COVID’s Heart Damage; Watchdog Halts Psych Trials; Double-Check That Soft-Serve

— Health news and commentary from around the Web gathered by MedPage Today staff

by
Charles Bankhead, Senior Editor, MedPage Today
August 11, 2023

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Clinicians continue to struggle to understand and manage COVID-related heart damage. (AP)

The suicide rate in the U.S. reached an all-time high during 2022, CDC data show. (Reuters)

Federal regulators have suspended clinical research at the New York Psychiatric Institute to investigate the suicide of a study participant. (New York Times)

New Jersey health officials announced an investigation into a possible cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases in Passaic and Bergen counties, dating back to May. (CBC News)

In very rare cases, frontotemporal dementia unleashes an explosion of creativity that often manifests as obsessive engagement in artistic activities. (STAT)

CMS warned Medicaid officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia about possible failure to comply with federal standards for coverage renewal, as more than 4 million Americans have lost coverage in the past 4 months, primarily because of paperwork hangups. (Politico)

The Texas Attorney General’s office announced a $42.7 million settlement with Baxter and Takeda over allegations that clinicians were paid to recommend the companies’ ADHD drug lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse).

The unprecedented heat wave covering much of the U.S. has revealed a different type of health inequity — worse effects on people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. (NPR)

The growing list of drug shortages has forced an estimated one third of U.S. health systems to delay, cancel, or ration medical care. (USA Today)

The Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement has been put on a temporary hold after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a Biden administration challenge related to a provision that would shield the Sackler family from future opioid-related claims. (The Hill)

The FDA announced a recall of Real Kosher soft-serve ice cream and sorbet cups because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The agency also announced a recall of Cardiosave intra-aortic balloon pumps following more than two dozen reports of sudden pump shutdown caused by electrical failure.

Can an after-sex pill help stem the rising tide of sexually transmitted infections? (CNN)

Senior citizens have more than $50 billion in unpaid medical bills, many of which they should not have to pay, according to a report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (The Hill)

Some doctors and nurses are fretting over the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. (Washington Post)

Meanwhile, a combination of AI and brain implants has allowed a quadriplegic man from Long Island, New York to regain feeling and move again. (People)

The family of Henrietta Lacks filed a new lawsuit, this time against Ultragenyx, claiming the pharmaceutical company profited off the HeLa cells without just compensation. (AP)

Despite a decade of investigations, fines, sanctions, and lawsuits, a Pennsylvania doctor continues to practice medicine. (ProPublica)

The outbreak of tuberculosis traced to infected bone transplants highlights the shortcomings of testing human tissue for such hazards. (STAT)

As federal regulators consider a crackdown on prior authorization, UnitedHealthcare has announced plans to cutback on the practice for multiple types of medical services. (Axios)