TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — To fight an urgent opioid overdose crisis, a Canadian province took an unusual step on Tuesday. British Columbia decriminalized small amounts of several hard drugs. This includes up to 2.5 grams of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, the province’s Ministry of Mental Health andContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The two COVID emergency measures declared by the White House at the start of the pandemic will end in May. President Joe Biden informed Congress of the plan on Monday, as part of a statement opposing House Republicans’ plan to immediately end theContinue Reading
MONDAY, Jan. 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Living in a U.S. state where recreational weed is legal does not appear to increase the average adult’s risk of succumbing to “reefer madness,” a new study of twins has determined. An adult living in a “legal” state is not more likely toContinue Reading
MONDAY, Jan. 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The pandemic has reached a “transition point,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. Still, that doesn’t mean the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) designation declared by the WHO in January 2020 is over yet. The organization’s International Health Regulations EmergencyContinue Reading
MONDAY, Jan. 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. government could save billions every year once Medicare begins negotiating drug prices in 2026, new research suggests. The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year allows Medicare to bargain with drug companies on the prices of 10 of the highest-pricedContinue Reading
MONDAY, Jan. 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — New drugs may be needed to fight the deadliest form of tuberculosis, because it may no longer respond to current treatments. An animal study by Johns Hopkins University researchers found that an approved antibiotic regimen may not work for TB meningitis due toContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Jan. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Children’s amped-up immune systems allow them to beat back COVID-19 easily, producing a strong initial response that quickly slaps away the virus. But there might be a price to be paid for that sharp reaction, a new study from Australia says. Because theContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Jan. 26, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend that the agency phase out original versions of COVID vaccines for use in the unvaccinated, in favor of updated bivalent booster shots. Committee members also weighed a proposalContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Jan. 26, 2023 (HealthDay News) — In a finding that suggests the updated bivalent COVID booster shots are worth getting, new government data shows they cut the chances of infection with the new XBB variant by nearly half. While those ages 49 and under saw a 48% reduction inContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 20% of American adults use a drug to help them sleep, either occasionally or regularly, health officials reported Wednesday. Sleep medications, sold both over-the-counter and by prescription, are a common treatment for sleep problems, said senior report author Lindsey Black, a healthContinue Reading