Georgia, unsettled (and that’s okay)

Georgia is one of six states (and the most populous) that did not sign onto the multi-jurisdiction $26 billion opioid settlement with drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson.

Although the official deadline was this past Saturday, that doesn’t really mean the state won’t sign — you know how these things go. And there’s always the option to launch a separate lawsuit to try to recoup more money.

Said Attorney General Chris Carr:

“We have not rejected the deal, but we have not joined because at the present time joining the national settlements does not guarantee the best outcome for Georgia and its counties, cities, and citizens. We remain active in representing Georgia throughout negotiations, and we’re going to continue to get input from Georgia stakeholders.”

Cheer on the Braves, GPhA style!

Let’s go out to the ball game, let’s go out to the crowd…. The Braves game, that is, on Sunday, October 3, starting at 2:00pm vs the New York Mets. (The game starts at 3:20pm.)

Go to GPhA.org/georgia-pharmacy-day-at-the-braves and get your tickets (section 214) now! They’re just $54, which includes a $10 beverage credit and early access to the Xfinity Cabanas.

(Mets fans are welcome, too, but maybe keep that to yourselves.)

New tech could allow implanted insulin pumps

Once upon a time, there was this idea of an implanted insulin pump for diabetics. One of the drawbacks was obvious: how do you refill the thing? It never took off.

But now some Italian researchers think they’re on the way to cracking the problem, using magnetic capsules.

The patient swallows the capsule just like a pill, and it moves through the digestive system naturally until it reaches a section of the small intestine where the implant has been placed. Using magnetic fields, the implant draws the capsule toward it, rotates it, and docks it in the correct position. The implant then punches the capsule with a retractable needle and pumps the insulin into its reservoir.

It’s still in the testing phase, with pigs.

Gut-biome weight loss

There’s definitely a connection between the gut microbiome and the chance of someone becoming obese, but the details are still up in the air.

Publishing in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders, researchers from India have found an interesting new way to alter that biome, resulting in greater microbiome diversity, a smaller waistline, and a gradual decrease in blood glucose.

The treatment “may have to be repeated for sustained benefits,” they said; as always, further research is needed.

Prediabetes: 35 is the new 40

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has updated its recommendation for prediabetes screening because the last version (circa 2015) would have missed about half the cases.

The big change? “The USPSTF has lowered the starting age of screening from 40 to 35 years,” and now “recommends screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in adults aged 35 to 70 years who have overweight or obesity.”

A healthier kind of drinking game

Every time you want to avoid heart failure, drink. A new study from the National Institutes of Health found that people who kept hydrated — not just now and then, but every day through midlife — were less likely to suffer from heart failure later.

[W]hen people drink less fluid, the concentration of serum sodium increases. The body then attempts to conserve water, activating processes known to contribute to the development of heart failure.

Stopping the itch

The FDA has approved Korsuva, Cara Therapeutics’s thrice-weekly drug that can stop itching in patients going through dialysis. It’s an alternative to antihistamines and barbituates, so if you know someone on dialysis, it’s worth a mention, no?

The Long(ish) Read: Food Allergies edition

Bad reaction to food? You might be allergic — but you might be intolerant, or it could be something else. “Food allergy and intolerance: five popular myths explained” breaks it down for you.