Read the FDA report on the death of a woman who was taking a new Alzheimer’s drug, reigniting safety concerns

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm healthcare editor Leah Rosenbaum, and today in healthcare news:

• We got access to the FDA case report about a woman who died while on a controversial Alzheimer's treatment;
• The most common symptoms of Omicron include a cough and fatigue;
• We rounded up what we know about the Omicron variant and vaccines.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at [email protected] or tweet @leah_rosenbaum. Let's get to it…

A woman died while taking a controversial new Alzheimer's drug, increasing concerns about its safety. Read the FDA report on what happened.

• Insider got an FDA report about the death of a woman taking a new Alzheimer's drug.
• People taking the drug could have brain swelling or bleeding. Experts say it's easy to miss the signs.
• This could be a concern if Medicare begins reimbursing the drug for millions of people next year.

See the document>>

The most common Omicron symptoms include cough, fatigue, and a runny nose, according to health officials in the US and Europe

• The CDC just shared the symptoms of the first 43 confirmed Omicron infections in the US.
• Cough, fatigue, congestion, and a runny nose were the most commonly reported symptoms.
• Europe has also had mild cases, but it's too soon to act like Omicron is the common cold.

Read more>>

Here's the data we have so far on the Omicron variant versus our vaccines — what scientists have found, and what remains unanswered

• Lab studies found antibodies from vaccines bind less well to Omicron compared to previous variants.
• These studies are done using blood samples, and some are estimates using similar viruses, not Omicron.
• Most experts predict vaccines, particularly after boosters, will still offer protection against severe COVID-19.

Here's what we know>>

More stories we're reading:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art is dropping the 'Sackler' name after the Purdue Pharma family agreed to pay $4.3 billion over opioid harms (Insider)
• A new research effort finds many cancer studies can't be replicated (Science News)
• Scientists have developed a hi-tech sleeping bag that could stop astronauts' eyeballs from squashing in space (Insider)
• Children have been swept away in storm drains across the US during big floods (ProPublica)

-Leah