AMA Lauds Senate Gun Deal; No More COVID Test for U.S. Entry; Propecia and Suicide

Note that some links may require registration or subscription.

Senators struck a bipartisan deal on gun legislation that would include new spending on treatment for mental health and incentivize states to implement “red flag” laws, along with other measures. (Politico)

The American Medical Association applauded the proposal, saying it “will save lives.”

Students who survive school gun violence often encounter mental health aftereffects in adulthood. (NBC News)

A Texas judge has blocked the state, temporarily, from investigating the families of transgender children who receive gender-affirming care. (AP)

In North Carolina, a federal judge ruled that healthcare plans must cover gender-affirming care. (AP)

Meanwhile, new data suggest a growing number of individuals identify as transgender. (New York Times)

The CDC lifted international travel rules that required airline passengers to show proof of a negative COVID test before entering the U.S.

In a large trial, ivermectin failed to improve recovery time or reduce hospitalizations for COVID in outpatients with mild to moderate disease, according to preprint findings from the randomized ACTIV-6 trial. (medRxiv)

As of Monday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll reached 85,485,934 cases and 1,010,282 deaths, increases of 750,134 and 2,467, respectively, since this time a week ago.

Can hamsters provide clues to solving long COVID? (STAT)

Another study confirmed the higher myocarditis/pericarditis risk with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in younger males. (The Lancet)

Scientists are pushing to rename monkeypox over concerns the language used to describe its different strains may be stigmatizing. (STAT)

Some surgeons flat out deny requests from women seeking flat chests following mastectomy. (New York Times)

A study evaluating the price of recently approved postoperative cancer therapies estimated a median cost of $1.6 million for each event averted. (JAMA Network Open)

Exposure to a cocktail of various everyday chemicals (found in milk cartons, tuna cans, and acetaminophen) was linked to lower sperm counts, a study in Environment International suggested.

Possibly dangerous products are being touted as treatments for moles, seborrheic keratoses, or skin tags, though no drugs have actually been approved for these skin conditions, the FDA warned.

The FDA will soon require that patients prescribed finasteride (Propecia) be notified about the potential risk for suicidal behavior. (Reuters)

And EarliPoint Evaluation for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was cleared as a tool to diagnose and assess ASD in kids 16 months and older, EarliTec Diagnostics announced.

Biogen dropped its aducanumab (Aduhelm) approval bid in Canada after regulators there indicated “the data provided would not be sufficient.” (Endpoints News)

In other north-of-the-border happenings, Canada is planning to place warnings on individual cigarettes about the dangers of smoking. (AP)

With the hopes of improving patient care, Medicaid is considering attaching strings to nursing home payments. (Kaiser Health News)

Lawmakers in Virginia passed two new laws that increase health insurance options for businesses. (Daily Press)