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Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you. Given that this is already the middle of the week and we have survived this far, no reason not to continue, yes? Just consider the alternatives. In fact, this exceedingly modest accomplishment calls for celebration. So please join us in quaffing a ritual cup of needed stimulation — our choice today is the aromatic chocolate raspberry. Or grab a bottle of water, if you prefer. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest to help you along. Once again, we hope you have a successful day and, of course, keep in touch. We enjoy hearing your tips and tidbits. …

With mounting calls for embattled Sen. Bob Menendez to resign, the pharmaceutical industry could see one of its historical, and increasingly rare, Democratic allies ousted from Congress, STAT observes. The New Jersey Democrat has long been an outspoken ally for the industry, sometimes even diverging with his party to shield drugmakers from pricing reforms. In a heated 2019 bill markup, he joined Republicans in voting against amendments to introduce price-hike caps and drug price negotiation in Medicare. He is also the Democrat’s lead senator on bipartisan efforts to reauthorize an international HIV/AIDS program, PEPFAR, that has become mired in Republican infighting.

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The European Medicines Agency will discuss the risk that patients on Wegovy, Ozempic. or similar drugs may suffer certain complications under anesthesia that can lead to pneumonia, Reuters writes, citing an agenda on the regulator’s website. The agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee, which monitors side effects, will discuss a new “signal of aspiration and pneumonia aspiration” associated with the class of weight-loss and diabetes drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Individual cases recently reported in medical journals described patients who were found not to have an empty gastric tract during surgery despite prior fasting, creating a risk of aspiration and pneumonia.

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