Trending News Today: FDA Extends EpiPen Expiration Date to Mitigate Shortage

To combat ongoing shortages of the EpiPen, the FDA on Tuesday extended the expiration date of specific lots by 4 months, Reuters reported. According to the article, Mylan issued a warning earlier this month that the devices may not always be available, with shortages due to manufacturing issues at a Pfizer plant that supplies EpiPens. The decision applies to specific lots of 0.3 milligram EpiPen products, the article reported.

A new survey has indicated that most Americans are aware of naloxone and would be willing to use it, but lack knowledge about the opioid antidote’s availability, NPR reported. According to the article, the NPR-IBM Watson Health Health Poll queried more than 3000 households nationwide about their knowledge regarding naloxone’s availability, attitudes toward using it, and experience with the medicine. Fifty-nine percent of respondents in the survey said they were aware of the antidote and that it could be administered by laypeople and 58% said they would be willing to use Narcan, the nasal spray form of naloxone.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) expanded its guidelines for cervical cancer screening, NPR reported. According to the article, the USPSTF now says that HPV tests can be used by themselves, without a Pap test, for women over 30 years old. Pap smears are still recommended for women aged 21 to 29 years, according to the guidelines.