In quiet debut, Alzheimer’s drug finds questions, skepticism
The first new Alzheimer’s treatment in more than 20 years was hailed as a breakthrough when regulators approved it more than four months ago, but its rollout has been slowed by questions about its price and how well it works. Several major medical centers remain undecided on whether to use...
Lawsuits demand unproven ivermectin for covid patients
NEW YORK — Mask rules, vaccination mandates and business shutdowns have all landed in the courts during the covid-19 outbreak, confronting judges with questions of science and government authority. Now they are increasingly being asked to weigh in on the deworming drug ivermectin. At least two dozen lawsuits have been...
UPMC doctors offer perspective as more covid booster shots near approval
As federal regulators move closer to approving booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccines, UPMC doctors remain focused on the unvaccinated — those they called most vulnerable people. “I want to make sure we do not put the cart in front of the horse,” said Dr....
FDA panel endorses lower-dose Moderna covid shot for boosterVideo
U.S. health advisers said Thursday that some Americans who received Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine at least six months ago should get a half-dose booster to rev up protection against the coronavirus. The panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to recommend a booster shot for seniors,...
St. Clair Health now using Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator for breast cancer
Having additional knowledge can never be a bad thing, especially when it comes to detecting breast cancer. St. Clair Health announced it is providing the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator, a tool utilized to gather information on a patient from personal history to breast density and mammogram images. The information is...
FDA spells out lower sodium goals for food industry
NEW YORK — Food companies are coming under renewed pressure to use less salt after U.S. regulators spelled out long-awaited guidelines aimed at reducing sodium levels in dozens of foods including condiments, cereals, french fries and potato chips. The voluntary goals finalized Wednesday for 163 food categories are intended to...
Girl power: Women Who Rock event plays on at Stage AE
These females rock, literally. The annual Women Who Rock concert features Rita Wilson, Sheila E, Orianthi, Lauren Monroe (with special guest Rick Allen of Def Leppard), Jackie Popovec with the Vindys and DJ Femi. They will perform starting at 7 p.m. Saturday at Stage AE on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The...
Advice shifting on aspirin use for preventing heart attacks
Older adults without heart disease shouldn’t take daily low-dose aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, an influential health guidelines group said in preliminary updated advice released Tuesday. Bleeding risks for adults in their 60s and up who haven’t had a heart attack or stroke outweigh any potential...
Western Pa. hospitals: We won’t deny organ transplants to patients who refuse covid-19 vaccine
Medical providers in Colorado and Washington state have begun denying organ transplants to patients who refuse to get vaccinated for covid-19. That’s not happening in Western Pennsylvania, the Tribune-Review has learned. Neither of the region’s two largest hospital systems and transplant providers are linking transplant eligibility to covid-19 vaccination status....
Advocates, lawmakers push hospitals to help more with bills
Swamped with medical bills? The hospital that treated you may be able to help. Whether you learn about this before those bills wind up in debt collections is another matter. Medical bills often represent large, unexpected shocks that can crash personal budgets. Roughly 1 in 7 U.S. residents with a...
What pregnant women should know about covid vaccines
Pregnant women are considered to be at high risk of severe covid-19 infection, sparking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to again urge them to be vaccinated. They also are eligible for a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine, if they had received the Pfizer inoculation initially. “Although the...
Anti-vaccine chiropractors are rising force of misinformation
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The flashy postcard, covered with images of syringes, beckoned people to attend Vax-Con ‘21 to learn “the uncensored truth” about covid-19 vaccines. Participants traveled from around the country to a Wisconsin Dells resort for a sold-out convention that was, in fact, a sea of misinformation and conspiracy...
Colorado woman who won’t get vaccinated denied kidney transplant
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — When a Colorado woman found out her hospital wouldn’t approve her kidney transplant surgery until she got the covid-19 vaccine, she was left with a difficult decision pitting her health needs against her religious beliefs. Leilani Lutali, a born-again Christian, went with her faith. Even though...
More than 120,000 U.S. kids had caregivers die during pandemic
NEW YORK — The number of U.S. children orphaned during the covid-19 pandemic may be larger than previously estimated, and the toll has been far greater among Black and Hispanic Americans, a new study suggests. More than half the children who lost a primary caregiver during the pandemic belonged to...
Ghost towns: Nursing home staffing falls amid pandemic
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — When Natalie Walters arrived at her father’s nursing home, the parking lot was nearly empty and, inside, the elevator made no stops. On the 13th floor, the lights were off and the TVs silent. The last time she was allowed inside, nine months earlier, aides passed in...
U.S. health experts urge flu shots to avoid ‘twindemic’
The U.S. is gearing up in case of a bad flu season on top of the continuing covid-19 crisis, with a plea Thursday for Americans to get vaccinated against both. “I get it: We are all tired of talking about vaccines,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for...
Africa welcomes new malaria vaccine as a ‘game-changer’
LAGOS, Nigeria — African health officials are optimistic that the world’s first malaria vaccine endorsed by the World Health Organization will “dramatically change” the way the continent of 1.3 billion people fights the disease. The new malaria vaccine is “a game-changer” in combating the disease which accounts for hundreds of...
Biden plans $1 billion push to boost rapid covid-19 testingVideo
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will announce a $1 billion purchase of rapid at-home covid-19 tests on Wednesday, an additional investment geared at expanding the availability of such products in the coming months, a White House official said. Along with the authorization of another at-home test product on Monday, the...
Vape products contain potentially harmful chemicals, researchers say
Vaping exposes users to around 2,000 chemicals, including potentially harmful industrial compounds, according to a study of four popular brands by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Most of the chemicals found were unidentified, but of those that were, six were cause for concern, according to the study published in Chemical...
Ban on negotiating Medicare drug prices under pressure
WASHINGTON — Donna Weiner looks at Medicare’s prescription drug program from two different points of view. As a participant, she wants to pay less for her medicines, which cost her about $6,000 a year. As a retired accountant who spent 50 years handling the books for companies, she sees a...
J&J seeks U.S. clearance for covid-19 vaccine booster doses
WASHINGTON — Johnson & Johnson asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to allow extra shots of its covid-19 vaccine as the U.S. government moves toward expanding its booster campaign to millions more vaccinated Americans. J&J said it filed a request with the FDA to authorize boosters for people...
Clues about how society emerges from covid-19 can be gleaned by looking back on 1918 Spanish flu, experts say
Karen Baldridge rolled up her sleeve to get her covid-19 booster vaccine. “I’m trying to baby myself and (am) doing everything that I can to keep healthy,” she said this past week while at Excela Square at Norwin. “I feel there’s about a 90% chance I wouldn’t get (covid), but...
Pharmacies face 1st trial over role in opioid crisis
CLEVELAND — So many prescription painkillers were dispensed in Lake County, Ohio, between 2012 and 2016 that the amount equaled 265 pills for every resident. Just to the south, the flood of prescription opioids during the same period equated to 400 pills for every resident of Trumbull County. Attorneys say...
Lower premiums, more perks for seniors shopping 2022 Medicare Advantage plans
Still-growing demand among Western Pennsylvania seniors for Medicare Advantage plans has spurred a slew of new health coverage options featuring lower costs and better perks as insurers compete to grow their market shares. “This is a ripe market in Western Pa., and we’re able to take those dollars and invest...
Local doctors cautiously optimistic about potential pill to treat covid-19
Local doctors said a pill to treat covid-19 could help keep patients healthy and ease the burden on overstrained hospitals, though they’re eyeing the drug with cautious optimism while awaiting final data. Merck & Co. on Friday announced its experimental pill cut hospitalizations and deaths in half for people recently...
