On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: FDA approves first treatment that delays Type 1 diabetes
USA TODAY Health Reporter Adrianna Rodriguez explains why it could be ‘game changing.’ Plus, USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison looks at whether President Joe Biden’s age will be a factor in whether or not he runs for a second term.
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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I’m Taylor Wilson, and this is 5 Things you need to know Monday, the 21st of November, 2022. Today, what could be a game changing treatment for Type 1 diabetes. Plus President Joe Biden turns 80 as he considers reelection, and the latest on a mass shooting at a Colorado LGBTQ club.
The FDA has approved treatment that delays type 1 diabetes in adults and pediatric patients eight years and older, but it won’t be cheap. Producer PJ Elliott spoke to USA TODAY health reporter Adrianna Rodriguez to find out what makes this new drug a game changer.
Adrianna Rodriguez:
This treatment would be sort of targeting pre type 1 diabetes. So in the different stages of type 1 diabetes, there is one stage that’s right before clinical diagnosis called stage 2. And so what this drug does is delay that so that you would be in that stage 2 process longer before actually clinically developing the type 1 diabetes.
PJ Elliott:
Adrianna, what did we learn from the clinical trials about this drug?
Adrianna Rodriguez:
What the treatment found was that it was able to delay clinical diagnosis by about two more years compared to the placebo. And obviously diabetic patients right now tell me that that would be such a game changer to have two years without constantly checking your sugars. You’re constantly monitoring what you have to eat, going to constant doctor’s appointments and stuff to manage your diabetes, and this sort of prolongs that so that you don’t have to enter that final stage so soon.
PJ Elliott:
Is there an idea of the price tag for this drug?
Adrianna Rodriguez:
The price made dissuade a lot of patients because it’s over $13,000 per vial, and this is a 14 day treatment, which means that in total if you were going to take all 14 days of this treatment, it would cost about $193,000.
Taylor Wilson:
You can find a link to Adrianna’s full story in today’s episode description.
♦
The United States has its first Octogenarian-in-Chief. President Joe Biden turned 80 yesterday while already the country’s oldest president in history. That’s led to questions about his health as America wonders whether he’ll run for reelection. To help answer those questions, I’m now joined by USA TODAY White House correspondent Joey Garrison. Joey, thanks for being here.
Joey Garrison:
Hey, thanks for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
So what does President Biden’s doctor say about his health?
Joey Garrison:
Yeah, so the president’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, in a report last year said the president remains healthy, good physically. However, there are a few things that come with age. His gait has become stiffer. He’s often clearing his throat during public remarks, and that’s because of a gastro-esophagal reflux. And so that’s just nothing serious but just stuff that comes with when you get older. But overall, the doctor concluded Biden “remains healthy” and vigorous and “fit” to successfully execute the duties of the presidency. So there are things that obviously come with becoming an older man, but the overall, the doctor says he’s in good physical health.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. On this question of reelection, where does Biden stand, Joey, and how does his age factor into the decision?
Joey Garrison:
The majority of Americans don’t want to see a Trump-Biden rematch, but that’s like very possibly what we’re going to get. Now yeah, there’s questions about age. With Trump as well, he’s only a couple years younger than Biden is. Of course it was Trump in the last election who really – and Republicans still during the first two years – kind of relentlessly questioning the mental acumen of Biden and his mental capacity. I kind of thought that didn’t really play too effectively in the campaign. I remember seeing polling a couple years ago that actually more people thought Biden had a better mental fitness than Trump. So it was kind of like, “Why are you even raising these issues that could actually backfire?” And so I’m sure you’re going to see that again from Republicans if he were to run at the… He’d be 82 years old in that reelection.
And he is a self-described gaffe machine, I mean. And he’s even had some moments of mental lapses in the last year. There was, most notably, when he mistakenly called out the late Congresswoman Jackie Walorski who had died actually six months before. The White House brushed that off as just she was on his mind and so that’s why he said that, but it was a pretty embarrassing moment. One could argue that was maybe because when you’re older in age, sometimes this kind of slip up happens. But others might say Biden was making a lot of gaffes even before he got in his older years.
Taylor Wilson:
Joey Garrison, thanks for stopping by.
Joey Garrison:
Yeah. Hey, thanks for having me. It’s always good to talk.
♦
Taylor Wilson:
We’re learning more this morning about the deadly shooting that left five dead and 25 injured at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub on Saturday night. The city’s mayor told the New York Times yesterday that the shooter was subdued by someone who grabbed his handgun and hit him with it. Authorities have credited several inside the club with confronting the gunman and preventing a greater loss of life. The shooting has devastated Colorado Springs, particularly the city’s LGBTQ community. Survivor Joshua Thurman said this.
Joshua Thurman:
Our community is shattered. This is the only LGBTQIA+ space we have in the city of Colorado Springs. Where are we going to go? We can rebuild, we can do things, but it’s not going to take back those five people that died.
Taylor Wilson:
Police have identified a suspect and say they believe he acted alone. He was being treated for injuries.
With the club shooting, this year has already surpassed 2019 for the most mass killings with firearms in a year in the US at 34. That’s according to the AP/USA TODAY/Northeastern University database.
♦
The US Food and Drug Administration has determined that a California company’s lab-grown cultivated chicken is safe to eat. But what’s next for the upcoming industry? Producer PJ Elliott spoke with USA TODAY trending reporter Wyatte Grantham-Philips to find out more.
Wyatte Grantham-Philips:
So you’re not going to expect it in the grocery store shelves tomorrow, but this is what they call a pre-market consultation. It’s not an approval process, but the next Upside Foods needs to go to the US Department of Agriculture and Food Safety Inspection Service to work on getting marketing approval and to maybe get it on the US market one day.
PJ Elliott:
Wyatte, I guess the first question that I would have is, are there any potential benefits to lab-grown meat?
Wyatte Grantham-Philips:
Yeah. So advocates basically say that it’s an ethical and sustainable alternative to traditional sources of meat because it uses technology to avoid raising and slaughtering of animals that we know in typical food production. The scientists will be able to control how much fat or how much cholesterol there is in certain cuts of meat, which they also see as a benefit.
PJ Elliott:
So would this be considered vegan-friendly?
Wyatte Grantham-Philips:
It’s actually not vegan friendly. So it is meat. Basically, lab-room meat is just a meat that’s created using animal cells. So for Upside Foods’ cultivated chicken, for example, they’re taking living cells from chickens and growing those cells outside of the chicken’s body in a controlled environment to make cultured cuts of meat. So theoretically, it’s the same cell makeup of normal meat, so it is meat.
♦
Taylor Wilson:
Taylor Swift dominated the American Music Awards last night. The pop star became the top awarded artist in AMAs history with six wins, including Favorite Country Album and Artists of the Year. She’s now won 40 times in all at the AMAs. Bad Bunny also had a big night winning for Favorite Male Latin Artist and favorite Latin Album. And Beyonce boosted her career AMA wins to 16, grabbing awards for Favorite Female R&B Artist and Album. The night also paid tribute to Lionel Richie who was introduced by Smokey Robinson. You can find a full roundup in the entertainment section on USATODAY.com.
And coming up today, the annual Turkey pardon will kick off Thanksgiving week. President Joe Biden will be pardoning two turkeys this year. Plus, the United States Men’s Soccer team kicks off its journey at the World Cup in Qatar. They play Wales at 2:00 PM Eastern 11:00 AM Pacific. You can watch on Fox and Telemundo.
And as the holidays and a busy shopping season approach, please check out USA TODAY’S Reviewed section. Our experts test products year round so that you can shop with confidence during the holiday season and beyond. Check out USA TODAY’S Reviewed for the best holiday gift ideas and the Black Friday deals that are actually worth your money. You can also find 5 Things every morning right here wherever you’re listening right now. I’m back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.
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