FDA approves new drug for rare form of ALS

FDA approves new drug for rare form of ALS

(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug Tuesday to treat a rare form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The drug Qalsody (tofersen) is expected to help people with a very specific mutation, SOD1, which applies to only 2% of the ALS population. In a statement,…
Measles outbreak in American Samoa declared public health emergency

Measles outbreak in American Samoa declared public health emergency

(NEW YORK) -- American Samoa has issued a public health emergency after an outbreak of measles has spread across the U.S. territory. As of Tuesday, there has been one laboratory-confirmed case among an 8-year-old and 31 suspected and/or probable cases of the highly infectious disease, according to the Department of…
Nonprofit hits Coachella with lifesaving fentanyl test strips, Narcan

Nonprofit hits Coachella with lifesaving fentanyl test strips, Narcan

(INDIO, Calif.) -- At Coachella, a group of independent volunteers handed out fentanyl test strips and carried the overdose treatment Narcan in an effort to curb overdoses related to the deadly synthetic opioid that is 50 times more powerful than heroin. The nonprofit Team Awareness Combatting Overdose, or TACO, was…
Weekly COVID deaths hit new record low, CDC data shows

Weekly COVID deaths hit new record low, CDC data shows

(NEW YORK) -- COVID-19 deaths hit a new low this week, reaching levels not seen since late March 2020, when the pandemic was just beginning. An estimated 1,160 Americans died from the virus this week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The next lowest point was the…