— Health news and commentary gathered by MedPage Today staff
October 12, 2026 • 3 min read
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Pope Leo XIV announced he will undergo surgery "in the coming days"opens in a new tab or window to remove a nodule on his lung, in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. (AP)
Medicare Advantage options are shrinking for seniorsopens in a new tab or window as some insurers pull out altogether in certain regions. (New York Times)
Based on the current information provided, the World Health Organization said there's no evidence of transmissionopens in a new tab or window from the suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia, and said the pathogen involved remains unknown.
The mayor of Wuhan, China, when the COVID-19 pandemic started -- who was criticized for his handling of the initial outbreak -- was sentenced to 14 years in prisonopens in a new tab or window for bribery. (AP)
The U.S. measles tally has grown to 4,080, according to the CDC's latest figuresopens in a new tab or window, with Pennsylvania's record-breaking outbreak contributing to more than a fourth of the toll.
Undisclosed financial relationships suggest that pharmacy benefit managers played a bigger role in the opioid crisisopens in a new tab or window than previously known. (JAMA Health Forum)
The NIH is launching an accelerated initiative for therapeutic cancer vaccinesopens in a new tab or window, most of which use mRNA technology. (New York Times)
HHS recommended the Justice Department use concentration or ratio thresholds to determine which synthetic kratom-derived products should move to Schedule 1opens in a new tab or window, the same classification as heroin.
Christa Pike, who survived Tennessee's attempt to execute her by lethal injection, was moved back to prisonopens in a new tab or window. (AP)
Watchdog group Common Sense Media said ChatGPT for Teens represents an "unacceptable riskopens in a new tab or window," as many of the safeguards are easily bypassed or don't function as intended.
A study with 35 years of follow-up showed that recent and cumulative cannabis use were both linked to poorer objective sleep qualityopens in a new tab or window among middle-age adults. (JAMA Network Open)
An estimated $7 billion was spent by U.S. health plansopens in a new tab or window from 2015 to 2024 on drugs that were granted accelerated FDA approval but later pulled from the market. (JAMA Health Forum)
In other FDA news, the agency warned about a software issue with certain Philips Lumify diagnostic ultrasound systemsopens in a new tab or window linked to eight serious injuries and four deaths.
Vacuum-sealed seafood trio packages of cold smoked salmon, halibut, and trout made by Starfish Seafood were recalled over potential Listeria monocytogenesopens in a new tab or window contamination, according to an FDA notice.
In Tennessee, dozens of people at a Walmart Distribution Center fell ill with possible foodborne-illnessopens in a new tab or window, and the cause is under investigation. (WJHL)
Do saunas have health benefits?opens in a new tab or window Researchers are trying to find out. (NPR)
Comedian Ron Bennington, who hosts a podcast where he interviews other comedians while he receives chemotherapy for his stage IV colon canceropens in a new tab or window, talked about his initial diagnosis and being told he had an incurable disease. (NBC News)
Reality star Brandi Glanville said she will undergo exploratory surgeryopens in a new tab or window in hopes of getting to the bottom of her facial disfigurement, saying she believes "something is in my face eating it." (People)
Stigma, funding cuts, and the Iran war have put contraception out of reachopens in a new tab or window for Africa's girls. (AP)
Amid the economic crisis in Cuba, citizens are turning to free community pharmaciesopens in a new tab or window as everyday medications grow scarce. (AP)