1) For the primary time, there are vaccines towards the respiratory syncytial virus. RSV has historically been regarded as a illness affecting kids, however as many as 10,000 older adults die from it yearly. It’s a serious breakthrough to haven’t one however two approved RSV vaccines for folks ages 60 and older. Pregnant women, too, at the moment are in a position to obtain the shot to convey antibodies to their newborns.

The downside is uptake. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviews that solely 17 percent of eligible older adults have acquired the RSV shot. Logistical barriers in addition to vaccine fatigue could possibly be responsible. I hope federal well being officers will take a look at choices to mix covid, flu and RSV photographs in future winter seasons.

2) Obesity remedies have made unbelievable strides. More than 4 in 10 adults within the United States have weight problems, which is related to myriad hostile well being outcomes. Semaglutide, identified by its model names Wegovy and Ozempic, has produced exceptional outcomes in reducing weight and slicing the chance of subsequent issues of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. An identical drug, tirzepatide, identified by model names Zepbound and Mounjaro, has much more spectacular results.

There are major unanswered questions. What will we discover out in regards to the long-term penalties of those medication, which are supposed to be taken in perpetuity? They additionally value greater than $1,000 a month per affected person. Are potential financial savings worth the high price?

Federal policymakers must weigh these points and decide whether or not taxpayers, by means of federal Medicare and state Medicaid, ought to cowl the price of these medication. On a person degree, although, these weight problems medicines have already reworked many lives and are on monitor to bettering many extra.

3) The synthetic intelligence revolution is making well being care safer. I used to be skeptical after I first began researching this matter, however I shortly discovered myself agreeing with the head of Google Health that AI in medication is analogous to the invention of penicillin in its capacity to remodel health-care supply. AI-augmented colonoscopies and mammograms are already reducing the rate of missed cancers, and an AI-powered alert system has decreased the variety of deaths in California hospitals.

No doubt, it’s essential to make sure correct safeguards for the know-how and to proceed with warning. But lack of fast progress is unacceptable; we’ve already seen the ability of this software to make care safer and extra accessible world wide.

4) Naloxone is turning into extra accessible. After years of advocacy from harm-reduction activists and public well being officers, the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, additionally referred to as Narcan, is finally available over-the-counter. At a time when nearly 80,000 Americans are dying every year because of opioid overdoses, this can be a main step that can reduce barriers to this lifesaving drug.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a simple path to countering the proliferation of fentanyl, a particularly potent opioid that’s usually blended with different medication. People acquiring drugs from illicit internet sellers are basically enjoying Russian roulette; they don’t know whether or not what they’re taking could be tainted with the highly effective narcotic. This is but one more reason naloxone should be priced so that everybody can have it of their medication cupboards.

5) New psychological well being therapeutics provide choices for difficult-to-treat illnesses. This summer season, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever oral remedy to deal with postpartum despair. Zuranolone, a once-a-day capsule taken for simply two weeks, not solely represents a breakthrough remedy for brand new moms, but it surely additionally reinforces the necessity to deal with psychological well being considerations like some other medical ailment.

The FDA has additionally signaled that it would quickly approve two psychedelic substances — psilocybin (additionally known as “magic mushrooms”) and MDMA (often known as Ecstasy) — for therapy of extreme despair and post-traumatic stress dysfunction, respectively. While I fear that folks will conflate medical and leisure use, and whereas I hope that policymakers will do extra to limit the latter, I’m enthusiastic in regards to the growing body of evidence that these two medication are extremely efficient when administered beneath fastidiously managed medical settings.

I’d like to finish my year-end evaluation on a private word: As many readers know, I suffered a bad bout of bacterial pneumonia in June. The pneumonia triggered bronchial asthma, and between the 2, it took me months to renew actions I really like, equivalent to swimming and operating. Though I’m a lot improved, I’m removed from being again to “normal.”

This scare taught me a lot and is a continuous reminder of how valuable our well being is — and the way a lot gratitude we owe the scientists, medical suppliers and public well being employees who’re attempting their greatest each day to enhance medical care.

What are the tales that provide you with hope? I’d like to hear from you. In the meantime, I want a Merry Christmas to all who have a good time it!