Personal care product packaging and cosmetics made with plastics and other polymers can negatively impact human health and the environment, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Plastic production involves more than 16,000 chemicals that help give it its flexibility, ultraviolet stability and durability, most of which are unregulated, Sarah Dunlop, PhD, director of plastics and human health at the Minderoo Foundation, and colleagues wrote in the study background. Although many consider plastics inert, the additives that give them their convenient
The 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with reduced risk for COVID-19-related major adverse cardiovascular events among older adults, especially those with comorbidities, researchers reported. Coadministration of the COVID-19 vaccine alongside the annual influenza vaccine may reduce COVID-19-related and all-cause mortality among older, higher-risk individuals, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. “The 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19-associated MACE; absolute risk reductions were generally modest, but more pronounced in older
HHS is requesting changes to prescribing information for testosterone therapy products following a review of new clinical data and scientific evidence, according to a press release from the agency. As Healio previously reported, the FDA convened a panel in December that discussed removing some contraindications for testosterone therapy as well as taking testosterone therapy off the list of controlled substances. In an announcement on June 18, HHS proposed three changes to testosterone therapy labeling. The first of the three changes would remove the limitation of use stating that safety and
CHICAGO — In patients who received an organ transplant, diabetes — whether diagnosed before or after transplantation — was linked to elevated risk for mortality, researchers reported at ENDO 2026. The researchers analyzed data from 803,762 U.S. patients who received a single organ transplant between 1987 and 2021 and were included in the United Network for Organ Sharing or Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network databases. Among the cohort, 441,362 had a kidney transplant, 264,461 had a liver transplant, 75,777 had a heart transplant, 42,174 had a lung transplant, 6,923 had a pancreas
Compounded medications currently represent an estimated 1% to 3% of all prescriptions written in the United States, according to a recent 2025-2026 report issued by the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding. “There’s a good chance you know someone who has benefited — or whose pet has benefited — from a compounded drug,” read the report, which was released in March. According to experts who spoke with Healio — as well as the FDA — compound pharmacies, and the compounded drugs they offer, can fill an important niche for patients who cannot be treated with FDA-approved drugs. For example, a patient
A new rule will dramatically change how medical students can pay for their education, according to an expert. On May 1, the U.S. Department of Education released the Reimagining and Improving Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations (RISE) rule, which goes into effect July 1. The regulations for federal student loan programs will implement statutory changes included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed last July. Those changes include phasing out the Graduate PLUS program and establishing new loan limits for professional students, graduate students and
Two new reports showed that even small amounts of alcohol daily raise the risk for death and a dozen other adverse health outcomes. And while one analysis suggested that lower alcohol intake potentially reduced the risks for diseases like diabetes, the strength of these associations — which were reversed at higher levels of consumption — were small. The findings expand evidence on the health effects of alcohol consumption, which remains divisive as recent reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and an HHS committee clashed on whether low amounts of
NEW ORLEANS — Individuals with obesity and autoimmune diseases who use a GLP-1 receptor agonist may have lower risk for mortality, fewer cardiovascular and thrombotic events and lower health care utilization, researchers reported. Among adults with obesity and at least one autoimmune disease, those who used a GLP-1 had a 44% lower risk for all-cause mortality, 31% lower risk for pulmonary embolism, 21% lower risk for ED visits and 17% lower risk for venous thromboembolism compared with those who did not use a GLP-1, according to data presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific
Heart rhythm monitoring in the weeks before cardioversion therapy for atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter reduced the frequency of same-day procedure cancellations, researchers reported. The researchers posited that automated ambulatory precardioversion rhythm monitoring via smartphone photoplethysmography could streamline health care resources allocated to this patient population, according to findings published in JAMA Cardiology. “Simple daily rhythm monitoring with smartphone-based photoplethysmography before cardioversion is feasible and can markedly reduce same-day cancellations,
Persistent and prolonged drug shortages across the country are affecting delivery of care across well over 100 therapeutic areas, according to a new report. Shortages are lasting longer than ever, with the average duration now exceeding 5 years, the analysis from United States Pharmacopeia (USP) showed. “That is pretty startling, and it shows that these aren’t one-off, acute shortage events. These are chronic, systemic shortages, indicating there are significant problems with the supply chain,” Matt Christian, director of supply chain insights at USP, told Healio. The number of drugs in shortage
Direct-to-consumer pharmacies could offer substantial savings for patients taking generic medications, according to experts. John Lin, MD, MSHP, assistant professor of Health Services Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues recently published a research letter in Annals of Internal Medicine evaluating savings from direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacy models. “As an oncologist, DTC pharmacies have helped many of my patients better afford their cancer drugs. It can be incredibly stressful to have a serious illness, like multiple sclerosis or cancer, and then not
Several CVD subtypes including high and low BP, arrhythmia disorders and cerebral infarction, were significantly associated with increased risk for future Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported. The data emphasize the importance of optimal heart health in healthy brain aging, specifically in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. “Weihua Zhou, PhD’s lab has focused on cardiology and Alzheimer’s disease research for over a decade. Through ongoing collaboration with clinicians and engagement with the literature,
Most clinicians agree that spiritual care is “essential” to taking care of patients with cancer, but only a fraction routinely screen for distress. In a survey of nearly 700 oncologists, hematologists and palliative care clinicians, more than 90% agreed spiritual suffering can negatively affect outcomes, yet many of those respondents reported screening should not be part of their professional role, and less than 15% said they always screened for spiritual distress. “If the goal of treatment is healing or prolonging survival with a good quality of life, for patients who request it, spiritual
In patients with small aortic annuli undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a self-expanding supra-annular valve was linked to less thrombosis and better hemodynamics at 3 years compared with a balloon-expandable valve, data show. As Healio previously reported, in the main results of the SMART trial, patients assigned to TAVR with a self-expanding valve (Evolut Pro, Evolut Pro+ or Evolut FX, Medtronic) had similar clinical outcomes and better hemodynamic outcomes at 1 year compared with those assigned to TAVR with a balloon-expandable valve (Sapien 3 or Sapien 3 Ultra, Edwards
ACP has published living clinical guidance to help physicians select medications for patients with overweight or obesity. Unhealthy weight remains a significant public health issue globally, with 68.5% of American adults and 59% of adults worldwide having overweight or obesity, according to Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, MGIN, MRCP, FACP, ACP chief science officer and senior vice president of clinical policy at the Centers for Evidence Reviews, and colleagues. They wrote in Annals of Internal Medicine that first-line treatments for obesity and overweight include physical activity and nutrition, but
Academic cardiology is being threatened by funding cuts, program consolidations, reduced salaries and burnout, making private practice appealing to many emerging trainees, researchers reported. The Association of Professors of Cardiology (APC) convened a group of emerging leaders in the cardiology community to construct a new “Roadmap to Revitalizing Academic Cardiovascular Medicine,” which thoroughly details the major issues facing academia today, but also provides solutions to these hurdles. Sanjay Rajagopalan, MD, MBA, FACC, FAHA, chief of cardiovascular medicine and chief academic and
CHICAGO — At 2 years, crinecerfont demonstrated favorable effects on weight, body composition and insulin resistance in adults with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, researchers reported at ENDO 2026. In addition, crinecerfont (Crenessity, Neurocrine Biosciences) was associated with stable or improved bone age progression in children and adolescents with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), according to results from another ENDO 2026 presentation. As Healio previously reported, crinecerfont was linked with substantial and sustained reductions in glucocorticoid doses and did not
CHICAGO — In patients being treated for hypertension, those taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist had higher rates of hypotensive events compared with those not taking one, researchers reported at ENDO 2026. “I began to notice multiple patients in clinic who were started on GLP-1s (by me and others) who were complaining of lightheadedness, dizziness and fainting. They had low blood pressure on my examination,” Micah J. Eimer, MD, associate chief medical officer in the division of cardiology at Northwestern Medicine, told Healio. “Hypotension is the most dreaded potential side effect of treating
CHICAGO — In patients with obesity, exercise as assessed by wearable-measured activity declined after they initiated GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy, according to findings presented at ENDO 2026. “GLP-1 receptor agonists are now used by millions of adults for weight loss, and we know from prior work that exercise is critical for preserving lean muscle and sustaining long-term weight reduction,” Sajana Maharjan, MD, from the department of internal medicine at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, told Healio. “What was missing was an objective answer to a basic question: Do patients
An unconventional, nonstandard career path in ophthalmology can result in a unique skill set and stronger doctors. In this episode of Steeped Insights, a video blog series produced by Women in Ophthalmology and Healio, host Karen Chen, MD, of Permanente Medical Group, and cohost Cynthia A. Bradford, MD, formerly of Dean McGee Eye Institute, sat down with Mahsaw Mansoor, MD, Masket Foundation fellow at Advanced Vision Care. Over a cup of tea, the physicians discussed how Mansoor’s decision to pursue a second fellowship gave her more clarity on what she wanted out of her career. {{VIDEO}} “I
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