Pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccine, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, noting that vaccination surveillance systems found “no safety concerns” for more than 35,000 women in their third trimester or for their babies.

Is buprenorphine or methadone better for opioid use disorder in pregnancy? FDA grants fast track approval for OTC nasal spray. Shingles may increase risk for stroke, heart attack. Study finds benzodiazepines for sleep increased overdose risk for young adults. Recovering COVID patients seem to have elevated risk for newly diagnosed diabetes

What’s the longer-term effect of treatment for critically ill patients with COVID-19? FDA issues guidance on homeopathic drugs. Drug overdose deaths among teenagers surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

News roundup

FDA issued an EUA on February 24, 2023, for the first at-home OTC diagnostic test that can differentiate and detect influenza A and B and the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

A new study in JAMA Pediatrics published March 20, 2023, suggests that pulse oximetry overestimated arterial oxygen saturation in Black children.

Need for more patient–provider dialogue as deprescribing medicine for older adults catches on

News roundup

News roundup