Medical Treatments

The patent feud between Moderna and the U.S. could have implications for the world

4:56pm November 10, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with science writer Brendan Borrell about a patent feud between Moderna and the federal government over its COVID vaccine — and why it could have implications for the world.

Safeway pharmacist Shahrzad Khoobyari administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot to Chen Knifsend at a vaccination clinic in San Rafael, Calif., in October. The companies are seeking regulatory authorization to expand boosters to everyone 18 and

Health & Safety

Pfizer and BioNTech ask FDA to authorize COVID vaccine booster for people 18+

5:12pm November 09, 2021

by Joe Palca

The companies say a study of more than 10,000 volunteers showed a vaccine efficacy of 95% or greater for people receiving the booster.

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Suboxone and a similar medicine, Subutex, are both proven to help people with opioid addiction stay in recovery. Yet the Drug Enforcement Administration often makes it hard for pharmacies to dispense it.

DEA takes aggressive stance toward pharmacies trying to dispense addiction medicine

4:41pm November 08, 2021

by Aneri Pattani

A West Virginia pharmacist wanted to help those hit by the opioid crisis. But a few years after he began providing medications to treat addiction, drug enforcement raided his pharmacy.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says authorities are looking to keep a "level of control" over the virus through winter.

Health & Safety

What Dr. Fauci sees coming for the pandemic this winter

11:14am November 08, 2021

The country's top infectious disease doctor says he is looking for "a level of control" over COVID-19 such that it is less disruptive to society — and he again stressed the importance of vaccination.

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Author Sasa Woodruff discovered by accident that she carried a rare genetic marker for a deadly stomach cancer. The recommendation from her doctor? A complete removal of her stomach.

Health & Safety

A food lover faces an unimaginable choice: Give up her stomach or risk a fatal cancer

1:28pm November 07, 2021

by Sáša Woodruff

Cooking and sharing elaborate meals was her joy. Then she learned a mutation in her genes puts her at extremely high risk of gastric cancer. Could she lose her stomach to save her life?

Health & Safety

These D.C. kids are excited to be vaccinated

8:16am November 07, 2021

Children between the ages of 5 and 11 can now get the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. We visit a vaccination site in Washington, D.C., to hear from kids about why they're getting the jab.

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A hormone-blocking drug implant was prescribed for an active 8-year-old girl diagnosed with central precocious puberty. The price of one option was thousands of dollars less than the other.

Health & Safety

Drugmaker drops cheaper version of drug, leaving patients stuck with pricier one

7:00am November 06, 2021

by Sydney Lupkin

Kids who need hormone-blocking drugs to prevent premature puberty — or delay it if they're trans — have lost a more affordable option. The remaining nearly identical drug costs eight times more.

Hattie Pierce, 75, receives a Pfizer covid-19 vaccine booster shot from Dr. Tiffany Taliaferro at the Safeway on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Monday, October 4, 2021.

Health & Safety

There's more demand for boosters than first shots of the COVID vaccine

9:40am November 05, 2021

by Rob Stein

Some experts worry "boostermania" is distracting from the goal of getting tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans their first shots.

A box and container of ivermectin arranged in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Americans against taking ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, as treatment or prevention against Covid-19.

Health & Safety

As constituents clamor for ivermectin, Republican politicians embrace their cause

6:56pm November 04, 2021

by Blake Farmer

Hospitals and doctors are facing more demands for ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment, despite no proof it works. In some Republican-dominated states, lawmakers and attorney generals are weighing in.

Parents react to vaccine authorization for kids ages 5-11

9:00pm November 03, 2021

Parents react to the recent Food and Drug Administrations emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine, which allows children ages 5-11 to receive the vaccine.

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