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Pharmaceuticals

Ketamine gives hope to patients with severe depression. But some clinics stray from the science and hype its benefits | STAT

Walk into Kalypso Wellness Centers in San Antonio, Texas, and you might be treated with one of five "proprietary blends" of ketamine. They're not cheap — $495 per infusion — and not covered by insurance, but the company offers a "monthly" membership program to cut costs and advertises discounts for members of the military and first responders.

Beyond the pale (ale): FDA orders pharma lab to can its microbrewery operation | STAT

A recent inspection of Pharmaceutical Laboratories and Consultants Inc., in Addison, Ill., found brewery supplies casually mixed in with equipment used to evaluate over-the-counter drug products. In one instance, the facility had stored a beer fermenter and created a workspace for a brewery employee preparing kegs, all within 10 feet of an area where microbiological material is kept.

High-nicotine e-cigarettes flood market despite FDA rule | Reuters

The sleek Juul electronic cigarettes have become a phenomenon at U.S. high schools, vexing educators and drawing regulatory scrutiny over their sweet flavors and high nicotine content.

Safety, quality and clinical practice

Blood, sweat and workplace wellness: Where to draw the line on incentives | Kaiser Health News

Workplace wellness programs that offer employees a financial carrot for undergoing health screenings, sticking to exercise regimens or improving their cholesterol levels have long been controversial.

Trump administration proposes weakening rules governing organ transplant centers | ProPublica

The Trump administration proposed eliminating a decade-old regulation that puts hospitals at risk of losing their Medicare funding if too many of their patients die or suffer organ failure after receiving transplants.