TOM MURPHY

Health writer

Murphy covers how people and businesses navigate the U.S. health care system. He is a member of AP’s Health and Science team.

Mounjaro, Zepbound pour money into Eli Lilly, fueling a better-than-expected second quarter

Eli Lilly blew past second-quarter expectations with the diabetes treatment Mounjaro and its weight loss counterpart Zepbound funneling more than $4 billion in sales to the drugmaker.

CVS Health cuts its 2024 forecast a third time, dragged down by health insurance struggles

CVS Health has chopped its 2024 forecast for a third time as the health care giant continues to struggle with high utilization in its health insurance business.

Walgreens and CVS experiment with stores in hopes of luring back customers

America’s drugstores are testing smaller locations and more ways to offer care as more store closings loom.

European committee says Alzheimer’s treatment Leqembi shouldn’t get marketing approval

Shares of Biogen slid Friday after a European regulatory committee said the Alzheimer’s treatment Leqembi should not receive marketing approval.

Do you really have to wait to go swimming after eating?

No, you don’t really have to wait 30 minutes after eating to go swimming. Doctors say there’s no need in most cases to wait.

UnitedHealth sticks to 2024 outlook despite strong quarter with costs from massive cyberattack high

UnitedHealth topped second-quarter forecasts but remains cautious about the year as it continues to eat costs from a massive cyberattack and deal with rising medical expenses.

Walgreens to take a hard look at underperforming stores, could shutter hundreds more

Walgreens is finalizing a plan to fix its business that could result in the closure of hundreds of additional stores in the next three years.

Drug shortages keep on growing. Older, injectable medicines are among the most vulnerable

Erin Fox has tracked drug shortages for more than 20 years, and she sees no easy solutions for what has become a record run.

Biden administration seeks to wipe consumer medical debt off most credit reports with proposed rule

The Biden administration is pushing to prevent medical debt from being considered in most decisions made over whether someone qualifies to rent an apartment, buy a car or take on a mortgage.

How to find the right balance between telemedicine and in-person care

Patients can now see a growing array of doctors without leaving their living room recliner thanks to telemedicine. But that doesn’t mean trips to the office should end.

Need a pharmacy? Finding access depends on the states and neighborhoods you live in

Urban and rural communities have come to depend on pharmacies as a trusted care option and a place for advice.

Being a patient is getting harder in a strained and complex US health care system

Health care delivery experts say patients in the U.S. need more help dealing with a system that is growing increasingly complex.

Eli Lilly beefs up plan to expand manufacturing for popular drugs Zepbound, Mounjaro

Eli Lilly will spend more than $5 billion to expand an Indiana manufacturing site and eventually make more doses of its hot-selling weight-loss and diabetes treatments, Zepbound and Mounjaro.

A cyberattack forces a big US health system to divert ambulances and take records offline

A cyberattack on the Ascension health system operating in 19 states across the U.S. forced some of its 140 hospitals to divert ambulances, caused patients to postpone medical tests and blocked online access to patient records.

Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates are pushed back in a ‘measure of good news’

The go-broke dates for benefit programs Medicare and Social Security have been pushed back as an improving economy has contributed to changed projected depletion dates, according to the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report.

Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers

The health insurer Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit over whether its fertility treatment coverage discriminates against LGBTQ+ patients.

Change Healthcare cyberattack was due to a lack of multifactor authentication, UnitedHealth CEO says

The beginning of the Change Healthcare cyberattack happened when hackers entered a server that lacked multifactor authentication.

CVS Health chops 2024 forecast as cost struggles with Medicare Advantage persist

CVS Health missed first-quarter expectations and chopped its 2024 outlook more than a dollar below Wall Street’s forecast.

Lilly rides Mounjaro, Zepbound to better-than-expected 1Q profit despite supply issues

Rapidly climbing sales of the new obesity drug Zepbound and its counterpart for diabetes, Mounjaro, pushed Eli Lilly to a better-than-expected first-quarter profit.

UnitedHealth says wide swath of patient files may have been taken in Change cyberattack

UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in the cyberattack on its Change Healthcare business.

Cyberattack costs hit UnitedHealth in 1Q that still turns out better than expected

UnitedHealth Group trounced first-quarter expectations even as costs from a cyberattack to its Change Healthcare business ate into its performance.

It’s the first drug shown to slow Alzheimer’s. Why is it off to a slow start?

The first drug shown to slow Alzheimer’s hit the U.S. market over a year ago, but sales have lagged and diagnosis and treatment remain complicated.

J&J to pump another $13B into its MedTech business with Shockwave deal

Johnson & Johnson is pumping more money into heart care with a roughly $13 billion deal for Shockwave Medical, which specializes in technology that helps open clogged arteries.

Walgreens books hefty charge as the drugstore chain adjusts the value of struggling clinics

Walgreens lost nearly $6 billion in its second quarter mainly due to a drop in value for the VillageMD clinic business it controls.

Insurer delays and denials hamper patients seeking at-home breathing machines

Doctors around the country say insurers are making it harder to get coverage for home ventilators that patients with serious illnesses need as their lungs fail.

FDA will take a deeper look into the safety and effectiveness of Lilly experimental Alzheimer’s drug

Federal regulators are putting off a decision on Eli Lilly’s potential Alzheimer’s treatment with an unusual request to have an advisory committee examine the drug.

CVS and Walgreens plan to start dispensing abortion pill mifepristone soon

Drugstore chains CVS Health and Walgreens plan to start dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone in a few states.

CVS Health grows more cautious about 2024 as it deals with rising Medicare Advantage costs

Busy Medicare Advantage businesses have CVS Health and other insurance providers spooked about the new year.

Weight loss, diabetes drugs propel Eli Lilly to largely better-than-expected forecast for 2024

Eli Lilly rode soaring demand for diabetes and weight-loss treatments to a better-than-expected finish in 2023, and the drugmaker expects momentum to carry into the new year.

Insider Q&A: Look for telemedicine to play a growing role in your regular care

Telemedicine’s early days of handling mostly mild illnesses like sinus infections or cases of pink eye are fading fast. Dr.