Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Ozempic Has Many More Health Benefits; A Vaccine May Not Be The Final Answer To Lyme Problem
The New York Times: Inflammation May Be The Root Of Our Maladies
In the near future, the story of drugs like Ozempic may no longer be primarily about weight loss and diabetes. We now know that these drugs can reduce heart and kidney disease. They could very well slow the progression of dementia. They might help women struggling with infertility to get pregnant. They are even tied to lower mortality from Covid. (Daniela J. Lamas, 9/16)
Bloomberg: The First Lyme Disease Vaccine Failed. It's Time To Try Again.
Nearly half a million Americans received an unpleasant surprise this summer, according to insurance billing data: a new diagnosis of Lyme disease. Those numbers could shrink if scientists succeed in developing a vaccine for the tick-borne illness. (F.D. Flam, 9/15)
Bloomberg: Yes, Bats Carry Disease. They Also Make Us Healthier.
From ticks and mosquitoes to pangolins and raccoon dogs (two species accused of being the animal origin of Covid-19), the conversation around wildlife and health often hinges on the idea that animals can make us sick. (Lara Williams, 9/16)
The Atlantic: Why Didn’t Facing A Common Enemy Bring Us Together?
As I ran the National Institutes of Health during the pandemic, I learned that something deep within our culture is wrong. (Francis S. Collins, 9/15)
Stat: Doctors’ Protests In India Exemplify A Troubling Attitude
In early August, a doctor was raped and murdered in a Kolkata public hospital by a “civic volunteer” who was neither a patient nor a staff member. The crime has enraged and rattled the medical profession in India. For weeks now, doctors have been protesting throughout the country, demanding among other things “justice for the victim” and a safer work environment. In the state of West Bengal, where Kolkata is located, junior doctors in public hospitals have been on a month-long strike. But those protests are missing something important: The terrible crime was less about medicine and more about the ongoing epidemic of violence against women. (Kiran Kumbhar, 9/16)
