Sen. Durbin’s Surgery; Dangerous Bacteria on Apple Watches? Princess Anne Discharged

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Sen. Dick Durban (D-Ill.) underwent hip replacement surgery and is recovering in his home state. (AP)

In other D.C. news, the House Ways and Means Committee passed a bill that would allow Medicare to cover weight-loss drugs. (NBC News)

Insurance companies are covering fewer drugs and making them more difficult to get when they do. (NPR)

Apple Watches and Fitbits may become a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria like Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus. (Forbes)

Meanwhile, an E. coli outbreak blamed on lettuce in sandwiches has sickened 175 people and resulted in one death in the U.K. (ABC News)

Experts are increasingly concerned America has a drinking problem. (STAT)

The Supreme Court blocked an Environmental Protection Agency rule that aimed to curb harmful smog that travels from one state to another. (CBS News)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid issued a proposed rule to increase payment rates to dialysis providers.

Analysis of a fossil discovered in Spain suggests a Neanderthal community cared for a child with Down syndrome. (Washington Post)

Walgreens could close a “significant” number of underperforming stores across the country. (Fox Business)

Restrictions on mask-wearing in public are now law in North Carolina. (AP via ABC News)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the state won’t comply with the U.S. Surgeon General’s public health advisory on gun violence. (The Hill)

Is it possible to be addicted to ultraprocessed food? (CNN)

An NIH-sponsored clinical trial has launched to evaluate the safety of an investigational monoclonal antibody to treat enterovirus D68, which can cause severe respiratory and neurological diseases.

The FDA declined to approve the gene therapy marnetegragene autotemcel for severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency-I, drugmaker Rocket Pharmaceuticals announced.

Snubbed by the FDA last year, the European Medicines Agency has recommended approval of an epinephrine nasal spray for serious allergic reactions. (Reuters)

Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles III, has been discharged following a hospitalization for a head injury. (NBC News)

Kinky Friedman — a Texas satirist and one-time gubernatorial candidate — died at the age of 79. (Texas Tribune)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is going to compensate dairy farmers for the loss of milk supply due to bird flu-infected cows. (Reuters)

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