FDA Sharpens Stance Against Herbal Supplement Kratom: ‘It Isn’t Just A Plant — It’s An Opioid’
Kratom advocates say the botanical substance is a good way to wean people off of opioids. But new research reinforces Food and Drug Administration's concerns about kratom’s “potential for abuse, addiction and serious health consequences, including death," Commissioner Scott Gottlieb says.
The Washington Post:
FDA Ramps Up Warnings About Kratom, Calling Unregulated Herb An 'Opioid'
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday intensified its warnings about kratom, saying new research provides strong evidence that the unregulated botanical substance has “opioid properties” and is associated with 44 deaths. “We feel confident in calling compounds found in kratom, opioids,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. The agency's conclusion is based on recent computational modeling and on scientific literature and reports of adverse effects in people, he said. The new data, he added, reinforced agency concerns about kratom’s “potential for abuse, addiction and serious health consequences, including death.” (McGinley, 2/6)
In other national health care news —
The Wall Street Journal:
Taxing This High Earner But Not That One: Hospital Nonprofits Wrestle With New Rules
Phoenix-based hospital system Banner Health employed 11 people who earned over $1 million in 2015—the kind of high nonprofit pay Congress targeted in the sweeping tax overhaul enacted in December. But a quirk of the law means Banner likely will owe tax on just five of these executives, while other large nonprofits, such as Michigan-based Trinity Health, could be taxed on more such employees. (Evans and Fuller, 2/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
A Breakthrough Stroke Treatment Can Save Lives—If It’s Available
Minutes mattered to two Atlanta-area residents who showed severe-stroke symptoms last autumn. The right treatment done quickly can help prevent brain damage. An ambulance raced a 74-year-old man to a hospital nearby that wasn’t an institution capable of offering the most-advanced procedure. He arrived Oct. 30 at 9:30 a.m. with right-side weakness, unable to speak. (Burton, 2/6)
The New York Times:
Far More U.S. Children Than Previously Thought May Have Fetal Alcohol Disorders
More American children than previously thought may be suffering from neurological damage because their mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy, according to a new study. The study, published Tuesday in the journal JAMA, estimates that fetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol-related disorders among American children are at least as common as autism. The disorders can cause cognitive, behavioral and physical problems that hurt children’s development and learning ability. (Belluck, 2/6)
The New York Times:
A Brain Implant Improved Memory, Scientists Report
Scientists have developed a brain implant that noticeably boosted memory in its first serious test run, perhaps offering a promising new strategy to treat dementia, traumatic brain injuries and other conditions that damage memory. The device works like a pacemaker, sending electrical pulses to aid the brain when it is struggling to store new information, but remaining quiet when it senses that the brain is functioning well. (Carey, 2/6)