Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Petition To FTC, Gun Control Activist Alleges Smith & Wesson 'Encourages, Facilitates Mass Shooters'
The New York Times: Father Of School Shooting Victim Takes On Smith & Wesson
The father of a mass shooting victim and two gun safety groups petitioned the federal government on Sunday to stop the firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson from using what they described as “deceptive and unfair” marketing to promote assault-style rifles. The father, Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, died in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Fla., joined with the advocacy groups Brady and Everytown for Gun Safety to send a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission. (Hsu, 5/21)
CNN: Healthy People Shouldn't Take Daily Aspirin To Prevent Heart Disease, Review Finds
Still taking a daily aspirin to ward off heart attacks? You might want to think again, according to a new review. Aspirin is still one of the most commonly used medications in the world, even though it's no longer recommended as a preventative by many health authorities. There is no evidence that low-dose aspirin — less than 325 milligrams a day — should be taken by most adults in good cardiovascular health, according to a new review of existing research that published Wednesday in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. (Hunt, 6/3)
Stat: New Research Offers Hope For A Way Through The Blood-Brain Barrier
We’ve evolved elegant protections for our brains. Gray matter deftly avoids contact with most interlopers, thanks to an intricate cellular shrink wrap called the blood-brain barrier. But this defense system creates its own challenges for us: It’s been extraordinarily difficult to design medicines that can target neurological illness. (Keshavan, 6/1)
Reuters: California Court Hears Appeal Of $289 Million Verdict Against Bayer In First Roundup Cancer Trial
A California appeals court on Tuesday heard arguments in the first case that went to trial over allegations that Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup causes cancer, resulting in a $289 million judgment against the company. (Bellon, 6/2)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Tump Administration: Trans-Inclusive Sports Policies Violate Law
The U.S. Department of Education could withhold federal funding if Connecticut does not reverse a policy allowing transgender students to participate in sports based on the gender with which they identify. The federal rebuke came in response to a Title IX complaint filed by three female Connecticut runners, alleging they were at an unfair disadvantage competing against two transgender high school sprinters, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, who, between them, have earned 15 girls state indoor or outdoor championship races. (Downey, 6/1)
