Health

Mammograms should start at 40 to address rising breast cancer rates, U.S. panel says

By Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press

Previously, the task force had said women could choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that they get the exams every two years from age 50 through 74.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, AP says

By Zeke Miller, Joshua Goodman, Jim Mustian, Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press

The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs.

Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab

By Dake Kang, Associated Press

When Zhang tried to go to the lab over the weekend, guards barred him from entering. In protest, he sat outside on flattened cardboard in drizzling rain, pictures from the scene posted online show.

Backers of a Kansas gender-affirming care ban for minors fail to override the governor's veto

By John Hanna, Associated Press

Two Republicans who'd backed the bill earlier voted against overriding the veto, citing their concerns about provisions that included one that would have barred state employees from advocating social transitioning for transgender youth.

West Virginia and North Carolina's transgender care coverage policies discriminate, judges rule

By Leah Willingham, Associated Press

The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-6 in the case involving coverage of gender-affirming care by North Carolina's state employee health plan and the coverage of gender-affirming surgery by West Virginia Medicaid.

FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety

By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press

The FDA has warned for years that inaccurate test results can lead to unnecessary treatment and delays in getting proper care. Under the new requirements, labs will have about four years to win FDA approval for new tests.

California is joining with a New Jersey company to buy a generic opioid overdose reversal drug

By Adam Beam, Associated Press

California is partnering with a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company to purchase a generic version of Narcan, the most well-known version of naloxone that can save a person's life during an opioid overdose.

Cleanses? Supplements? How to tell fact from fiction with gut health advice

By John Yang, Claire Mufson

Data shows that cases of inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer are on the rise. At the same time, social media is inundated with ads and influencers touting products that promise to boost what’s broadly called “gut health.” How do…

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Biden administration indefinitely delays potential ban on menthol cigarettes

By Matthew Perrone, Zeke Miller, Associated Press

The announcement is another setback for Food and Drug Administration officials, who drafted the ban and predicted it would prevent hundreds of thousands of smoking-related deaths over 40 years.

Arizona House advances a repeal of the state's near-total abortion ban to the Senate

By Jacques Billeaud, Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press

The proposed constitutional amendment would guarantee abortion rights until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks. It also would allow later abortions to save the parent's life, or to protect her physical or mental health.