Researchers Try New Approach To Getting Patients To Take Their Medication

The Washington Post: Researchers Are Trying Again To Help You Take Your Medicine
[P]hysicians, pharmacists and researchers have been frustrated for decades at patients’ inability to follow such simple instructions and remain on their medication regimens. Twenty to 30 percent of prescriptions are never filled, according to research published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, and half of all people do not follow their drug instructions, even when that is critical to keeping them alive. ... A wide variety of attempted solutions — including free medicine — haven’t helped much. But with the Obama administration keen to control medical costs and improve the quality of health care, a round of experiments funded by the Affordable Care Act is winding to a close. They offer hope of progress against one of medicine’s most in­trac­table problems. (Bernstein, 9/5)

The Wall Street Journal: New Push For Meningitis B Vaccines On College Campuses
As the fall semester gets under way, some U.S. colleges and universities are offering students new vaccines against a bug responsible for recent campus outbreaks of a rare but life-threatening form of meningitis. Academic institutions are taking a range of approaches, from simply making the shots available at student health centers to anyone who is interested, to holding vaccine clinics on campus that students are required to attend. (Loftus, 9/7)

The Associated Press: Infants’ Whooping Cough Source Likely Siblings, Study Finds
Infants are more likely to catch whooping cough from their siblings than their moms, says a study with implications for how to protect them. Previously, moms were considered the more common source of infection. The change is probably due in part to an increased frequency of whooping cough among school-aged children, the study of government data suggests. (Tanner, 9/6)

The New York Times: Pertussis Passed To Newborns From Siblings
A new study has found that siblings, not mothers, are now the most common source of pertussis infection in newborns. Infants can be given the DTaP vaccine (it also protects against tetanus and diphtheria) starting at 2 months, and the schedule calls for four more shots periodically through ages 4 to 6. (Bakalar, 9/7)

The New York Times: Cucumbers Recalled In Salmonella Outbreak
A California distributor has begun recalling cucumbers imported from Mexico after they were linked to a salmonella outbreak that has killed one woman and sickened at least 285 others, health officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cucumbers were most likely the cause of an outbreak of salmonella poona that began July 3 and has reached 27 states. The bacteria killed a 99-year-old San Diego woman and sent 53 people to the hospital, the federal agency said, and more than half of those infected have been younger than 18. (Southall, 9/5)

The Washington Post: How America’s Love Affair With Caffeine Has Sparked A Crisis Of Overdoses — And What The FDA Is Trying To Do About It
Today, caffeine comes in all shapes and formulations -- Red Bull and Monster energy drinks, "Stay Awake" pills, Jolt gum. The most potent form, the pure powdered kind that's meant for people to mix into their food, is sold in bulk in bags or canisters that can cost as little as $10 per pound. A single teaspoon can be packed with as much caffeine as 28 cups of regular coffee. The new products have led to an alarming public health development in recent years that was unheard of in the many previous decades that people enjoyed caffeine: a rash of thousands of overdoses and reports of addiction and withdrawal. ... The Food and Drug Administration has been so alarmed that it's mounted an aggressive effort to warn consumers about the risks of caffeine products and to take manufacturers to task for the way they are marketed. (Cha, 9/2)