3 Deaths Linked to Device; Nurses Strike in 8 Cities; Rare Skin Cancer Mimics Rash

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Abiomed flagged a heart pump controller purge cassette problem associated with three of its productsopens in a new tab or window, the FDA alerted. The company sent a letter to customers recommending all automated Impella controllers be removed from where they’re used or sold; to date, 37 serious injuries and three deaths have been associated with this issue.

The World Health Organization declared Uganda’s Ebola outbreak overopens in a new tab or window, while deaths surpassed 2,700 and more than 5,600 cases were confirmed in neighboring Congo. (Reuters via Yahoo!)

An infant was one of two unvaccinated individuals who recently died of measlesopens in a new tab or window in Pennsylvania, according to state health officials. (NBC News)

A cyberattack on medical device maker Boston Scientificopens in a new tab or window disrupted the company’s global operations. (CBS News)

National Nurses United, the nation’s largest nurses union, is slated to protest data analytics company Palantiropens in a new tab or window across eight cities today. (Becker’s Health IT)

Australian bioengineers developed cyborg cockroachesopens in a new tab or window equipped with cameras and mini medical injectors for search-and-rescue missions in major disasters. (The Guardian)

The National Football League (NFL) and NFL Players Association are launching a behavioral health networkopens in a new tab or window to streamline confidential mental health support for players. (AP)

Americans continue to seek unregulated psychedelic treatment abroadopens in a new tab or window despite reports of severe health complications and fatalities. (New York Times)

Extramammary Paget’s diseaseopens in a new tab or window, a slow-growing skin cancer, is often mistaken for an itchy rash. (Washington Post)

The Trump administration plans to announce a new series of drug-pricing agreementsopens in a new tab or window with midsize biotech firms. (Bloomberg)

AstraZeneca and Amgen announced the monoclonal antibody tezepelumab (Tezspire) met both co-primary and all key secondary endpoints in a phase III trial for eosinophilic esophagitisopens in a new tab or window.

CVS and Walgreens have each filled roughly 100,000 prescriptionsopens in a new tab or window for $50-a-month obesity medications under Medicare’s Bridge program. (NPR)

In high metabolic risk pregnancies, metformin was linked to increased gestational ageopens in a new tab or window at delivery but failed to reduce gestational diabetes, a meta-analysis found. (NEJM Evidence)

Norway’s King Harald, who has hemolytic anemia, is in very serious conditionopens in a new tab or window following a bacterial blood infection. (AP)

A Virginia gastroenterologist went viral on social media after revealing she woke up to find a bat trying to enter her mouthopens in a new tab or window. (WRAL News)

A retired cardiologist said volunteering at a community clinicopens in a new tab or window gave him an entirely new medical education. (STAT)

Actress Busy Philipps revealed she underwent two surgeries to remove a grade 2 oligodendrogliomaopens in a new tab or window, a rare, slow-growing brain tumor, that was discovered on a Prenuvo scan. (People)

Actor Tim Curry died at age 80; USA Today detailed his health struggles prior to his deathopens in a new tab or window, including a major stroke in 2012.

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