The Biggest Health and Medicine Stories of 2023
From new uses for weight-loss drugs to the first CRISPR gene editing therapy, these were some of the most impactful health stories of the year.
In world with so much urgent and depressing news, it can be hard to take a moment and reflect on all of the encouraging scientific and medical progress that has happened. But looking back at 2023, there was plenty on the health beat to be awed by.
From the arrival of the first safe and effective vaccines for a common respiratory disease to the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved CRISPR gene editing treatment, these were some of the biggest stories in the health world this year.
NEW WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS REVEALED NEW TRICKS
A new generation of drugs that result in significant weight loss appeared on the scene a few years ago with dramatic effects. This past year we learned a lot more about other potential benefits of the drugs, which include Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro. These range from reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke to possibly treating addiction. But the medications come with side effects such as gastrointestinal problems and muscle loss. They’re not cheap, either—they can cost around $1,000 or more out of pocket—and it’s not clear whether insurance will cover them. Still, these drugs are driving significant interest as we continue to learn more about them.
THE COVID PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY ENDED
The federal public health emergency put in place to combat the COVID pandemic ended on May 11. The end of the public health emergency marked the conclusion of a set of policies that made it easier and cheaper to access COVID tests, vaccines and treatments, as well as telehealth visits. Consumers must now obtain many of these things with coverage through private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid or bear the cost themselves. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, continues to circulate and pose a threat to public health. But in May the World Health Organization declared that disease no longer constituted a public health emergency of international concern and said that it was time to transition to long-term management of the COVID pandemic.
