Initial COVID-19 vaccine booster rollout will affect 3 percent of U.S. population, officials say
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 13, 2021
The FDA is working with drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna to allow fully vaccinated immunocompromised people to receive an extra shot. Long-term care residents are not yet included in the booster campaign,...
Diabetes drug turned weight loss med spurs cost-benefit concerns for docs
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 13, 2021
The high price tag and lack of coverage for high-performing anti-obesity drug Wegovy begs the question of what the benefits of weight loss are worth to insurers and patients.
Stroke survivors have 54 percent lower mortality with a 30-minute daily walk
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 13, 2021
Exercising the equivalent of three to four hours of walking each week halved the long-term mortality rate of older stroke survivors, investigators say.
Clinical briefs for Friday, Aug. 13
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 13, 2021
Nursing home limits turnover with straight talk about COVID – and plenty of chances to get jabbed … No new cases of rare blood clots reported after UK restricts COVID vaccine to older adults … CDC...
California nursing home visitors must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2021
The state is requiring that all indoor visitors to skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare settings prove full vaccination or negative SARS-CoV-2 test results. Facility operators must have a plan...
VA will not add Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm to its formulary
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2021
The Department of Veterans Affairs has chosen not to include aducanumab (Aduhelm) in its national list of covered drugs, citing risk of adverse events and lack of evidence of positive impact on cognition,...
Americans’ high trust in doctors, nurses could strengthen vaccination push, pollsters say
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2021
Fully 7 in 10 Americans trust their doctors, nurses and pharmacists to “do what’s right for them and their families either most or all of the time,” the researchers say. The findings cut across political...
Clinical briefs for Thursday, Aug. 12
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2021
Dental, hearing, vision coverage on ‘front burner’ as lawmakers eye Medicare expansion … CDC: Pregnant women should get vaccinated; SARS-CoV-2 infection linked to preterm births … European drug...
Key CDC advisers set to scrutinize evidence for vaccine booster shots
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 11, 2021
The question of whether a COVID-19 booster shot will be helpful and safe may receive an answer Friday. That is when the CDC’s top vaccine advisers will meet to review updated evidence for recommending...
Seniors who become dizzy soon after standing risk a fall: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 11, 2021
Older patients should be routinely evaluated for a symptomless cause of chronic dizziness that can raise the odds of a fall within 12 months, investigators say.