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Synthetic chemicals called phthalates, found in hundreds of consumer products such as food storage containers, shampoo, makeup, perfume and children's toys, may contribute to some 91,000 to 107,000 premature deaths a year among people ages 55 to 64 in the United States, a new study found. People with the highest levels of phthalates had a greater risk of death from any cause, especially cardiovascular mortality, according to the study published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Pollution. (LaMotte, 10/12)

A generic drug used widely to treat swelling associated with hypertension and heart failure showed hints in early research that it may also prevent the devastating brain damage of Alzheimer’s disease, a surprising twist that suggests scientists have a lot more to learn about the root cause of the neurodegenerative condition. The findings, reported Monday in Nature Aging, show how the drug, bumetanide, reversed signs of Alzheimer’s in mice, as well as in human brain cells in lab dishes. The new study also detailed real-world data mined from millions of patients’ electronic health records showing that people over the age of 65 who regularly took bumetanide were 35% to 75% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. (Molteni, 10/11)

Vectura Group Plc faces a growing backlash over its acquisition by a tobacco company, with some doctors and patients signaling they may switch to treatments made by rivals such as AstraZeneca Plc and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Respiratory organizations plan to issue guidance within the coming weeks on how health-care providers should handle Philip Morris International Inc.’s purchase of the U.K. company that makes treatments for lung illnesses. Some are already voicing discomfort. “At my next hospital appointment I’ll be asking my consultant to switch,” said Edinburgh-based Olivia Fulton, 35, who suffers from severe asthma and has been using GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Ellipta device that Vectura receives royalties for. “I do not want a tobacco company to profit from my ill health.” (Gretler, 10/11)

Two 27-year-old vaping entrepreneurs are the mystery men behind Puff Bar, the most popular e-cigarette brand among teens, which regulators have tried and failed to force off the U.S. market. In interviews with The Wall Street Journal, the business partners discussed the brand’s popularity among young people and Puff Bar’s decision to reformulate its products with synthetic nicotine so they don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Maloney, 10/11)

Relay Therapeutics will present data at a medical meeting Friday that give investors and oncologists the first look at RLY-4008, its drug to treat a form of liver cancer. “So far in the clinic, 4008 has done everything we designed it to do from the outset,” Don Bergstrom, Relay’s chief medical officer, told STAT. Relay uses a supercomputer designed at the research firm run by hedge fund billionaire David E. Shaw to better understand proteins and design drugs that target them. The company has a market capitalization of $2.4 billion. (Herper, 10/8)

As the country grapples with both the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing opioid crisis, chronic pain management has become more challenging than ever. Traditional therapies for chronic pain often rely on opioid-based treatments that run an outsized risk of addiction. Other treatment options include physical therapy, implants, and steroid injections, but these require frequent visits to a doctor’s office. Particularly during the pandemic, it has been difficult for chronic pain patients to overcome backlogs when those with acute conditions have been prioritized by an overwhelmed health care system. (Bender, 10/11)

KHN: The Public Backs Medicare Rx Price Negotiation Even After Hearing Both Sides’ Views 

As Congress debates cutting prescription drug costs, a poll released Tuesday found the vast majority of adults — regardless of their political party or age — support letting the federal government negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries and those in private health insurance plans. The argument that pharmaceutical companies need to charge high prices to invest in research and develop new drugs does little to change that sentiment, according to the new KFF poll. Most respondents agreed the negotiation strategy is needed because Americans pay more than people in other countries and because companies’ profits are too high. (Gomez, 10/12)