Health

Vanessa Gomez (left) with her son Ezra, 2, and her friend Cristy Fernandez with her 9-month-old-son River, in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. At least 14 people likely caught Zika from mosquitoes in the neighborhood, health officials say. Gomez calls t

With Zika in Miami, What Should Pregnant Women Across The U.S. Do?

8:38pm August 01, 2016

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Federal health officials are cautioning pregnant travelers to avoid a Miami neighborhood where at least 14 cases of Zika have been traced to local mosquitoes. What about the rest of Florida?

Patients Seek Out Alternatives To Opioids In Treatment Of Chronic Pain

6:40pm August 01, 2016

by Naomi Gingold

Opioids are often considered mandatory for treatment of chronic pain, but many patients would prefer an alternative. Doctors say those alternatives may also work better in some cases.

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At Least 10 More People Contract Zika In Florida

6:37pm August 01, 2016

by Greg Allen

Mosquitoes have infected at least 10 more people with Zika in Miami, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend pregnant women avoid the area and triggering a request from the state of Florida for help from the CDC.

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In 2015, the Sandoz unit of drugmaker Novartis won Food and Drug Administration approval of a drug called Zarxio, which is similar to Amgen's Neupogen, a medicine that boosts the production of white blood cells.

FDA-Approved Knock-Offs Of Biotech Drugs Could Safely Save Big Bucks

5:01pm August 01, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Drugs that consist of proteins and antibodies typically made by living organisms represent the new frontier in drug industry competition.

Zika Virus Spreads More Rapidly In Puerto Rico

4:27pm August 01, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with New York Times science and health reporter Donald McNeil Jr. about the status of the Zika epidemic in Puerto Rico. McNeil Jr. reports that while there are around 5,500 confirmed infections, the actual numbers are far greater, and many residents are highly skeptical of the government's actions to combat the virus.

Prescribing of oxycodone and other opioid pain pills rose sharply after 2000.

Many More People Seek Medical Help For Opioid Abuse

12:56pm August 01, 2016

by Julie Appleby

Insurance claims for medical services related to opioid dependence rose more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014, a study finds, suggesting that opioid problems have gone mainstream.

A Soldier-Scientist's Insights Expand Understanding Of Brain Injuries

7:57am August 01, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Harvard researcher Kit Parker put his academic career on hold to serve in the Army in Afghanistan. When he returned from war, he made a discovery that changed our understanding of brain injuries.

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Health & Safety

Denied Coverage For Surgery, Transgender Man Sues His Insurance Provider

5:12am August 01, 2016

by Will Stone

A transgender man in Phoenix is suing his employer in federal court to pay for sex reassignment surgery. The costs of the procedures are substantial; insurance plans only recently began covering them.

Trampoline parks like this one in San Francisco typically offer dodge ball and other activities on trampolines.

As Trampoline Parks Jump In Popularity, So Do Injuries

2:18am August 01, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Injuries at the indoor parks are still dwarfed by injuries on home trampolines. But researchers warn that the parks seem to result in more serious injuries that can require admission to the hospital.

'It's Jarred My Soul': Prosecutor Speaks On Flint Lead Water Crisis

5:01pm July 30, 2016

Special prosecutor Todd Flood talks about his investigation into tainted water in Flint, Mich., including allegations that there was a cover-up. Nine people have been criminally charged so far.