Everything you need to know about the risks of antidepressants in pregnancy – and why some top doctors say mums-to-be should stop taking them
Doctors speaking at a prestigious panel of the US drugs safety watchdog, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), on Monday warned that there was 'accumulating evidence' that antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, were linked to birth defects and may harm the developing infant brain.
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Reuters
9 minutes ago
- Reuters
Cigna's health services business powers Q2 earnings beat
July 31 (Reuters) - Cigna (CI.N), opens new tab beat Wall Street estimate for second-quarter profit on Thursday, helped by strength in its pharmacy benefit management business. The company was among the last major health insurers to report quarterly results, in a period marked by high medical costs in government-backed plans. Cigna, however, was able to shield itself from the broader industry trend as it divested its Medicare business to Health Care Service Corp and relies more on pharmacy benefits and fee-based commercial insurance. The company has intentionally structured its portfolio to suit current conditions, CEO David Cordani said on a post-earnings call. "We have no exposure to Medicaid or Medicare, instead choosing to serve these customers through our Evernorth services portfolio." Medicaid plans are for low-income people, while Medicare Advantage is for people aged 65 and older or with disabilities. Revenue from Cigna's Evernorth healthcare services unit, which includes its pharmacy benefit management business, rose 17% to $57.83 billion during the quarter. Pharmacy benefit managers help negotiate drug prices and coverage with manufacturers on behalf of employers and health plan clients. But the company also said it expects costs to remain elevated throughout the year and into next year, and has priced 2026 accordingly. It reported a medical care ratio — the percentage of premiums spent on medical care — of 83.2% during the quarter, higher than the 82.3% a year ago. Cigna attributed the rise to higher stop-loss medical costs, which protect employers from large claims. Shares of the company dropped 6% in morning trading. Baird analyst Michael Ha said the stock dip may reflect stop-loss concerns, but called the reaction "overdone". Cigna forecast 2025 medical care ratio to be between 83.2% and 84.2%, with the third-quarter ratio expected to be toward the upper end of that range. Its second-quarter adjusted per-share profit of $7.20 topped analysts' estimate of $7.15, according to data compiled by LSEG. The company maintained its annual adjusted profit forecast of at least $29.60 per share, while analysts expect $29.68 per share.
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Cases of Legionnaires' disease in major city triple... as outbreak leaves one dead
A person has died and cases of Legionnaire's disease have reached at least 22 people in New York York. The New York Health Department said it was alerted to an outbreak in Central Harlem last week after three cases were confirmed in the area. On July 22, city officials confirmed there were eight people who had been infected with no deaths. However, the health department provided an update on July 30 and noted that cases have nearly tripled within a week. The patients are located in Harlem with the ZIP codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039, along with the bordering communities. No details about the deceased or infected individuals including their names, ages or genders, have been shared by officials. Health experts say the outbreak is not linked to an issue with any buildings' plumbing system and residents in these ZIP codes can continue to drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use their air conditioning units at home. The disease is spread from various water sources, particularly public sites such as cooling towers and hot tubs. Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia that causes lung inflammation, and complications from the disease can be fatal. About one in 10 people who become sick will die from the infection. The health department said in a statement: 'People who have been in the affected area since late July with flu-like symptoms, fever, cough, or difficulty breathing should seek immediate medical attention. 'People living or working in the area with flu-like symptoms, such as cough, fever, chills, muscle aches, or difficulty breathing should contact a health care provider immediately. 'It is especially important for people at higher risk - including those ages 50 and older, cigarette smokers, and people with chronic lung disease or compromised immune systems - to get care if they have symptoms.' The infection is caused by a bacterium, known as Legionella that is primarily spread through the inhalation of contaminated water droplets or aerosols. These contaminated droplets can be released from various water sources, including cooling towers, hot tubs, showers and decorative fountains. The disease is not spread by drinking or swimming in water or person to person except in the instance of water accidentally getting into the lungs instead of the stomach. Plumbing systems, especially those associated with warm water, such as hot water tanks and distribution pipes, can also serve as reservoirs for Legionella bacteria to multiply. From there it can contaminate water in pipes. Stagnant or low-flow areas in pipes also foster Legionella growth. Previously, Dr Celia Quinn, deputy commissioner of the health department's Division of Disease Control, revealed that 'very hot and humid [weather] can help the bacteria to grow really rapidly'. Temperatures in the city are expected to reach 84 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, with humidity levels of about 80 percent. In the last week, residents in New York have been dealing with sweltering heat as temperatures climbed to nearly 90F, with humidity levels of more than 70 percent. The Weather Channel predicts that temperatures above 80F will continue to be experienced by the city through most of August. Early symptoms of the disease include fever, loss of appetite, headache, lethargy, muscle pain and diarrhea. The severity can range from a mild cough to fatal pneumonia, and treating infection early with antibiotics is key for survival. Most healthy individuals do not become infected after exposure to Legionella, however, people most at risk include adults over 50, smokers and those with weakened immune systems or chronic lung conditions. The disease is treated with antibiotics including azithromycin, fluoroquinolones (like levofloxacin or moxifloxacin), and sometimes doxycycline or rifampin. The CDC reports that cases of Legionnaires' disease have been increasing since the early 2000s and hit a peak in 2018 with 9,933 confirmed cases. Due to reporting discrepancies and various databases, data on the number of legionnaires' cases and deaths is fragmented and varies. However, according to the CDC's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDS), from 2000 through 2019, a total of 82,352 confirmed Legionnaires' disease cases were reported from 52 US jurisdictions. The most reliable way to determine if your water is contaminated with Legionella is to have it tested by a qualified laboratory. Home testing kits are also available, which involve collecting water samples and sending them to a lab for analysis. Earlier this week, health officials in Michigan also sounded the alarm over the spread of Legionnaires' disease after two people died of the infection this summer. Wayne County officials confirmed that both people were living in Allegria Village, a continuing care retirement community in Dearborn, Michigan when they contracted the infection in June and July. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reportedly said that both patients had tested positive for Legionnaires' disease Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia that causes lung inflammation. It is caused by a bacterium, known as Legionella. Around 500 people in the UK and 6,100 in the US suffer every year. The condition can cause life-threatening complications, including respiratory failure, kidney failure and septic shock, which occurs when blood flow to the vital organs is blocked. Most sufferers become ill by inhaling tiny water droplets from infected sources, such as shower heads, hot tubs, swimming pools or ventilation systems in buildings. Anyone can become infected, however, at-risk people include the elderly, smokers and those with suppressed immune systems, such as chemotherapy patients. Symptoms usually develop between two and 10 days after exposure to the bacteria. Early signs include: Headache Muscle Pain Fever and chills People may then experience: Cough, which may bring up blood Breathlessness Chest pain Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea Confusion Treatment is antibiotics, usually in hospital, as soon as possible. Prevention involves meticulous cleaning and disinfection of water systems. People can reduce their risk by not smoking as this damages the lungs and makes individuals more susceptible. Source: Mayo Clinic
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
World's ‘oldest baby' born from embryo frozen in 1994
The world's 'oldest baby' has been born in the US from an embryo that was frozen in 1994, it has been reported. Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born on 26 July in Ohio to Lindsey and Tim Pierce, using an 'adopted' embryo from Linda Archerd, 62, from more than 30 years ago. In the early 1990s, Archerd and her then husband decided to try in vitro fertilisation (IVF) after struggling to become pregnant. In 1994 four embryos resulted – one was transferred to Archerd and resulted in the birth of a daughter, who is now 30 and mother to a 10-year-old. The other embryos were cryopreserved and stored. 'We didn't go into it thinking we would break any records,' Lindsey told the MIT Technology Review, which first reported the story. 'We just wanted to have a baby.' IVF is a type of fertility treatment where eggs are retrieved from a woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory setting. The resulting embryos are then transferred back into the womb. The embryos can also be frozen and stored for future use. Archerd was awarded custody of the embryos after divorcing her husband. She then found out about embryo 'adoption', a type of embryo donation in which both donors and recipients have a say in whom they donate their embryos to. Archerd had a preference for her embryo to be 'adopted' by a white, Christian married couple, leading to the Pierces adopting the embryo. 'We had a rough birth, but we're both doing well now,' Lindsey said. 'He is so chill. We are in awe that we have this precious baby.' Archerd said: 'The first thing that I noticed when Lindsey sent me his pictures is how much he looks like my daughter when she was a baby. I pulled out my baby book and compared them side by side, and there is no doubt that they are siblings.' The fertility clinic that implanted the embryo is run by John Gordon, a reproductive endocrinologist and reformed presbyterian who is working to reduce the number of embryos in storage. Speaking of the embryo transfer, Gordon said: 'We have certain guiding principles, and they're coming from our faith. Every embryo deserves a chance at life and that the only embryo that cannot result in a healthy baby is the embryo not given the opportunity to be transferred into a patient.' In the UK the proportion of IVF births has increased from 1.3% in 2000 to 3.1% in 2023, the equivalent of one in 32 UK births, roughly one child in every classroom. For women aged 40 to 44, 11% of UK births were a result of IVF, up from 4% in 2000, accounting for 0.5% of all births, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA). In the US, about 2% of births are from IVF.
