Counterfeit Ozempic; Mary Lou Retton Discharged; No Such Thing as Free Will?

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In Austria, several people were hospitalized after using a reportedly counterfeit version of the diabetes drug semaglutide (Ozempic). (Reuters)

Meanwhile, Belgium wants to temporarily ban the use of Ozempic for weight loss due to a short supply for patients with type 2 diabetes. (Reuters)

The CDC issued a warning about a shortage of nirsevimab (Beyfortus), a drug used to treat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives called on President Joe Biden to reconsider a proposed rule to set minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes. (The Hill)

The FDA accepted AstraZeneca’s self-administered nasal flu vaccine (FluMist Quadrivalent) for review, the company announced.

Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton was released from the hospital after a fight with a rare form of pneumonia, according to her family. (The New York Times)

The FDA approved a novel subcutaneous administration of infliximab (Zymfentra) for maintenance therapy in adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, drug maker Celltrion USA announced.

The agency rejected dupilumab (Dupixent) for chronic spontaneous urticaria, citing the need for additional efficacy data, Sanofi and Regeneron said.

After decreasing at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, new data showed abortions had not return to pre-pandemic rates by June 2022. (Annals of Internal Medicine)

Medtronic received FDA approval for its extravascular defibrillator (Aurora EV-ICD system) to treat abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac arrest.

Gut fungi, which may contribute to an excessive inflammatory immune response, was shown to be linked with severe COVID-19. (Nature Immunology)

Long COVID researchers are optimistic that breakthroughs are coming. (TIME)

A ninth-grade student from Virginia was named “America’s Top Young Scientist” after inventing a soap for treating skin cancer. (USA Today)

Annual emergency department visits by adolescents with mental health disorders averaged more than a million each year from 2018 to 2021, according to CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

After decades of research, a Stanford neurobiologist has determined there is no such thing as free will. (Los Angeles Times)