The Food and Drug Administration’s move to make a version of naloxone available without a prescription marks a major milestone in the fight against opioid addiction, and anti-addiction advocates hope it will break down barriers and help expand access to the drug. The agency approved Narcan, the brand-name nasal spray manufactured by Emergent BioSolutions. But…
Author: Nathaniel Weixel
Five things to know about the Texas ObamaCare ruling
An ObamaCare requirement that health insurance must cover preventive services for free is at risk of ending, after a federal judge in Texas — who previously held that the entire Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional — invalidated it. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor wasn’t entirely unexpected, but his decision to impose a…
Senate votes to end COVID-19 national emergency
The Senate on Wednesday passed a GOP-led resolution that would end the COVID-19 national emergency that has been in place since 2020. The measure passed the upper chamber 68-23. A similar resolution sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) passed the Senate last year, but it did not advance in the Democrat-controlled House. This year it…
Judge denies effort to lift block on Guam abortion ban
Abortion will remain legal in Guam after a federal judge denied a request to lift a long-standing permanent injunction blocking a total abortion ban. The U.S. District Court for the District of Guam rejected Attorney General Douglas Moylan’s (R) request to vacate a federal court’s permanent injunction from 1990 barring Guam from enforcing a law…
Democrats mark 13 years of the Affordable Care Act
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story Democrats mark 13 years of the Affordable Care Act Democrats on Thursday marked the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, touting health coverage gains since it was enacted. © AP “The ACA stands…
Senate to dive into vaccine pricing, drug shortages at hearings
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story The Senate health care hearing-palooza is here Senators are holding multiple health-centric hearings Wednesday, focusing on Biden’s budget, medication shortages and hikes in COVID-19 vaccine prices. © Greg Nash, The Hill Some of the biggest fireworks will likely come…
Becerra set to defend Biden’s budget
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story Becerra to face congressional grilling as he defends budget Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will head to Capitol Hill over the next two weeks as he defends President Biden’s budget request. © The Hill, Greg Nash Sen….
Paxlovid is safe, effective and doesn’t cause ‘rebound,’ FDA says
Pfizer’s antiviral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid is safe and effective at treating adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe disease, including hospitalization or death, according to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff report. In addition, the report said the drug doesn’t cause patients to “rebound” after taking…
Access to abortion pill on trial in Wednesday hearing
Doctors and reproductive rights advocates are bracing for a hearing on Wednesday in a court case that, if successful, could end legal access to one of two abortion pills nationwide. Abortion pills have become one of the next major fronts in the fight over reproductive health care in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision…
Veterans Affairs will cover pricey experimental Alzheimer’s drug
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) said it will widely cover an experimental $26,500-per-year Alzheimer’s drug, even though Medicare will not. Leqembi will be made available to veterans living with early stages of Alzheimer’s disease who meet agency criteria as well as conditions on Leqembi’s label, according to an announcement Monday by the drug’s manufacturers Eisai…