The New York Times (5/5, Jewett) reports FDA officials “have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against COVID-19 and shingles in recent months, a spokesman for” HHS confirmed. The studies “were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records.” The researchers “found serious side effects to be very rare.” The Times says that “in October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two COVID-19 vaccine studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals.” Then, in February, top FDA “officials did not sign off on submitting abstracts about studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug safety conference.”

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (5/5, George) reports, “Older adults in the U.S. were less likely to develop dementia if they received the recombinant subunit zoster (shingles) vaccine (Shingrix), an analysis of 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries showed.” Investigators found that “the incidence of any type of dementia was 10.45 (95% CI 10.29-10.62) per 1,000 person-years for older adults who received the two-dose shingles vaccine and 15.73 (95% CI 15.57-15.89) per 1,000 person-years for contemporary comparators who were unvaccinated.” The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (5/5) reports, “A new survey of adults in 18 countries across the economic spectrum found that the prevalence of poor mental health – and the ability to access care to improve mental health – varied widely.” The survey “also found global commonalities, including that people with poor mental health are generally dissatisfied with their health care.” The researchers said, “People with poor mental health are more unhappy than others with their care. … Paying greater attention to responsiveness and quality of general medical services, including stronger integration of mental health into primary care, care coordination, and clinician empathy, will benefit this group and the entire patient population.” The findings were published in PLOS Medicine.

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— “New Global Survey of Adult Mental Health and Health System Confidence, Psychiatric News , May 5, 2026

The New York Times (5/4, Barry) reports that on Monday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “announced several initiatives intended to rein in the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants, which he has described as exceptionally difficult to quit.” The Times adds, “The changes – new trainings, reimbursement mechanisms and clinical guidelines – nudge clinicians to help patients getting off medications, and to consider nonpharmaceutical interventions, like therapy, nutrition and exercise.” Dr. Marketa Wills, the chief executive and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association, said, “We may take issue with this blanket ‘overprescribing’ hypothesis that underpins the secretary’s statements.” Dr. Wills “added, though, that she welcomed Mr. Kennedy’s focus on mental health, and that she hoped to be involved in developing clinical guidelines around deprescribing.” Dr. Wills said, “We, as the A.P.A., want to be at the table for all these discussions and policy improvements.” According to Dr. Willis, “The bottom line is, we believe clinical care is safe and should be individualized for all patients, and we believe the secretary is taking steps that are beneficial for the field.”

The Wall Street Journal (5/4, Essley Whyte, McKay, Subscription Publication) also covers the story.

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (5/4) reports two studies are “raising alarms about inhalants, which are often portrayed online as harmless while putting teens at real risk.” The first study, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, “reviewed 30 videos about nitrous oxide – often called ‘laughing gas’ – posted in early 2025. Those videos averaged 23 million views. Some showed how to use it, with no age restrictions or health warnings,” while other videos highlighted “how easy and accessible these substances can be for teens.” The second study, to be published in Preventive Medicine, “analyzed data from more than 33,000 teens who took part in a national survey on drug use between 2021 and 2023. Just 2.2% of teens reported using inhalants in the past year, but researchers said that’s more than a half-million U.S. adolescents.” Researchers found that “inhalant use was linked to behavioral problems like fighting and stealing.”

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— “Social Media Videos, Easy Access Raise Risk of Teen Inhalant Use, HealthDay , May 4, 2026