Empty pharmacy shelves spotlight vulnerabilities in US drug supplies |
Scarcity of several high-profile prescription drugs, such as the antibiotic amoxicillin and the ADHD treatment Adderall, have had some patients scouring pharmacies and rationing pills. And now, pain and fever medications for children, especially liquid formulations, are in short supply in some places because of a trio of viral illnesses – flu, RSV and Covid-19 – is creating unprecedented demand. But even when demand is not sky-high, experts say, drug shortages happen regularly – although usually more quietly. Some drugs are generally more vulnerable to shortage due to a lack of economic incentives to produce them. Antibiotics, for example, often have lower price points, and thus manufacturers have less incentive to produce more. Other times, manufacturing disruptions, labor issues or ingredient shortages will reduce drug availability. There was a sharp increase in Adderall demand from 2020 to 2021. At the same time, Teva, a leading manufacturer, reported delays due to worker shortages. The company has told CNN that the worker shortage has been resolved. But because Adderall is a controlled substance, the federal government limits how much can be produced to avoid patient abuse – all of which means the ADHD drug will probably remain in shortage in the coming year. When it comes to children's cold and pain medication, manufacturers say they are running at full-tilt. They had planned for some increase in sales over the winter months, but they didn't anticipate the aggressive and early flu season driving demand. Parents in search of relief for their young ones amid the high demand can consider other strategies to keep their kids comfortable, like ice pops, warm compresses and even different versions of medication. |
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Flu surged after Thanksgiving as early season continues to worsen |
Flu surged in the United States after Thanksgiving, bringing the season's most severe week yet. More than a third of all flu hospitalizations and deaths this season were reported in the week after the holiday, and cases jumped nearly as much. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there have been at least 13 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 7,300 deaths from flu so far this season. The latest update captures data through December 3 and is the first full week of data post-Thanksgiving. It shows that respiratory virus activity remains elevated across the country, and health officials have warned that indoor gatherings during the holidays may continue to lead to rising cases. Although we are fortunate to have a vaccine to protect against flu, vaccination rates are far from keeping pace with the virus. According to the CDC, millions fewer flu vaccine doses have been distributed this season compared with this point in seasons past. Just 26% of adults had gotten their flu shot by the end of October, a deadline that medical experts have long encouraged for optimal protection throughout the season. About 43% of children had gotten their flu shot by the end of November. Public health leaders say it has been especially challenging to get people interested in flu vaccination this year because of fatigue after years of hearing about Covid-19 shots, and that is leaving us – and our health system – vulnerable. "It strikes me that people have gotten used to bad flu seasons for the elderly. So this is kind of just the same, with a few other viruses around. There's a sense that this is what we're going to expect and this is what we have to live with," pediatrician Dr. Jesse Hackell said. "What we're missing is the fact that kids and children's hospitals are suffering in ways that we've never seen before." |
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Statins lower the risk of one of the deadliest kinds of strokes, study finds |
Doctors know that drugs called statins lower a person's risk of a stroke due to a blood clot, but a new study shows that the inexpensive medications can also decrease the risk of a first stroke as a result of an intracerebral hemorrhage – the deadliest kind. An intracerebral hemorrhage is when blood from an artery suddenly begins to bleed into the brain. It's the second most common cause of a stroke after a blood clot, which is called an ischemic stroke. The CDC says stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the US, and you can lower your risk with lifestyle changes such as eating healthy, getting exercise and quitting smoking. But medications can also help. The new study looked at prescription data and the health records of more than 88,000 people in Denmark who did not have a history of stroke. During the study period, 989 people had a first bleeding stroke in the lobe area of the brain, and 1,175 had one in the other parts of the brain. People in the study who used statins for any period of time had a 17% lower risk of a stroke in the lobe areas of the brain and a 16% lower risk of a stroke in the non-lobe areas of the brain. When they used a statin for more than five years, they had a 33% lower risk of a bleeding stroke in the lobe areas and a 38% lower risk in the non-lobe areas. The researchers distinguished between lobar vs. nonlobar strokes so they could look for differences in strokes in different parts of the brain; nonlobar strokes are often caused by high blood pressure. The research was partially funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk makes drugs for the treatment of stroke, but the foundation was not involved in the study design or interpretation of the data, the researchers said. |
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A growing push to fix pulse oximeters' flawed readings in people of color |
With respiratory illnesses sweeping the country, emergency departments are using one small tool more than usual to monitor whether a patient needs oxygen: the pulse oximeter. But a growing body of research suggests that these devices, which clamp onto a patient's fingertip to measure their blood oxygen levels, may not work as well on people with dark skin tones. The US Food and Drug Administration is mulling over next steps for the regulation of pulse oximeter devices, which may give less accurate readings for people of color. A panel of its Medical Devices Advisory Committee met in November to review clinical data on the issue. Pulse oximeters work by sending light through your finger; a sensor on the other side of the device receives this light and uses it to detect the color of your blood. Bright red blood is highly oxygenated, but blue or purplish blood is less so. Ultimately, the pulse oximeter can estimate the amount of oxygen a person has in their blood without the need for a blood sample. But on a person with darker skin, the oximeter could indicate that oxygen levels are normal, suggesting that the person may be discharged from a hospital or may not need oxygen support – when a blood sample might show that, in fact, their oxygen levels are low, suggesting that they need additional care and oxygen. The members of the FDA advisory panel discussed recommendations on when and how to use these devices on people with dark skin, how to improve their accuracy and, until the situation improves, whether the devices should have labels – such as a black box warning, the strongest type of warning for medical device or prescription drug labeling – noting that inaccurate readings may be associated with skin color. "The agency considers this a high priority and we will work expeditiously to consider the Panel's input and determine the appropriate next steps," FDA spokesperson Shauna Nelson wrote in an email to CNN. "We will communicate any significant new information publicly." |
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| Waking up with a sore neck or back is not the way you want to start your day. Could the way you sleep be the reason for your discomfort? |
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With the onslaught of viral illnesses this year, there has been an accompanying rise in hospitalizations. In fact, hospitals are more full than they've been throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but it's much more than the coronavirus that's filling beds now. About 80% of hospital beds have been in use nationwide for the past week. Since mid-2020, hospitals have been required to report capacity information as part of a federal effort to track the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hospitals have been more than 70% full for the vast majority of that time. But they've been 80% full at only one other point: in January, during the height of the Omicron surge in the US. At that point, about a quarter of hospital beds were in use for Covid-19 patients. But now, only about 6% of beds are in use for Covid-19 patients, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. The American Hospital Association says that an influx of flu patients is a key reason why hospitals are filling up. But on top of that are challenges brought on by work force shortages and a backlog of patients who delayed care over the past few years. Seeing these hospitalization numbers go up should be concerning for all of us – and it is why a number of public health officials are suggesting we turn again to our masks. The CDC has specific guidance recommending masking based on Covid-19 community levels. The agency says that people may choose to wear masks at any time but that a "high-quality mask or respirator" is recommended for everyone in a county with a "high" Covid-19 community level. Currently, about 14% of the country lives in such an area. In Los Angeles County, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer notes that her county is at a "high" community level but says it won't institute a mask mandate until additional thresholds are met. In the meantime, she emphasized community efforts like wearing masks inside when possible and getting Covid-19 vaccines or boosters. "We haven't reached that super dangerous threshold where CDC has said 'you really need to start worrying about your hospital system,' but we've reached a threshold, and all of the data shows this, where there is too much transmission, and it's creating a lot of risk. And the time to mitigate the risk is actually now," Ferrer said. Public health officials in New York City and Oregon, as well as in the Seattle area, are also suggesting that people mask up again. Masking became political during the pandemic, but it doesn't have to be. Rather, it's an action to protect one's own health and that of people around you. This holiday season, let's remember to be kind to one another as we try to stay healthy. |
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| | Close your eyes and just listen. The sounds we're surrounded by every day – like a noisy leaf blower or the soothing sound of music – really matter and can impact our physical and mental health. Neurobiologist Nina Kraus and talk about how to build a healthy "sonic world." |
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