Half of World Soon Overweight; FDA Rejects Severe COVID Drug; Feinstein Hospitalized

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More than half of the world — representing over 4 billion people — are expected to be overweight or obese by 2035, according to the World Obesity Federation.

Walgreens will not dispense the abortion pill mifepristone (Mifeprex) in some Republican-run states where it’s legal. (Politico)

A bill to abolish daylight savings time was reintroduced in the Senate this week after it died in the House last year. (New York Times)

Pfizer/BioNTech asked the FDA for authorization of a booster dose of its Omicron BA.4/5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5 years.

Following the advise of its outside experts, the agency declined to authorize the microtubule disruptor sabizabulin for treating severe respiratory distress from COVID-19, drugmaker Veru announced.

Meanwhile, the FDA approved sarilumab (Kevzara) for treating polymyalgia rheumatica in adults with an inadequate response to corticosteroids or who are unable to tolerate a corticosteroid taper, Sanofi and Regeneron announced.

The Environmental Protection Agency ordered testing for toxic dioxins at the site of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. (Washington Post)

Drinking water may soon get limitation on levels of “forever chemicals” like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). (AP)

The Federal Trade Commission ordered BetterHelp to pay its users $7.8 million over claims that the online mental health company shared users’ private health data with advertisers.

As many as 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at a religious gathering in Kentucky, the CDC said. (CBS News)

A person in Florida died after being infected with a rare brain-eating amoeba possibly from using tap water in a sinus rinse. (CNN)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the oldest member of Congress at age 89, was hospitalized with shingles. (Reuters)

The CDC is calling for parents to properly sterilize breast pumps after finding an infant died from a Cronobacter sakazakii bacterial infection. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)

Need an extra hand? Soon you might be able to have a robotic one. (The Guardian)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. (CBS News)

Republican leaders in North Carolina finally reached a deal to expand Medicaid after blocking the expansion for over a decade. (Axios)

Some states allow Medicaid to aggressively recoup money from deceased beneficiaries through estate recovery programs. (Kaiser Health News)

Walmart is planning to add 28 new health center locations in 2024, each staffed with doctors. (Forbes)

An Olympic athlete from the Czech Republic narrowly avoided a 4-year doping sanction from testing positive for traces of banned substances in her system after dropping her dog’s medication on her skin. (AP)

Beware of rising chikungunya cases in Paraguay, the CDC warned.

Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, 91, revealed he has terminal pancreatic cancer. (The Wrap)

Driven by social media influencers, people are seeking out peptide injections in the hopes of staying young. (Wall Street Journal)

A patient with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis detailed how her insurance company refused to pay for a course of rituximab to treat the rare kidney disease, despite the medication being covered by the exact same insurer the first time she needed treatment. (STAT)

A Montana woman is seeking answers after her 69-year-old husband was taken off of his heart failure medications during a psychiatric hospital stay and later died from cardiac arrest. (NPR)