee to conduct a medication re...

In Study, Almost Half of Obese Teens Were No Longer So After Taking Wegovy/Ozempic

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• July 10, 2023
• Full Page

The drugs Wegovy and Ozempic are all the rage for weight loss these days, and now a new study shows these injections may be game-changers for obese teenagers, too.

This trial, funded by drug maker Novo Nordisk, found that nearly half of all adolescents on sema...

Fewer Kids Are Being Prescribed Antipsychotic Meds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 7, 2023
• Full Page

The use of antipsychotic medication in children is continuing to plummet, likely because of better policies and education, new research shows.

The study found a 43% drop in antipsychotic prescriptions for Medicaid-enrolled children in 45 states, a stark contrast from the...

New Competitor to Wegovy Shows Promise in Clinical Trials

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• June 27, 2023
• Full Page

An experimental drug appears to outperform the trendy medications Wegovy and Ozempic for both weight loss and diabetes control, a pair of early clinical trials shows.

Retatrutide helped people with obesity drop about one-quarter of their starting weight, on average, duri...

Treatment-Resistant High Blood Pressure May Be More Common Than Thought

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• June 26, 2023
• Full Page

One in 10 people with high blood pressure suffer from a treatment-resistant type of hypertension, yet these patients aren't always getting the right medication, a new study finds.

"Apparent resistant hypertension [aRH] is more common than many would anticipate," said res...

What Medications Are Used to Treat Alzheimer's?

• Sue Benzuly, RN HealthDay Reporter
• June 21, 2023
• Full Page

While there is no cure for Alzheimer's, there are medications that can help ease symptoms and slow the progression of this devastating disease.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting over 5.8 million Americans, according to the