U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Thursday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.1%, up from 3.7% the year before. It's the third record-breaking year in a row for the exemption rate, and the vast majority are parents withholding shots for nonmedical reasons.
The FDA's polarizing vaccine chief is leaving the agency after a brief tenure that drew the ire of biotech executives, patient groups and conservative allies of President Donald Trump. Dr. Vinay Prasad 'did not want to be a distraction' and was stepping down from his role as the FDA's top vaccine regulator 'to spend more time with his family,' a spokesperson for HHS said.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which publishes an annual report on surgery trends, recently found that 2 in 5 of its members' GLP-1 patients were considering undergoing cosmetic surgery — and 1 in 5 already had.
Research indicates that weight loss can enhance testosterone levels because excess body fat contains the enzyme aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen. "While it is well-known that weight loss from lifestyle changes or bariatric surgery increases testosterone levels, the impact that anti-obesity medications may also have on these levels has not been widely studied," says Shellsea Portillo Canales, MD, an endocrinology fellow at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital in Missouri.
CVS says the decision to cover Wegovy and exclude Zepbound is 'forcing the drug manufacturers to compete with one another' and will encourage both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower prices for their products in the U.S.
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review an appeals court ruling that struck down key parts of an Oklahoma law regulating the retail networks created by pharmacy benefit managers, a victory for the controversial middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain that may create uncertainty across the country. The law, which was enacted in 2019, was designed to ensure that pharmacy benefit managers maintain access to a large number of pharmacies and do not steer patients to favored outlets, among other things. The move came amid increased concern that opaque business practices were raising prescription drug costs for consumers and health plans, often by squeezing independently owned pharmacies.