Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ozempic Is Used To Counteract Psychiatric Medication Weight Gain
The New York Times: Some Psychiatrists Prescribe Ozempic To Counter Weight Gain From Mental Health Drugs
It was Joanna Acevedo’s psychiatrist who first raised the idea of a weight-loss drug. Since 2018, Ms. Acevedo has relied on antipsychotic medications to manage her bipolar disorder. The drugs kept her paranoia at bay — really, they kept her alive, she said. They also led her to gain 70 pounds. By age 26, she had become prediabetic. (Blum, 11/3)
CIDRAP: Study Suggests Mass Vaccination Programs Cut COVID Cases In Japan 65%
The population benefit of COVID-19 vaccination via direct and indirect effects was substantial in Tokyo in early 2022 during Omicron, with an estimated 65% reduction in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to a new model that compared risks between unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals. (Soucheray, 11/6)
CIDRAP: Stewardship Program Linked To Reduced Antibiotic Use, Resistance In Kids With Severe Bacterial Pneumonia
Implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) was associated with a significant reduction in antibiotic consumption and antimicrobial resistance in children with severe bacterial pneumonia at a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in China, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance. (Dall, 11/6)
CIDRAP: South African TB Study Finds Evidence Of Bedaquiline-Resistance Transmission
A study of tuberculosis (TB) patients in South Africa found that more than half receiving treatment with a bedaquiline-containing regimen had isolates with bedaquiline resistance, researchers reported last week in The Lancet Microbe. (Dall, 11/6)
