Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: There May Be A Dark Side To New Weight-Loss Drugs; Should THC Levels Be Regulated?
Scientific American: Ozempic And Other Weight-Loss Drugs Are Sparking A Risky New War On Obesity
In 1998, Viagra received FDA approval. A financial bonanza followed for its manufacturer, Pfizer, and later for its competitors. Although initially approved—and marketed—specifically for erectile dysfunction, Pfizer and later competitors used aggressive targeted marketing to catapult the drug from an erectile dysfunction treatment to a lifestyle pill pocketed by nervous 30-year-olds heading out on Internet dates. (Arthur Caplan ,1/24)
The Boston Globe: High-Potency Marijuana Carries Health Risks
The debate over prohibition should be settled law. Banning marijuana doesn’t work. But federal and state regulators should make rules governing legal marijuana products to protect public health, just as they do with any other food, drink, and drug. That may mean considering imposing additional potency limits, while ensuring that consumers know, through accurate labeling and education, what they are ingesting. (1/25)
The Tennessean: Before Throwing Adults In Prison, Fix Tennessee's Broken Abortion Law
When 53% of Tennessee voters agreed to remove state constitutional protections for abortion, they were not asked if they wanted to criminalize the delivery of healthcare, difficult pregnancies or the desperation of a pregnant minor to obtain reproductive care. (David Plazas, 1/24)
Stat: Prior Authorization Reform Is Both Possible And Imperative
Imagine this scene: You are a cancer patient already navigating fear and uncertainty around your treatment, when you inexplicably cannot access the care recommended by your cancer doctor. This turns out to be because of a perverse hurdle imposed by your insurance company — called a prior authorization — that ends in a denial of care. (Tina Shah and Devika Bhushan, 1/25)
