Robert Friedlander, longtime head of neurological surgery at UPMC, steps down
Dr. Robert Friedlander, longtime head of neurological surgery at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, has stepped down from his post, the hospital system confirmed Tuesday. A UPMC spokesperson offered no additional details about Friedlander’s abrupt departure from his position, which he’s held since 2010. Pitt referred TribLive to UPMC’s...
Expiring Obamacare subsidies prompt thousands to drop Pennie health insurance
For every new enrollment, two Pennsylvanians are dropping Obamacare coverage as steep government subsidies are set to expire at year’s end. About 38,000 people who have Affordable Care Act coverage through Pennie, the state’s health insurance exchange, have opted not to renew their plans for next year. That’s compared to...
How a rare drug made from scientists’ blood saves babies from botulism
When Alessandro Barbera was rushed to a California hospital with infant botulism in October, his father had barely heard of the disease, never mind the rare and costly treatment that likely saved the newborn’s life. Now, however, Tony Barbera is deeply grateful for BabyBIG, the sole antidote to the paralyzing...
Cutting-edge Tourette syndrome treatment helps woman reclaim daily life
In the Neurology Department at Allegheny General Hospital’s Hemlock Building, Abigail Bailey’s body folded forward in her chair. Her muscles tightened as if someone had forced the air from her lungs. Her nose burned, her chest hitched and she gripped the chair’s armrests to keep from collapsing. Abigail’s younger sister...
Pa. transgender health leader’s name changed on federal portrait in act of ‘bigotry’
Among the portraits of agency leaders that line the hallways at the federal Department of Health and Human Services is one of Admiral Rachel Levine, who served as Pennsylvania secretary of health and physician general before being named President’s Biden’s assistant secretary of health. Levine was the first transgender person...
If you want that tattoo erased it’s going to hurt and it’s going to cost you
DETROIT — Colin Farrell’s had it done — many times. So have Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox. Heck, even Bart Simpson did. Whether it’s Marilyn Monroe’s face, Billy Bob Thornton’s name, a sultry rose or even Bart’s partially inscribed homage to his mother, some tattoos simply have to go for...
Public health experts pan vote to change hepatitis B vaccination guidance
Public health experts told TribLive on Friday they fear a federal panel’s advice to stop giving most babies hepatitis B shots immediately after birth will fuel infection rates and erode confidence in vaccines more broadly. The advisory committee voted 8-3 Friday that pregnant women who test negative for the virus...
U.S. vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth
NEW YORK — A federal vaccine advisory committee voted Friday to end a longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are...
Faulty glucose monitors linked to 7 deaths and more than 700 injuries, FDA warns
The Food and Drug Administration is warning people to stop using certain types of glucose monitor sensors after the company that makes them, Abbott Diabetes Care, said the devices were linked to seven deaths and more than 700 injuries. Certain FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors may...
Acquisition, not merger: WVU Health System moves to take control of Independence Health’s workers, debt
WVU Health System will acquire the facilities, employees — and debt load — from Independence Health when the two entities are officially joined in the second half of next year, according to hospital officials. It also will gain access to what Independence Health has touted as more than 750,000 people...
Study favors medication, stents over major surgery for clogged neck arteries
Pennsylvania heart specialists welcomed the results of a decade-long study reinforcing their belief in minimally invasive techniques to treat clogged neck arteries versus major surgery. Researchers examined nearly 2,500 patients across five countries and 155 medical centers, including several UPMC hospitals and the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The patients...
Kennedy’s vaccine advisory committee delays vote on hepatitis B shots for newborns
A federal vaccine advisory committee on Thursday voted to delay a decision on whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, meeting in Atlanta, voted to delay the decision until Friday after committee members voiced confusion about voting...
A dozen former FDA leaders lambaste claims by the agency’s current vaccine chief
WASHINGTON — A dozen prior leaders of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — appointed by Republicans and Democrats alike — issued a scathing denunciation of new FDA assertions casting doubt on vaccine safety. The former officials say the agency’s plans to revamp how life-saving vaccines for flu, covid-19 and...
What to know about the hepatitis B shot — and why Trump officials are targeting it
NEW YORK — A federal vaccine advisory committee this week is expected to discuss whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine — the first shot found to prevent cancer. Federal health recommendations now suggest that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection in their first day of...
San Francisco sues nation’s top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foods
The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against some of the nation’s top food manufacturers on Tuesday, arguing that ultraprocessed food from the likes of Coca-Cola and Nestle are responsible for a public health crisis. City Attorney David Chiu named 10 companies in the lawsuit, including the makers of...
Chances dwindling for renewal of health care subsidies, risking premium spikes for millions
WASHINGTON — Hopes for an extension of health care subsidies were diminishing in Congress this week as Republicans and Democrats largely abandoned the idea of bipartisan talks on the issue, increasing the odds that millions of Americans could see sharp premium spikes starting Jan. 1. Democrats who agreed earlier this...
Pennsylvania loses hundreds of pharmacies after a law promised help
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — As pharmacy closures have continued across the state, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has questioned how the...
Why doing good also makes us feel good, during the holidays and beyond
WASHINGTON — The holiday season is a time for giving thanks, giving gifts — and for many, a time for giving back. Food banks, services that deliver meals to seniors and other U.S. charities typically see a surge in volunteering between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. But there...
Vaccination rates in schools cause concern for parents, medical professionals
Lucas James relies on others to be vaccinated because, for now, he can’t be. A leukemia patient and stem cell transplant recipient, Lucas, 16, of Hempfield receives intravenous antibody treatments to help him rebuild his immune system. “(Doctors) said he may never be able to be vaccinated again if his...
ByHeart baby formula from all lots may be contaminated with botulism bacteria, tests show
Tests of ByHeart infant formula tied to a botulism outbreak that has sickened dozens of babies showed that all of the company’s products may have been contaminated. Laboratory tests of 36 samples of formula from three different lots showed that five samples contained the type of bacteria that can lead...
New strain of flu invades Western Pa. amid concerns over vaccine efficacy
A new flu virus variant has been sweeping across the United States, raising questions about the efficacy of this year’s flu vaccines. Medical professionals in Western Pennsylvania say even though they’re seeing the new flu strain permeate the region, this year’s flu vaccines can still help. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a...
They relied on marijuana to get through the day. But then days felt impossible without it
BROOKLINE, Mass. — For the past several years, 75-year-old Miguel Laboy has smoked a joint with his coffee every morning. He tells himself he won’t start tomorrow the same way, but he usually does. “You know what bothers me? To have cannabis on my mind the first thing in the...
White House circulates plan to extend Obamacare subsidies as Trump pledges health care fix
WASHINGTON — The White House is circulating a proposal that would extend subsidies to help consumers pay for coverage under the Affordable Care Act for two more years, as millions of Americans face spiking health care costs when the current tax credits are set to expire at the end of...
Scientists push back as Trump and RFK Jr. promote false links between vaccines and autism
The message is hammered over and over, in news conferences, hearings and executive orders: President Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., say they want the government to follow “gold standard” science. Scientists say the problem is that they are often doing just the opposite by relying...
RFK Jr. says he personally directed CDC’s new guidance on vaccines and autism
NEW YORK — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines don’t cause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview published Friday. His comments provide clarity into who...
