Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Aspartame Has Issues Other Than Cancer; Leqembi Shows Better Alzheimer's Testing Needed
Bloomberg: Cancer Risk Or No, Diet Soda Is Bad For You
There were good reasons to avoid products with the artificial sweetener aspartame even before the World Health Organization classified it as a “possible carcinogen” last week. But now diet soda drinkers might really want to put down the can. (F.D. Flam, 7/6)
Stat: Leqembi, Other New Alzheimer’s Drugs Require Better Biomarkers
The recent FDA approval of Leqembi, the latest anti-amyloid drug, is undoubtedly a breakthrough for the field, providing a new way to slow the advancement of mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. As a practicing geriatrician who has treated Alzheimer’s patients for more than 40 years and the co-founder and chief science officer at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, I have never been more optimistic about our potential to transform how we treat and diagnose patients. (Howard M. Fillit, 7/7)
Chicago Tribune: Data Analysis In Clinical Trials Hurts Progress For Women
The summer of 1993 was an eventful time: Prince changed his name to a symbol, “Jurassic Park” was released and Congress passed the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act requiring the inclusion of women in clinical research. (Nicole Woitowich, 7/7)
Dallas Morning News: The Bodies Keep Coming ...
As a trauma surgeon, I have worked at some of the most stressful and difficult hospitals in the country: Tampa, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago. Working to save patients from life-threatening acts of violence brings me tremendous job satisfaction. (Brian H. Williams, 7/7)
Kansas City Star: Susan Love Helped With My Breast Cancer
After I was diagnosed with breast cancer in my early 40s, Dr. Susan Love came with me to every medical appointment. Which was fortunate, since her 700-page, here’s-the-deal “Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book,“ first released in 1990, had already told me things that none of the guys in golfing ties ever did. (Melinda Henneberger, 7/6)
Stat: California’s Proposed $25 Per Hour Health Care Minimum Wage
Lawmakers in California may finally offer a raise to the state’s woefully underpaid health care workforce. The legislature is debating a bill introduced by state Sen. María Elena Durazo that would raise the minimum wage for a wide range of health care workers to $25 per hour by June 1, 2025. (Andrea Flynn and Yvonne Yen Liu, 7/7)
