The rate of drug overdose deaths involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl increased by 279% in the U.S. between 2016 and 2021, according to newly released data. Overall, the rate increased from 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016 to 21.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to the report,...

A newly approved drug treats severe hot flashes caused by menopause by blocking specific signals in the brain, rather than using hormones like estrogen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday (May 12). The pill, called Veozah (generic name fezolinetant), is the first of its kind approved to...

A new gene therapy gel is the first-ever approved treatment for the most severe forms of butterfly disease, a rare and painful skin blistering condition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday (May 19). Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a genetic condition that makes skin prone to blisters...

The most lethal mushroom in the world is the death cap mushroom, and now scientists have discovered a possible antidote from an unlikely source: a fluorescent dye. Called indocyanine green (ICG), the dye is commonly used in medical imaging to help assess the functionality of the heart and liver, but...

Some compounding pharmacies are making copycat versions of the diabetes drug Ozempic and the weight-loss drug Wegovy, and people are reporting unwanted side effects from these unauthorized medications, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned this week. Compounding pharmacies are those that combine or alter drugs to suit specific patients'...

The first-ever over-the-counter topical treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) has just been approved, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday (June 12). Also known as impotence, ED is a condition in which men are unable to get or keep an erection for sexual intercourse. ED is common, affecting...

Starting July 1, Australia will allow the legal use of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and treatment-resistant depression, respectively. Authorized by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia's drug regulator, this landmark decision will make the country...

Psilocybin, the main psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, could be a promising new treatment option for anorexia, early clinical tests have shown. In a small trial, 10 women with the eating disorder received a single dose of psilocybin, while supported by a therapist, and tolerated the drug's short-term effects while...

The U.S. is currently facing a surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs). To address that rise, doctors have raised the possibility of prescribing some people an antibiotic to take after risky sexual encounters to prevent such infections. The drug regimen, known as doxy-PEP, uses an old antibiotic called doxycycline and...

Every newborn and infant under 8 months old should be given a powerful new drug to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this upcoming season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Thursday (Aug. 3). The new drug isn't a vaccine, but rather contains lab-made proteins that...

A woman in Canada who was repeatedly hospitalized for concerning stomach pain and vomiting had developed lead poisoning from taking Ayurvedic pills — a popular alternative medicine — a new case report reveals. The 39-year-old woman had taken up to a dozen pills of Ayurvedic medicine daily for a year...

Over the past year, there has been an explosion in the popularity of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs — namely Ozempic and Wegovy, which are respectively used to treat diabetes and obesity. However, recent reports, heralded by a CNN story published on July 25, have highlighted several cases of persistent vomiting...

Penicillin was the world's first antibiotic, a type of medication that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. After Scottish doctor Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in a petri dish containing bacteria and mold, scientists eventually isolated the microbe-killing agent and used it to treat bacterial infections. Before mass-produced antibiotics, diseases...

The psychedelics LSD and ketamine work differently but induce some of the same trippy effects. A new study in rats hints at why: Both drugs trigger the same, simultaneous wave of electrical activity across different regions of the brain. Psychedelic drugs are a group of substances that stimulate changes in...

More adults than ever are using hallucinogens, a new national survey suggests. Among surveyed adults ages 19 to 30, 8% reported using hallucinogens like LSD, MDMA, mescaline, peyote, PCP, shrooms or psilocybin sometime in 2022. So did 4% of 35- to 50-year-olds. These numbers are higher than seen in any...