FDA Approval Authority in Jeopardy? TB Hits the Casino; Sen. Blumenthal’s Surgery

Note that some links may require subscriptions.

If the Texas ruling overturning FDA’s approval of mifepristone (Mifeprex) survives appeals, the decision could upend FDA’s approval authority, legal experts say. (New York Times)

“Everything is on the table,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, when asked whether he might recommend that FDA ignore the judge’s decision. (AP)

Meanwhile, House Republicans threatened to cut off FDA’s funding should the agency ignore the order. (The Hill)

The White House is in talks with retail pharmacies and mifepristone manufacturers to push back against efforts to ban the drug. (Reuters)

Florida health officials omitted key data about the risk for COVID infection in its final report suggesting COVID vaccines were linked to heart events in young men. (Tampa Bay Times)

Due to COVID, life expectancy in New York City dropped by 4.6 years from 2019 to 2020, the New York Times reported.

Early in the pandemic, pregnant patients with COVID-19 at delivery had a mortality risk 14 times higher than those without the infection. (JAMA Network Open)

Planned labor induction and cesarean delivery may halve the risk for preeclampsia. (Hypertension)

Iowa won’t pay for rape victims’ emergency contraception or abortion anymore. (AP)

A Washington state woman refused tuberculosis (TB) treatment and isolation after her diagnosis and went to a casino instead. (Fox News)

A national shortage of amoxicillin is making a bad strep season even worse. (NPR)

Dengue fever and other tropical diseases are also on the rise in children living in Caribbean U.S. territories. (USA Today)

In many states, uninsured Americans with cancer delay care and have trouble accessing treatment. (Kaiser Health News)

The blindness-causing bacteria found in recalled eyedrops has now been linked with almost 70 infections in 16 states, NBC News reported.

Philips Respironics is recalling some of its DreamStation CPAP and BiPAP machines because they may fail to deliver therapy, or deliver it incorrectly, the FDA announced.

Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the convicted former Theranos executive, will go to prison later this month after losing an appeal. (AP)

Bird flu has been detected in domestic cats in Wyoming and Nebraska. (BNO News)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) underwent surgery to repair a fractured femur he broke during a victory parade for the University of Connecticut men’s NCAA basketball team. (CNN)

A church in Nebraska raised $520,000 to pay off medical bills for members of their community. (Lincoln Journal Star)

Stinging, purple jellyfish-like blobs called by-the-wind sailors are washing ashore in Southern California beaches. (Fox 8)