Tweaked covid boosters close but how much will they help?
Covid-19 vaccines tweaked to better match today’s omicron threat are expected to roll out in a few weeks but still up in the air is how much benefit the booster shots will offer, who should get one — and how soon. Pfizer and rival Moderna both asked U.S. regulators this...
Study: Pfizer covid pill showed no benefit in younger adults
WASHINGTON — Pfizer’s covid-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk seniors, according to a large study published Wednesday. The results from a 109,000-patient Israeli study are likely to renew questions about the U.S. government’s...
UPMC profits, investment income drop in 1st half of the year
Hospitals across the country, including local health care giant UPMC, reported massive earnings in 2021, but those large profits appear to be slowing down significantly in 2022 thanks to increased operating costs and losses from investment activities. UPMC reported $82 million in operating income — revenue minus operating expenses —...
‘Magic mushroom’ psychedelic may help heavy drinkers quit
The compound in psychedelic mushrooms helped heavy drinkers cut back or quit entirely in the most rigorous test of psilocybin for alcoholism. More research is needed to see if the effect lasts and whether it works in a larger study. Many who took a dummy drug instead of psilocybin also...
Pfizer covid shots appear 73% effective in children under 5
Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine was 73% effective in protecting children younger than 5 as omicron spread in the spring, the company announced Tuesday. Vaccinations for babies, toddlers and preschoolers opened in the U.S. in June after months of delay. Only about 6% of youngsters ages 6 months through 4 years had...
Wendy’s pulls lettuce from sandwiches amid E. coli outbreak
The fast-food chain Wendy’s says it is pulling lettuce from sandwiches in its restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania after people eating them there reported falling ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it is trying to determine whether romaine lettuce is the source of an E....
U.S. offers extra monkeypox vaccine doses for gay pride eventsVideo
NEW YORK — The U.S. is setting aside an extra 50,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine for places with upcoming gay pride events, health officials said Thursday. The number of doses sent to each place will be based on factors like the size of the event, how many health workers will...
Over-the-counter hearing aids expected this fall in U.S.
Millions of Americans will be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription later this fall, under a long-awaited rule finalized Tuesday. The regulation creates a new class of hearing aids that don’t require a medical exam, a prescription and other specialty evaluations, the Food and Drug Administration said. That’s...
What to know about the poliovirus found in New York wastewater
Poliovirus has been found in New York City’s wastewater, sparking concerns about circulation of the virus, but an infectious disease expert cautioned that it is important to understand the type of poliovirus detected and the mass vaccination status of most of the country. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease...
Polio detected in NYC’s sewage, suggesting virus is circulating
The polio virus has been found in New York City’s wastewater in another sign that the disease, which hadn’t been seen in the U.S. in a decade, is quietly spreading among unvaccinated people, health officials said Friday. The presence of the poliovirus in the city’s wastewater suggests likely local circulation...
U.S. will stretch monkeypox vaccine supply with smaller doses
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials on Tuesday authorized a new monkeypox vaccination strategy designed to stretch limited supplies by allowing health professionals to vaccinate up to five people — instead of one — with each vial. The so-called dose-sparing approach uses just a fraction of the typical amount of the...
Missouri voters set to weigh in on recreational marijuana
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri gathered enough signatures to make it on the November ballot, the secretary of state announced Tuesday. Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft also said a proposal to allow ranked-choice voting failed to collect the roughly 170,000 voter signatures from...
Brighton Rehab, Mt. Lebanon Rehab officials accused of health care fraud in federal indictment
Federal and state law enforcement officials on Tuesday announced health care fraud charges against the owners and management staff at troubled Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County and Mt. Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. Both facilities, owned by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC, have long been the target...
Major test of first possible Lyme vaccine in 20 years beginsVideo
DUNCANSVILLE, Pa. — Researchers are seeking thousands of volunteers in the United States and Europe to test the first potential vaccine against Lyme disease in 20 years — in hopes of better fighting the tick-borne threat. Lyme is a growing problem, with cases rising and warming weather helping ticks expand...
Explainer: Why is insulin so expensive and difficult to cap?
WASHINGTON — Reining in the soaring prices of insulin has thus far been elusive in Congress, although Democrats say they’ll try again — as part of their economic package that focuses on health and climate. The price of the 100-year-old drug has more than tripled in the last two decades,...
U.S. declares public health emergency over monkeypox outbreak
WASHINGTON — The federal government declared a public health emergency Thursday to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak that has infected more than 6,600 Americans. The announcement will free up money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps...
Pig organs revived hour after death in scientific advance
Scientists successfully revived vital organs from deceased pigs with a technology that shows promise for organ transplantation and further blurs the line between life and death. The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, challenges the assumption that tissue death is swift and irreversible, as the scientists were able to...
Inflation is hitting ACA health insurance plans in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians who plan to shop later this year on the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange are unlikely to find shelter from the inflation that has engulfed other areas of the economy, according to a preview offered Monday by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. The insurance department said health insurers requested a...
Even simple exercise may help aging brain, study hints
New research hints that even a simple exercise routine just might help older Americans with mild memory problems. Doctors have long advised physical activity to help keep a healthy brain fit. But the government-funded study marks the longest test of whether exercise makes any difference once memory starts to slide...
‘A very lonely place to be’: Take covid-19 seriously, long-haulers warn
ORLANDO, Fla. — On the rare occasions when Vero Beach resident Neil Passmore goes out in public, he’s often the only one in a mask. When Passmore caught covid-19 in June 2020, the virus hit him hard: He shook with chills, struggled to breathe, his heart raced and he had...
Thousands affected in Allegheny Health Network data breach
The names and medical histories of 8,000 Allegheny Health Network patients might have been leaked in a data breach last month after an employee opened a phishing email that compromised their account, the health care system said Friday. Patients affected were notified by mail this week, officials said. The incident...
Allegheny County rises to medium level of covid spread
Allegheny County’s covid-19 cases and hospitalizations rose high enough this week to put the county back into the medium level in terms of community transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC calculates a county’s transmission level — low, medium or high — by looking at...
States reach deal over marketing, safety of generic opioids
HARRISBURG — A former opioid manufacturer has agreed in principle to pay up to $2.4 billion in a deal with a dozen states over its marketing and product safety practices, state attorneys general announced Friday. The company, Allergan, is now part of AbbVie but sold its generics division Actavis, including...
9 common questions about genetic testing for cancer
Your genes play a role in nearly all areas of your health. A gene is like an instruction manual for your body that tells your body how to function, develop and stay healthy. People have about 20,000 genes in their bodies. Many health conditions have a genetic link. Genetic testing...
BA.5 now dominant covid-19 variant in Allegheny County
The Omicron BA.5 variant is the dominant strain of the covid-19 virus in Allegheny County, health officials said Thursday. According to the county health department’s weekly covid-19 report, the variant accounts for about two-thirds of the covid cases in Allegheny County. The variant, which experts say is the most contagious...
