News from other sources

Information technology

North Korea behind WannaCry attack which crippled the NHS after stealing US cyber weapons, Microsoft chief claims | The Telegraph

Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, said that he thinks, "with great confidence," that North Korea is to blame for the Wannacry cyberattack in May. He alleged that the country stole tools from the U.S. National Security Agency. Part of the reason the attacks were so successful was because many computers were running old, unpatched versions of Microsoft Windows.

Government

18 states sue over Trump-halted ObamaCare payments | The Hill

Eighteen states and Washington, D.C., sued Donald Trump Friday to try to ensure that cost-sharing reduction payments are still made. On Thursday, Trump said he would stop making the payments.

Trump adds exemption so that non religious employers can avoid providing birth control coverage | Medcity News

Employers who don't want to provide birth control coverage now have another out in addition to religious beliefs: "sincerely held moral convictions."

Safety, quality and clinical practice

In early results, shorter treatment for tuberculosis proves effective | The New York Times

The current recommended treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis is a course of antibiotics that lasts two years. But a new trial showed that taking the correct antibiotics for less than half that time—nine months—may be just as effective.

Pharmaceuticals

The drug industry's triumph over the DEA | The Washington Post

After successful lobbying, Congress passed a law that limits how the DEA can stop suspicious shipments from drug companies. Pharmaceuticals' representatives in political action committees gave $1.5 million to the Congress members who sponsored or co-sponsored the bill's various versions.

In other news

You should get the flu shot—even if it won't keep you from getting sick | Popular Science

The flu shot depends on herd immunity. In other words, getting the flu shot isn't just important for your own health—it's important for the health of everyone else.