author

 
 

Meta

Lisa Jarvis
Abortion rights activists and counterprotesters demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court in June on the first anniversary of the court ruling in the Dobbs vs. Women’s Health Organization case, overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2023
U.S. abortions haven’t dropped since Dobbs ruling
The #WeCount project says the number of U.S. abortions increased by about 2,000 between June 2022 and June 2023 compared with the prior 12-month period.
A prescription injector for Ozempic, a weight loss drug
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2023
Ozempic cuts alcohol cravings. Liquor companies aren’t ready.
A survey conducted by Morgan Stanley’s AlphaWise research unit found that people consumed 62% less alcohol while taking weight loss drugs.
A new study defines some critical differences in certain biomarkers of people with long COVID.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2023
Long COVID is real. Now the evidence is piling up.
In what the researchers believe is a first, they did a detailed study of the differences between people with long COVID and those who are healthy.
Katalin Kariko (right) and Drew Weissman, the winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discoveries enabling the development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2023
Nobel for mRNA vaccines shows the power of perseverance
Decades of work by Nobel Prize winners Kariko and Weissman made the rapid development of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines possible.
Preliminary data suggests that updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to a previous variant known as XBB, could still offer protection against the new edition.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023
New Pirola COVID-19 variant shows value of booster shots
Data suggests the updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to the XBB variant, could still offer decent protection against the new edition.
In 1990, there were five times as many men who had alcohol use disorder than women — now it’s two times, according to the director of a research institute on alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023
Women are drinking more alcohol and it’s killing them
Analysis of data from the CDC found that alcohol-related deaths among women increased by nearly 15% per year between 2018 and 2020.
Novo Nordisk' anti-obesity drug Wegovy
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023
Insurers can’t avoid covering weight-loss drugs forever
Evidence is mounting that drugs like Wegovy not only help patients lose weight but also help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
As many as half of women with postpartum depression go undiagnosed.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2023
New postpartum depression pill is a vital breakthrough
Pharma companies seem to be finally listening to the female half of the population.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2023
Eli Lilly’s new weight-loss drug is even better than Ozempic
When it comes to manipulating the human metabolism, we’re entering entirely new territory with new drugs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2023
Eradicate breast cancer? The hunt for a vaccine looks promising
Women in the future may soon be able to get a series of shots that teach their immune systems how to quash breast cancer before it becomes a problem.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 24, 2023
Yet another bad week for abortion rights in America
Judges on the U.S. 5th Circuit appeared worryingly comfortable challenging the expertise of FDA scientists.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2023
Xylazine spreads faster than U.S. officials can act
The U.S. needs better ways of tracking illicit xylazine, a sedative that’s especially dangerous when mixed with fentanyl.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2023
Bats, cheetahs and hippos unlock mysteries of the human genome
The decade-long Zoonomia project shows that animals have a lot to teach us about our health, disease, and potentially new ideas for medicines.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2023
A breakthrough on Alzheimer's is closer than ever
Promising data could open the door to insurance coverage for expensive new Alzheimer's drugs, bringing them closer to patients.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2023
Cancer vaccine hunt makes progress, finally
A small cancer drug study shows promise in deploying mRNA technology against melanoma, but fighting tumors is vastly more complex than tackling COVID-19.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2023
Abortion pill rulings to impact pharmaceutical innovation
Bringing new drugs to market is already expensive and time-consuming. Undercutting the FDA will only make it harder.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2023
Schizophrenia drug may offer much-needed progress
Late-stage data on a treatment in development by Karuna Therapeutics for schizophrenia show promise on sharply reducing harsh side effects.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2023
Obesity drugs for kids? Why new guidelines make sense
The American Academy of Pediatrics thinks drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro could help teens with weight loss.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2023
A refreshing gamble on Crispr delivery
Biotech startup Aera is trying to shake up the always-just-out-of-reach field of genetic medicine.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2023
The U.S. needs five times as many child psychiatrists
American kids are struggling with mental anxiety and other issues and there are too few trained adults available to help them.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.