Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of March 30, 2026–April 3, 2026.
“Cicada” COVID-19 variant found in increasing number of states
USA Today (3/27, Walrath-Holdridge) reported that a “highly mutated” COVID-19 variant that “flew under the radar for years has been detected in a growing number of U.S. states, health officials said” last week. The CDC “said in a March 19 report that it was tracking variant BA.3.2, nicknamed ‘Cicada,’ after routine surveillance noted an increase in U.S. cases.” Cicada “still accounts for only a small number of cases in the United States, but has ballooned to represent up to 30% in some European countries. Still, the CDC said its monitoring of the spread ‘provides valuable information about the potential for this new SARS-CoV-2 lineage to evade immunity from a previous infection or vaccination.’”
In patients with long COVID, fluvoxamine and metformin evaluated for fatigue
MedPage Today (3/30, Rudd) reports, “The antidepressant fluvoxamine delivered clinically relevant reductions in long COVID fatigue, but the diabetes drug metformin didn’t outdo placebo, according to the randomized REVIVE-TOGETHER trial.” Investigators found that “among 399 adults with long COVID, those receiving fluvoxamine had a significant reduction in fatigue as measured by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) compared with placebo at day 60 (mean difference – 0.43, 95% credible interval [CrI] -0.80 to -0.07), with a 99% posterior probability of superiority.” The “effect was sustained at day 90 (mean difference -0.58, 95% CrI – 0.98 to -0.16), with a 99.7% probability of superiority.” But, “among those receiving metformin...the mean difference in FSS scores at 60 days was only 0.03 points lower than placebo scores (95% CrI -0.42 to 0.37), with a 56% probability that metformin was superior to placebo.” Meanwhile, “the treatment effect at 90 days was barely better (-0.04, 95% CrI -0.47 to 0.38).” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Sleep timing impacts sedentary, eating behavior in teenagers
HealthDay (3/31, Thompson) reports, “Teenagers might be known for being night owls, but they’ll be healthier if they can get to bed earlier, a new study says.” Teenagers “who stay up late and sleep the morning away are more likely to eat more and be less physically active, especially when school is in session, researchers” reported. One investigator said, “Sleep timing—when teens go to bed and wake up—had the biggest influence on sedentary and eating behavior in teens.” The findings were published in Sleep Health.
FDA approves orforglipron for weight loss
The New York Times (4/1, Blum, Robbins) reports the FDA “on Wednesday approved a new weight-loss pill,” orforglipron, which “will be sold by Eli Lilly under the brand name Foundayo.” In Lilly’s “clinical trials, people with obesity lost an average of around 12% of their body weight after 72 weeks on the highest dose.” The medication “will be available at six dose levels for between $149 and $349 a month for patients who buy it without using insurance.”
The AP (4/1, Aleccia, Perrone) reports orforglipron is “a GLP-1 drug that works like widely used injectable medications to mimic a natural hormone that controls appetite and feelings of fullness.” The drug “is expected to begin shipping Monday.” Lilly “said people with insurance may be able to get the drug starting at $25 per month with a Lilly discount card.”
NBC News (4/1, Lovelace Jr.) reports orforglipron “can be taken at any time of day without meal restrictions—unlike the Wegovy [semaglutide] pill, which must be taken on an empty stomach each morning.”
CDC issues advisory on medetomidine detected in U.S. illicit drug supply
Reuters (4/2, S K) says the CDC “on Thursday issued a health advisory warning of rising reports from U.S. jurisdictions detecting veterinary sedative medetomidine in the illegal drug supply.” The CDC and the “Office of National Drug Control Policy warned public health professionals, clinicians, laboratorians and people at risk for overdose after medetomidine was detected in the fentanyl supply and linked to a severe withdrawal syndrome from exposure to it.” The two “agencies said it has increasingly been detected in law enforcement drug seizures, drug product and paraphernalia samples and wastewater samples, with the highest concentrations in the Northeast region.”
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