Flu vaccine at home; 14-year-old invents cancer-treating soap; NP inappropriate prescribing levels no higher than physicians - Morning Medical Update

Flu vaccine at home

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing an application for an at home nasal spray flu vaccine called FluMist. It has been on the market since 2003. “One of the things we’ve learned from the pandemic is that actually people can do things for themselves, they can take maybe more responsibility for their own health care in their own hands than perhaps we realized or even thought possible,” AstraZeneca’s Dr. Lisa Glasser said in a statement.

14-year-old invents cancer-treating soap

A 14-year-old was named America’s Top Young Scientist after inventing a bar of soap that treats skin cancer. Heman Bekele, a ninth grader from Virginia, was presented the award by 3M and Discovery Education. The award is one of the most prestigious middle school science competitions.

NP inappropriate prescribing levels no higher than physicians

Nurse practitioners are no more likely to prescribe inappropriately to older adults than physicians, new research shows. The study examined Medicare Part D beneficiaries aged 65 and up in 2013 to 2019. The authors concluded by saying the study “adds to growing evidence indicating that when prescriptive authority is expanded to include NPs, these new prescribers do not perform worse than physicians."