It’s not supposed to work that way

Ah, the funkiness of the U.S. healthcare system, where, it turns out, “Medicare Part D enrollees may pay more out of pocket for high-priced specialty generic drugs than their brand-name counterparts.”

Why? Rebates and the “doughnut hole” — the gap before catastrophic coverage kicks in. Patients in the doughnut hole get discounts on brand-name drugs, but those discounts are considered out-of-pocket spending. More OOP spending means being eligible for catastrophic coverage (and its lower co-pays) faster.

More naloxone should be coming soon

The FDA is planning to speed up approvals of generic version of naloxone. That is all.

Still more measles

The current measles outbreak is slowing, but people are still getting sick, with 14 new cases of the once-eradicated disease being reported, bringing to 1,109 people across 28 states.

For diabetes, the future is cloudy

Just because an older person has elevated blood sugar doesn’t mean he or she will develop diabetes — so say researchers from the Aging Research Center at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Most of them actually won’t.

“In fact, the chance to stay prediabetic or even revert back to (normal blood sugar) is actually pretty high (64%), without taking medication. Lifestyle changes such as weight management or blood pressure control may help stop prediabetes from progressing.”

Goat’s milk and the microbiome

OK, file this tidbit for next time you’re at the watercooler: It seems that goat’s milk, unlike cow’s milk, has a host of oligosaccharides that are similar to what’s in human milk — and that can do more for the gut biome because of that. So while “breast is best,” it would seem that “milk from the goat can float the boat” or something like that.

Bro, do you even lift?

If so, good for you. It’s apparently better for overweight people’s hearts than aerobic exercise.

To drink or not to drink

The latest study on moderate drinking says (shakes Magic 8-Ball) that it’s best to quit.

The investigators observed that people who had never consumed alcohol had the greatest level of mental well-being at baseline. Then, they saw that people who had quit drinking — particularly women — experienced a significant improvement in mental health.

We’ll see you when the next study comes out!