Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: FDA's Attempt To Expedite Drug Approval Backfires; Cannabis Use In Pregnancy Is Legally Complicated
The Washington Post: The FDA Shifts The Goalposts On Rare Disease Drugs
Agency leaders say the right things, but their actions tell a different story. (2/28)
Stat: Cannabis Has Become More Legal. It’s Time To Update Laws Around Use By Pregnant People
Punitive policies around marijuana use while pregnant often result in worse outcomes for babies, experts write. (Lauren Micalizzi and Elizabeth Tobin-Tyler, 3/2)
Stat: I Analyzed 6 Months Of Reddit Discussion About At-Home Ketamine Therapy. The Findings Alarmed Me
Ketamine telehealth patients end up crowdsourcing their dosing protocols based on Reddit upvotes and anecdotal experiences. (Michael Alvear, 3/2)
Newsweek: Where Are The Protests Against RFK Jr's Sickening Policies?
RFK Jr. has done what President Trump promised to let him do during the campaign—that is, “go wild on health.” (Tom Rogers, 2/27)
The New York Times: Dying at Home Is Surprisingly Hard
Dying at home isn’t easy, even with hospice care. The hospice system, we learned, requires family involvement in the dying process to a degree that even we, as a family of doctors, weren’t comfortable with. We were responsible for bathing my father and helping him use the toilet, changing his clothes and, most daunting, administering morphine and other sedatives to treat his pain and anxiety. A nurse was scheduled to come to the house only for about an hour twice a week. Getting an aide to help with basic activities of daily living was nearly impossible. (Sandeep Jauhar, 3/2)
