Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: How Was Phenylephrine Approved Despite Being Ineffective?; Confusion On Supervised Drug Sites
In 2005, federal law compelled retailers nationwide to move pseudoephedrine, sold as Sudafed, from over-the-counter (OTC) to behind it, so as to combat its use in making illicit methamphetamine. This move changed the formulas of cough and cold medicines in the U.S.. It also led me and my colleague Leslie Hendeles to prove that pseudoephedrine’s replacement, oral phenylephrine, was ineffective as a decongestant. (Randy Hatton, 12/21)
It’s been two years since New York City became home to the nation’s first legally sanctioned supervised consumption program, where people can take illicit drugs like heroin, crack and methamphetamine under medical supervision. By many accounts that program is thriving. More than 1,000 potentially fatal overdoses have been reversed and many people who use the facilities have been connected to support services, including addiction treatment. (Jeneen Interlandi, 12/22)
In 2022, the court took away the constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe vs. Wade and created a chaotic patchwork of abortion access in this country. Now the issues before the court involve the most commonly used abortion method — medication abortion with the drug mifepristone — and whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has final authority to make its own rules and regulations governing drugs. (12/22)
Much of the country no doubt watched in amazement last week as a woman with a doomed pregnancy was forced to flee her home state, Texas, to get the abortion her doctors deemed necessary to protect her future ability to bear children. Could this really be happening in the United States in 2023? (Linda Greenhouse, 12/22)
In the days leading up to Christmas in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), medical teams work to send as many children home as they can. Kids should be with their people for the holidays. And it makes sense. But for parents of children receiving in-home care — parents like me — it can be a relief to surrender to the hospital’s siren song. For families like mine, the PICU can be a respite, especially during Christmas. (Maria Kefalas, 12/22)
The current AI frenzy is focused on generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Gemini that create original writing, images, computer code, and even music. In medicine, people are throwing GPT at every problem under the sun, testing it as a scribe that can help doctors complete medical records, a chatbot that can offer public health advice, and a tool to diagnose patients and recommend treatment. (Archana Venkataraman, 12/21)
As 2023 comes to an end, I want to highlight five hopeful health stories that I’ve had the privilege to report on this year. (Leana S. Wen, 12/21)
