Treatments

U.S. proposes Medicare, Medicaid programs to cut drug costs, including $2 generics The U.S. health department proposed on Tuesday three new pilot projects aimed at lowering prescription drug prices for people enrolled in government health insurance plans, including offering some essential generic drugs for $2 a month. Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters

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Paxlovid may help prevent hospitalization, death in COVID outpatients CIDRAP

Two new studies, one from the United States and one from Canada, suggest that the oral antiviral drug Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) is effective in lowering the odds of hospitalization or death from the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant.

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First on CNN: HHS secretary sends letter to state governors on what's to come when Covid-19 public health emergency ends | CNN Plans are moving forward at the US Department of Health and Human Services to prepare for the end of the nation's Covid-19 public health emergency declaration in May. Jacqueline Howard CNN

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On Thursday, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter and fact sheet to state governors detailing what exactly the end of the emergency declaration will mean for jurisdictions and their residents....