- Drug shortages reach record high in US
- Biden administration sets first national standard to limit "forever chemicals" in drinking water
- Greater numbers of younger people got permanent contraception after Dobbs decision, study finds
- Many women still face barriers to getting regular mammograms, CDC study finds
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Drug shortages reach record high in US |
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service warn that there are more drug shortages in the United States than ever before. The organizations first started tracking drug shortages in 2001. Active shortages previously peaked in 2014, with 320 drugs in active shortage. Shortage levels have fluctuated in the decade since, but have been steadily trending up since 2021 — now reaching a record-high of 323 drugs in the first three months of 2024. Along with the 32 chemotherapy drugs that are in shortage, the five categories of drugs with the most shortages include central nervous system stimulants, antimicrobials, hormone agents and intravenous fluids. The drug shortage database maintained by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University of Utah is based on voluntary reports from practitioners, patients and others that are confirmed with manufacturers. This list often includes more drugs than the number considered to be in shortage by the US Food and Drug Administration because it captures broader impacts on providers and patients. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the average shortage affects at least half a million patients, many of them older adults. Increased demand can play a role in drug shortages, as with recent shortages of weight loss drugs. But more often, manufacturing and quality problems, such as supply chain gaps and discontinuations, are at the root. |
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Biden administration sets first national standard to limit "forever chemicals" in drinking water |
For the first time ever, there will be national limits on "forever chemicals" in drinking water. "Forever chemicals" are a class of chemicals made up of 12,000 different chemicals and found in nearly half of the drinking water in the United States. The new standard requires water utilities to filter out five specific chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS and HFPO-DA, also known as GenX chemicals. The regulations also set a limit for mixtures of any two or more of PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX chemicals. The new drinking water standard will reduce PFAS exposure for about 100 million people in the US, the Biden administration said. The government estimates about 6% to 10% of the 66,000 water systems in the US will have to improve their filtering systems and have 5 years to come into compliance with the new standard. These chemicals have been used since the 1950s and are used to help products repel water and oil, but they linger in the environment and the human body. They are linked to a variety of health problems including cancer, thyroid disease, reproductive problems and heart and liver damage among other issues. The chemicals are found in the blood of nearly 97% of all Americans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
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Greater numbers of younger people got permanent contraception after Dobbs decision, study finds |
In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, more young adults in the United States had vasectomies and tubal ligations. Researchers analyzed the medical records of 113 million people ages 18 to 30 across the US and found that there were significant increases in permanent contraception following the Dobbs decision.
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 high court decision that gave abortion federal protection. Since then, many states have partially or completely limited access to abortion. The researchers noted that tubal ligation procedures — sometimes called having your tubes tied — increased twice as much as vasectomies. However, the study was unable to consider the differences in states with stricter abortion restrictions and determine what impact abortion laws may have had on these procedures. Vasectomies and tubal ligation are common and relatively safe procedures, but the decision to get them should not be rushed by a feeling of pressure or fear around unintended pregnancy, said Dr. Kristen Mark, a professor of sexual health education at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Mark was not involved in the research. |
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Many women still face barriers to getting regular mammograms, CDC study finds |
New research from the CDC finds that women with more health-related social needs — like being food insecure or being unable to afford health care — are less likely to get regular mammograms. Cost was the biggest barrier to women accessing the recommended breast cancer screening. Researchers found that recommended mammogram use was almost 20% lower among women ages 50 to 74 who had three or more health-related social needs in comparison with women who did not have any health-related social needs.
Health-related social needs are social conditions that adversely affect a person's health. These types of social needs, such as feeling socially isolated, life dissatisfaction, lost or reduced employment hours, lack of reliable transportation and cost as a barrier to accessing health care were associated with not having a mammogram within the last two years, according to the study. Breast cancer causes more than 40,000 deaths in women each year in the United States, according to the CDC. And although breast cancer rates have been decreasing, the reduction has not been equally distributed among all populations. Research shows that Black women and women of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to die from breast cancer. |
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Between January 2020 and March 2024, there were 338 cases of measles reported in the entire country; a third of those cases — 121 — have been reported since January of this year. Last year, in 2023, there were just 58 cases of the disease. The CDC is not taking the trends lightly and warned that the rapid rise in cases threatens the disease's elimination status in the US. Measles was first eliminated in the US in 2000, meaning no outbreaks persisted for a year or more. Measles elimination "reduces the number of cases, deaths, and costs that would occur if endemic measles transmission were reestablished," according to the CDC report. And while 96% of the cases were imported from international travel among people who were not vaccinated or of unsure vaccination status, the CDC warns that it is a time to be alert. "Risk for widespread U.S. measles transmission remains low because of high population immunity," the CDC said in a report last week. "However, because of the increase in cases during the first quarter of 2024, additional activities are needed to increase U.S. routine measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination coverage, especially among close-knit and under-vaccinated communities. These activities include encouraging vaccination before international travel and rapidly investigating suspected measles cases." It is a situation that we shouldn't have to be in. The US has set a target MMWR vaccination rate of 95%, but coverage among kindergarteners has dipped below that in recent years. In the 2022-23 school year, just 93.1% of kindergarteners in the US had completed their MMR vaccine series, leaving about 250,000 at risk. Coverage varies widely by state and community. As of April 4, CDC data shows that 83% of the cases reported this year have been in unvaccinated people and another 12% only had one dose of the two-dose vaccine. Half of cases have been in children younger than 5, and nearly 60 percent of people — including two-thirds of children younger than 5 — have been hospitalized. We can change these trends by making sure that we are protected and vaccinated. By doing so, we don't just protect ourselves, but those around us who may not be able to get vaccinated, such as those who may be immunocompromised or have had a history of an allergic reaction to the vaccine. |
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| For many of us, our weight and eating habits feel deeply intertwined. But how do you strike a balance between eating for pleasure and eating for fuel? And don't forget to vote for us for a Webby Award; voting ends Thursday. |
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