Merck 2025 sales forecast underwhelms as it pauses Gardasil sales in China
Shares of Merck slid Tuesday after the drugmaker surprised Wall Street with a lower-than-expected 2025 sales forecast due partly to a pause in shipments of one of its top-selling products to China. The drugmaker plans to temporarily pause shipments of its Gardasil vaccine to China at least through the middle of the year. Chairman and CEO Robert Davis told analysts the pause will help pare inventory and support the drugmaker’s commercialization partner in China, which owns the inventory. He said market dynamics in China that include a soft economy and weak consumer demand remain challenging. Gardasil sales have slumped there for a few quarters. Davis said they need to see inventory come down “meaningfully.” The International Monetary Fund last month forecast that China’s economy, the second-largest in the world, would decelerate from 4.8% last year, to 4.6% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026. A collapse in the Chinese housing market has undermined consumer confidence.
Dementia risk may be lowered by one important medical device
For those with diabetes, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels helps to prevent serious complications, like kidney problems and blindness — but it can also be important for brain health. "The collective data on blood glucose and its effects on cognitive health, as well as on dementia, continue to rapidly grow," said Dr. Michael S. Okun, medical advisor to the Parkinson’s Foundation and director of the Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida. A recent U.K. study published in Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology suggests that wearing continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) could lower the risk of dementia.
Direct primary care cuts out insurance companies. Could it gain traction under Trump?
Andrea Meneses stumbled on a direct primary care clinic because of a crisis. Her grandmother, visiting Wisconsin from Bolivia, did not have insurance but needed to see a doctor fast. One of the grandchildren accidentally put her insulin in the freezer instead of the refrigerator. Meneses reached out to friends in a panic, and one recommended Dr. Wendy Molaska, who runs a direct primary care clinic in nearby Madison. Patients at these clinics pay a fee of roughly $50 to $100 month and get easier, direct access to their doctor — as often as they want for no extra cost. Direct primary care is an increasingly popular health care option, and experts say it may become more common under health policy changes that President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to pursue. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, mentioned direct primary care during his recent confirmation hearings.
WHO chief asks countries to push Washington to reconsider its withdrawal
GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization chief asked global leaders to lean on Washington to reverse President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the U.N. health agency, insisting in a closed-door meeting with diplomats last week that the U.S. will miss out on critical information about global disease outbreaks. But countries also pressed WHO at a key budget meeting last Wednesday about how it might cope with the exit of its biggest donor, according to internal meeting materials obtained by The Associated Press. A German envoy, Bjorn Kummel, warned: “The roof is on fire, and we need to stop the fire as soon as possible.” For 2024-2025, the U.S. is WHO’s biggest donor by far, putting in an estimated $988 million, roughly 14% of WHO’s $6.9 billion budget.
Top influencers in the Make America Healthy Again movement: See the list
"Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) became a rallying cry during the final months of the 2024 presidential election, after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed President Donald Trump and joined his campaign. A little over a week after Election Day 2024, Trump announced Kennedy as his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Under Kennedy's leadership, the MAHA movement aims to improve nutrition in America, eliminate toxins, preserve natural habitats and fight the chronic disease epidemic, according to its website.
FDA approves opioid-free pain medication with 'no sign of addiction'
A new opioid-free pain medication was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday, marking a non-addictive alternative for patients. Journavx (suzetrigine), made by Vertex, is the "first and only approved non-opioid oral pain signal inhibitor," according to a press release from the Massachusetts-based company. The new drug is intended for treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults.
Woman suffers pain for 20 years until her mystery ailment is finally diagnosed
A woman who suffered intensely painful periods for some 20 years was finally diagnosed with a revealing ailment — helping to clear up a mystery that began plaguing her even before she became a teenager. Jen Moore, 35, a former wedding cake baker, said she was unable to stand up straight when she first began experiencing painful periods as a girl of 11 years old. She said doctors put her on birth control pills to try to reduce her periods, according to news agency SWNS — but that didn't alleviate her pain over the years.
How tracking blood sugar with continuous glucose monitoring may be helpful
Is there a benefit for healthy people to track their blood sugar? Measuring blood sugar has joined sleep and exercise tracking as wellness trends, with some longevity experts claiming that reducing fluctuations throughout the day can help protect against heart disease, even for people who don’t have diabetes. Continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, are small devices that track blood sugar in real time and can tell wearers how their bodies are reacting to stress, food, sleep or exercise. New versions attach to a user’s arm and can pair with a smartphone to give blood sugar readings throughout the day. CGMs, which the Food and Drug Administration first approved in 1999, have traditionally been prescribed only to patients with diabetes. More recently, the FDA has approved two blood sugar monitors for over-the-counter use, making them available to anyone without prescriptions. As a result, people who don’t have diabetes are increasingly promoting them on social media sites like Reddit to help with weight loss or to monitor the benefits of exercise. Shannon Sackley, 30, a Realtor in Los Angeles, doesn’t have diabetes but has been wearing a blood sugar tracker for a couple of months after having watched a friend with diabetes use one. “I think it’s exciting and it’s just amazing that you can see how food affects your body,” she said. “I think it’s really valuable to have.”
Some winter viruses could trigger heart complications, experts warn
Johanna Contreras, M.D., a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City, said she has seen people mistaking virus symptoms for serious heart complications.
One man knows the secrets of living a long, healthy life, and it's all about one activity
A man who is 92 years old is not only still competing in his activity of choice, he's teaching others the secrets of how to live a long, healthy and fulfilling life. Ivan Pedley, a retired toolmaker, plays ping-pong twice a week and said he has no plans to stop any time soon. The grandfather of three took up the paddle sport when he was 14, news agency SWNS reported. Now, 78 years later, he's still playing.