Article

Living & Wellbeing

Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: What Caregivers Should Know

A lot of kids just want to fit in.1 But for too many, hair loss makes them stand out. For the one in 1,000 children and teens diagnosed with alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the hair follicles, hair loss can create practical challenges.2,3Youth with AA might feel too self-conscious for selfies, refuse to go out without a hat, or decline invitations to swimming parties or sports leagues for fear their wigs will fall off. In a 2017 study of 69...

This Season’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rolls Outs Across U.S.

Our 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines are now available in pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics across the U.S., following a recommendation by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most Americans should continue to pay nothing out-of-pocket for this season’s vaccine, with costs covered through their health insurance or, at participating locations, through government programs for eligible uninsured and underinsured people.  Although COVID-19 circulates year-round, cases began climbing...

Closing the Cancer Care Gap: World Cancer Day and Beyond

Every two seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with cancer.1 It’s a disease that knows no borders, doesn’t distinguish between race or religion, and pays no mind to whether a person is rich or poor. The great equalizer, it touches every corner of the globe.And yet, the impact of this disease is anything but equal. Race, ethnicity, location, and age all have an impact on cancer outcomes, due largely to medical, societal, and systematic barriers to care.2 For instance, Black men in the U.S...

Living & Wellbeing

How to Dispose of Unused Medicine Responsibly to Protect the Environment

Would it surprise you to learn that taking prescription medication is part of the daily routine for an estimated 60% of adults in the United States?1 Each prescription comes with extensive instructions about how to take the medication but offers little guidance on how to dispose of unused medicine. Responsible medication disposal is important. Improper disposal of unused or expired medications has the potential to result in pharmaceuticals getting into the environment.2 In fact, pharmaceuticals...

Living & Wellbeing

Five Ways Climate Change Impacts Our Health—and What We Can Do About It

It took a split second, recalls Louise Proud. Something in the air triggered an asthma attack in her 18-month-old daughter. The baby’s lips turned blue as Proud rushed her to the hospital in a panic. Thankfully, the healthcare team helped the child breathe normally, and she was back to herself quickly. But Proud’s sense of safety and stability didn’t snap back so readily. For her, it was a moment of realization about how the environment and health are intimately linked. Proud, who is Vice...

Living & Wellbeing

Heartburn, Acid Reflux, or GERD: What’s the Difference?

For many Americans, Super Bowl Sunday is as much an excuse to dig into snacks as it is to tune in for the game. Each year, we eat more than a billion chicken wings and 10 million pizzas.1,2 Then we wash it all down with more than 300 million gallons of beer. The resulting heartburn is often enough to raise antacid sales at 7-Eleven by 20% the day after the big game.1For about 60 million Americans, heartburn isn’t an aggravation isolated to one Sunday in February, but a condition they experience...

Living & Wellbeing

Finding Breakthroughs in Sickle Cell Disease: Patients and Advocates Lead the Way

In most types of clinical research, a large number of patients participate in studies that explore an experimental treatment or approach. This decades-old process is how some of the most impactful, and even lifesaving therapies have come to be, from cancer drugs to COVID-19 vaccines.1 But what happens when scientists need to study a rare disease, one that doesn’t affect a high percentage of people? And what if those who are affected don’t participate because of social disparities...

Living & Wellbeing

A Ticklist for Staying Safe While Spending Time Outdoors

Whether you like camping, taking the dog out for a walk, or simply spending time enjoying nature, it’s always good to be aware of how you and your family can help protect yourselves when you’re outside. Depending on where you live and spend your time, mosquitoes can carry diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, Zika, and yellow fever.1,2 Also high on the watchlist are ticks, which are second only to mosquitoes for spreading disease in humans if infected with bacteria, viruses, or parasites.3...

Albert Bourla Reflects on the One Year Anniversary of the COVID-19 Pandemic

One year. That’s how long it has been since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Sometimes it feels like the year went by in the blink of an eye. More often, however, it feels more like five years have gone by since many of us last gathered with loved ones, went to a movie theater or grabbed coffee with colleagues at the office. But regardless of how long it has felt to each of us, I think we can all agree it has been a year defined by loss, learning and an...

Living & Wellbeing

Are You at Risk for a Blood Clot?

NBC News war correspondent David Bloom was the image of health. In 2003, he was a 39-year-old avid tennis player. His work brought him to Iraq, where he was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division, advancing toward Bagdad. Ultimately, it wasn’t the war, but a blood clot that killed Bloom, according to a TODAY.com account of his death.1One night, he went to sleep out under the stars on a tank fender. He called his wife, Melanie, and mentioned that he had leg cramps. The symptom appeared natural...

Living & Wellbeing

Eczema vs. Psoriasis: What’s Causing My Itchy Skin?

Getting patches of red and itchy skin that may come and go could have you wondering: Is it eczema or psoriasis, and what’s the difference? Eczema and psoriasis are two distinct skin diseases that may require different treatment plans.1Although they may be difficult to tell apart, a dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in skin conditions) can spot the differences between these two non-contagious and common skin conditions. That’s why it’s important to speak to your healthcare provider to get...

How to be resilient

In the pharmaceutical industry, resilience isn’t just important: it’s critical. On average it takes ten years to bring a new drug to market. Often, that timeframe is significantly longer. And along the way we face setbacks, uncertainties, challenges, and many times, failures. Whoever you are, whatever your role or industry, you can probably identify with this in some way. Resilience is a person’s capacity to respond to pressure and demands upon them. In the current COVID-19 crisis, the need...