Women now have a new way to check their risk for cervical cancer — from the comfort of their own home. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Teal Wand, an at-home test that screens for human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers, CBS News reported May 9. The test is made by Teal Health and is meant for women between the ages of 25 and 65 with an average risk for cervical cancer. Teal Health says its test is just as accurate as a regular Pap smear done in a doctor’s office. The company ran a study showing that self-collected samples at home worked just as well as those collected by a health care provider. Many women find in-office cervical cancer screenings uncomfortable. The standard method involves inserting a speculum to help collect a sample from the cervix. That, CBS News reported, can make some patients avoid getting tested altogether. In Teal Health’s study, 86% of participants said they’d be more likely to stay up to date with screening if they could do it at home. About 94% said they would choose self-collection if they knew it was just as accurate. Kara Egan, CEO and co-founder of Teal Health, said the goal is to make care easier. “That’s why this FDA approval means so much; it’s not…  read on >  read on >

Why does sugar taste so good — and why do we want it so badly? Scientists may finally have the answer.  For the first time, researchers have figured out the structure of the sweet receptor — the tiny part of your tongue that tells your brain when something tastes sweet. The study, published May 7 in the journal Cell, could help food companies make sweet foods with less sugar.  “By uncovering the structure of the sweet receptor, we gain knowledge into the molecular mechanisms that govern how we detect sweetness, and how a single receptor can recognize such a broad range of sweet-tasting molecules,” Zhang Juen, an associate research scientist and co-first author of the study, said in a news release. Charles Zuker of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute led the study with members of his Columbia University lab. Back in 2001, his team found the genes that control the sweet receptor. Now, they’ve figured out what it looks like and how it works. With this information, food companies might not need artificial sweeteners anymore. Instead, they could use less sugar and add ingredients that make the sweet receptor work better. That means people can enjoy the same sweet taste but take in fewer calories. “This discovery will greatly benefit the battle against our strong desire for sugar, and enable the rational design of modulators…  read on >  read on >

Why does sugar taste so good — and why do we want it so badly? Scientists may finally have the answer.  For the first time, researchers have figured out the structure of the sweet receptor — the tiny part of your tongue that tells your brain when something tastes sweet. The study, published May 7 in the journal Cell, could help food companies make sweet foods with less sugar.  “By uncovering the structure of the sweet receptor, we gain knowledge into the molecular mechanisms that govern how we detect sweetness, and how a single receptor can recognize such a broad range of sweet-tasting molecules,” Zhang Juen, an associate research scientist and co-first author of the study, said in a news release. Charles Zuker of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute led the study with members of his Columbia University lab. Back in 2001, his team found the genes that control the sweet receptor. Now, they’ve figured out what it looks like and how it works. With this information, food companies might not need artificial sweeteners anymore. Instead, they could use less sugar and add ingredients that make the sweet receptor work better. That means people can enjoy the same sweet taste but take in fewer calories. “This discovery will greatly benefit the battle against our strong desire for sugar, and enable the rational design of modulators…  read on >  read on >

Approvals align with agency’s goal of phasing out petroleum-based dyes in the national food supply  read on >

A new drug combo lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol for people whose levels remain high even after taking statins. The new pill pairs a new drug called obicetrapib with an existing one, ezetimibe. In a Phase 3 clinical trial, this combo reduced LDL levels by nearly 49% over about three months, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers.  The results were presented Wednesday at the European Atherosclerosis Society meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, and simultaneously published in The Lancet. “High LDL is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease, and we have such a poor handle on controlling that risk,” Dr. Corey Bradley, a cardiologist at Columbia University, told NBC News. “Many people have such a high LDL they will require multiple agents to control it.”  The trial included 407 people with an average age of 68. Even though they were taking cholesterol-lowering medications, everyone had LDL levels above 70 mg/dL. Researchers divided participants into four groups: One took the combo pill; two groups took each drug separately; and another group took a placebo. All participants continued their usual cholesterol medications. Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, led the study. “We need to give patients and their doctors all the options we can to try to get LDL under control if they are at risk for, or already have, cardiovascular disease,” Sarraju said.…  read on >  read on >

A new drug combo lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol for people whose levels remain high even after taking statins. The new pill pairs a new drug called obicetrapib with an existing one, ezetimibe. In a Phase 3 clinical trial, this combo reduced LDL levels by nearly 49% over about three months, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers.  The results were presented Wednesday at the European Atherosclerosis Society meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, and simultaneously published in The Lancet. “High LDL is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease, and we have such a poor handle on controlling that risk,” Dr. Corey Bradley, a cardiologist at Columbia University, told NBC News. “Many people have such a high LDL they will require multiple agents to control it.”  The trial included 407 people with an average age of 68. Even though they were taking cholesterol-lowering medications, everyone had LDL levels above 70 mg/dL. Researchers divided participants into four groups: One took the combo pill; two groups took each drug separately; and another group took a placebo. All participants continued their usual cholesterol medications. Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, led the study. “We need to give patients and their doctors all the options we can to try to get LDL under control if they are at risk for, or already have, cardiovascular disease,” Sarraju said.…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has chosen Dr. Vinay Prasad, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco, to lead its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The division oversees vaccines and biologic medicines, including gene therapies, CNN reported. Prasad is a hematologist-oncologist, a specialist in treating cancers of the blood. He has been a vocal critic of the U.S. government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has questioned school closures, mask mandates and COVID booster shots. He takes over from Dr. Peter Marks, who led the division for 13 years and played a major role in the COVID vaccine rollout. Marks resigned in March, writing in a letter that U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not value science and transparency. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary praised Prasad’s background, saying he has a “long and distinguished history in medicine” and highlighted his oncology research, according to CNN. Prasad’s appointment comes as the FDA plans to require future vaccines to be tested through placebo-controlled trials. Public health officials are also reconsidering recommendations for COVID vaccines for children — recommendations Prasad has questioned, because kids face lower risks from the virus than older people and those with weakened immune systems. Amid news of his appointment, biotech stocks fell more than 5%. Sarepta Therapeutics, which makes a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, saw…  read on >  read on >

The official in charge of federal food and drug safety inspections will retire May 14. Michael Rogers, associate commissioner for inspections and investigations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced his decision Monday in an email to colleagues.  “I have decided to retire. It was my decision, but it was time after 34 years,” Rogers told CBS News in an email. His departure comes at a time of many concerns within the agency. Some staff members say they are frustrated with the direction of inspections under new FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary. Rogers led inspection efforts during the 2022 infant formula crisis, when the FDA was criticized for its slow response to problems at an infant formula plant linked to a deadly recall. He also led a reorganization of the inspections office last year, CBS News reported. Two FDA officials told CBS News that Rogers had recently shared with coworkers that he was unhappy at work. Their comments were made anonymously.  They said that recent staffing cuts ordered by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have already made it harder for the inspections team to keep up with demands. At the same time, Makary has promised to expand surprise foreign inspections. On Monday, he said at a White House event that the FDA would also shorten the length of foreign trips. “We’re…  read on >  read on >