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For decades, people with failing heart valves who nevertheless felt all right would walk out of the cardiologist’s office with the same “wait and see” treatment plan: Come back in six or 12 months. No reason to go under the knife just yet. A new clinical trial has overturned that thinking, suggesting that those patients would be much better off having their valves replaced right away with a minimally invasive procedure. (Mueller, 10/30)

Race and ethnicity are applied in inappropriate and even harmful ways in biomedical research, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine said in a report issued Wednesday, calling on scientists, research funders, and publishers to transform the way they use — and don’t use — the categories in research. (Palmer and McFarling, 10/30)

Apple this week officially released a batch of new health features for AirPods Pro that allow users to test their hearing and use the popular wireless headphones as hearing aids for milder forms of hearing loss. (Aguilar, 10/31)

The blockbuster drug semaglutide, sold as Ozempic for diabetes and as Wegovy for weight loss, now has a new proven benefit: It markedly soothed knee pain in people who are obese and have moderate to severe osteoarthritis, according to a large study. The effect was so pronounced that some arthritis experts not involved with the clinical trial were taken aback. (Kolata, 10/30)

All doses of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes and obesity treatments are listed as available on the Food and Drug Administration’s drug shortage list as of Wednesday, raising the possibility that the medications could soon be taken off the list entirely, a development that could affect compounding pharmacies and patients relying on compounded drugs. (Chen, 10/30)

Texas is now on the list of states where a baby powder potentially contaminated with asbestos was sold, according to an FDA release. The Dynarex Corporation, a New York medical manufacturer announced an expanded recall of their baby powder this week for possible health risks from asbestos. An additional 373 case items were found for the 14 oz Dynarex Baby Powder, as well as 647 cases for the 4 oz version. (Babbar, 10/31)

AstraZeneca disclosed Wednesday that Leon Wang, a high-ranking executive who oversees international operations and is also president of its subsidiary in China, is under investigation by Chinese authorities. The company added that it will cooperate, if asked to do so. (Silverman, 10/30)

Specialty pharmacy has emerged as a promising line of business for health insurance companies confronting challenges in their traditional operations. Cigna subsidiary Evernorth Health Services, Elevance Health subsidiary Carelon and Aetna parent company CVS Health have made big plays into the $400 billion market for medications that are too costly or complex for traditional pharmacies. (Berryman, 10/30)