Health

bymuratdeniz/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — A popular drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss also has heart benefits, according to preliminary results of a new study released by the drug manufacturer. The drug, Wegovy, lowered the risk of major cardiovascular events by 20% in a clinical trial that included over […]

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — A new variant now makes up a plurality of COVID-19 cases in the United States, federal data shows. EG.5, an offshoot of the omicron variant and descendant of the XBB strain, has been circulating in the country since at least April. However, as of Aug. 5, it […]

FatCamera/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — A new medication just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could revolutionize the treatment of postpartum depression, a condition that affects as many as 1 in 8 women who have recently given birth. The medication, zuranolone, to be sold under the brand name Zurzuvae, is the first oral […]

skaman306/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Two Illinois patients have successfully undergone double-lung transplants after being born with “flipped organs.” Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer, 50, and Yahaira Vega, 27, both have a rare genetic condition known as situs inversus, in which organs in the chest and abdomen developed reversed or mirrored from their normal positions. […]

Spencer Platt/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Millions of COVID-19 reinfections have been reported across the country yet just 11 states confirmed they are actively tracking them, according to an ABC News analysis. At least 18 states used to track infections but stopped once the public health emergency ended in May 2023. Public health experts said tracking […]

Bsip/Universal Images Group via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — A new immunization to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV was approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. The approved drug called nirsevimab, which will be marketed in the U.S. by Sanofi as Beyfortus, was recommended unanimously by the CDC’s Advisory […]

Mario Tama/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — A new lawsuit claims the manufacturers of drugs used for weight loss, including Ozempic and Mounjaro, do not adequately warn consumers about the risk of an alleged side effect of the drugs. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Louisiana, focuses on gastroparesis, a severe form of delayed gastric emptying, described […]

ABC News (LOS ANGELES) — A new heat wave has left 60 million people across 13 states under heat alerts Thursday. Record or near-record high temperatures are possible Thursday in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where temperatures could reach 100 degrees. New Orleans could reach 98 degrees, and San Antonio may reach 102 degrees. […]

Reza Estakhrian/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — After several months of steady declines, COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to be ticking up again. For the week ending July 22, hospitalizations rose 12% from the previous week from 7,165 to 8,035, according to data released Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While a double-digit percentage jump may […]

FS Productions/Getty Images (FLORIDA) — Cases of leprosy are rising in Florida, according to a new analysis published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) journal. Although the disease is still rare in the U.S. — with just 159 cases reported in 2020 — a study released Monday from the EID […]