A case of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in Texas and in dairy cattle but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are reporting that the risk to the public remains low and they are...National News
This week marks what would have been the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, had it not been overturned by the Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Whole Women's Health in 2022. The Biden administration made efforts to highlight advances and protections made in the name of reproductive health by the president to mark the...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week that it would expand coverage for PET scans used in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
CMS has been hesitant to open reimbursements for the procedure, and the agency has long said that it would only cover one brain scan per beneficiary for a patient's...
COVID-19 cases are beginning to subside after a summer spike, but officials are recommending that Americans receive the newly released vaccine or a dose of the newly-authorized Novovax, prior to the expected winter surge in cases.
In Arizona, cases were down 5% week over week with 3,134 new cases reported for the week beginning on...
Long-acting penicillin, a preferred treatment for syphilis in pregnant women and children, has been added to the list of drug shortages in the U.S. while Arizona currently faces the highest rate of syphilis in newborns. The ongoing drug shortage crisis highlights the limited powers of federal regulators.
In June, drug manufacturer...
A new study by professional services group PwC suggests that health costs are rising quickly and could increase as much at 7% in 2024.
To conduct the study, "Medical Cost Trend: Behind the Numbers 2024," PwC surveyed US health plans covering 100 million employer-sponsored members and 10 million Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace...
Last Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it would reverse course on anti-amyloid treatments for Alzheimer's patients and cover Leqembi should it receive full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). June is Alzheimer's Awareness month.
Leqembi, produced by Biogen and Eisai,...National News
Support for Medicare coverage of the anti-Alzheimer's drug Leqembi is growing on Capitol Hill, but estimates of the drug's cost may prove to be prohibitive for the Medicare program.
Coverage of the drug through the Medicare program would raise costs for the program by $2 billion to $5 billion per year, according to a new study by...National News
As pressure mounts from stakeholders and lawmakers, Eli Lilly, producer of the experimental Alzheimer's antibody drug donanemab, is saying that it expects the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reverse its prohibition of anti-amyloids.
A bipartisan group of nearly half of U.S. state attorneys general sent a letter to...National News
A single shot of the bivalent booster will become the standard vaccination regimen for people seeking their first COVID-19 vaccination.
Only a single dose will be needed for most people, instead of the currently-recommended two doses. According to the Wall Street Journal, a second booster will be authorized for groups that are high...National News
Late last Friday, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a ruling that invalidated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's authorization of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in combination to induce abortion. The Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson then attempted to intervene...National News
District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is taking his time returning a verdict on a case that could set a major precedent for the courts to intervene in regulatory authority. Wyoming passed a bill banning all forms of abortion, but the law was swiftly cut down by a District Court judge.
Judge Kacsmaryk of the Western District of Texas wanted...
Last Saturday marked the third anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a worldwide pandemic.
As the Arizona Republic points out in a retrospective, since that declaration, COVID-19 has killed more than 1.1 million Americans and 33,000 Arizonans.
There were 4,262 new cases of COVID-19 in Arizona this week with 56 new deaths related...
Arizona lawmakers made progress on several bills related to healthcare and COVID-19 this week.
Last Tuesday, the Arizona Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved HB 2474, which would prohibit schools from requiring immunizations issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under emergency use authorization for...
This week in reproductive health care news, anti-abortion activists ask the Arizona Supreme Court to reinstitute the Territorial-era total ban on abortion.
Attorneys for the Alliance Defending Freedom contend that the state appellate court was incorrect when it said the law did not apply to abortion providers. The Capitol Times...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will allow Arizona to continue operating its own state plan for worker safety and health. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offer insight into life without the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an...
A group of 12 Democratic State Attorneys including Arizona's Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit last Thursday asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove prescription and dispensation restrictions on mifepristone.
The attorneys general argue that removing the FDA restrictions would increase access to...
On Monday, the Biden administration announced that it would end the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration. The announcement came as the U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills that would curb federal authority in pandemic response. In Arizona, legislators are pushing bills that would ban schools from requiring...
This week, a federal judge ruled that an Arizona abortion restriction will stand, and anti-abortion advocates file a lawsuit that would challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) authority to authorize mifepristone.
Late last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report that details the...National News
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug Leqembi (lecanemab) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, but patients will have a difficult time accessing the treatment due to Medicare rules and a hefty price tag.
Leqembi, developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturer Eisai and its stateside partner...