The case grew out of a conservative religious challenge to the approval of HIV prevention treatments that insurers are required to provide at no cost to patients.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a challenge to an Affordable Care Act provision that set up a panel to recommend preventive care services that insurers must provide at no cost to patients.

The court, split 6-3, ruled in favor of the Trump administration, which was defending the law, saying the task force members are lawfully appointed under the Constitution's appointments clause.

The task force members are under the supervision of the health and human services secretary, a position held by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which addresses any concerns that it is not accountable to the executive branch, the court found in an opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Three conservative justices dissented.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/32060710

Decision to restrict thimerosal in immunizations could impact future vaccine availability on a global scale

A critical federal vaccine panel has recommended against seasonal influenza vaccines containing a specific preservative – a change likely to send shock through the global medical and scientific community and possibly impact future vaccine availability.

The panel was unilaterally remade by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine skeptic who has urged against the use of thimerosal despite a lack of evidence of real-world harm.

Across three votes, members voted in favor of restricting thimerosal in seasonal influenza vaccines across all age groups – with five in favor of the restriction, one abstention and one vote against.

“The risk from influenza is so much greater than the nonexistent – as far as we know – risk from thimerosal,” said Dr Cody Meissner, a panel member and professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine who was the lone “no” vote.

UK health officials launch study into side-effects of weight loss drugs after increased reports of acute pancreatitis

Hundreds of people have reported problems with their pancreas linked to taking weight loss and diabetes injections, prompting health officials to launch a study into side-effects.

Some cases of pancreatitis reported to be linked to GLP-1 medicines (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) have been fatal.

The move comes after an increase in reports of acute pancreatitis to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Yellow Card scheme, which monitors any adverse reactions to medications and medical devices in the UK.

Health secretary unilaterally appointed ACIP’s eight new members, several of whom are critical of immunizations

The first meeting of a critical federal vaccine panel was a high-profile display of how the US health secretary and vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr has injected chaos into vaccine policy infrastructure.

Wednesday’s meeting was held amid controversy, not only regarding the new members unilaterally appointed by Kennedy, but also the questions they would consider, their conflicts of interest and views on vaccines, and the scheduled speakers.

The new chair of the committee, former Harvard University professor of medicine Dr Martin Kulldorff, who was fired for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19, began the meeting by criticizing both his former employer and the media.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a growing public health concern worldwide, as one of the leading causes of vision impairment. We aimed to estimate global, national, and region-specific prevalence and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) along with tobacco as a modifiable risk factor to aid public policy addressing AMD.

Findings

Globally, the number of individuals with vision impairment due to AMD more than doubled, rising from 3·64 million (95% uncertainty inverval [UI] 3·04–4·35) in 1990 to 8·06 million (6·71–9·82) in 2021. Similarly, DALYs increased by 91% over the same period, from 0·30 million (95% UI 0·21–0·42) to 0·58 million (0·40–0·80). By contrast, age-standardised prevalence and DALY rates declined, with prevalence rates decreasing by 5·53% (99·50 per 100 000 of the population [95% UI 83·16–118·04] in 1990 to 94·00 [78·32–114·42] in 2021) and DALY rates dropping by 19·09% (8·38 [5·70–11·53] to 6·78 [4·70–9·32]). These rates showed a consistent decrease in higher SDI quintiles, reflecting the negative correlation between HAQ Index and AMD burden. A general downward trend was observed from 1990 to 2021, with the largest age-standardised reduction occurring in the low-middle SDI quintile. The global contribution of tobacco to age-standardised DALYs decreased by 20%, declining from 12·45% (95% UI 7·73–17·37) in 1990 to 9·96% (6·12–14·06) in 2021. By 2050, the number of individuals affected by AMD is projected to increase from 3·40 million males (95% UI 2·81–4·17) in 2021 to 9·02 million (5·72–14·20) and from 4·66 million females (3·88–5·65) to 12·32 million (8·88–17·08). Eliminating tobacco use could reduce these numbers to 8·17 million males (5·59–11·92) and 11·15 million females (8·58–14·48) in 2050.

Interpretation

While the total prevalence and DALYs due to AMD have steadily increased from 1990 to 2021, age-standardised prevalence and DALY rates have declined, probably reflecting the effect of population ageing and growth. The consistent decrease in age-standardised rates with higher SDI levels highlights the crucial role of health-care resources and public policies in mitigating AMD-related vision impairment. The downward trend observed from 1990 to 2021 might also be partially attributed to the reduced effect of tobacco as a modifiable risk factor, with declines in tobacco use seen globally and across all SDI quintiles. The burden of vision impairment due to AMD is projected to increase to about 21·34 million in 2050. However, effective tobacco regulation has the potential to substantially reduce AMD-related vision impairment, particularly in lower SDI quintiles where health-care resources are limited.

Decline blamed on health inequalities, COVID disruption and soaring levels of misinformation and hesitancy

Millions of children worldwide are at risk of lethal diseases because vaccine coverage has stalled or reversed amid persistent health inequalities and soaring levels of misinformation and hesitancy, the largest study of its kind has found.

Major progress in rolling out jabs to billions of children in all corners of the globe over the last five decades has prevented the deaths of 154 million children, according to an analysis published in the Lancet.

But since 2010, progress has stalled or reversed in many countries. Measles vaccination rates have fallen in 100 of 204 countries, while coverage for at least one dose against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio or tuberculosis has declined in 21 of 36 high-income countries – including France, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.

The reversal, further exacerbated by the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, has left millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases and death, the authors of the study led by the University of Washington in Seattle said.

Those caring for relatives with severe disabilities say planned Republican cuts will be fatal for some

The bill will cut Medicaid across the US by 7.6 million to 10.3 million people, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates, with the majority of the cuts as a result of work reporting requirements, increasing barriers for enrollment and renewal of Medicaid coverage, and limiting states’ ability to raise state Medicaid funds through provider taxes.

Medicaid recipients and advocates are warning of the negative impacts of work reporting requirements, pointing to the examples of the two states to have already tried work requirements for Medicaid, Georgia and, briefly, Arkansas. In both states, there was a significant increase in individuals without health insurance and medical debt, and no boost in employment, one of the Trump administration’s key arguments for imposing the requirements.

The Medicaid work reporting requirements would begin in December 2026, with proponents of the reporting requirement for able-bodied adults to work, volunteer or attend an education program at least 80 hours a month. The change comes after the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, claimed Medicaid recipients were “taking advantage”, “cheating” and “defrauding” the system.

Plaintiff says company’s bid to exit bankruptcy omits US government plan to seize $225m that should go to victims

A New York bankruptcy judge approved a disclosure statement last week laying out Purdue Pharma’s proposed reorganization plan – despite an objection alleging the disclosure omits information about the US government’s plan to seize Purdue money that could be used to compensate prescription opioid victims under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act instead.

It’s been five years since Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy in a New Jersey federal court, including for unlawfully dispensing opioid products without a legitimate medical purpose. In a press release at the time, the Department of Justice emphasized that the convictions were part of a strategy to defeat the opioid crisis.

But the plea agreement did not include restitution for opioid victims, reasoning that it would not be “administratively feasible” to distribute the funds. Since then, opioid victims have been unable to seek settlements from Purdue, as the company’s 2019 bankruptcy filing stayed civil lawsuits against the company, and will likely instead be settled in bankruptcy court as part of the reorganization plan.

The number of abortions in the U.S. rose again in 2024, with women continuing to find ways to get them despite bans and restrictions in many states, according to a report out Monday.

The latest report from the WeCount project of the Society of Family Planning, which supports abortion access, was released a day before the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and ended nearly 50 years of legal abortion nationally for most of pregnancy.

There is currently no cure for the disease nor any definitive way to predict how quickly Alzheimer’s disease will progress, but this research could change that

Alzheimer’s decline could be predicted with a simple blood test already offered to those at risk of type 2 diabetes.

The disease is the most common type of dementia, with symptoms including confusion, speech and language issues, problems with moving around and behaviour changes.

There is currently no cure for the disease nor any definitive way to predict how quickly it will progress, only medicines to help relieve some of the symptoms. However, research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025 suggests a blood test used to detect insulin resistance could also identify patients at a high risk of cognitive decline.

The human body needs protein. Proteins carry out countless functions inside cells and they are vital for the growth, repair and maintenance of muscles, bones and skin. And with food companies rolling out high-protein versions of a huge range of foods, including milkshakes and granola bars — and even pancakes and popcorn — you might be tempted to think you need to add more to your diet.

But nutritionists say that if you are getting enough food, you are probably getting enough protein.

“Adding protein to foods is very beneficial — for the profits of that food,” said Federica Amati, nutrition lead at Imperial College London and head nutritionist at the health science company ZOE. “It is not based on health, it is not backed by science.”

Since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the members of the CDC’s esteemed vaccine advisory panel, medical organizations and experts are looking for alternatives.

In the wake of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to shake up a key federal vaccine advisory committee, outside medical organizations and independent experts are looking for alternate sources of unbiased information and even considering forming a group of their own.

A leading contender is a new group led by Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.

Osterholm is launching the Vaccine Integrity Project at CIDRAP as a potential alternative to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

“We’ve always just taken for granted that routine child immunizations and other vaccines would be readily available and that they would be supported by the public health system,” Osterholm said. “Now that’s in question.”

Summary

One customs broker handled 60% of vape shipments from China in 2024, FDA data show

Vast majority of Chinese vapes shipped to the US are mislabeled or disguised, customs data indicates

US importers and customs brokers are focus of raids by Customs and Border Protection