Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Osteoporosis Drug Would Offer An Additional Treatment Option
The New York Times: Osteoporosis, A Disease With Few Treatment Options, May Soon Have One More
A large clinical trial of a new osteoporosis drug found that it stimulates bone growth and prevents fractures at least as well as the only other such drug on the market. The new drug, expected to win approval from federal regulators, would offer another much-needed treatment for some of the 10 million Americans, 80 percent of them women, who have a disease that weakens bones and often leads to years of pain, disability and early death. Experts agree that new drugs are urgently needed for this debilitating disease. (Kolata, 8/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Medicating Children With ADHD Keeps Them Safer
While some bumps and scares are inevitable for active [children], serious misadventures with long-lasting repercussions are often par for the course for ... those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. But a new article suggests that early medication can significantly cut the odds of bad things happening later. ... Indeed, accidents are the most common cause of death in individuals with ADHD, with one 2015 study of over 710,000 Danish children finding that 10- to 12-year-olds with ADHD were far more likely to be injured than other children their age. Drug treatment made a big difference, however, nearly halving the number of emergency room visits by children with ADHD. (Pinker, 8/16)
