Thyroid Meds Recalled Nationwide; Life Expectancy Rebounds; Cannabis Use Hits Record

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Vitruvias Therapeutics issued a nationwide recall of one lot of thyroid tablets USP 30 mg, used to treat hypothyroidism, due to their potential to be superpotent, according to an announcement on the FDA web site.

The FDA halted a trial for RGX-121, an investigational gene therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type II, also known as Hunter syndrome, after asymptomatic small masses were found on the spines of five patients, RegenxBio said.

New CDC data showed American life expectancy at birth was 79 years in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2024.

Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, a naturopathic doctor who has worked with NIH for more than 15 years, has been selected to serve as director of the agency’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH announced.

Now that cheap and potent synthetic drugs like fentanyl have overtaken the street drug market, profits for dealers — and risks for drug users — have soared. (New York Times)

The way patients write messages in the patient portal may be a source of clinician bias in triage response and ensuing care disparities, a cross-sectional study in JAMA Network Open suggested.

Millions of Californians will lose health insurance by 2030 because of federal and state budget cuts, an issue Democrat governor candidate Xavier Becerra says he’ll tackle head-on, though details remain unclear. (NPR)

Some people training to be nurse practitioners can’t finish their degrees because of a shortage of clinical supervisors. (The Hechinger Report)

The U.S. reported 197 new measles cases in the past week, according to the Yale School of Public Health. Here’s where they were.

Florida lawmakers proposed a new rule that would allow kids to attend schools without being vaccinated against chickenpox, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and pneumococcal disease. (NOTUS)

The state’s Catholic schools do not accept religious vaccine exemptions, a position they defended in a recent open letter to the Florida Attorney General. (CIDRAP)

In other Florida news, a third person in the state died from the flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. (The Hill)

A new Gallup poll found that a record number of Americans report using marijuana — 17% smoke it and 15% consume edibles — while cigarette smoking is at a low.

Nonprofits that subsidize health insurance costs for musicians are growing in popularity and could be a model for places looking to make healthcare more affordable. (NPR)

An analysis using a large dataset of chatbot transcripts showed how the prevalence of artificial intelligence mental health discussions varied widely under conservative versus expansive definitions of mental health. (JAMA Network Open)

“Reading Rainbow” host Mychal Threets said healthcare workers at the hospital he recently stayed at for a 5-day psychiatric hold saved his life. (USA Today)