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(NEW YORK) — A rare rodent-borne disease is suspected to have caused an outbreak aboard a cruise ship, leading to three deaths and several illnesses.
The deaths occurred between April 11 and May 2 with a variant of hantavirus identified in at least one patient.
The World Health Organization said on Monday that investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates
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(MASSACHUSETTS) — A Massachusetts judge ruled on Monday in favor of medical organizations in their litigation against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his changes to federal vaccine policy.
The judge temporarily blocked changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that were made at the beginning of this year, in which Kennedy reduced the number of recommended shots from 17 to 11.
The judge also suspended the appointments of the 13 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee, who were all appointed unilaterally by Kennedy after he fired all the preceding members.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(NEW YORK) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Auvelity this week for the treatment of agitation in adults with Alzheimer’s dementia.
The extended-release tablet is the first FDA-approved medication for this condition that is not an anti-psychotic.
Anti-psychotics carry serious risks including stroke, sedation and increased death in older adults, according to the FDA. Having a non-antipsychotic option may be safer for patients, experts say.
“We’ve needed a drug like this for decades, because agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most challenging, disheartening symptoms that we manage,” Dr. Richard Issacson, director of research at the Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida, told ABC News. “This new drug would be used because their tolerability profile is better.”
Auvelity was initially approved by the FDA in 2022 to treat major depressive disorder in adults. It carries a boxed warning for a higher risk of suicidal thoughts in teens and young adults taking antidepressants.
However, two recent randomized clinical trials found that the drug improved agitation symptoms in patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease based on caregiver reports and survey data, and helped delay relapse compared to a placebo.
Studies show the drug works by affecting brain chemicals such as glutamate and dopamine to help calm the overactive signals in the brain linked to agitation. Reported side effects include dizziness, nausea, headache, dry mouth, sweating and diarrhea.
The FDA cautions that Auvelity can worsen or reveal suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially when starting the medication. It may also worsen irritability or mania in some patients. It’s additionally been linked to an increased risk for seizures, especially at higher doses, and may increase blood pressure.
Clinicians should closely monitor patients when initiating this treatment and throughout the treatment course, experts advise.
As of 2026, about 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. This number is expected to grow to 13.8 million by 2060.
Studies show the drug works by affecting brain chemicals such as glutamate and dopamine to help calm the overactive signals in the brain linked to agitation. Reported side effects include dizziness, nausea, headache, dry mouth, sweating and diarrhea.
The FDA cautions that Auvelity can worsen or reveal suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially when starting the medication. It may also worsen irritability or mania in some patients. It’s additionally been linked to an increased risk for seizures, especially at higher doses, and may increase blood pressure.
Clinicians should closely monitor patients when initiating this treatment and throughout the treatment course, experts advise.
As of 2026, about 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. This number is expected to grow to 13.8 million by 2060.
Agitation is one of the most common and burdensome symptoms for those with Alzheimer’s dementia. A JAMA Neurology study found that 50 to 60% of people with Alzheimer’s experience agitation symptoms at some point.
Agitation is associated with a higher risk for rapid decline in cognition and death, studies have shown. It is also a leading driver of earlier nursing home placement and hospitalization, and it is significantly linked with higher caregiver burden and depression.
Issacson said there needs to be more hope for Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones.
“We also know that it’s not just about drugs. People can exercise, live a healthy lifestyle, eat a Mediterranean style diet, and manage risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes,” Issacson said. “People can really take control of their brain health, reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s and have better treatment outcomes. There’s hope and there’s so much education and information now online. I think we’re making a lot of progress.”
Dr. Crystal Joseph, MD, MS is an anesthesiology resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
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(WASHINGTON) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order on Thursday reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
The order moves marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, putting state-licensed medical marijuana in the same category as some pain medications, ketamine and testosterone.
Schedule I drugs are defined as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” while Schedule III drugs are defined as “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
While this change aligns federal guidelines with many state laws, marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. It does not remove cannabis from the federal controlled substance list, legalize recreational use nationwide or allow unregulated sales similar to tobacco and alcohol.
However, the move could allow for expanded research and ease many of the tax and regulatory rules placed on the cannabis industry.
“These actions will enable more targeted, rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and efficacy, expanding patients’ access to treatments and empowering doctors to make better-informed healthcare decisions,” Blanche wrote in a statement on X.
President Donald Trump announced late last year that his administration would seek to reclassify marijuana, but not legalize it for medical or recreational use under federal statutes. Over the weekend, the president appeared to express frustration that the administration was slow-walking the effort.
Blanche said the Justice Department and DEA will begin the process of potentially reclassifying all marijuana to Schedule III. The DEA is planning to hold a hearing in late June.
“The new hearing … will provide a timely and legally compliant pathway to evaluate broader changes to marijuana’s status under federal law,” according to a press release from the Justice Department.
The process of reclassifying marijuana began under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
In October 2022, Biden asked then-Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra and then-Attorney General Merrick Garland “to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”
The HHS in August 2023 made a recommendation to the DEA to move medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
In May 2024, the Justice Department announced Garland had submitted a notice of proposed rule-making to move medical marijuana to Schedule III, with DEA announcing in August 2024 that a hearing would be held on the proposal.
That hearing was scheduled to begin on Jan. 21, 2025, but was postponed about a week before by a judge.
Marijuana is the most widely used federally illegal drug in the country. Nearly one in five Americans — 52.5 million people — reported using it at least once in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
So far, 24 states and the District of Columbia have fully legalized recreational marijuana for adults, allowing adults aged 21 and older to possess, use and, in most cases, cultivate small amounts of cannabis, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Although cannabis may have potential medical uses, it has also been associated with mental health problems, impaired driving, and lung and heart conditions. About three in 10 cannabis users will develop cannabis use disorder, meaning they are unable to stop using cannabis even though it’s causing health and social problems, according to the CDC.
Cannabis use directly affects the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention and decision-making, the CDC says.
The CDC also cautions that it can cause harm to brain development in young people and use during pregnancy may be linked to lower birth weight and possible developmental effects.
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