ith the spreading from person to person (possibly including from people without symptoms), reaching four continents, and traveling faster than SARS, driving it out of existence is looking increasingly unlikely.It’s still possible that quarantines and travel bans will first halt the outbreak and then eradicate the microbe, and the world will never see again, as epidemiologist Dr. Mike Ryan, head of health emergencies at the World Health Organization, STAT on Saturday. That’s what happened with SARS in 2003.Many experts, however, view that happy outcome as increasingly unlikely. “Independent...…ith the spreading from person to person (possibly including from people without symptoms), reaching four continents, and traveling faster than SARS, driving it out of existence is looking increasingly unlikely.It’s still possible that quarantines and travel bans will first halt the outbreak and then eradicate the microbe, and the world will never see again, as epidemiologist Dr. Mike Ryan, head of health emergencies at the World Health Organization, STAT on Saturday. That’s what happened with SARS in 2003.Many experts, however, view that happy outcome as increasingly unlikely. “Independent...WW…

ne question has plagued the field of blood donation for as long as there have been transfusions: Are we harming blood donors by taking blood from them?Our iron stores are largely self-conserved: Our bodies recycle iron from old red blood cells to make new red blood cells. Iron that’s in use doesn’t tend to exit the body unless a person loses blood, whether through menstruation, bleeding from trauma, illness — or through donation.While a donor’s body will replace the donated blood volume within 24 hours, the process of replacing the red blood cells could take months. For donors who are low...…ne question has plagued the field of blood donation for as long as there have been transfusions: Are we harming blood donors by taking blood from them?Our iron stores are largely self-conserved: Our bodies recycle iron from old red blood cells to make new red blood cells. Iron that’s in use doesn’t tend to exit the body unless a person loses blood, whether through menstruation, bleeding from trauma, illness — or through donation.While a donor’s body will replace the donated blood volume within 24 hours, the process of replacing the red blood cells could take months. For donors who are low...WW…

In-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life sciencesIn-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life sciencesASHINGTON — Major food makers are ready to cash in on selling CBD-filled foods and drinks. But the Food and Drug Administration isn’t having it.Technically all products containing CBD, or cannabidiol, are illegal under FDA’s rules — regardless of whether they’re a dietary supplement sold at the Vitamin Shoppe or a CBD seltzer from Whole Foods. But the FDA is showing itself particularly concerned about the latter.Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your...…In-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life sciencesIn-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life sciencesASHINGTON — Major food makers are ready to cash in on selling CBD-filled foods and drinks. But the Food and Drug Administration isn’t having it.Technically all products containing CBD, or cannabidiol, are illegal under FDA’s rules — regardless of whether they’re a dietary supplement sold at the Vitamin Shoppe or a CBD seltzer from Whole Foods. But the FDA is showing itself particularly concerned about the latter.Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your...WW…

ith the arrival of summer comes a chance to relax, reflect, and escape the day to day. It’s also a perfect time to dig into a new book or podcast, and we have you covered with our annual list of health, medicine, and science titles.Read on for recommendations from the likes of WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, author Michael Pollan, and reproductive justice scholar Monica McLemore. Plus, STAT readers from California to the U.K. share their picks, in addition to our staff. Enjoy! advertisement“Being You: A New Science of Consciousness”By Anil SethThe most exciting science book...…ith the arrival of summer comes a chance to relax, reflect, and escape the day to day. It’s also a perfect time to dig into a new book or podcast, and we have you covered with our annual list of health, medicine, and science titles.Read on for recommendations from the likes of WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, author Michael Pollan, and reproductive justice scholar Monica McLemore. Plus, STAT readers from California to the U.K. share their picks, in addition to our staff. Enjoy! advertisement“Being You: A New Science of Consciousness”By Anil SethThe most exciting science book...WW…

s the Covid-19 pandemic over?President Biden told Scott Pelley of “ it was. The Sunday night interview aired just days after the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the end may be in sight — though Tedros clearly didn’t mean it was days away when he predicted it.But how confident can we be that the pandemic is or will soon be over? How can we know we’ve reached “over” when the disease we’ve been fighting isn’t going away?advertisementReaching the end of a pandemic is not like driving out of one county into the next. There is no fixed...…s the Covid-19 pandemic over?President Biden told Scott Pelley of “ it was. The Sunday night interview aired just days after the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the end may be in sight — though Tedros clearly didn’t mean it was days away when he predicted it.But how confident can we be that the pandemic is or will soon be over? How can we know we’ve reached “over” when the disease we’ve been fighting isn’t going away?advertisementReaching the end of a pandemic is not like driving out of one county into the next. There is no fixed...WW…

OS ANGELES — Near the corner of busy Santa Monica Boulevard and Corinth Avenue, underneath lines of skinny palm trees and against an almost perpetually bright-blue sky, a hot pink billboard declared: Hot girls have IBS.That statement, hovering last month above smoke shops, animal clinics, and pharmacies in West LA, is a reflection of a broader cultural moment, happening largely on social media, wherein people are talking about their gastrointestinal problems, without shame, and with vigor.Irritable bowel syndrome has become, half-jokingly, a membership card for a club of online it-girls,...…OS ANGELES — Near the corner of busy Santa Monica Boulevard and Corinth Avenue, underneath lines of skinny palm trees and against an almost perpetually bright-blue sky, a hot pink billboard declared: Hot girls have IBS.That statement, hovering last month above smoke shops, animal clinics, and pharmacies in West LA, is a reflection of a broader cultural moment, happening largely on social media, wherein people are talking about their gastrointestinal problems, without shame, and with vigor.Irritable bowel syndrome has become, half-jokingly, a membership card for a club of online it-girls,...WW…

In-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life sciencesIn-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life scienceseta is facing mounting questions about its access to sensitive medical data that found the company’s pixel tracking tool collecting details about patients’ doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, and health conditions on hospital websites.During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) requested that Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — provide a “comprehensive and precise” accounting of the medical information it...…In-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life sciencesIn-depth analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life scienceseta is facing mounting questions about its access to sensitive medical data that found the company’s pixel tracking tool collecting details about patients’ doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, and health conditions on hospital websites.During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) requested that Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — provide a “comprehensive and precise” accounting of the medical information it...WW…

heumatology — the study of immune-system-driven diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and in-betweens — has inherited plenty of hand-me-downs from cancer research. For example, there are ways of squelching an immune system in order to shrink certain kinds of cancerous tumors. And scientists have found that, when retrofitted, those strategies can also alleviate some symptoms of autoimmune conditions.advertisementadvertisementThis article was supported by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning...…heumatology — the study of immune-system-driven diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and in-betweens — has inherited plenty of hand-me-downs from cancer research. For example, there are ways of squelching an immune system in order to shrink certain kinds of cancerous tumors. And scientists have found that, when retrofitted, those strategies can also alleviate some symptoms of autoimmune conditions.advertisementadvertisementThis article was supported by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning...WW…

ore than half of U.S. states will have to significantly step up their Covid-19 testing to even consider starting to relax stay-at-home orders after May 1, according to a new analysis by Harvard researchers and STAT.The analysis shows that as the U.S. tries to move beyond its months-long coronavirus testing debacle — faulty tests, shortages of tests, and guidelines that excluded many people who should have been tested to mitigate the outbreak — it is at risk of fumbling the next challenge: testing enough people to determine which cities and states can safely reopen and stay open. Doing so...…ore than half of U.S. states will have to significantly step up their Covid-19 testing to even consider starting to relax stay-at-home orders after May 1, according to a new analysis by Harvard researchers and STAT.The analysis shows that as the U.S. tries to move beyond its months-long coronavirus testing debacle — faulty tests, shortages of tests, and guidelines that excluded many people who should have been tested to mitigate the outbreak — it is at risk of fumbling the next challenge: testing enough people to determine which cities and states can safely reopen and stay open. Doing so...WW…