An off-brand medication for diabetic macular edema might prove just as effective in early treatment as its more expensive alternative, potentially saving patients thousands of dollars, new research suggests. The vision condition is a common complication of poorly controlled diabetes, which can damage blood vessels at the back of the eyeball and trigger swelling in…  read on >  read on >

Despite now having more choices for lifesaving emergency allergy injectors like EpiPens, the cost is still proving prohibitively expensive for some, new research shows. Even though most people are saving money with lower-priced alternatives after the cost of EpiPens shot up a few years ago, a significant minority of users — people with high deductibles…  read on >  read on >

Dog treats are being voluntarily recalled due to possible salmonella contamination. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services reported July 6 that some Stormberg Foods LLC dog treats were contaminated with salmonella, which triggered the recall, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recalled products are Beg & Barker Chicken Breast…  read on >  read on >

Big Olaf Creamery said Wednesday that it is recalling all flavors and all lots of Big Olaf brand ice cream products because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. While healthy individuals may only suffer short-term symptoms after infection — including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea —…  read on >  read on >

A drug used “off-label” for multiple sclerosis (MS) is more effective than a standard medication at preventing symptom flare-ups, a new clinical trial has found. The drug, called rituximab, is approved in the United States for treating certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. It is not approved for treating MS, but some doctors do prescribe it…  read on >  read on >

A fasting diet might be the ticket to avoiding a COVID-19 hospitalization, a new study suggests. Researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah found that people who had practiced water-only intermittent fasting for decades were less likely to experience severe complications as a result of a COVID infection. “Intermittent fasting has already been shown to lower…  read on >  read on >

People who douse their meals in salt may have a shorter life than those who rarely reach for the salt shaker, a large new study suggests. The study, of more than 500,000 British adults, found that those who always sprinkled salt on their food at the table were 28% more likely to die prematurely than…  read on >  read on >

For decades, birth control pills in the United States have only been available with a prescription, but an application filed Monday with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an over-the-counter pill might change all that. The latest effort to make birth control more accessible comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe…  read on >  read on >