A coalition of doctors are sounding the alarm on the need for increased syphilis testing for pregnant individuals, amid a recent surge of the sexually transmitted infection in U.S. newborns. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published new guidance Thursday, recommending doctors screen pregnant individuals for syphilis three times during pregnancy. Obstetricians, gynecologists and other obstetric care professionals are now advised to screen all pregnant individuals for syphilis at the first prenatal care visit, during the third trimester and again at birth. Previou ..read more

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report that the Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) response to the 2022 mpox outbreak was uncoordinated and lacked interagency cohesion. For its report, the GAO visited 14 U.S. jurisdictions including Los Angeles, Miami Dade County, Atlanta, Chicago and New York City. The agency also interviewed nongovernmental stakeholders and reviewed the actions HHS took in response to previous GAO recommendations. The audit was conducted from October 2022 to this month. As the GAO noted, the mpox response was carried out through numerous ..read more

The weight loss medication Zepbound has gone into shortage just months after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with its manufacturer Eli Lilly blaming the situation on high demand. As of this week, most tirzepatide injections (sold commercially as Mounjaro and Zepbound) have limited availability, according to the FDA's shortage database. The cited reason for all the shortages of tirzepatide is "demand increase for the drug." The FDA approved Zepbound for weight loss in November. Tirzepatide was already being sold on the market as the diabetes treatment Mounjaro, though ..read more

Arizona House Republicans blocked an attempt Wednesday to repeal the state’s 1864 near-total abortion ban, the second time in as many weeks Democrats were unable to get a vote on their repeal bill. The move came despite pressure from prominent conservatives including former President Trump and a top Trump ally, Senate hopeful Kari Lake, who have called on GOP leaders to overturn the ban. In a procedural move, state House Democrats tried to make a motion to suspend House rules and bring the repeal bill up for floor consideration. But the move was shut down by the GOP majority. Only one Republi ..read more

A trio of Democratic senators want Novo Nordisk to explain why it discontinued one of its long-acting insulin products after it announced a steep price cut on the medication. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) wrote to Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen and head of North American operations Doug Langa. Last year, Novo Nordisk announced it would cut the prices of some of its insulin products, including cutting the price of Levemir by 65 percent. The price cuts were scheduled to go into effect beginning on Jan. 1, but Novo Nordisk announced in ..read more

The conservative effort to put an abortion ban on the ballot in Nebraska has been bankrolled entirely to date by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.). Ricketts donated $500,000 in cash on March 26 to the group Protect Women and Children, according to its campaign finance report filed with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. The group reported no other donations. “Nebraska’s commonsense abortion limits reflect our state’s strong culture of life. I support the Protect Women and Children ballot initiative because it protects Nebraska values and is a contrast to the extreme initiative th ..read more

The weight-loss drug Zepbound was linked to a reduction in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to new research.  Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly on Wednesday said injections of its obesity drug tirzepatide — commonly known as Zepbound — “significantly reduced” the number of sleep apnea events during one’s sleep when compared to a placebo. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes one’s breathing to repeatedly stop and start. The disorder can cause daytime exhaustion, mood changes, headaches and night sweats, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Complications include&n ..read more

A reproductive rights group in Montana launched an initiative Tuesday to include a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights on the ballot in the general election this November. On Tuesday, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights announced that it has officially launched its signature drive to get the required 60,000 signatures from Montanans by June 21 to qualify the measure on the ballot. The constitutional initiative, CI-128, would amend the state constitution “to expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abort ..read more

Republican attorneys general in at least four states have abused their oversight authorities to demand the private medical records of transgender minors and adults as part of a broader effort to restrict access to gender-affirming health care nationwide, according to a Senate Finance Committee report released Tuesday. Investigations launched by Attorneys General Ken Paxton of Texas, Todd Rokita of Indiana, Jonathan Skrmetti of Tennessee and Andrew Bailey of Missouri into seekers and providers of transition-related care “demand a host of invasive items” such as lists of individuals referred for ..read more

Rural health outcomes would improve if more states expanded Medicaid, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra told a Senate panel Tuesday.  During a hearing on the administration's budget request, Sen. Cindy-Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) said she is particularly worried about maternal care deserts caused by hospital closures. Mississippi sees some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the country, she said, and often leads the country in infant mortality.  Becerra said telehealth access is crucial, and Congress should ensure the agency’s pandemic-era telehealth flexib ..read more