Medical Treatments

Portrait of Phillip Lyn taken by his spouse, Kurt Rehwinkel, outside their home in St. Louis.

Health & Safety

For Those Facing Alzheimer's, A Controversial Drug Offers Hope

2:24pm June 15, 2021

by Jon Hamilton

A plaque-busting Alzheimer's drug called Aduhelm has yet to prove it can preserve memory and thinking. Even so, its approval by the Food and Drug Administration is making some patients opitimistic.

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Giving people with organ transplants a third dose of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 appears to boost their immunity, according to a new study.

Health & Safety

A 3rd Dose Of COVID Vaccines May Boost Immunity For Transplant Recipients

12:38pm June 15, 2021

by Maria Godoy

The COVID vaccines haven't proved very effective for people living with organ transplants. But getting a third dose of the mRNA vaccines gave a big bump in antibody levels in a new study.

The infectious and contagious rabies virus, shown here in a colorized micrograph, can be transmitted to humans through the bite or saliva of an infected animal. Thanks to protective vaccination of pets, rabies was eliminated from the U.S. dog population i

Health & Safety

The U.S. Bans Importing Dogs From 113 Countries After Rise In False Rabies Records

7:20pm June 14, 2021

by Rob Stein

A surge in pet adoptions has increased demand for dogs imported from around the world. Most are fine, but federal officials turned up 450 dogs in 2020 with false records — 50% more than in 2019.

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Health & Safety

How Novavax Compares To Other COVID-19 Vaccines

4:27pm June 14, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Heath, about how the new COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax, plays into global vaccination rates.

Solid research has found the vaccines authorized for use against COVID-19 to be safe and effective. But some anti-vaccine activists are mischaracterizing government data to imply the jabs are dangerous.

Anti-Vaccine Activists Use A Federal Database To Spread Fear About COVID Vaccines

12:57pm June 14, 2021

by Geoff Brumfiel

The system is designed to provide early warning of what might or might not be actual side effects. But anti-vaccine groups are bending the data to their own ends.

Novavax says its vaccine is 100% effective against the original strain of the coronavirus and had 93% efficacy against more worrisome variants.

Health & Safety

Novavax Says Its COVID Vaccine Is Extremely Effective

9:49am June 14, 2021

by Joe Palca

In a large-scale study, Novavax said its vaccine was completely effective against the original coronavirus strain and also effective against some variants. It works differently than other vaccines.

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Mark Forrest is back fishing after rehabilitation with the IpsiHand device helped him regain use of his right hand.

Health & Safety

New Device Taps Brain Signals To Help Stroke Patients Regain Hand Function

7:00am June 13, 2021

by Jon Hamilton

After a stroke, people often lose dexterity in one hand. Now, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized a device that can restore function by encouraging the brain to rewire.

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Dr. Aaron Kesselheim (left), a professor at Harvard Medical School, at a documentary film screening in 2018 in Boston. He has resigned from a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel over the FDA's decision to approve an Alzheimer's drug.

3 Experts Have Resigned From An FDA Committee Over Alzheimer's Drug Approval

7:04pm June 11, 2021

by Bill Chappell

In his resignation letter, Dr. Aaron Kesselheim calls it "probably the worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history." An FDA official says the agency found the benefits outweighed the risks.

New Controversial Alzheimer's Drug Provides Hope, Says Patient

4:29pm June 11, 2021

by Jon Hamilton

Many scientists have criticized the FDA for approving Aduhelm, a costly Alzheimer's drug that may not do much to slow the disease. But a patient taking the drug says it has given him hope.

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Map showing how frequently states, territories and the District of Columbia report new COVID-19 data

Health & Safety

States Scale Back Pandemic Reporting, Stirring Alarm

9:20am June 11, 2021

by Rob Stein

More than two dozen states have reduced how frequently they report what's happening with the pandemic, raising alarm among some public health experts.

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