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Bioethics news.

Points to consider in the reevaluation and reanalysis of genomic test results
A statement from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) regarding the interpretation of genomic test results was published in Nature this week
Nature, 06/14/2019
Democratic 2020 contenders are seizing on wave of antiabortion laws
Abortion as a voting issue typically motivates its opponents more than its supporters. But Democrats running to defeat President Trump in 2020 are trying to reverse that momentum by harnessing outrage against a slew of new state restrictions.
The Washington Post, 06/09/2019
Rape exemptions for abortion are dividing Republicans
Banning rape victims from getting abortions is a step too far for Republican Party leaders, who have publicly cringed at Alabama’s sweeping new law criminalizing abortion in nearly every case.
The Washington Post, 06/08/2019
Cannabis Companies Push F.D.A. to Ease Rules on CBD Products
WASHINGTON — It was Hempy Pet CBD Soft Chews, Mile High Labs and Women Grow, among countless others, squaring off against the likes of the Marijuana Victims Alliance, concerned primary care doctors and a lawyer who admitted he couldn’t wait to sue — all jammed into an overflowing auditorium for hours Friday on the Food and Drug...
The New York Times, 06/07/2019
There’s just one female physician in Congress. We talked to her.
Rep. Kim Schrier – one of the 40 freshmen House Democrats who flipped GOP-held seats – is the only female doctor in Congress. The Washington state pediatrician also manages a chronic illness after having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager. She narrowly captured her seat last November, defeating Republican Dino Rossi in the most expensive House race in...
The Washington Post, 06/06/2019
‘Screen Time’ Is Over
The debate over screen time is typically accompanied by a good deal of finger-wagging: The digital experience is a ruinous habit, akin to binge-eating curly fries, gambling on cock fights or drinking whiskey with breakfast.
The New York Times, 06/05/2019
A Drug Prolonged Life in Younger Women With Advanced Breast Cancer
A drug that can slow the progression of advanced breast cancer has been shown for the first time to lengthen survival in women whose disease started before or during menopause, researchers reported on Saturday.
The New York Times, 06/04/2019
Measles Cases Reach Highest Level
The New York Times, 06/03/2019
Instagram public awareness campaign aims for real talk about mental health
When it comes to mental health, it can be hard to be real. Stigma surrounds mood disorders, therapy and drugs. Talking to someone else about a challenge can be exhausting and scary. And all too often, people keep their struggles with depression, bipolar disorder, suicidal feelings and other issues to themselves. That has devastating results: The
The Washington Post, 06/02/2019
The price of insulin is surging. This state is the first to make insurance companies eat the cost.
A new Colorado law will ensure that those living with diabetes will spend no more than $100 per month on insulin, making it the first state to limit the cost of an increasingly expensive medication millions of Americans rely on.
The Washington Post, 06/01/2019
To Calm Nervous Families, Pakistan Changes Polio Vaccination Tactics
Paralysis cases spiked after a vaccination drive was derailed by false rumors that dozens of children had collapsed and died. After serious setbacks in April led to a cluster of new polio cases, Pakistan is revamping its vaccination strategy in a renewed effort to wipe out the virus.
The New York Times, 05/31/2019
To Fight Deadly Candida Auris, New York State Proposes New Tactics
New York State health officials are considering rigorous new requirements for hospitals and nursing homes to prevent the spread of a deadly drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris.
The New York Times, 05/30/2019
To Fight Deadly Candida Auris, New York State Proposes New Tactics
New York State health officials are considering rigorous new requirements for hospitals and nursing homes to prevent the spread of a deadly drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris.
The New York Times, 05/30/2019
This New Treatment Could Save the Lives of Babies. But It Costs $2.1 Million.
The price set by the Swiss drugmaker Novartis may be the world’s highest for a single treatment — prompting renewed debate about how society will pay for gene-therapy breakthroughs.
The New York Times, 05/28/2019
4 Women With Lives Scarred by Genital Cutting: Could a Surgeon Heal Them?
Over 200 million women and girls alive today have been circumcised. Four of them shared with The Times their pain, emotional trauma and sexual struggles — and their journey to feel whole.
The New York Times, 05/27/2019
Amazon Is Getting Closer to Building an Alexa Wearable That Knows When You’re Depressed
It looks like Amazon is working on a new Alexa-powered gadget that can listen to you and decide how you feel, and make recommendations based on your human emotions. Citing internal documents and an unnamed source, Bloomberg reports that the company has designed a device that you wear like a wristwatch and beta testing is apparently underway....
Gizmodo, 05/26/2019
A Rival to Botox Invites Doctors to Party in Cancun, With Fireworks, Confetti and Social Media Posts
Top plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun one weekend this month to learn about a wrinkle-smoothing injection, Jeuveau, that goes on sale this week. Jeuveau’s manufacturer, Evolus, billed the event as an advisory board meeting. But it also appeared to double as a lavish launch party for Jeuveau, which the company is hoping...
The New York Times, 05/24/2019
A Rare Genetic Mutation Leads to Cancer. The Fix May Already Be in the Drugstore.
When Kelley Oliver Douglass got breast cancer, a genetic counselor posed an odd question: Do you and your children have trouble finding hats that fit? They did, and that gave the counselor a clue to the source of the cancer: a mutation in a gene called Pten. Now, researchers have stumbled on a way...
The New York Times, 05/23/2019
In Cities Where It Once Reigned, Heroin Is Disappearing
The rise of the more potent fentanyl in its place has put a generation of older users, who had managed their addiction, at far greater risk of overdose.
The New York Times, 05/22/2019
Citrus Farmers Facing Deadly Bacteria Turn to Antibiotics, Alarming Health Officials
In its decision to approve two drugs for orange and grapefruit trees, the E.P.A. largely ignored objections from the C.D.C. and the F.D.A., which fear that expanding their use in cash crops could fuel antibiotic resistance in humans.
The New York Times, 05/21/2019
Liver transplant rules spark open conflict among transplant centers
Open conflict broke out among U.S. liver transplant centers this week, with doctors and patients in less populous parts of the country seeking a contempt of court order against the Health and Human Services Department and the nonprofit organization that runs the transplant system.
The Washington Post, 05/20/2019
Everything you need to know about the abortion ban news
The rush of Republican-controlled states to mount a challenge to the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nationwide has sparked confusion about what these new laws actually do. Here’s what you need to know.
The Washington Post, 05/19/2019
Artificial life form given ‘synthetic DNA’
UK scientists have created an artificial version of the stomach bug E. coli that is based on an entirely synthetic form of DNA.
The Washington Post, 05/18/2019
‘He is wrong’: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s family calls him out for anti-vaccine conspiracy theories
With the United States experiencing its worst measles outbreak in years, due in part to unvaccinated people contracting the virus, his own family is speaking out against his anti-vaccine stances.
The Washington Post, 05/17/2019
An unvaccinated teen who sued over school ban got chickenpox. His dad says that’s a good thing.
A Kentucky teenager banned from school earlier this year because he lacked the chickenpox vaccine contracted the disease last month, according to his father, who says it’s the “best thing to do” to become immune.
The Washington Post, 05/16/2019
Drugmaker to donate HIV-prevention pills for as many as 200,000 people
The pharmaceutical company that makes a once-a-day pill that protects users against HIV has agreed to donate enough medication to cover as many as 200,000 people for 11 years, the Trump administration announced Thursday.
The Washington Post, 05/15/2019
Drug Prices Will Soon Appear in Many TV Ads
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration for the first time will require pharmaceutical companies to include the price of prescription drugs in television advertisements if the cost exceeds $35 per month.
The New York Times, 05/14/2019
In This Doctor’s Office, a Physical Exam Like No Other
Genetic and molecular analysis of 109 volunteers turned up hidden health problems in about half of them. Critics say the approach amounted to ‘carpet-bombing’ the body.
The New York Times, 05/13/2019
What Do New State Abortion Laws Really Mean for Women?
The so-called fetal “heartbeat” laws ban abortion before many women even know they’re pregnant.
The New York Times, 05/12/2019
Many Hospitals Charge Double or Even Triple What Medicare Would Pay
Across the nation, hospitals treating patients with private health insurance were paid overall 2.4 times the Medicare rates in 2017, according to the RAND analysis.
The New York Times, 05/11/2019