Extension cords and power strips are often safe for home and office electronics. But for these common appliances, they can be a dangerously bad idea.

Moose standing on highway.gettyFlorida panthers, Maine moose, North Carolina red wolves and motorists in 16 states will benefit from $125 million in highway safety grants recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation.The federal allocations from the USDOTs Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program that were awarded Dec. 20 are being widely hailed by government officials as well as wildlife advocates.Too many Americans are injured or killed each year in crashes involving cars and wildlife, especially in rural areaswhich is why our Department created the first-ever program dedicated to crossings that make roads and highways safer for both humans and wildlife, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced in a press release about the grants. With funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the projects moving forward in 16 states will reduce collisions between drivers and wildlife, create places for wildlife to safely move over and under highways, and help preserve American life and property.More than 1 million vehicles collide with small and large wildlife each year on American roadways.According to the Federal Highway Administration, which manages the Wildlife Crossings program, large animal crashes with vehicles are tied to the deaths of over 200 people and 26,000 injured drivers each year. The annual financial impact is estimated to be over $10 billion in economic costs that include medical bills, property damages and lost income.FHWA estimates that annual costs associated with large animals in wildlife collisions amount regionally to: Northeast70,000 animal vehicle crashes ($1.6 billion) Southeast93,000 animal vehicle crashes ($3.5 billion) Midwest162,000 animal vehicle crashes ($3.8 billion)MORE FOR YOU West26,000 animal vehicle crashes ($1.2 billion)Michigan had the greatest number of reported animal-vehicle crashes, with an average of over 54,000 each year. The state with the greatest number of reported human fatal animal crashes was Texas, with over 30 human fatal animal crashes each year. Michigan had the second highest number of fatal animal crashes reported with an average of 18 yearly, FHWA says.The cost of these vehicle collisions to wildlife is mainly calculated in the number of carcasses found from accidents and diminishing animal populations. As more wildlife species are killed due to roadway traffic, different animals also are moved into or kept on endangered species lists for protection.Today, more attention is being placed on how to better safeguard the traveling public and wildlife.Awareness is growing about how highways can be harmful to animals by forcing them to cross over congested roadways in migrations or normal movements as well as roadways blocking animal populations that are forced to survive within a patchwork of habitats.Safety is FHWAs top priority, and these roadway safety investments will ensure that motorists and wildlife get to their destinations safely while advancing a safe, efficient transportation system that benefits all road users as well as the environment, said Acting Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Gloria Shepherd commented in a statement about the new grants for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program grant selections for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.U.S. Department of TransportationThe states receiving the latest wildlife crossing grants are: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, New York and Oregon.The grants fund safety projects to lower wildlife vehicle collisions, connect habitats and help species survive.Winning projects are meant to pay to help build wildlife crossings over and below roadways, install fences to guide animals to safe crossings and track the effectiveness of new wildlife passageways.Florida Panthers Floridas Department of Transportation will receive a $6.1 million grant for its U.S. Highway 27-Venus Wildlife Crossing in Highlands County. The plan is to enhance a section of U.S. 27 near Venus by raising the road for a new wildlife crossing underpass.Panther walking through palmetto trees in Florida.gettyThe wildlife underpass, with two miles of guide fencing, is expected to lower vehicle crashes with endangered Florida panthers, white-tailed deer, black bears, American alligators and small creatures.The area is also an important habitat for scrub jays, wading birds, burrowing owls, raccoons, opossums, rabbits and gopher tortoises.This site is part of a key hot spot for crashes with traveling black bears and Florida panthers.A Florida panther tries to cross a busy highway.gettyPanthers need a lot of space. Males claim 200-square-mile territories and will sometimes fight other males to death if their territories overlap. As their numbers rise, urban sprawl hems them in. Development, associated with an estimated 1,000 people moving to Florida every day, consumes and fragments panther habitat in southwestern Florida, noted a U.S. Fish and Wildlife assessment in 2022 of Floridas panthers.Mia McCormick, an advocate from Environment Florida, issued a statement expressing gratitude for the USDOT wildlife crossing grant to Florida.Its been a rough year for the Florida panther, with 32 deaths thus far. We have to do better by this magnificent creature, and wildlife crossings are a proven way to do that, McCormick stated. Time and again, weve heard and read about cars driving along US-27 running panthers over. Its not the fault of the driver and its surely not the fault of the big cats. Weve been advocating that wildlife crossings are the best solution for Floridaand now its clear that the federal and state departments of transportation agree.Maine MooseMoose next to road.gettySome $9.3 million will be used by the Maine Department of Transportation on its Caribou Wildlife and Aquatic Habitat Crossings Project. The state intends to build a wildlife crossing with a pre-cast concrete arch culvert so moose, deer and other large animals can move better around the city of Caribou.In the area of the future wildlife crossing, there have been 127 reported wildlife vehicle collisions with moose and deer from 2003-2022 in a two-mile area. But that number, according to Maine Game Wardens, doesnt provide an accurate picture. The number of moose and deer crossings are about 164 per year on the main roadway from the town into rural Caribou.The new crossing will lower the likelihood for such collisions with large animals, remove two existing barriers for wildlife and fish passage and provide a better connected habitat for land and water creatures.Project will connect three undeveloped habitat blocks, eliminate two identified fish passage barriers and allow deer and moose to travel under the road away from cars.To support the value of providing a safer crossing, transportation planners examined the frequency of GPS-collared adult female deer that frequently travel in the project area, as shown in the yellow lines in the graphic.GPS-collared adult female deer movements in Maine wildlife crossing project area.Maine Department of TransportationNorth Carolina Red WolfA vital project to help save disappearing red wolves in North Carolina will receive a USDOT grant for $25 million. The North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to use the federal funds for the U.S. Route 64 Red Wolf Crossings Project. It will involve installing multiple wildlife underpasses and fencing along U.S. 64 within the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Dare County.A portrait of a red wolf in Asheboro, NC, United StatesgettyThe project will reduce wildlife- vehicle collisions, support the Red Wolf Recovery Program and increase habitat connectivity for wildlife within the refuge, including the endangered red wolf, black bear, and white-tailed deer.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is tracking the endangered red wolves. Its population estimate as of September 2024 listed only from 17 to 19 wild red wolves and 290 living in captivity. Despite once roaming from Texas to New York, the red wolves now are only found in eastern North Carolina.Only 17-19 Red Wolves are left in the wild, making the animals one of the most critically endangered species in the world. Six Red Wolves have been killed on U.S. 64 from vehicle strikes in the past five years. Most recently, in June 2024 a breeding male Red Wolf was killed on the highway, a loss which then led to the deaths of his five young pups, the Defenders of Wildlife noted in a Dec. 20 statement applauded the grant.Red wolves were among the first endangered species that the Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to help recover following the December 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act. A main way to stop the animals from disappearing has been to reintroduce the wolves at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on Albemarle Peninsula.In December 2023, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued a 2023-2024 release strategy for red wolves focusing on seeking opportunities to foster wolf pups and trying to increase breeding pairs in the wild.Ben Prater, Southeast program director for Defenders of Wildlife, noted in statement after the grants were announced:Deer walks across a highway.gettyA Better Future with Safe Roads, More Resilient WildlifeThe federal wildlife connectivity grants are gaining momentum as modern ways to make roadway travel safer for people by preventing vehicle accidents. At the same time, these investments will reap intangible benefits to society and nature by helping ensure the survival of threatened wildlife species.

Find the links between the words to win today's game of Connections.gettyLooking for Tuesdays Connections hints and answers instead? You can find them here:Hey, everyone! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy holidays! If I knew how (and was also allowed to edit stock images that I can use here), I would have photoshopped little Santa hats onto the pins on the top image.Im raising a glass to you, your family and friends today. Heres to good health and great times with the people who mean the most to us.Before we get started, Ive started a discussion group for Connections and this column on Discord. You can chat about each game (and other topics) with me and other folks. Im always interested to find out how other people approach the game, so join us! Its fun.Its also the best way to give me any feedback about the column, especially on the rare(!) occasions that I mess something up.Todays NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, December 25, are coming right up.How To Play ConnectionsConnections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a new puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT website or Games app.MORE FOR YOUYoure presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like items you can click, names for research study participants or words preceded by a body part.Theres only one solution for each puzzle, and youll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them.Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. The purple group often involves wordplay.Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and youre incorrect, youll lose a life. If youre close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that youre one word away from getting it right, but youll still need to figure out which one to swap.If you make four mistakes, its game over. Lets make sure that doesnt happen with the help of some hints, and, if youre really struggling, todays Connections answers. As with Wordle and other similar games, its easy to share results with your friends on social media and group chats.If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the publications Connections archive. This includes every previous game of Connections, so you can go back and play any of those that you have missed.Aside from the first 60 games or so, you should be able to find my hints for each grid via Google if you need them! Just click here and add the date of the game for which you need clues or the answers to the search query.What Are Todays Connections Hints?Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of todays Connections groups, Ill reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them.Todays 16 words are...QUEENSTARCUPIDSTRONGRUDOLPHSAGITTARIUSNANNYCOMETVIXENMOONROBIN HOODSHANNONHAWKEYEFEYJENNYPLANETAnd the hints for todays Connections groups are:Yellow group theyre mostly out of this worldGreen group Katniss, Merida and Rambo would fit in hereBlue group Purple group familiar faces for late-night NBC viewersWhat Are Todays Connections Groups?Need some extra help?Be warned: were starting to get into spoiler territory.Todays Connections groups are...Yellow group celestial objectsGreen group archersBlue group female animalsPurple group S.N.L. cast membersWhat Are Todays Connections Answers?Spoiler alert! Dont scroll any further down the page until youre ready to find out todays Connections answers.This is your final warning!Todays Connections answers are...Yellow group celestial objects (COMET, MOON, PLANET, STAR)Green group archers (CUPID, HAWKEYE, ROBIN HOOD, SAGITTARIUS)Blue group female animals (JENNY, NANNY, QUEEN, VIXEN)Purple group S.N.L. cast members (FEY, RUDOLPH, SHANNON, STRONG)Neato, I got a perfect game. That brings me up to three straight wins. Here's how I fared:There was a timely red herring here of the names of Santas reindeer: CUPID, RUDOLPH, COMET and VIXEN. But as soon as I saw ROBIN HOOD and HAWKEYE, it was clear that there would be a group of archers.(Tina) FEY and (Maya) RUDOLPH suggested to me that there would be a group of Saturday Night Live alumni, but other than (Molly) SHANNON, I wasnt quite sure what else would fit. It took me a moment to realize that the missing piece of the puzzle was Cecily STRONG.I could make out the celestial bodies clearly enough and I assumed those were the yellows, so I submitted the blues first. I didnt make that connection, however.A JENNY is a female donkey, a NANNY is a female goat, a QUEEN is a female cat (or a QUEEN bee) and a VIXEN is a female fox.Thats all there is to it for todays Connections clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog tomorrow for hints and the solution for Thursdays game if you need them.P.S. Since its Christmas Day, lets go with the very best Christmas movie: Die Hard. Its very much not one for kids, but its a fantastic thriller that has plenty of holiday spirit. Yippee ki-yay, indeed:Have a great day! Make sure to drink enough water! Call someone you love!If youre so inclined, please do follow my blog for more coverage of Connections and other word games and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Also, follow me on Bluesky! Its fun there.

Something to look forward to: Dual monitors are quite common in desktop setups these days, but enjoying the same experience on the go has rarely been an option. However, a new product from Minisforum a portable monitor that unfolds into two screens could change that. The MDSA156 is a unique portable monitor that unfolds to reveal two 15.6-inch 1080p IPS displays connected by a 315-degree hinge. The bottom screen includes a built-in kickstand, allowing you to prop it up in various orientations and angles to suit your needs.Weighing just 2.2 pounds, it's impressively lightweight for a dual-screen setup. With dual USB-C ports and an HDMI input, the MDSA156 easily connects to laptops, tablets, or even smartphones, providing a quick and convenient way to expand your screen real estate on the go.The monitor also features stereo speakers and consumes up to 30 watts of power, though actual power usage is typically lower than the advertised maximum.Minisforum highlights a variety of use cases, including office work, business meetings, stock analysis, gaming, travel, and online courses. Promotional graphics showcase versatile configurations, such as vertically stacking the dual screens to mimic a larger monitor, angling them apart for easier sharing between two users, or folding them completely flat for single-screen use when needed.Additionally, the company emphasizes that the monitor's unique design promotes ergonomic comfort, reducing neck strain during prolonged use and supporting a more natural posture for reading and typing. // Related StoriesThe package does come with some compromises. The 250-nit peak brightness and limited 45 percent NTSC color gamut (equivalent to roughly 100 percent sRGB) make it less suitable for professional photo or video editing or other color-critical work.That said, at $231, the MDSA156 offers an affordable price point for a unique dual-screen form factor.While it may not replace a full desktop monitor setup, it's an ingenious solution for digital nomads looking to boost productivity and multitasking without adding significant bulk to their gear.However, if your workflow involves graphically intensive tasks and requires high color accuracy, you might consider alternatives like the Edge 4K OLED Ultralight Portable Magnetic Monitor. This model boasts 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, 10-bit color support, and a peak brightness of 400 nits, making it ideal for professional-grade work.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsSpecsTiers and pricingFeaturesSupportPrivacy and securityWhich unlimited device VPN is best?You use more than one device, so it makes sense to use a VPN to protect privacy on all your computers, laptops, tablets, and phones. If youre like me, thats a lot of devices, making Surfshark and Windscribe top candidates.While the best VPNs offer solid cybersecurity with excellent speed, some limit the number of simultaneous connections. That means you might need to disconnect your phone before using the VPN on your laptop. That can be frustrating if youve left your phone upstairs or in another room to charge, so I compared both Surfshark and Windscribe to see which is the better solution.Recommended VideosSurfsharkWindscribePlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidDevicesUnlimitedUnlimitedSupport24/7 Live ChatEmailFree version?NoYesRelatedSurfsharks annual plan is good, but the two-year subscription is the best deal. SurfsharkIf you want to connect to a VPN on multiple devices, your cost per device could be incredibly low. Still, its important to stay aware of prices since subscription fatigue is an ongoing concern.Surfshark charges $15.45 per month, which is expensive. You can save over $100 annually with a longer-term plan. Its $48 per year or $56 for two years, plus new subscribers get four bonus months. The cost increases to $60 annually to renew either long-term subscription.To get the best deal on a VPN, you need to subscribe for a year or more, but you can try Surfshark for free with a seven-day trial, and a 30-day money-back guarantee gives you an opportunity to get a refund if it didnt suit your needs.Windscribe Pro has monthly and annual plans, but you can get access for as low as $3. WindscribeWindscribes best option for unrestricted use is the $69 annual subscription with a 30-day money-back guarantee of satisfaction. Two monthly plans are available: a full-featured VPN for $9 and a unique Build-A-Plan subscription that starts at $3 per month.The least expensive option, Windscribes Build-A-Plan is restricted to 30GB of data and a selection of three server locations. You can add more server locations and 10GB of data for $1 each. For $1 more, you can unlock unlimited data.Windscribe also has a free app that starts with a 2GB data cap, but can be boosted to 15GB by providing your email address and posting about the service on social media. You can access free servers in 10 countries at no cost.If you dont want to pay for a VPN, Proton Free is one of the best solutions. It includes an uncapped VPN, secure email, encrypted cloud storage, and more.Surfshark showed impressive speed when connected to a nearby server. Digital TrendsSurfshark is easy to use and is one of the best and fastest streaming VPNs available. I was impressed with almost instantaneous connections and high-speed downloads at locations around the world.A U.S. server reached 728Mbps while routing traffic through a secure server that encrypts data. Thats 81% of my unprotected Ethernet speed, a small loss compared to competing VPNs that cut internet speeds in half to protect my privacy.Surfshark also performed well in worldwide speed tests, exceeding 579Mbps in European countries and reaching 306Mbps when I chose an Australian server.I measured the best Windscribe speed from a U.S. server. Digital TrendsWindscribe has a user interface that will appeal to gamers. Its sleek and small, but functional. The app is intelligent and alerted me to a software conflict that was causing a CPU slowdown.It offers stable connections and offers hundreds of servers in 69 countries. The list isnt as large and widespread as Surfsharks, but I was able to connect to all my favorites.In my Windscribe review, I found that the fastest speeds were with a U.S. server that measured 451Mbps. Overseas is always slower, and Windscribe averaged 190Mbps for Europe and 136Mbps for Australia.There are plenty of options to adjust Surfsharks VPN connection settings. Digital TrendsBoth VPNs support obfuscation, so either is a good choice for a VPN to use in school. Administration firewalls often block VPNs, but obfuscation disguises usage.Surfsharks around-the-clock customer service was fast and helpful. Digital TrendsSurfshark customers get 24/7 live chat support. In my testing, an AI responded first and offered helpful suggestions. When I asked for a human, I was quickly connected to a live agent to help with account issues or provide more personal assistance with technical questions.Windscribe also has an informative chatbot, but live agents werent available. Email support is relatively quick, but it could take up to 24 hours to get a reply.With either service, you can browse or search the support center to find your own solution.One of the primary jobs of a VPN is protecting your privacy. Surfshark and Windscribe take this issue seriously and only collect whats needed to provide the service you pay for.Windscribe is an open source app so you can scan the code to check for privacy loopholes or activity logging routines.Both Surfshark and Windscribe have independent audits to verify their no-log claims are accurate and that security systems are sufficient to protect your data.While some services restrict how many devices you can connect, the best multi-device VPNs let you protect them all. Surfshark and Windscribe are top picks that let you share your account with your family. That means youll get great value from either service.Windscribe has a lower monthly cost, but a more expensive $69 annual plan. The Build-A-Plan option is quite unique, but youd probably want to pay the extra dollar to get unlimited data, raising your monthly cost to $4.By comparison, Surfsharks annual plan starts at $48 and comes with a four-month bonus, an equivalent monthly cost of $3. You must pay in advance, but its worth the expense to get access to one of the best VPNs available.Our top pick for a VPN for a home with lots of devices is Surfshark. Its faster that Windscribe, has plenty of features, costs less, and offers 24/7 support.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsHow to activate Notification Cooldown on your Android 16 smartphoneNotification Cooldown is only available in the Android 16 betaManaging notifications is no easy task, especially when one tries to maintain the delicate balance between a no-interruption work mindset and the fear of missing out on important alerts. This not only applies to personal communication, but workplace interactions as well. A barrage of notifications can be overwhelming, especially if there are active group chats or users are working across multiple professional circles.Recommended VideosDifficultyEasyDuration5 minutesWith Android 16, Google offers a balancing act courtesy of a new feature called Notification Cooldown that slows the avalanche of notifications. This feature first appeared in the early builds of Android 15, but was subsequently pulled from the stable release. Now, it has again resurfaced in the first developer preview of Android 16.The core idea here is that if an app is sending multiple notifications in a row, the first one will elicit an alert, as usual, while the subsequent notifications from the same app will be gradually reduced in volume.With that, Google may have finally created a fuss-free way of making chained notifications less vexing. If that sounds like an intriguing premise, just follow these steps to experience the same nirvana on your Android phone.Step 1: Open the Settings app.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsStep 2: Scroll down and select Notifications.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsRelatedStep 3: On the next page, you will find the Notification Cooldown option under the General banner.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsStep 4: All you have left to do is flick the toggle corresponding to the Notification Cooldown feature.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsNotification cooldown first appeared during the early testing phase of Android 15, but it was inexplicably pulled from the stable release channel. It has yet to make a comeback on devices running Android 15, either the vanilla Pixel builds or third-party skins from different brands.Right now, it is only available on phones running the Developer Preview of Android 16. This build is only available to a handful of Google Pixel phones and the Pixel tablet.You can download Android 16 right now, but only through the Developer Preview. It is, however, advised that users wait at least for the public beta updates of Android 16, as the Developer Preview is likely to have a lot of performance and optimization issues, as well as being fairly tough to install. Of course, it's always risky installing any beta software on a device, especially if it's not a spare, as bugs are common. And while bricking a phone completely is fairly rare, it's not unheard of. So, if you don't have a device you're willing to risk, it's almost always worth waiting until the final release of any new operating system software.Notification Cooldown is a neat convenience, but it makes an exception for more pressing alerts, such as calls, alarms, reminders, and priority conversations. Also, keep in mind that this feature only silences repetitive alerts for a span of two minutes.More importantly, these gradually silenced notifications are not lost. Instead, they are simply grouped together under a unified app banner in the notifications shade. You can still access them all by simply tapping on the apps banner to open each one in the same order as they appeared.Editors Recommendations

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American Airlines grounded all its US flights for an hour on Christmas Eve because of a technical issue.Read the original article on Business Insider

Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro, is no longer in short supply, the FDA says.Cheaper versions of the drug, known as compounded tirzepatide, might be restricted in 2025.Patients could face higher costs and tougher access, and telehealth is racing to adapt.The FDA has announced that popular weight loss medication tirzepatide is no longer in shortage, potentially removing cheaper versions of the drug from the market by early 2025.Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, branded to treat diabetes and obesity, respectively.They're part of a class of medications called GLP-1 agonists, including semaglutide (sold as Ozempic and Wegovy), which have transformed obesity treatment in recent years. These injections work by mimicking hormones in the body that regulate appetite and blood sugar, helping patients lose as much as 25% of their body weight.Manufacturers have struggled to meet the intense demand for these drugs. This opened the door for pharmacies to offer custom-made versions with the same active ingredient, known as compounded GLP-1 medication, at a significantly lower cost around $250 to $350 per month for tirzepatide, compared to Zepbound's list price of $1,059.With the official shortage over, the FDA has signaled it will crack down on compounded tirzepatide, affecting patients who've relied on the lower-priced medication."People are concerned. They're saying, 'This has been life changing but I don't have $1000 to pay out of pocket and my insurance isn't going to cover it," Ted Kyle, a health professional with decades of experience in policy, marketing, and obesity care, told Business Insider.Eli Lilly did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Most compounded versions of tirzepatide won't be allowed without an official shortageThe FDA's annoucement on December 19 to officially remove tirzepatide from the shortage list means compounding pharmacies will be restricted from making what are essentially copies of the brand-name version. These copies use the same active ingredient in this case tirzepatide but are not FDA-approved, although the manufacturers are held to other regulatory standards.Compounding pharmacies have staunchly disagreed with the decision."The drugs they are advertising are not yet available in quantities to meet demand. Until they are, state-licensed pharmacies will continue to prepare compounded copies, operating within FDA guidance to provide patients access to life-changing medications during this period when the drugmakers cannot," Scott Brunner, CEO of the industry trade group Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding, wrote in a statement on LinkedIn.The FDA had previously moved to end the shortage in October, but delayed the decision after a compounding industry organization filed a lawsuit alleged it hadn't given proper notice. An update on that case is expected in early January 2025.As it stands now, the FDA's decision will give makers of compounded tirzepatide up to 90 days before enforcement to "avoid unnecessary disruption to patient treatment," per the announcement.Companies are racing to adaptThe FDA decision also raises questions for the booming telehealth industry that connects patients with weight loss drugs, as companies like Henry Meds and Hims offer compounded GLP-1s some have removed compounded tirzepatide from their websites.For now, businesses will still be able to offer some lower-cost medications for weight loss since semaglutide, better known as Wegovy and Ozempic, is still considered to be in shortage.In some cases, telehealth execs are pivoting to strike a deal with pharmaceutical companies.Earlier in December, telehealth company Ro announced a partnership with Eli Lilly to offer a half-price version of Zepbound, Lilly's brand-name tirzepatide product. The cheaper option is sold in vials in an effort to sidestep supply-chain issues with the prefilled pens and compete with compounded drugs.More brand-name GLP-1 drugs are on the horizonMore FDA news could continue to change the trajectory of GLP-1 drugs in the coming months.The FDA also announced the approval of the first generic version of a once-daily GLP-1 injection for Type 2 diabetes on December 24. It could pave the way for similar generic medications, including those for weight loss.And more brand name GLP-1s are in the works as biotech startups and pharmaceutical companies race to find the next blockbuster medication.For now, access to weight loss drugs is out of reach for many people who could benefit from them."This is going to be a continuing tension for years to come," Kyle said. "Maybe compounding will go away but the issue won't go away because the pricing does not match the scale of need."