The Food and Drug Administration expanded authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID vaccine to enable kids ages 5 to 11 who were vaccinated at least five months ago to get a third shot.
Medical professionals face tough quandaries when treating patients who have a miscarriage, a scenario that could soon play out around the country if abortion restrictions tighten.
Only 15 states require insurance to cover in vitro fertilization, a pricey path to parenthood. But expensive procedures and drugs can lead to unexpected bills even for the fortunate who are insured.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says people 60 and older should not start taking aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes. People ages 40 to 59 should consult their doctor.
The company says this version targets both the original coronavirus and the beta variant, and appears to provide broader and longer-lasting protection against different strains, including omicron.
Many blame the agency's earlier guidance for suffering and even suicide risk among chronic pain patients. Critics say the updated advice may not fix the problem.
For COVID patients, ECMO is a last-ditch respiratory treatment in which only about half survive. Yet a new small study suggests many lives would still have been saved if there had been more machines.
States and health providers report they've dispensed less than half their supply from the government, raising fears that the drugs may go to waste while people who could benefit get sicker.
The Biden administration's new program enables high-risk patients who test positive to get antiviral pills on the spot in some pharmacies. But many pharmacies won't be able to participate.
The state's program of free cancer screening and treatment is reducing inequities. Key to its success is robust outreach by patient navigators who connect with those least likely to seek care.
After recovering from their initial illness, COVID-19 patients can sometimes suffer serious complications such as heart attacks and strokes — even up to a year later. New research quantifies the risk.
The antiviral pill molnupiravir was authorized and distributed by the government late last year. But it's not doctors' first choice of treatment, except for a narrow slice of patients.
"We believe additional information regarding the ongoing evaluation of a third dose should be considered as part of our decision-making for potential authorization," FDA officials said in a statement.
The antiviral infusion was just revived as an early treatment for COVID patients. But the drug is relatively expensive and hard to administer, relegating it to what some are calling "stopgap" status.
