The Food and Drug Administration is looking for “pathways” to legalize the sale of CBD oil and other cannabis-based compounds in food and beverages in a move that could remove one of the last remaining legal hurdles for companies hoping to sell such products across state lines. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb outlined steps the agency
Health, Fitness & Food
Walgreens Boots Alliance is teaming with Verily, Alphabet’s life sciences unit, on improving outcomes for patients with chronic conditions, the companies announced. The partnership would increase access to Verily’s technology by deploying them at Walgreens’ pharmacies. A big focus for the companies will be medication adherence, which costs the U.S. health care system some $100
Zwift, an app that lets cyclists compete and interact with each other in a virtual world, has raised $120 million to fund an expansion into esports. The Series B investment — the second major round of funding for a start-up — was led by venture capital firm Highland Europe, whose portfolio includes Huel, WeTransfer and
Johnson & Johnson plans to repurchase $5 billion in shares after the company lost more than $50 billion in market value over two trading days following a scathing news report Friday. Reuters published an in-depth report that said the company knew for decades its talc baby powders contained asbestos and failed to disclose it. The
A federal judge in Texas ruled on Friday that core provisions of the Affordable Care Act were unconstitutional, potentially threatening health-care coverage for millions of Americans and setting up a new legal showdown over former President Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas issued the decision, declaring that key
The open enrollment period for people to sign up for health insurance next year through the Affordable Care Act ends Saturday in most states, and signups are significantly down from last year. While President Donald Trump didn’t repeal and replace former President Barack Obama‘s signature health-care law, more commonly known as Obamacare, he was able
President Donald Trump late Friday applauded a federal judge’s ruling in Texas that ruled former President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law was unconstitutional, and called on Congress to replace the current mandate with a new bill. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas issued the decision, declaring that key portions of the legislation were
The smaller the drone, the shorter the flight time — unless your drone is a real live bumblebee. Average hobby drones typically have a flight time of around 20 minutes because rotary aircraft require a great deal of energy to stay airborne — more energy means heavier batteries. So what do you do if your
Apple has dozens of medical doctors working across its various teams, say two people familiar with the company’s hiring, showing how serious it is about health tech. The hires could help Apple win over doctors — potentially its harshest critics — as it seeks to develop and integrate health technologies into the Apple Watch, iPad
Amazon is teaming up with Omron Healthcare, which makes blood pressure monitors, as it looks for new ways to bring its voice technology into health care. The move comes as Amazon makes a deeper push into health and wellness in many parts of the company. CNBC reported in May that Amazon has an Alexa team
Tobacco giant Altria is giving up on its existing e-cigarette brands as it eyes the best-selling brand, Juul. Altria on Friday said it would discontinue its MarkTen and Green Smoke products, along with Verve oral nicotine products. It said was based on the products’ financial performance and the regulatory process that would require Altria to
Morgan Gleason has had a lot more experience with the health-care system than most college students. Nine years ago, she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Juvenile Dermatomyositis, which causes symptoms like weak muscles and skin rashes. Like many patients with a chronic illness, Gleason sees a lot of doctors. So she and
Every year, consumers spend billions on skincare products that promise to reduce lines instantly, fade brown spots, improve firmness and elasticity and more. Yet despite the wealth of products available today, consumers continue to be frustrated by manufacturers’ inflated claims of smooth, silky, younger-looking skin. Now beauty start-up Proven — launched in November by Harvard
Jason Oberfest, formerly the CEO of Mango Health, has joined Apple’s health team. Mango Health is an app for people to track their medications, which is especially helpful for patients with chronic disease who take multiple medications. The company also offers incentives, such as gift cards, for users who take their tracked medications properly and
Americans shelled out $3.5 trillion on health care last year, or $10,739 per person, but the increase in spending slowed to a pace not seen since 2013 — before Congress expanded the Affordable Care Act. Spending in 2017 grew at a rate of 3.9 percent, a marked slowdown after rising 4.8 percent in 2016 and
CVS’ stunningly long receipts, eating up to five feet of paper at times, are a thing of legend in retail. But there is a way you can save some trees by opting out of receiving them at all. “There’s a way to get all of that digitally on your phone,” along with the CVS coupons
Uber is betting big on health care. What began as an experiment to deliver flu vaccines to people’s offices is now a real and growing business for the company in non-emergency medical transportation, which involves helping people get to the doctor’s office on time. To help lead the company into its next phase of growth,
A federal judge is considering halting the integration of CVS Health and Aetna — even though the two companies closed their merger last week. Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a hearing Monday floated the idea that CVS and Aetna keep their companies separate until he can
It’s generally accepted that being overweight is a costly health care problem, but new data suggests that being undernourished is even more expensive. Around the world, malnutrition has become a problem that costs a staggering $3.5 trillion per year, according figures cited by the latest Global Nutrition Report, which gives a comprehensive analysis of food
The first time I truly took a break from social media was in 2015, at a summer camp for burned-out adults called “Camp Grounded.” There were three rules: Take a camp name of your choosing, like Luna or Huckleberry, avoid talking about “W,” meaning work, and ditch all electronics at the door. At an arrival
John Doerr made a fortune for his venture firm through an early investment in Amazon, when it was just an online bookseller. More than two decades later, he’s betting the company is preparing for a big move into health care. Speaking at the Forbes Healthcare conference this week, Doerr said Amazon is among the best-positioned
After an outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce took the popular salad green off the shelves, prices for other types of lettuce soared, according to United States Department of Agriculture data. In a weeks’ time, the cost of a 24-count carton of iceberg lettuce rose anywhere from 168 percent to 119 percent. On
It’s been a year in the making, but CVS Health has finally closed on its $69 billion acquisition Aetna, creating a new health-care powerhouse. The merger combines CVS’ pharmacies with Aetna’s insurance business, blurring traditionally distinct lines in hopes of lowering costs. CVS also has one of largest pharmacy benefits managers through CVS Caremark and
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention so far this year has confirmed 116 cases of acute flaccid myelitis, a rare but serious disease that can cause polio-like paralysis. These 116 confirmed cases, out of a total of 286 possible cases reported to the CDC, have spanned 31 states. Last year, the CDC counted 33
Scientists in China have created the first genetically modified humans, according to media reports on Sunday. The research was first spotted by MIT’s Technology Review, citing medical research published in a Chinese clinical trial registry led by HeJiankui of Shenzhen. He, the researcher, later told the Associated Press that his team modified embryos for seven
The Food and Drug Administration is overhauling the most common way medical device manufacturers bring their products to market in an attempt to advance new technologies. Since 1976, manufacturers have been able to pursue an expedited approval process if they could prove new products were substantially equivalent to those that were grandfathered in when Congress
For decades now, the health-care industry, government and society have grown accustomed to a model for how diseases are treated. Scientists achieve a medical breakthrough, the biopharmaceutical industry develops a medicine, a doctor diagnoses a patient and the patient goes on a course of treatment that can last for years or a lifetime. This model
London’s mayor announced a ban on junk food ads across the city’s entire public transport network. Announcing the initiative Friday, Mayor Sadiq Khan said the ban would come into effect from February 25 in a bid to curb childhood obesity rates. Products including sugary drinks, cheeseburgers, chocolate and salted nuts would not be permitted to