Health & Safety

Marianne Sinisi, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, lost her 26-year-old son, Shawn, to an opioid overdose in 2018. She wants the opioid settlement dollars to be spent in ways that help spare other parents similar grief.

As states start to get opioid settlement cash, few are sharing how they spend it

5:01am March 30, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

All told, drugmakers and distributors will pay over $50 billion to communities harmed by opioids. An investigation finds that only a dozen states are letting the public see how they use the money.

Funeral held for Irvo Otieno, who died in police custody at a psychiatric hospital

6:06pm March 29, 2023

by Ben Paviour

More calls for justice came Wednesday at a funeral for 28-year-old Irvo Otieno, who died March 6 while in police custody at a psychiatric hospital in Virginia.

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The opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan has been approved for sale over the counter

5:13pm March 29, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

The FDA approved Narcan for sale without a prescription. The opioid overdose reversal drug would be available at pharmacies and convenience stores nationally, increasing access as opioid deaths climb.

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Ozempic's weight loss side effect can make it harder to find for people with diabetes

5:13pm March 29, 2023

by Stacey Vanek Smith

The prescription drug Ozempic helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar. But its wild popularity is due to a side effect: rapid weight loss. That's made it hard to find in some areas.

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The opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan (shown here at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charleston in Charleston, W.Va., on Sept. 6, 2022) has been approved for over-the-counter sales.

The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales

3:09pm March 29, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The decision could make the life-saving drug more accessible. Emergent BioSolutions, the drug company that produces Narcan, said it anticipates it will be on store shelves by late summer.

Health & Safety

A new flu is spilling over from cows to people in the U.S. How worried should we be?

2:05pm March 29, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Pigs and goats likely catch it too. It's been found in humans' noses in the Southwest — and in the air at airports and at chicken farms in Malaysia.

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Shana Alesi administers a COVID-19 booster vaccine to Marine Corps veteran Bill Fatz at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Ill., in 2021. A new round of boosters could become available for some people this spring.

Health & Safety

The FDA may soon authorize a spring round of COVID-19 boosters for some people

1:22pm March 29, 2023

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration appears poised to make available the COVID-19 vaccines that target omicron as a second booster for people with weak immune systems and those ages 65 and older.

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Health & Safety

The FDA has approved an over-the-counter spray to treat opioid overdose

10:45am March 29, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

In a long anticipated decision, the Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter version of naloxone spray, a generic form of the opioid overdose treatment called Narcan.

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State unveils 'Action Plan' to address youth mental health crisis

9:56am March 29, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services teamed up with the state Department of Public Instruction to compose an Action Plan to address what is described as an “urgent” youth mental health and behavioral health crisis. The plan, released on Tuesday, cites a needed investment in the state’s school systems.

Health & Safety

The FDA is considering authorizing a spring COVID-19 booster

9:48am March 29, 2023

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration appears ready to authorize that some people — such as those with weak immune systems — get yet another booster with one of the newest COVID-19 vaccines.

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