Some Links to Healthcare Articles You May Find Interesting
I was reading about various healthcare issues I found on the internet and in particular Today on Medscape. The snippets are of longer articles which go into greater detail. You may find other articles to be of interest on Medscape at Latest Medical News, Clinical Trials, Guidelines, Today on Medscape. That is if they are of interest to you the same as they were for me.
Alicia Ault. Is the FDA Poised to Ban Talc? – Medscape – May 21, 2025.
“The FDA may be poised to ban talc as an ingredient in the products it regulates, including foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
The agency convened what it called an expert panel on talc on May 20, led by FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, MPH, and Principal Deputy Commissioner Sara Brenner, MD, MPH. The 2-hour meeting was livestreamed.
But, unlike a traditional FDA advisory committee meeting, there were no lengthy, data-driven presentations from panelists or manufacturers that might be impacted by any agency decision. There were no votes on any questions, and none of the panelists disclosed any potential conflicts.
Makary said the meeting was being held to listen to what “the experts think we should be doing about it, if anything at all.” Talc is carcinogenic and likely pro-inflammatory . . . “
Alicia Ault. FDA Will Prioritize COVID Vaccine Approval for 65 and Older and High Risk – Medscape, May 20, 2025
“The FDA will prioritize approval of COVID-19 vaccines which can be proven to generate antibody titers in people over age 65 or people who are 6 months or older and at high risk for severe disease, the agency announced on Tuesday.
The focus on these age groups will bring the US in line with European nations, Canada, and Australia, many of whom recommend boosters only in those age 60 or older or who are otherwise at high risk, said FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, and Vinay Prasad, MD, the new chief of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. They explained the new regulatory priorities in a May 20 New England Journal of Medicine paper.
The FDA announcement comes just 2 days before the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biologics Products Advisory Committee will meet to discuss which strains should be included in this fall’s COVID booster.”
Is Universal Healthcare a Realistic Ask for Europeans? – Medscape – May 21, 2025.
One of the writers . . . “European healthcare financing varies widely from being primarily through the government budget, like in Italy, to heavily relying on employer and employee social insurance contributions, like in the Netherlands, or something in between, such as in France. Thomson said that users can face some level of co-payment in any of these models.”
Rural Patients Lose Options as Birth Facilities Shut Down, KFF News, Arielle Zionts
WINNER, S.D. — “Sophie Hofeldt planned to receive prenatal care and give birth at her local hospital, 10 minutes from her house. Instead, she’s driving more than three hours round trip for her appointments.
The hospital, Winner Regional Health, recently joined the increasing number of rural hospitals shuttering their birthing units.
“It’s going to be a lot more of a stress and a hassle for women to get the health care that they need because they have to go so much further,” said Hofeldt, who has a June 10 due date for her first child.
Hofeldt said longer drives mean spending more on gas — and a higher risk of not making it to the hospital in time. ‘My main concern is having to give birth in a car,’ she said.”
The Persistence of Trauma: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Medscape COL (Ret) Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, MD; Mark P. Brady, PA-C | April 25, 2025
A series of 16 slides reviewing the impact upon people (military in particular. Being XMilitary, I found this to be of interest.