Sydney Lupkin
Stories
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NPR's health reporters catch you up on cuts to agencies and contract spending
It was a chaotic week for the nation's health agencies, as layoff notices rolled in along with an order for deep cuts to contract spending. NPR's health reporters tell us what they've learned.
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On top of layoffs, HHS ordered to cut 35% of spending on contracts
Federal health agencies have to slash their spending by more than a third, on top of the 10,000-person staffing cuts.
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HHS guts the teams that fulfill public records requests for health agencies
Despite promises for "radical transparency," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid off many staff on teams that fulfill public records requests at health agencies.
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Widespread firings start at federal health agencies including many in leadership
Staffers began receiving termination notices this morning as part of a major restructuring at HHS. Some senior leadership are on their way out too.
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Could legal weed make you sick? Here's how California tries to keep it safe
With no help from the federal government, states are trying to regulate recreational marijuana. California's Department of Cannabis Control works to keep contaminants out of joints, vapes and edibles.
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Patients scramble as cheaper obesity drug alternatives disappear
Compounding pharmacies have been allowed to essentially make a cheaper version of Eli Lilly's Zepbound, but they have to stop Wednesday. That's left many patients wondering what to do next.
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Production of cheaper alternatives to name brand obesity drugs will stop on Wednesday
Large-scale compounding facilities have to stop making tirzepatide, the main ingredient in blockbuster obesity drug Zepbound, Wednesday.
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Consumers can buy Zepbound direct from the drugmaker if they'll pay out of pocket
Eli Lilly is offering vials of its obesity drug Zepbound to patients at a discount — but only if they skip their insurance.
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A website sold patients obesity drugs at affordable rates. Now they're paying the price
Patients who bought stockpiles of alternative GLP-1 drugs online aren't sure what to do with them after learning that the compounding pharmacy that made them didn't have the right license.
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How safe is your weed? Patchy regulations may leave contaminants in the weed supply
Millions of Americans use cannabis and would like to think the products they buy are safe. But regulation is state by state and full of holes. NPR's new series digs into the risks and solutions.
