South Park Takes on Wegovy; Decapitated Doc's Killer Sentenced; Deadliest Superbugs

— Health news and commentary gathered by MedPage Today staff

MedpageToday
Morning Break over illustration of a syringe, Covid virus, and DNA helix over a photo of green vegetation.

Note that some links may require registration or subscription.

A new special of the TV show "South Park" will take on the rising use of weight-loss drugs. (People)

Nearly 900,000 Yogi Echinacea Immune Support teabags are being recalled due to possible pesticide contamination. (CNN)

North Carolina's Senate voted to remove the health and safety exception to the state's ban on wearing face masks in public; the bill now heads to the house. (WSOC)

The son of Maryland physician Maganbhai Pansuriya, MD, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of his father, who was found stabbed to death and decapitated in 2022. (People)

Adverse social determinants of health -- particularly in Black Americans -- was linked with a greater risk of developing treatment-resistant hypertension. (Journal of the American Heart Association)

The amount of energy it takes to carry a baby over 9 months -- 50,000 dietary calories -- is higher than previously believed. (Science)

How a quick and coordinated response involving mass vaccination reduced the size and duration of a measles outbreak at a Chicago migrant shelter. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)

Nadine Menendez, who along with her husband Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has been charged in a complex bribery scheme, has breast cancer. (New York Times)

The U.S. Department of Justice formally released a proposal to ease restrictions on marijuana by reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule III drug. (NBC News)

Here is what's holding back Medicaid expansion in Mississippi and other Southern states. (NPR)

High-ranking members of the military generally received better healthcare than their lower-ranking counterparts, though high-ranking Black members received care comparable to lower-ranking white members. (Science)

Meanwhile, when it comes to chronic kidney disease, women in the U.S. receive lesser care than men. (JAMA)

A Swedish study found that bariatric surgery was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in women with obesity and hyperinsulinemia, and that insulin levels may aid in predicting benefit. (JAMA Surgery)

The World Health Organization updated its list of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that pose the greatest threat to human health.

Novo Nordisk said it will start assessing the effects of semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) on alcohol consumption in a clinical trial. (CNN)

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued a report that says unless prices dramatically drop, semaglutide and other weight-loss drugs could bankrupt the U.S. healthcare system. (The Hill)

A proposed California bill to ban the sale of anti-aging skin products to kids under 13 failed to advance in the state assembly. (NBC News)