'The Public Should Not Be Subject To These Quack Medicines': What We Heard This Week
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TL;DR

MedPage Today’s Oct. 11, 2026, “What We Heard This Week” roundup collected comments from health professionals on FDA warnings about unapproved herpes treatments, the federal response to measles, and other health news. The quotations offer reactions and selected study context, but the roundup itself does not provide full evidence or details for each underlying development.

MedPage Today published a weekly collection of health professionals’ comments on October 11, 2026, touching on an FDA warning to Amazon about unapproved herpes treatments, the federal response to a U.S. measles outbreak and several research findings. The short roundup records the speakers’ reactions; it is not a full account of the underlying regulatory action, outbreak or studies.

Jeffrey Klausner, a physician with Herpes Cure Advocacy, was quoted responding to news that the FDA had warned Amazon over the sale of unapproved herpes treatments. “The public should not be subject to these quack medicines,” Klausner said. The roundup does not reproduce the FDA’s warning or identify the products, so its brief entry does not establish what the agency alleged or what action Amazon took.

Other comments addressed public health and government response. Jeanne Marrazzo, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the federal government’s response to the U.S. measles outbreak “extremely underwhelming and frankly shameful.” Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, pointed to 18 nurses running for Congress in the election and said, “Look at the number of lawyers in office. We should have more nurses.” These are the speakers’ assessments, not independent evaluations supplied by the roundup.

The remaining quotations ranged across clinical practice and early research. Sanjay Saint of Northwell Health discussed hospitals’ efforts to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections; Brian Jenssen of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia discussed a study on children with asthma exposed to vaping and combustible tobacco. Joshua Lieberman of the University of Washington commented on a reported rise in a rare fungal infection, while Mohamed Khattab of the University of South Florida described a small study of radiosurgical capsulotomy for treatment-resistant depression. Richard Rosen of Mount Sinai discussed research into optogenetic therapy for advanced retinitis pigmentosa. The roundup gives little methodological or numerical detail about these studies.

At a glance
reportWhen: Published October 11, 2026
The developmentMedPage Today published a weekly roundup of clinicians’ comments on health policy, public health and research on Oct. 11, 2026.

Policy and Research in Brief

The compilation gives readers a quick view of concerns raised across medicine, public health and health policy, including oversight of products marketed for herpes, measles response, infection prevention in hospitals and exposure to vaping. Its format also makes clear that the quotations are reactions to separate developments, not findings from a single investigation.

That distinction matters because several remarks refer to studies or events whose evidence is not presented in the roundup. A striking description of a small trial, a reported infection spike or a policy response cannot by itself show how strong the evidence is, how broadly a finding applies, or what action followed. Readers seeking to make decisions or assess the claims need the original agency notice, study reports and public-health information.

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Eight Comments, Separate Stories

MedPage Today described the item as a collection of quotations its reporters heard during the week. Published on October 11, 2026, it brought together eight speakers commenting on distinct news items rather than presenting a connected report with one central event.

The topics included an FDA warning concerning Amazon listings, a measles outbreak, nurse candidates for Congress, catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention, children’s exposure to tobacco and vape aerosol, a rare fungal infection, a small study involving depression and suicidal ideation, and experimental work for advanced retinitis pigmentosa. The article’s two-minute-read format leaves most background and supporting evidence to the original reports it references.

“The public should not be subject to these quack medicines.”

— Jeffrey Klausner, MD, MPH, of Herpes Cure Advocacy

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Details Behind the Quotes

The roundup does not provide the full FDA notice to Amazon, the names or status of the products at issue, or Amazon’s response. It also does not detail the federal actions Marrazzo was evaluating, establish the measles outbreak’s scale, or identify a measure against which her criticism was made.

For the research-related comments, the report supplies no study sizes beyond describing the capsulotomy work as small, and it gives no full methods, results or limitations for the studies on catheters, vaping exposure, fungal infection or optogenetic therapy. The phrase “spike” is not accompanied by a count, time period or comparison baseline. The roundup also does not say whether any experimental treatment has been approved or is available for routine care.

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Follow the Underlying Reports

The next steps depend on the separate stories summarized. Readers can look to the FDA’s notice and Amazon’s response for details about the herpes products, and to public-health authorities for updated information on measles. The election reference may change as candidates and results are confirmed.

For the clinical topics, the relevant studies and reporting can establish the patient numbers, methods and limits behind the quotations. Until those details are reviewed, the comments should be read as brief attributed reactions, not as a substitute for the underlying evidence or official guidance.

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Key Questions

What did MedPage Today publish?

It published an October 11, 2026, roundup of eight health professionals’ comments on separate policy, public-health and research stories.

What prompted Jeffrey Klausner’s comment about herpes treatments?

Klausner was responding to news that the FDA warned Amazon about selling unapproved herpes treatments. The roundup does not include the warning’s text or Amazon’s response.

Did the article establish that the federal measles response was inadequate?

No. It reports Marrazzo’s criticism of the federal response. The roundup does not provide an independent assessment of the government’s actions.

Were the treatments discussed in the roundup proven effective?

The roundup does not establish that. It briefly references a small capsulotomy study and research into optogenetic therapy, without enough results or methods to assess effectiveness or availability.

Where can readers find more detail?

Consult the underlying FDA notice, public-health updates and full study reports referenced by the roundup. Those sources are needed to assess the evidence and the status of each development.

Source: rss

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your specific situation.
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