France’s Macron announces legislation allowing ‘aid in dying’ under strict conditions

France’s Macron announces legislation allowing ‘aid in dying’ under strict conditions

PARIS — French president Emmanuel Macron has announced new legislation to legalize “aid in dying” that will allow adults facing end-of-life illness to take lethal medication, a first in the country. The move follows last year’s report indicating that most French citizens support legalizing end-of-life options. In an interview published Monday by French newspapers La … Read more

West Virginia lawmakers OK bill drawing back one of the country’s strictest child vaccination laws

West Virginia lawmakers OK bill drawing back one of the country’s strictest child vaccination laws

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s GOP-controlled state Legislature voted Saturday to allow some students who don’t attend traditional public schools to be exempt from state vaccination requirements that have long been held up as among the most strict in the country. The bill was approved despite the objections of Republican Senate Health and Human Resources … Read more

How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health — and how to prepare

How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health — and how to prepare

WASHINGTON — Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for daylight saving time and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health. Darker mornings and more evening light together knock your body clock out of whack — which means daylight saving … Read more

FDA will take a deeper look into the safety and effectiveness of Lilly experimental Alzheimer’s drug

FDA will take a deeper look into the safety and effectiveness of Lilly experimental Alzheimer’s drug

INDIANAPOLIS — Federal regulators put off a decision on whether to approve an Eli Lilly Alzheimer’s drug by making an unusual request to have outside advisers look at the treatment. Lilly had expected the Food and Drug Administration to decide on donanemab’s approval by the end of the month. But the drugmaker said Friday that … Read more

Maker of much-debated ALS drug says it may stop selling it after study showed it didn’t work

Maker of much-debated ALS drug says it may stop selling it after study showed it didn’t work

WASHINGTON — The maker of a much-debated drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease said Friday its therapy failed to help patients in a large follow-up study, but stopped short of committing to follow through on a prior pledge to pull the drug from the U.S. market. The Food and Drug Administration approved Amylyx Pharmaceuticals’ Relyvrio in … Read more

Obesity drug Wegovy is approved to cut heart attack and stroke risk in overweight patients

Obesity drug Wegovy is approved to cut heart attack and stroke risk in overweight patients

The popular weight-loss drug Wegovy, which has helped millions of Americans shed pounds, can now be used to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attacks and other serious cardiovascular problems in patients who are overweight or who have obesity, federal regulators said Friday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a label change requested by … Read more

Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy are meant for long-term use. Some patients want to stop

Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy are meant for long-term use. Some patients want to stop

Millions of Americans who have dropped pounds and boosted their health using popular obesity drugs like Wegovy are facing a new dilemma: What happens if they stop taking them? Many worry, rightly, that they’ll regain weight and revert to old habits. In clinical trials, patients who paused the drugs put back on most of the … Read more

Paramedic convictions in Elijah McClain’s death spur changes for patients in police custody

Paramedic convictions in Elijah McClain’s death spur changes for patients in police custody

DENVER — Medical responders across the U.S. are rethinking how they treat people in police custody after a jury last December handed down a rare decision: It convicted two Colorado paramedics for their roles in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain following an overdose of a powerful sedative. As one of the paramedics faces sentencing … Read more

Flu shots are doing OK vs. virus, US numbers indicate

Flu shots are doing OK vs. virus, US numbers indicate

NEW YORK — Early estimates suggest flu shots are performing OK in the current U.S. winter flu season. The vaccines were around 40% effective in preventing adults from getting sick enough from the flu that they had to go to a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital, health officials said during a Centers for Disease Control … Read more

FDA warns against smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar without needles

FDA warns against smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar without needles

Smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar levels for medical purposes without piercing the skin could be dangerous and should be avoided, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday. The caution applies to any watch or ring, regardless of brand, that claims to measure blood glucose levels in a noninvasive way, the … Read more