Illinois Mandates Insurance Coverage for EpiPens
Illinois has become the first state to pass a law requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of medically necessary EpiPen injectors. This is big news in an era when so many families face the daily threat of a potentially deadly allergic reaction. Signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, the new law will take effect […]
Scientists Find Chronic Brain Inflammation in Children With Autism
Story Highlights A new study out of Tufts University suggests that inflammation may be the “main driver” in the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Chronic inflammation, of the brain and the gut, have long been recognized as playing a role in ASD, though the relationships played by each remain unsettled. ASD, along with many […]
Quest for Universal Flu Vaccine Boosted by $200M NIH Grant to University of Maryland
Story Highlights National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the University of Maryland a contract for more than $200 million to develop a universal influenza vaccine. Currently, the influenza vaccine used around the world is developed every year by drug companies based on the “best guesses” made by public health officials at the World Health […]
Silent Carriers of Measles Are Never Diagnosed or Reported
Story Highlights The elimination of religious exemptions to vaccination in some states like New York are forcing parents to make the untenable choice between violating their deeply held religious or spiritual beliefs or uprooting their lives and either homeschooling their children or moving to another state. With the focus on a number of measles cases […]
The Dose Makes the Poison in Pet Vaccines
Story Highlights Almost all states in the U.S. require certain core vaccines for companion animals including dogs, cats and ferrets, with many expected to be repeated annually. Vaccine dosages are given on a one-size-fits-all basis, so that Chihuahua puppies and full grown Mastiffs receive the same amount of vaccine. Despite data showing that small breeds […]
Google Joins the Pharmaceutical Industry
Story Highlights Google, the world’s most widely used internet search engine, restructured itself to give semi-independence to its many subsidiary organizations under a new umbrella entity called Alphabet. Two of the divisions are focused on the business of medicine and operate in partnership with some of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies that develop and […]
