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FDA

Close-up of multiple vaccine vials used to prepare seasonal flu shots

Why This Year's Flu Shot Replaced All Three of Its Strains

For the first time in years, regulators rebuilt the flu vaccine from scratch, swapping the H1N1, H3N2, and B strains after a fast-mutating H3N2 variant cut protection in some patients to as little as 14%.

Health  · 5 Sep 2026, 09:21  · Sara Lindqvist
A blister pack of Zyrtec-D, a cetirizine-based antihistamine.

Does Allergy Medicine Really Stop Working? The Evidence Says Mostly No

The idea that allergy pills 'stop working' after months of daily use isn't well supported by the evidence — but the FDA has flagged a real, different reaction to watch for when you quit.

Health  · 26 Aug 2026, 09:30  · Sara Lindqvist
Building 51, the main entrance to the FDA's White Oak campus headquarters.

Compounding Pharmacies, Explained: Why 'FDA-Approved' Is a Lie

Compounding pharmacies aren't FDA-approved, because that approval doesn't exist for them. Here's the regulatory split behind the copycat-Ozempic crackdown, and why claiming otherwise just got 25 telehealth firms in trouble.

Health  · 11 Aug 2026, 09:30  · Sara Lindqvist
A pharmacist doing inventory behind the counter, where pseudoephedrine products are stored under federal purchase limits.

Why Pharmacies Cap How Much Sudafed You Can Buy

A federal tracking system logs every pseudoephedrine sale in real time. Here's why Sudafed sits behind the counter, what the purchase limits actually are, and when they start to matter.

Health  · 2 Aug 2026, 09:19  · Sara Lindqvist
A semaglutide injection pen, the type of GLP-1 medication affected by the FDA's compounding proposal.

FDA's Compounded Semaglutide Ban, Explained: What Changes for Patients

The FDA's April 2026 proposal would end large-scale compounding of semaglutide and tirzepatide. Individual-patient compounding isn't affected, but the supply picture is about to shrink.

Health  · 28 Jul 2026, 09:26  · Sara Lindqvist
Exterior of an FDA building on the White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Why the US and NZ Are the Only Countries With Drug Ads on TV

Drug ads that name a condition and a brand are banned nearly everywhere in the world. Here's how the US and New Zealand ended up as the two exceptions.

Health  · 19 Jul 2026, 04:14  · Sara Lindqvist
A bottle of melatonin dietary supplement tablets on a US pharmacy shelf.

Why American Melatonin Comes in 10 Times the Dose Most of Europe Allows

A bottle of melatonin in an American drugstore can pack five to ten milligrams; the same supplement in France is capped under two. The regulatory gap has real consequences for how families use -- and mis-store -- a hormone most people assume is harmless.

Health  · 17 Jul 2026, 04:17  · Sara Lindqvist
The SNOO smart bassinet, whose maker received an FDA warning letter.

FDA Warns the Maker of the $1,700 SNOO Smart Bassinet

The FDA cited Happiest Baby for selling SNOO products without clearance and flagged mold and unsanitary refurbished units, giving the company 15 days to respond.

Health  · 17 Jun 2026, 08:48  · Sara Lindqvist