WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- In a surprising move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has opted not to approve a needle-free alternative to the EpiPen for emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions.Approval of the Neffy nasal spray was widely anticipated. An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend approval of the drug for children and adults in May. While the FDA is not obligated to follow the advice of their advisory panels, it usually does. Instead, the FDA told the drug’s maker, ARS Pharmaceuticals, that it needed to conduct another study on the drug before it is approved, the company said in a statement late Tuesday night."We are deeply disappointed that this action further delays the availability of Neffy for the millions of people who are at risk...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Brown rats found and analyzed near Atlanta now carry rat lungworm, researchers report.It's a parasite that can trigger a dangerous brain encephalitis in both people and pets, and which now threatens a wide area of the U.S. Southeast.Researchers in Georgia say the microscopic rat lungworm, known scientifically as Angiostrongylus cantonensis, typically begins its life cycle in native and exotic snails — rats probably contract the parasite after eating snails.A. cantonensis was first identified in Asia and was for many years not endemic to the United States. It first appeared in Hawaii before being spotted in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, "likely introduced by infected rats and gastropods [snails] through trade routes, such as on...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A deadly infection associated with hospitalization may not be the fault of the hospital, but may instead stem from the patients themselves, a new study suggests.Infection caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is still common in hospitals, despite extensive infection control procedures. The new research may help explain why that's so. Among more than 1,100 patients at a Chicago hospital, a little over 9% were "colonized" with C. diff. Analysis of nearly 4,000 fecal specimens showed very little evidence that the strains of C. diff from one patient to the next were the same, which would imply in-hospital acquisition.But only six possible patient-to-patient transmissions were found. Instead, people who already carried...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one in five counties across the United States lack psychiatrists or internet service, making it difficult for around 10.5 million Americans to find mental health care, a new study shows. The counties examined in the study were more likely to be in rural areas, have higher unemployment rates, and have populations that were more likely to be uninsured and lack a bachelor’s degree. What’s worse, individuals who fall into any one of these categories are also more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. So, the need for mental health services is especially critical in areas with the greatest barriers to access, the researchers noted. And while the pandemic created a rapid demand for telehealth, the medium has yet to reach the...