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Hello everyone, Sarah here filling in for Theresa today. East Coasters, how are you gearing up for the upcoming heat wave? Share your strategies and popsicle recipes at [email protected].
The Alcohol Industry’s Influence on Policy
Annually, the American Cancer Society garners significant funds from the wine and spirits sector through a gala that features drinks like pineapple margaritas. This might appear unusual for a health nonprofit, considering the increasing evidence linking alcohol use to cancer risk. However, as detailed by Isa Cueto and Lev Facher, this event is one of many examples of the alcohol industry’s covert strategies to sway public policy, part of their series, The Deadliest Drug.
Discover more about the senator (a Democrat) who received the most contributions from alcohol groups amidst concerns over possible changes to dietary guidelines, and the unexpected ties between alcohol companies and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. If you need to catch up on Isa and Lev’s insightful alcohol series, explore their major findings so far.
mRNA Vaccine Safety Confirmed in Comprehensive Review
The mRNA vaccines introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic have faced misinformation and public skepticism, including from some members of the Trump administration. A comprehensive review in The Lancet affirms their safety, noting that “[a]cross billions of administered doses, serious adverse events have been rare, well characterised, and consistently outweighed by the substantial protection conferred against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death.”
For instance, myocarditis and pericarditis cases were approximately 12.6 per million for Pfizer’s vaccine and 35.6 per million for Moderna’s. The likelihood of developing these conditions from a vaccine was significantly lower than from a Covid infection, especially in teenage boys, who are at higher risk. Access the full study.
Maryland Governor’s Initiative for Young Men’s Mental Health
Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) is focused on improving the welfare of boys and young men in the U.S. He challenges the negative narrative around them, stating, “We need to stop treating our young men and boys as problems to be solved, and start treating them as people to be invested in,” in a recent First Opinion piece.
The state’s Young Men and Boys initiative seeks to enhance their well-being through programs like recruiting more male teachers as role models and offering a paid service year for high school graduates. Learn how Moore plans to better support boys and prevent them from reaching crisis points.
Anthropic’s New AI Tool for Scientists
After transforming the computer programming field with Claude Code, AI leader Anthropic is now targeting science.
The company launched Claude Science, a large language model tailored for scientific labs and pharmaceutical research, on Tuesday. Anthropic’s head of life sciences, Eric Kauderer-Abrams, stated that their work in biology is “the single most important thing” at the company. This release marks the first time a major AI developer has introduced a specialized product for scientists, as reported by Matt Herper and Brittany Trang. Learn more about its potential impact on life sciences and the businesses already concerned about its effects on their profits.
FDA Approves Zyn’s Safer-Than-Cigarettes Marketing Claim
Zyn, a nicotine pouch brand owned by Swedish Match USA and Philip Morris International, saw a surge in U.S. sales, with 794 million cans sold last year, more than doubling since 2023. The FDA now permits Zyn to market 20 of its pouches as safer than cigarettes, with claims that the products pose a “lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.”
This decision has raised concerns among health organizations. Lisa Licasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, expressed worries about its potential appeal to young people. She stated, “[W]e know the tobacco industry continues to target a new generation with these highly addictive, flavored products.” She criticized the FDA for not tightening regulations and instead allowing more marketing of addictive tobacco products. This news follows another victory for the tobacco industry, as the Trump administration permitted the return of fruit-flavored vapes.
What We’re Reading
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All of Us explores a new method for gathering real-world research data, STAT
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The shilajit dilemma, Bloomberg
- Insights from the Ebola outbreak and Marburg’s potential lessons for future pandemics, STAT
- Church members with differing political views unite to eliminate medical debt, KFF Health News
- Marburg outbreak reported in Uganda, complicating Ebola response efforts, STAT
