Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In A First, Pill Version Of Wegovy Goes On Sale Nationwide For $149
ABC News: Wegovy Daily Pill Now Available: How To Get It, How Much It Costs
The first and only oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adults is now available to consumers. Drugmaker Novo Nordisk announced Monday that its daily oral Wegovy pill is now available by prescription. Consumers with prescriptions may pick up the new Wegovy pill at pharmacies nationwide or have it delivered through telehealth companies, according to Novo Nordisk. (Kindelan, 1/5)
KFF Health News: Older Americans Quit Weight-Loss Drugs In Droves
Year after year, Mary Bucklew strategized with a nurse practitioner about losing weight. “We tried exercise,” like walking 35 minutes a day, she recalled. “And 39,000 different diets.” But 5 pounds would come off and then invariably reappear, said Bucklew, 75, a public transit retiree in Ocean View, Delaware. Nothing seemed to make much difference — until 2023, when her body mass index slightly exceeded 40, the threshold for severe obesity. (Span, 1/6)
The (Santa Clarita Valley) Signal: Wegovy Lots Recalled After Hair Detected In A Prefilled Syringe
Multiple lots of weight-loss medication Wegovy were recalled by pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk because hair was found in a prefilled syringe, according to two notices published by the Food and Drug Administration last week. (Phillips, 1/5)
More pharma and tech developments —
The Washington Post: Stimulants Help Children With ADHD, But Not In The Way Scientists Thought
The stimulants Ritalin and Adderall have been used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for decades, but research shows they don’t act on the brain’s attention circuitry as had long been assumed. Instead, the medications primarily target the brain’s reward and wakefulness centers, according to a new study published in the journal Cell. The research, which used brain imaging data from almost 5,800 children ages 8 to 11, also pointed toward the important role that lack of sleep plays in the disorder. (Johnson, 1/6)
Newsweek: Simple Finger Prick Test Can Diagnose Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease affects millions worldwide—but confirming a diagnosis is far from simple. Doctors currently rely on costly brain scans or invasive spinal fluid tests to identify the condition—methods that can be stressful, time-consuming and out of reach for many patients. Now, researchers say a simpler approach could be on the horizon: just a quick prick of a patient’s fingertip might one day help doctors detect the disease, which affects an estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older. (Notarantonio, 1/5)
The Baltimore Sun: Researchers Re-Grow Cartilage In Mice With Arthritis
Blocking a protein linked to aging helped older mice regrow knee cartilage without using stem cells, research from Stanford University in California shows. Blocking the protein 15-PGDH also increased older animals’ muscle mass and endurance, they reported. (Hille, 1/5)
The Washington Post: The Best (And Weirdest) New Gadgets We Found At CES 2026
A smart toilet that can send health alerts and a portable, battery-powered food allergen detector are among the new gadgets thronging Las Vegas for the CES consumer tech show. (Velazco, 1/6)
Bloomberg: Smart Scale Maker Withings Debuts $600 Model To Track Blood Pressure Risk
Withings, the French company that pioneered the category of Wi-Fi bathroom scales, unveiled a new top-of-the-line model that monitors signs of hypertension, the latest in a wave of consumer health gadgets attempting to help manage high blood pressure. The device, called the Body Scan 2, will cost $600 in the US, making it the company’s priciest smart scale yet. (Wollman, 1/5)
Modern Healthcare: Corewell Health, Quest Diagnostics Form Joint Venture
Corewell Health and independent laboratory company Quest Diagnostics have completed their agreement to form a joint venture providing laboratory services. The venture, Diagnostic Lab of Michigan will be based at the Corewell Health Southfield Center in Southfield, Michigan. The facility is slated to open in the first quarter of 2027. (DeSilva, 1/5)
