Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nestle Invests In 'Healthy Gut' Products
Reuters: Nestle Signs $120M Deal With Seres For 'Healthy Gut' Drugs
Nestle is investing in U.S.-based Seres Therapeutics for a third time in a year, this time injecting $120 million to develop and commercialize medicines aimed at restoring a healthy bacteriological balance in the human digestive system. The deal announced on Monday for so-called "healthy gut" products will give Nestle's Health Science division exclusive rights to sell Seres' experimental treatments for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and inflammatory bowel disease outside the United States and Canada. (1/11)
NPR: Popular Acid Reflux Drugs Are Linked To Kidney Disease Risk
People who take certain popular medicines for heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux may want to proceed more cautiously, researchers reported Monday. The drugs, known as proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), appear to significantly elevate the chances of developing chronic kidney disease, according to a study involving more than 250,000 people. (Stein, 1/11)
Kaiser Health News: Hospitals Step Up To Help Seniors Avoid Falls
Falls are the leading cause of injuries for adults 65 and older, and 2.5 million of them end up in hospital emergency departments for treatment every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The consequences can range from bruises, fractured hips and head injuries to irreversible calamities that can lead to death. And older adults who fall once are twice as likely as their peers to fall again. Despite these scary statistics, a dangerous fall does not have to be an inevitable part of aging. Risk-reduction programs are offered around the country. (Jaffe, 1/12)
The Concord Monitor: Lack Of Data Makes It Hard To Compare Success Of Concussion Programs
As New Hampshire tackles the issue of youth sports concussions, schools are trying different combinations of things, including no-contact practices, altered training protocols, differing rest periods and various new equipment. We would like to know which combinations are working best. But coaches, doctors, parents or educators making that decision face a big problem: Shortage of data. (Brooks, 1/12)
The Associated Press: Nurses Reunite, With Roles Switched, Decades Later
Lynn Bartos always had a good feeling about the soft-spoken nurse who would greet her warmly at the Milwaukee-area infusion clinic where she got treatments for rheumatoid arthritis pain. It turned out the two had a far deeper connection. That nurse, Nicole Krahn, was assigned to administer the IV this summer as Bartos settled in for one of the three-hour appointments at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin that come every five weeks. (Antlfinger, 1/12)
