Perspectives: FDA Lowered Standards With Aduhelm; Congress Must Boost Assistance To Disabled Workforce

USA Today: Alzheimer's Treatment: FDA Sullies Reputation In Drug Approval
Like many government agencies, the Food and Drug Administration is at its best when no one notices it, quietly helping us avoid unsafe and ineffective products. Unfortunately, the agency keeps making decisions that garner front-page news. In June, the FDA approved Aduhelm (generic name aducanumab), the first new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease in two decades. As bioethicists who work in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease and pharmaceutical policy, we can attest that this decision has generated more controversy than enthusiasm – and for good reasons. (Holly Fernandez Lynch, Emily A. Largent and Andrew Peterson, 7/28)

Dallas Morning News: More People With Disabilities Got Jobs During The Pandemic
When I helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act 31 years ago, I could not have anticipated what 2021 would look like. What we did anticipate was that this new civil rights law would empower the 1 in 5 Americans living with disabilities. Over the decades, the ADA has faced its share of successes and failures. The past year has shown both the clear gaps in our nation’s grand promise and the resilience of our people. The COVID-19 pandemic has grown the disability community. From those with long COVID-19 to people with new mental health conditions, there are now more Americans with disabilities than ever before. In 2020, more than 1 in 5 people with disabilities lost their jobs, compared with only 1 in 7 individuals without disabilities. (Steve Bartlett, 7/28)

The Boston Globe: To Solve Health Care Inequity, Mass. Should Address The Social Determinants Of Health 
In the past year and a half, in Lawrence and Roxbury and dozens of other communities across the Commonwealth, health care providers witnessed the same story over and over. While those who could sheltered at home during the coronavirus pandemic, low-income people of color continued to go to their jobs — often as essential workers, putting themselves and their families at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. The pandemic was a catalyst for national conversations about social and racial injustice and health inequity. But these realities are not new, and conversations are not enough. (Myechia Minter-Jordan and Michael Curry, 7/27)

Stat: My Family's Cancer Cluster Started Me On A Research Odyssey 
July 10 was a bittersweet and emotional day for me this year, one I had marked on my calendar long before it arrived. It was the date, at 69 years and 30 days, that I became the longest living member of my family. I was then one day older than my brother when he died. My father died at age 59, my mother at 42, and my two younger sisters at 32 and 24. Except for my dad, all died of different types of cancer. In the U.S., life expectancy is nearly 80 years. In my family, not including me, the average life span was 45. (Lawrence Ingrassia, 7/28)

USA Today: Why A New Breakthrough Test For Cancer Still Isn't On The U.S. Market
Cancer accounted for nearly 10 million deaths last year. It continues to be the No. 1 cause of death among those 80 or younger, and we know one of the best ways to reduce cancer deaths is through early detection. Knowing the importance of early detection, what if you could get a single blood test that had the ability to detect the early signs of more than 50 deadly cancers – 45 of which don’t have a recommended screening option available – before symptoms present themselves? (Jim Greenwood, 7/28)

Bloomberg: A $27 Billion Vaccine Is Not Pharma's New Normal 
Vaccines have traditionally been among the least glamorous and most challenging areas of pharma. Developing new shots is uniquely time consuming and expensive, and despite the extra effort required, sales are consistently lower than in other drug categories. The arrival of Covid-19 changed everything. (Max Nisen, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: Medical Students Must Be Taught Critical Race Theory 
The hint of an education on race and racism I received in medical school involved a historical overview of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and retired eugenics practices. As I rotated on the wards, race came up again as a vague tool to help narrow a diagnosis. New Black patient with severe headache, blurry vision? Think hypertensive crisis. I wasn’t taught why hypertension might be more prevalent in the Black American population. (Hint: Genetics is not the answer.) (Trisha Pasricha, 7/28)

Newsweek: Black Athletes Lead Conversation On Mental Health 
Gymnast Simone Biles chose her mental health over the possibility of a literal gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and for a lot of people that decision won't make sense. Biles pulled out of the competition on Tuesday, and told reporters that she was concerned about the well-being of her body and mind. The 24-year-old four-time gold medalist explained that she needed to put her mental health first. "This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself when I came in — and I felt like I was still doing it for other people," she said. (Heather Thompson Day, 7/27)