Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: New Antibiotic's Approval May Be The Way Of The Future; FDA Review Of Psychedelics Coming Soon
The Washington Post: Getting A Gonorrhea Antibiotic To Regulators Is Remarkable
Zoliflodacin is remarkable, but I don’t mean that for the obvious reasons. Yes, it is the first of a new kind of antibiotic. And it could soon become the first new antibiotic in decades to treat gonorrhea, working against all the strains of the bacteria that are resistant to the drugs we have. Plus zoliflodacin can be swallowed. And it takes just one dose to work. (Manica Balasegaram, 11/2)
New England Journal of Medicine: How Should The FDA Evaluate Psychedelic Medicine?
Drug companies are spending millions of dollars to incorporate psychedelic agents into health care.1 Working with research institutions, patient organizations, and veterans groups, they have gained bipartisan support in Congress. Meanwhile, mounting clinical evidence is paving the way for the likely approval of new psychedelic medicines by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (Mason Marks, M.D., J.D., and I. Glenn Cohen, J.D., 11/4)
Newsweek: All Health Care Professionals Have A Role To Play In Combating The Opioid Epidemic
The opioid epidemic is perhaps the most enduring and damaging public health crisis in American history, and one that has been perpetuated by systemic barriers, indifference, and a lack of awareness and education among the public. Drug overdoses are a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States and most involve opioids. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 80,411 Americans died from an opioid overdose in 2021. That's more than 220 lives lost every day. (Petros Levounis, 11/6)
Stat: There's A Real Risk That Harm Reduction Could Be A Fad
Harm reduction is having its moment in America. The doors of drug-related harm reduction have swung wide open after years of federal funding bans. Extensive opioid settlement payouts combined with an urgency to address the overdose crisis have allowed for harm reduction approaches to catch on like wildfire. (Alexandra Plante, 11/6)
