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Health and biotech

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Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer said she was on 13 different drugs for mood disorders, anxiety, and psychosis. Was she over medicated?

Specialists who treat women with these mood disorders say it’s not uncommon for providers to try multiple medications. Yet, some said that using more than a dozen such drugs in such a short span of time is unusual.

Here’s what happens to your body in subzero temperatures
From frostbitten fingers and toes to reduced lung immunity, this is how doctors say the cold can affect different parts of your body.

Bitter cold is closing in on Boston. Here’s how to stay safe.
The arctic air sweeping into the region on Friday could bring the coldest snap Boston has experienced in years. You still have time to prepare.

Frigid temperatures pose threat to homeless residents, Boston officials warn
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a cold emergency and Governor Maura Healey’s office said South Station will stay open overnight this weekend as a last option for people to escape the bitter cold.

What partners should understand about postpartum mood disorders
There is much less information about partners, what they endure, how they can help, and even how to recognize when they, too, are in distress.

The COVID-19 public health emergency ends May 11. What happens then?
Despite the uncertainty, it’s clear that ending the public health emergency after nearly three years will bring about a host of changes. Here’s a look at a few of them.

Featured stories

How a Boston doctor diagnosed the first US case of monkeypox

After a few days, the doctor noticed a telling change. The patient’s rash consisted of fluid-filled blisters that had a dent in the center. His rash looked like smallpox.

Once the ‘it’ supplement, vitamin D is losing its sparkle

Vitamin D supplements, regularly consumed by millions of Americans, have not held up to the considerable hype of warding off many common, dreaded diseases.

Right-wing groups hit Boston Children’s with barrage of threats over trans health program

A hostile online campaign has prompted the hospital to seek help from law enforcement.

This startup aims to delay menopause and prolong fertility with a new contraceptive

Oviva Therapeutics just raised $11.5 million to develop drugs based on the work of Mass. General researchers.
Biotech

Evelo Biosciences sheds 48 employees after skin disease treatment fails

The Cambridge biotech company, founded by Flagship Pioneering, is developing microbiome therapies.

Two senators accuse Moderna of ‘greed’ for its plan to quadruple COVID vaccine cost

Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Peter Welch of Vermont say that shots, made by the Cambridge-based biotech, could become unaffordable for some Americans.

Microbiome firm Finch Therapeutics cuts 95 percent of its workforce

The Somerville biotech is ditching advanced-stage studies of a pill made with bacteria taken from human feces.
Lifestyle

‘God. Guns. Gas stoves.’ The culture wars range into the kitchen.

Few political observers expected the cooking appliance to emerge as a hot-button political issue in 2023, but here we are.
RI HEALTH

Fatal R.I. overdoses remained high in 2022. Here’s what two organizations want to do about it.

Project Weber/RENEW and CODAC Behavioral Healthcare are proposing to open a supervised drug use site on Huntington Avenue in Providence.

US kindergarten vaccination rate dropped again, data shows

Health officials focus on kindergarten because it's when most children enter school systems.
Spotlight

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

Hospital chiefs and trustees defend this as boosting public-private partnerships, but critics say these board positions — some paying millions of dollars — raise troubling issues of conflict of interest and hospital priorities.

More biotech and health care stories

Eye drops linked to US drug-resistant bacteria outbreak

Disease investigators have linked the infections, including some found in blood, urine, and lungs, to EzriCare Artificial Tears.

PERSPECTIVE

Breast-feeding and Black moms — why I’m breaking a generational cycle

Here’s what’s needed to help all Black moms who want to nurse their babies succeed at it.

The national COVID-19 public health emergency will end in May but some of its provisions may survive in Mass.

President Biden’s move to lift the COVID-19 emergency means a sweeping series of changes to the health care system will come to an end May 11. Officials in Massachusetts are sorting through what the effect will be here.

FTC fines GoodRx for unauthorized sharing of health data

Consumer protection advocates hailed the announcement as a potential game-changer that could curtail the trafficking of sensitive health data by businesses not strictly classified as health care providers.

Evelo Biosciences sheds 48 employees after skin disease treatment fails

The Cambridge biotech company, founded by Flagship Pioneering, is developing microbiome therapies.

Tell us about your experience supporting maternal mental health

We want to shine a light on those who have served as a support system to mothers dealing with postpartum depression.

Prosecuting the unthinkable: Experts question handling of cases where mothers are accused of killing their children

A day after Lindsay Clancy was accused of strangling her three children in Duxbury, the Plymouth County DA filed homicide charges that could send her to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. But legal analysts and health experts said other options should be considered.

Campbell announces new abortion hotline for patients and providers seeking legal advice

The hotline, which went live 7 a.m. Monday, was created by Reproductive Equity Now Foundation in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office, the Women’s Bar Foundation, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and five law firms that will offer pro bono services.