Chaos at White House Pharmacy: Doctor Killed in Avalanche; Breakthrough Gene Therapy for Deafness

Washington-Watch – The latest health news and commentary from around the Web, delivered by MedPage Today staff

by Judy George, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today January 24, 2024

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The White House Medical Unit pharmacy had severe systemic problems including improper recordkeeping, according to an investigation by the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General. (STAT)

A North Dakota judge will not block part of a state law that physicians claim puts them at risk of criminal prosecution if they perform an abortion to save a patient’s life or health. (AP)

The CDC said there’s no evidence that JN.1, the most prevalent SARS-CoV-2 variant in the U.S., causes more severe disease.

New research examines why COVID makes people sneeze. (Science)

Nursing continued to be the most trusted profession, with 78% of U.S. adults saying nurses have high honesty and ethical standards, according to a new Gallup poll.

Federal lawmakers from Massachusetts asked the for-profit Steward Health Care System about its finances and the fate of the nine hospitals it operates in their state. (WBUR)

Colorado family physician Peter Harrelson, MD, died from what appeared to be traumatic injuries caused by an avalanche. (CBS News Colorado)

Nearly 80% of clinicians in a new Commonwealth Fund survey said it was important for their hospital to address climate change.

“Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli cannot return to the drug industry after a federal appeals court upheld his lifetime ban. (Reuters)

Energy drinks were linked with negative sleep outcomes among college students in cross-sectional data. (BMJ Open)

Here’s why diphtheria is back. (NPR)

An 11-year-old boy was the first person in the U.S. to receive an investigational gene therapy known as AK-OTOF for congenital deafness. The treatment was a success, according to Eli Lilly subsidiary Akouos.

Social isolation ranked higher than loneliness, depression, anxiety, and lifestyle-related risk factors for estimating mortality risk of people with obesity. (JAMA Network Open)

Johnson & Johnson said it reached a tentative settlement to resolve investigations by 42 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., about whether it misled consumers about the safety of its talc products. (CNBC)

Southwest Airlines will now carry naloxone (Narcan) on flights for opioid overdose reversals. (St. Louis Public Radio)

The decision to bar intersex athletes from women’s track and field events raised questions ahead of the Paris Olympics. » …Read More