When it comes to coverage for the pricey GLP-1 weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, only a fifth of large U.S. companies cover the medications in their health insurance plans, a new survey shows. In a report published Wednesday in the journal Health Affairs, researchers also found that a third of companies that do cover the medications say coverage has a “significant impact” on their plans’ prescription drug spending. Obesity can fuel poor health and affects a significant chunk of the U.S. population, and these medications can help, the survey authors wrote. However, concerns linger about the drugs’ high costs and the likelihood that they need to be used indefinitely. “Employers are really trying to thread the needle right now,” study author Matthew Rae, associate director for the program on the health care marketplace at KFF, told NBC News. “They’re trying to figure out what is the right balance between the advantages to employees, potential health benefits and the cost of these drugs. And at this point, all of those things aren’t sorted out.” Dr. Susan Spratt, an endocrinologist and senior medical director for the Population Health Management Office at Duke Health in North Carolina, told NBC News the results were “disheartening.” “People who are rich can afford to pay the $1,000 per month for this medication,” she said. “We are just widening health disparities by making…  read on >  read on >

Widely-used acne creams can become contaminated with a known carcinogen even if kept at room temperature, a new study warns. Creams containing benzoyl peroxide (BPO) can wind up containing high levels of benzene while sitting on a store shelf or in a medicine cabinet, researchers found after testing 111 products from major U.S. retailers. Brands tested containing benzoyl peroxide included products from Clearasil, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, Proactiv, Up & Up and store brand equivalents. Benzoyl peroxide degrades into the carcinogen benzene over time when stored at room temperature, at elevated temperatures and when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of sunlight, researchers reported Oct. 7 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. This is the first time that benzoyl peroxide products have been shown to degrade into benzene at normal temperatures, they noted. “Our research demonstrates that BPO products can generate benzene at typical room and store shelf temperatures, while cold storage significantly reduces this formation,” said researcher Dr. Christopher Bunick, an associate professor of dermatology with the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies benzene as a known human carcinogen, noting that it specifically increases the risk of leukemia. Benzoyl peroxide acts as an antibacterial agent, and is found in over-the-counter remedies and prescription creams for acne and rosacea. For the new study, researchers bought dozens of acne…  read on >  read on >

The brain has a waste-disposal system that clears away junk proteins that contribute to the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds. Advanced imaging scans have revealed a network of fluid-filled structures along arteries and veins within the brain, researchers reported Oct. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These structures allow cerebrospinal fluid to flow through the brain, potentially flushing out waste proteins like amyloid and tau, researchers said. Those toxic proteins build up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, creating plaques and tangles that are hallmarks of the disorder. Previous research found these sort of fluid channels in the brains of mice, but this is the first time they’ve been confirmed to exist in humans as well, researchers said. “Nobody has shown it before now,” said senior researcher Dr. Juan Piantino, an associate professor of pediatric neurology in the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine. “This shows that cerebrospinal fluid doesn’t just get into the brain randomly, as if you put a sponge in a bucket of water,” Piantino added in a university news release. “It goes through these channels.” For the study, researchers injected five patients undergoing brain surgery at OHSU with a tracer that would be carried with cerebrospinal fluid into the brain. The research team then used MRI scans to track…  read on >  read on >

Damage to the brainstem could be behind the physical and psychological effects of Long COVID, a new study suggests. Brain scans of 30 Long COVID patients found they had damage to the region of the brainstem associated with breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety, researchers reported Oct. 7 in the journal Brain. “The brainstem is the critical junction box between our conscious selves and what is happening in our bodies,” said co-lead researcher James Rowe, a senior research fellow with the University of Cambridge Department of Clinical Neurosciences. “The ability to see and understand how the brainstem changes in response to COVID-19 will help explain and treat the long-term effects more effectively.” Post-mortem studies of people who died of severe COVID-19 early in the pandemic showed changes in their brainstem, researchers said in background notes. “People who were very sick early in the pandemic showed long-lasting brain changes, likely caused by an immune response to the virus. But measuring that immune response is difficult in living people,” Rowe said. “Normal hospital type MRI scanners can’t see inside the brain with the kind of chemical and physical detail we need.” So, the research team turned to more powerful MRI machines called 7-Tesla scanners, which found that COVID infection caused inflammation damage in multiple regions of the brainstem. These abnormalities appeared several weeks after hospital admission, generally in regions…  read on >  read on >

In a small, preliminary study, piano lessons provided to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy appeared to help them maintain brain health. “There were a lot of outside stressors contributing to my mood, but piano practice and going to lessons were always something good and positive that I would look forward to, no matter what else was happening,” said Robin Hesselink, an enrollee in a pilot program at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. Heeselink, who’s undergoing treatment for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, explained that “even for those 30 minutes or an hour, I could forget about the other stuff and have something enjoyable. At least temporarily, while I’m doing it, it has a very positive effect on me.” Besides those mood-boosting effects, the piano lessons appeared to enhance the “executive function” of participants’ brains, according to a news release from the University of South Florida (USF). The new protocol, called Keys to Staying Sharp, seeks to curb declines in memory and thinking that sometimes accompany chemotherapy, explained Jennifer Bugos, a professor of music education at USF. “We are interested in examining whether social support while learning a musical instrument can increase cognition in patients undergoing treatment for cancer,” she said in a university news release. Specifically, the research is looking at “which areas of cognition may be improved and what duration of music training is…  read on >  read on >