The New York Times: RSV Vaccine Approved For Older Adults
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved GSK’s vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., for adults who are 60 and older, the company said. The vaccine, to be sold as Arexvy, appears to be the first in the world approved for sale to protect older adults from R.S.V., a potentially fatal respiratory illness. (Jewett, 5/3)

The Washington Post: First Vaccine Targeting RSV Wins FDA Approval. More Are Coming 
A shot developed by pharmaceutical giant GSK to protect older adults against the respiratory syncytial virus is the first to get a greenlight from the Food and Drug Administration. A Pfizer vaccine is following close behind and is under consideration for older adults and for pregnant people as a maternal vaccination that would protect newborn children. A monoclonal antibody treatment for babies, developed by Sanofi and AstraZeneca to offer vaccine-like protection during the winter RSV season, is also under consideration. (Johnson and Ovalle, 5/3)

Bloomberg: GSK RSV Vaccine Wins US Clearance For Use In Older Adults
The vaccine was authorized for people aged 60 and above by the US Food and Drug Administration, GSK said Wednesday. The UK drugmaker has touted the shot, called Arexvy to sound like RSV, as a potential blockbuster. (Ring, 5/3)

AP: US Approves 1st Vaccine For RSV After Decades Of Attempts
“This is a great first step ... to protect older persons from serious RSV disease,” said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, who wasn’t involved with its development. Next, “we’re going to be working our way down the age ladder” for what’s expected to be a string of new protections. (Neergaard, 5/3)

Reuters: Lilly Drug Slows Alzheimer's By 35%, Bolstering Treatment Approach
An experimental Alzheimer's drug developed by Eli Lilly and Co slowed cognitive decline by 35% in a late-stage trial, the company said on Wednesday, providing what experts say is the strongest evidence yet that removing sticky amyloid plaques from the brain benefits patients with the fatal disease. Lilly's drug, donanemab, met all goals of the trial, the company said. It slowed progression of Alzheimer's by 35% compared to a placebo in 1,182 people with early-stage disease whose brains had deposits of two key Alzheimer's proteins, beta amyloid as well as intermediate levels of tau, a protein linked with disease progression and brain cell death. (Steenhuysen and Beasley, 5/3)

Science: ‘It’s Not A Miracle Drug’: Eli Lilly’s Antibody Slows Alzheimer’s Disease But Safety Issues Linger
But Eli Lilly’s preliminary donanemab results also reveal a sobering risk of brain swelling and hemorrhaging, side effects that the company disclosed may be linked to two—perhaps three—deaths in the clinical trial and that echo hazards seen with lecanemab, which is being marketed by Eisai and Biogen. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considering full approval for lecanemab next month and Eli Lilly vowing to quickly submit donanemab to the agency for review, many physicians, Alzheimer’s patients, and their caregivers may soon face difficult conversations about whether to risk immediate harm to take these therapies, the first to be clinically proven to somewhat thwart a slow but inexorable destroyer of the brain. (Travis, 5/4)

Stat: For Lilly Scientist, Alzheimer’s Results Cap A 25-Year Scientific Quest
If you flip to the 1,031st page of the May 1998 edition of the Journal of Cell Biology, you’ll find the first scientific byline for Daniel Skovronsky, then a young trainee at the University of Pennsylvania, on an article describing how beta-amyloid, a vexing molecule thought to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, was more complicated than the field understood. “I’ve been pursuing the same enemy for 25 years,” Skovronsky, now head of research at Eli Lilly, said at the STAT Breakthrough Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday. (Garde, 5/3)

On one potential impact of the drug —

Stat: New Eli Lilly Alzheimer’s Data Poses Medicare Coverage Conundrum
Eli Lilly’s latest anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s treatment seems to slow the disease, the company announced this week — news that adds even more pressure on Medicare’s unprecedented restrictions on coverage. Medicare has so far held firm on its plans to require patient registries for the entire class of anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drugs, even after they are fully approved. Pharmaceutical groups and patient advocates are increasingly fighting that approach. (Cohrs, 5/4)

Also —

Stat: Do Viruses Cause Alzheimer’s Disease? 
On a day when pharma giant Eli Lilly announced positive results from a clinical trial of an Alzheimer’s drug that clears knotty clumps of protein from the brain, researchers at STAT’s Breakthrough Summit discussed another promising though preliminary approach to treating the disease: targeting viruses and bacteria. (Wosen, 5/3)

AP: North Carolina House OKs Bill Tightening Abortion Limits
The North Carolina House on Wednesday approved a Republican package of abortion restrictions that would tighten the state’s ban on the procedure from after 20 weeks to after 12 weeks, while creating new exceptions but also more requirements for pregnant women and physicians. (Robertson and Schoenbaum, 5/4)

North Carolina Health News: Measure Limiting Abortions After 12 Weeks Passes NC House Along Party Lines In Late-Night Vote 
Lawmakers, physicians and members of the public alike say they barely had time to read the bill that would impose new restrictions on accessing abortion before the bill was slated to be heard in the General Assembly Wednesday. But that didn’t stop Senate Bill 20 from moving quickly even as lawmakers raced to meet Thursday’s “crossover” deadline, when other bills have to get through votes in one of the legislative chambers in order to be considered this year or next. (Crumpler, 5/4)

The Kansas City Star: Missouri Republican Proposes Bill To Enable Murder Charges For Getting An Abortion
A Missouri Republican has offered legislation that would allow for women to be charged with murder if they get an abortion in the state. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, would give fetuses the same rights as humans who have been born, which would allow for criminal charges to be filed against anyone who gets an abortion, helps someone get an abortion or provides abortion care. (Bond, 5/3)

Wyoming Public Radio: Casper Mayor Apologizes For Posting A Fire Animation Following The Opening Of A Clinic That Offers Abortions
The Mayor of Casper has apologized for an animation that he posted in response to a story about the Wellspring Health Clinic that provides abortions opening its doors. Many took his comment as invoking violence to a business that was torched last spring. In late April, the clinic opened its doors after an arsonist set it on fire last spring. In response to an Oil City News story about it, the mayor posted a picture of a man dancing around a fire. Oil City News deleted the post per internal policy. (Kudelska, 5/3)

On abortion law challenges —

AP: Wisconsin Judge To Hear First Arguments In Abortion Lawsuit
A Wisconsin judge was set to hear arguments Thursday in a lawsuit challenging the state’s 174-year-old abortion ban, a statute held in abeyance for nearly five decades until the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last year. (Richmond, 5/4)

In developments on abortion pills —

AP: Illinois City Backs Abortion Pills Ban, Defying Legal Risks
An Illinois city on Tuesday banned the mailing or shipping of abortion pills, defying the state’s Democratic attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union, who have repeatedly warned that the move violates Illinois law’s protection of abortion as a fundamental right. The ordinance passed the City Council in Danville, near Illinois’ eastern border with Indiana, by one vote, a tiebreaker cast by Mayor Rickey Williams. (Foody, 5/3)

KFF Health News: Colorado Becomes The First State To Ban So-Called Abortion Pill Reversals
In Glenwood Springs, Colorado, registered nurse Katie Laven answers calls from people who’ve started the two-pill medication abortion regimen and want to stop the process. “They are just in turmoil,” said Laven, who works at the Abortion Pill Rescue Network and answers some of the roughly 150 calls it says come in each month. “They feel like, ‘Well, maybe an abortion would make it better.’ And then they take the abortion pill and they’re like, ‘I don’t feel better. In fact, I feel much worse that I did that.’” (Cleveland, 5/4)

Meanwhile, in news on protecting abortion access —

AP: California Launches Hotline To Provide Abortion Legal Help
California has joined with law firms and advocacy groups to create a hotline that provides access to information and pro bono services for people who need legal help related to abortion, as the state seeks to become a safe haven for reproductive rights since Roe vs. Wade was overturned. (Weber, 5/3)

AP: Michigan Democrats Act To Protect Abortion Rights Of Workers
Michigan Democrats continued efforts to protect abortion rights Wednesday as the state Legislature advanced a bill that would outlaw companies from retaliating against employees for receiving abortions. The bill passed along party lines in the Michigan House after previously having been approved by the Senate in March. It would amend the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights act to prohibit employers from treating a worker differently for terminating a pregnancy. (Cappelletti, 5/3)

AP: Gov. Moore Signs Abortion Protections, Transgender Equity
At a time when Republican-led states are restricting or banning abortion and limiting gender-affirming care, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed measures into law on Wednesday to protect abortion rights and expand Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming treatment in the heavily Democratic state. (Witte, 5/3)

Axios: DEA Seeks To Temporarily Extend COVID Telehealth Prescribing Rules
The Drug Enforcement Administration has asked the White House for more time to finalize draft rules that proposed reinstating stricter limits requiring doctors to evaluate patients in-person before prescribing certain drugs — like Adderall and opioid use disorder treatment — via telehealth. (Moreno, 5/3)

Politico: DEA Backs Off Plan To End Telehealth Access To Common Medications, For Now
The Drug Enforcement Administration will continue to allow doctors to prescribe controlled substances by telehealth while the agency finalizes rules on prescribing now that the Covid public health emergency is ending, the agency said in a statement Wednesday. The agency’s announcement may signal it’s rethinking regulations it proposed in February that would have restricted telehealth access once the Biden administration ends the emergency on May 11. (Leonard, 5/3)

KFF Health News: Biden Administration Issues New Warning About Medical Credit Cards
The Biden administration on Thursday cautioned Americans about the growing risks of medical credit cards and other loans for medical bills, warning in a new report that high interest rates can deepen patients’ debts and threaten their financial security. In its report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that people in the U.S. paid $1 billion in deferred interest on medical credit cards and other medical financing in just three years, from 2018 to 2020. (Levey, 5/4)

On other political, legal developments —

Politico: Senate Democrats Slam Medicare Advantage ‘Ghost Networks’
Medicare Advantage plans faced renewed scrutiny from senators on Wednesday who complained of woefully inaccurate mental health provider directories, which some lawmakers said amounted to fraud. Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee bashed so-called ghost networks run by Medicare Advantage plans, saying inaccurate directories amounted to false advertising to seniors who may pick a Medicare Advantage plan based on the robustness of the network. (King, 5/3)

FactCheck.Org: Republicans Push Back On Democratic Claims Of Veterans' Health Care Cuts In GOP Debt Limit Bill
House Republicans narrowly passed a bill late last month that would temporarily suspend or raise the federal debt limit while significantly reducing caps on discretionary spending for the next 10 years. The legislation does not identify which discretionary programs would or would not see future spending cuts under the proposal.  However, some Democrats have claimed that the bill would lead to deep cuts in several areas, including health benefits for military veterans. (Gore 5/3)

Stat: Juul Execs Shower House Oversight Chair With Campaign Cash
Juul executives wrote personal checks to the head of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), right as he launched a critical probe of the FDA’s regulation of e-cigarettes. On March 28, Comer sent a sharply worded letter to FDA commissioner Robert Califf questioning whether the agency’s decisions on authorizing certain vapes “have been influenced by political concerns rather than scientific evidence.” He also requested a slew of documents detailing the FDA’s regulatory decisions. (Florko, 5/4)

From the states —

Crain's Chicago Business: Gov. Pritzker, Illinois Aims To Build Own ACA Obamacare Marketplace
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is supporting new state legislation that would establish an Illinois health care insurance exchange, an effort to protect an important Affordable Care Act provision in Illinois in the event future federal leaders ever look to roll back parts of the landmark law. (Davis, 5/3)

NPR: Anti-Vaccine Activists Are Building A Legal Network
Steve Kirsch is a tech entrepreneur who made hundreds of millions of dollars after founding an early search engine and helping invent the optical computer mouse. Recently, he stood before a gathering of more than 250 lawyers in Atlanta while wearing a custom black T-shirt designed like a dictionary entry for the phrase "misinformation superspreader." (Hagen, 5/4)

In news from Michelle Obama —

The Wall Street Journal: Michelle Obama Starts Food-And-Drinks Company Aimed At Fighting Childhood Obesity
“If you want to change the game, you can’t just work from the outside. You’ve got to get inside,” Mrs. Obama said in a speech at the festival. “You’ve got to find ways to change the food-and-beverage industry itself.” (Petersen, 5/3)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Covid-19 Deaths And Hospitalizations Near New Lows
U.S. Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths are hovering near new lows, providing fresh evidence that even as the virus endures it has become less damaging in a population with strengthened immune defenses. New subvariants are on the rise, and cutbacks in data reporting have clouded the view of recent trends. But the U.S. has broadly recorded declining numbers this year following a winter of less intense Covid-19 spread. (Kamp, 5/3)

In news from the WHO concerning covid —

Stat: Are Covid And Mpox Still Global Health Emergencies?
Over the next week or so, the World Health Organization may declare a formal end to two long-running global health emergencies, Covid-19 and the mpox outbreak, after independent expert panels meet to assess whether these health events still merit being called Public Health Emergencies of International Concern. (Branswell, 5/4)

Reuters: WHO Experts Weigh Up Whether World Ready To End COVID Emergency
A panel of global health experts will meet on Thursday to decide if COVID-19 is still an emergency under the World Health Organization's rules, a status that helps maintain international focus on the pandemic. The WHO first gave COVID its highest level of alert on January 30 2020, and the panel has continued to apply the label ever since, at meetings held every three months. (Rigby and Farge, 5/4)

Reuters: WHO Dismisses Lead COVID Origins Investigator For Sexual Misconduct 
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that it has dismissed a senior scientist, known for his role as the head of an international mission to China to probe the origins of COVID-19, for sexual misconduct. (Farge, 5/3)

More covid news —

CIDRAP: US COVID-19 Hospitalization Disparities Lessened But Persisted In Vaccine Era
An analysis by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists of more than 350,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients reveals that racial and ethnic disparities declined but persisted in the era of vaccination. The researchers assessed data from the COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) from 353,807 patients who had hospital stays at any point from March 2020 through August 2022. Vaccines were rolled out in December 2020. The group published its findings today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (Wappes, 5/3)

Politico: Florida Legislature Passes Bill Extending Ban On Covid-19 Mandates
The Florida House on Wednesday passed a bill that extends and expands the state’s ban on Covid-19 mandates, furthering Gov. Ron DeSantis’ resistance to Covid-related restrictions. (Sarkissian, 5/3)

Axios: What's Next With COVID-19 Boosters
Food and Drug Administration advisers have set their next meeting to decide how to make the next round of COVID-19 boosters available to the general public this fall, now that they're available for older adults and high-risk people. An FDA expert panel will meet June 15 to discuss and make recommendations on what strains to include in the "periodic updated" COVID vaccines this fall. (Gonzalez, 5/4)

The Washington Post: What The End Of The Covid Public Health Emergency Means For You
The Biden administration will end the public health emergency for the coronavirus pandemic on May 11. ... Here’s how major health policies will be affected when the public health emergency ends. (Sun and Goldstein, 5/4)

Reuters: Novo Nordisk Cuts Wegovy Starter Dose Supply In U.S. To Cope With Demand 
Danish drug developer Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) on Thursday said it would reduce supply of some dose strengths of its popular Wegovy obesity drug in the United States due to high demand after the firm reported forecast-beating first-quarter results. (5/4)

NBC News: Versions Of Ozempic And Wegovy Weight-Loss Drugs Face Crackdowns
A growing number of states are threatening to take legal action against pharmacies that make or dispense unauthorized versions of the weight-loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy. At least four states are already curbing the manufacturing of copycat versions over safety concerns and more could soon follow, experts say, as the two medications soar in popularity in the U.S. (Lovelace Jr., 5/3)

Axios: Employers Grapple With Coverage Of Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic
Employers are fielding a surge of demand from their workers for obesity care benefits — specifically, for a buzzy class of weight loss drugs — and it's getting pricey. (Reed, 5/4)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: CVS Reduces Profit Guidance After Signify, Oak Street Deals
CVS Health cut its 2023 profit expectations after closing acquisitions of primary care operator Oak Street Health and home health company Signify Health earlier than expected, the company announced Wednesday. Transaction and integration costs related to the deals will impact CVS Health's finances in 2023, sooner than anticipated, company executives said during a call with investors. CVS Health had expected to close its $10.6 billion purchase of the Chicago-based Oak Street Health later in the year. (Tepper, 5/3)

Modern Healthcare: Option Care Health To Buy Amedisys For $3.6 Billion
Option Care Health on Wednesday announced plans to acquire health and hospice firm Amedisys for $3.6 billion in a deal that reflects companies’ need to build scale as care options increasingly move into the home. The all-stock transaction would create a mammoth provider of post-acute care services, generating approximately $6.2 billion in annual revenue and delivering a variety of in-home services in 46 states and across 674 sites. (Eastabrook, 5/3)

Modern Healthcare: Centene To Divest Apixio AI Business
Centene will sell artificial intelligence tool Apixio to investment firm New Mountain Capital as the insurer continues to divest assets outside of its core health insurance business, the company announced Wednesday. Centene and New Mountain Capital did not disclose a purchase price or a timeline for closing the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval. (Tepper, 5/3)

Modern Healthcare: 5 Takeaways On Healthcare Construction In 2023
Each year, Modern Healthcare’s Construction and Design survey asks representatives from architecture, construction management, general contracting and development firms about the state of the healthcare construction industry over the past year and what they foresee for the sector. Here are five key takeaways from the survey. (Broderick and Davis, 5/3)

Reuters: Rebound In Travel Helps Vaccine Maker Valneva Post Smaller-Than-Expected Loss
French vaccine maker Valneva (VLS.PA) reported on Thursday a smaller-than-expected first-quarter loss as sales of travel vaccines Dukoral and Ixiaro improved, propelling its shares 16% up. Valneva also confirmed its sales outlook for 2023, with revenue expected between 220 million euros and 260 million euros. (5/4)

The Boston Globe: Cambridge Biotech Raises $90 Million For Drug That Uses Radioactive Atoms To Fight Prostate Cancer
Radiation therapy has been used to treat cancer for more than a century, and about half of all cancer patients still undergo it at some point, according to the National Cancer Institute. Typically, patients receive beams of radiation from a machine that kills cancer cells inside their bodies but can also damage healthy tissue. (Saltzman, 5/3)

Stat: In Early Data, Akili Game Sees Positive Results In Adults With ADHD
Akili Interactive on Wednesday revealed earlier-than-expected top-line clinical trial results suggesting its video game treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is effective for adults. That’s very good news for a company that’s racing to reach more patients in hopes of building a sustainable business. (Aguilar, 5/3)

Stat: Immunogen Ovarian Cancer Drug Shown To Extend Patients’ Lives
A drug approved in November as the first new treatment for advanced ovarian cancer in over seven years has now been shown to extend patients’ lives, its developer, Immunogen, said Wednesday. (Mast, 5/3)

CIDRAP: USPSTF Issues Updated Latent TB Screening, Treatment Guidelines
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has published updated tuberculosis (TB) screening and treatment guidelines, including recommendations on testing at-risk adults for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The recommendations were published yesterday in JAMA. The USPSTF updated its 2016 guidelines by commissioning a systematic review on LTBI screening and treatment in asymptomatic adults at primary care visits and on the accuracy of screening tests. (Van Beusekom, 5/3)

In other health care industry news —

Philadelphia Inquirer: Prospect Medical Gets Injunction On Crozer's DCMH Overturned In Commonwealth Court
A foundation that tried to block last year’s closure of Delaware County Memorial Hospital, part of Crozer Health, did not prove that the closure would cause irreparable harm to the community, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday. The Commonwealth Court ruling has no immediate impact, given that the Drexel Hill hospital’s emergency department and its inpatient units have been closed since the state Department of Health in early November ordered the facility to stop accepting patients because it lacked staff. (Brubaker, 5/3)

Roll Call: Who Are You Going To Call? Finance Hopes Not Ghost Networks
Patients seeking mental health treatment for themselves or their families too often find their insurers' provider directories riddled with inaccurate information, filled with names of providers who aren't accepting new patients or packed with contact information for providers who aren't actually accepting that form of insurance. (Raman, 5/4)

The Hill: Florida Passes Transgender Bathroom Bill 
The Florida legislature passed a bill Wednesday making it a crime for transgender people to use public restrooms that align with their gender identity. Under the bill, known as the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” individuals who use public restrooms or changing facilities that do not correspond with their sex assigned at birth could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor. (Shapero, 5/3)

NPR: Kansas, Montana And Tennessee Are Defining 'Sex' In State Code
Lawmakers in Montana, Tennessee and Kansas have voted in the past few weeks to narrowly define who is "female" and who is "male" in state law using such terms as "gametes," "ova," "sex chromosomes," "genitalia" and "immutable biological sex." The bills in Montana and Tennessee have passed the legislature and are headed to governors' desks. The Kansas bill, called the "women's bill of rights," was vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, but the Republican legislature was able to override her. (Ragar, Gainey and Conlon, 5/3)

Stateline: Wave Of Transgender Health Care Bans Has Roots In Past Debates
More than 40% of American adults know someone who is transgender, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center poll. Yet 46% of Americans favor making it illegal to provide minors with medical care supporting a gender transition. At least 37% of Americans favor investigating parents for child abuse if they assist a minor with medical care for a gender transition, while 36% are opposed, according to the poll. There is a wide partisan divide on the issue: Seventy-two percent of Republicans and only 26% of Democrats believed providing care to minors should be illegal, the poll found. (Giangreco, 5/4)

Meanwhile, in challenges to anti-trans laws and on protecting gender care access —

Des Moines Register: Students Protest LGBTQ, Education Bills At Ceremony With Kim Reynolds
Davenport West High School senior Clementine Springsteen had planned to quietly accept her Iowa Governor's Scholar certificate from Gov. Kim Reynolds on Sunday. But she couldn't stay quiet. Instead, Springsteen, who is a transgender woman, walked across the stage wearing a pink, white and light blue tie to represent the transgender flag, and pins that read "Trans Rights Are Human Rights" and "She Her" as she reached out to shake the hand of the governor and also Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg. (Hernandez, 5/2)

AP: Suit Targets Kentucky Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Youth
Several families on Wednesday challenged Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths, claiming the prohibition interferes with parental rights to seek established medical treatment for their children. (Schreiner, 5/3)

The Baltimore Sun: Gov. Wes Moore Signs Bills Ensuring Health Care Access For Women, Transgender Marylanders 
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and leaders in the General Assembly signed several pieces of legislation Wednesday, with an emphasis on equity for all Marylanders and the guarantee that medical decisions remain between a patient and their physician. (Gaskill, 5/3)

Also —

The Hill: Expansion Of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Passes Florida Senate, Heads To DeSantis’s Desk
An expansion of the Florida law critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” passed the state Senate Wednesday and is on its way to the desk of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it. In a 27-12 vote, the Florida Senate passed an expansion of the law that was put into effect last year in the state. (Lonas, 5/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Parents’ Rights Emerge As Issue In GOP Presidential Primary
Republican presidential hopefuls seeking to exploit disputes over the rights of parents are finding fertile ground in this suburban area where a debate over gender identity has triggered division in the state that starts the 2024 nomination process. (McCormick, 5/3)

The New York Times: Common Consumer Products Contain Toxic Chemicals, Study Shows 
More than 100 types of common consumer products contain at least one, and often multiple, chemicals linked to cancer or reproductive and developmental problems, according to research published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. (Smith, 5/3)

Politico: Study: Air Toxic Exposure Risks Tied To Everyday Products
Shampoos, paint strippers and other common wares expose the public to thousands of tons of toxic air pollution annually, according to a first-of-its-kind study that provides a uniquely detailed look at the potential effects on indoor air quality in one state. (Reilly, 5/3)

In reproductive health news —

The New York Times: More U.S. Women Are Avoiding Unwanted Or Mistimed Pregnancies
Births and pregnancies in the United States have been on a long-term decline. A new data analysis provides one reason: It’s becoming less common for women to get pregnant when they don’t want to be. The analysis, released Thursday in the journal Demography by researchers at the Guttmacher Institute, estimates the number of pregnancies in the United States — there is no single official count — and examines women’s feelings about the timing of their pregnancies. (Cain Miller, 5/3)

The New York Times: PUMP Act: What To Know About The New Breast Pumping Law
Last week, expanded protections for nursing mothers, officially known as the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, or PUMP Act, went into full effect, giving more workers the right to break time and a private space to pump. Congress passed the new legislation in December with large bipartisan support, but it was rolled out in phases to give employers time to adjust to the new requirements. (Haridasani Gupta and Pearson, 5/3)

Also —

AP: Ban Social Media For Kids? Fed-Up Parents In Senate Say Yes
Sen. Katie Britt says she hears about it constantly when she is at home in Alabama — at school track meets, basketball tournaments and on her regular morning walks with friends. And when she was running for the Senate last year, Britt says, “parent after parent” came up to her wanting to discuss the way social media was harming their kids. Britt also navigates the issue in her own home, as the mother of a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old. (Clare Jalonick, 5/3)

The Atlantic: Can You Have A Fun Vacation On Ozempic?
At Christmas dinner, Jenny Burriss remembers eating exactly one bite of beef before feeling full. She had just upped her dose of semaglutide—the diabetes and obesity drug better known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy—and her appetite had plummeted. She had also lost her taste for alcohol, a side effect of the drug. So before her vacation a couple of months later, she decided to skip a dose. She was going to Disney World, and she wanted to enjoy the food—at least a little. (Zhang, 5/3)

The Wall Street Journal: New York Passes First-In-Nation Ban On Gas Stoves In New Homes, Apartments
New York is set to become the first state in the U.S. to ban gas stoves in new homes and apartments. The Democratic-controlled state Legislature passed a bill late Tuesday that prohibits natural-gas and other fossil-fuel hookups in new residential buildings and some new commercial buildings. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is expected to approve the measure, which was included in the state’s budget. (De Avila, 5/3)

CIDRAP: Global Avian Flu Outbreaks Ebb Slightly But Spread To New Areas
In the last 3 weeks of April, the pace of highly pathogenic avian flu outbreaks declined slightly, but, with the first detection in Gambia, the virus continues to spread to new areas, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said in its latest global update. In US developments, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its most recent updates reported another outbreak in poultry, more H5N1 detections in wild birds, and more H5N1 identifications in mammals. (Schnirring, 5/3)

Stat: In A First, A Rare Blood Vessel Disorder Is Treated In The Womb
For Darren Orbach, a pediatric neurointerventionalist at Boston Children’s Hospital, the first-of-its-kind procedure to fix a potentially deadly vascular malformation in the brain of a fetus was an “exhilarating” experience, despite the sobering potential consequences. For the expectant parents, it was an exercise in hope. (Castillo, 5/4)

Also —

Stat: Hormone Therapy After Breast Cancer Can Be Safely Paused For Pregnancy
Women who’ve been treated for hormone-sensitive breast cancer often face five to 10 years of endocrine therapy to lower the chances of their tumors coming back. Because that drug regimen is toxic during pregnancy, women who haven’t begun their families yet may lose that chance before they even try. New research published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests there might be another option. (Cooney, 5/3)

Stat: Oft-Prescribed Beta Blockers May Not Help Some Heart Patients
Beta blockers have long been widely prescribed for patients with heart issues, but two new studies this week question the benefit of the therapies in certain patients with strong heart function. (Chen, 5/3)

Stat: Gene Therapy Has Helped Boys Walk. Can Scientists Keep It That Way?
In the beginning, Conner Curran ran up the stairs. It was a miraculous moment for him and his parents, Jess and Chris Curran. Just months before, contractors were in their New York home to install a motorized lift, while Jess tearfully explained that it wasn’t for a grandparent but for their 7-year-old son, who suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy and could barely haul himself up the steps. (Mast, 5/4)

Stat: CAR-T Research Is Hampered By Outdated Precautions, Experts Say
Twenty years ago, CAR-T cell therapy was not quite “believed in,” said Michel Sadelain, director of the Center for Cellular Engineering at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. It was hard to find patients to put in a trial, he said, because physicians were skeptical of the new technology. Then, when the first patients were successfully treated, there was “suddenly this turnabout, a tsunami as some would say, of young scientists and not-so-young scientists embracing this.” (Chen, 5/3)

In technology developments relating to health —

Stat: Vinod Khosla Predicts AI Doctors Could Arrive Sooner Than You Think
Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla is famous for predictions that have helped usher in the high tech world we live in today — and made him very wealthy in the process. On Wednesday, he made another bold forecast: A fully computerized doctor could be seeing patients before the decade is out. (Aguilar, 5/3)

Modern Healthcare: Boston Children’s Hospital Invests In ChatGPT Expert
As healthcare contemplates the use of generative artificial intelligence technology, Boston Children’s Hospital is moving from strategy to salary. The Boston-based hospital is hiring someone to use OpenAI’s generative AI application ChatGPT. Boston Children's posted a job posting in April for an “AI prompt engineer” to work on its innovation and digital health accelerator. The person will design and develop AI prompts using large language models like ChatGPT. (Perna, 5/2)

Los Angeles Times: Mental Health Apps May Put Your Privacy At Risk. What To Look For
Every second, thousands of people tell their phone or computer something about themselves that they might not want anyone else to know. That’s what happens when people search for medical information online, typically looking for answers to questions about a problem or worry they have. In 2022, Google says, its users searched often for information about diets and supplements, exercise, stress and depression, and various other ailments. Depending on the users’ browser settings, those details may still be found in their Google profiles. (Healey, 5/2)

USA Today: How Does Neurologic Music Therapy Work? Study Reveals Practice's Power
Adults and children with cognitive disorders may have trouble walking – but neurologic music therapy can be a helpful part of their treatment plan, according to growing research. Neurologic music therapy has been shown to help retrain the brain to walk, improving the gait of those with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, stroke and cerebral palsy. (Hassanein, 5/2)

News Service of Florida: Florida Lawmakers Approve Restrictions On Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Targeting an important — and controversial — part of the health care system, Florida lawmakers Tuesday gave final approval to a plan that would increase regulations on pharmacy benefit managers. (Saunders, 5/3)

Health News Florida: Florida Lawmakers Advance Measure To Boost Hospital Worker Protections 
A measure that ratchets up the consequences for assault or battery of hospital personnel was passed Tuesday by the Florida Senate. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral, advanced by a 38-1 vote. The House unanimously passed the measure last month. The bill next goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing. (5/3)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

Bloomberg: EVs Are Cleaning Up California’s Air, But Mostly For The Affluent
Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Miami analyzed the geographic distribution of more than 400,000 rebates issued in California since 2010 for the purchase of electric vehicles. They then modeled estimated emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, as well as PM 2.5 — particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and smaller in length that’s found in vehicle exhaust and power plant emissions. Scientists have linked exposure to PM2.5 with heart and lung disease and 7 million premature deaths globally each year. (Woody, 5/3)

Politico: California AG Warns Tobacco Companies Their New Cigarettes Are Banned In The State
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has warned tobacco companies that new cigarettes on California shelves are running afoul of the state’s flavored tobacco ban. Five letters obtained by POLITICO, sent April 25, inform the tobacco companies ITG Brands LLC and R.J. Reynolds that products like “Kool Non-Menthol,” “Camel Crisp” and “ Newport Non-Menthol Green” have all been determined to be in violation of the ban that’s been in effect since December 2022. (Bluth, 5/3)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Woman Killed In Atlanta Medical Office Shooting Worked For The CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a CDC employee was killed in the shooting at the Northside Hospital Midtown medical office building. In an e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Benjamin N. Haynes, director of the Division of Media Relations said, the “CDC is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting. (Donastorg, Oliviero and Edwards, 5/3)

Los Angeles Times: Man Dies During Chokehold By Fellow New York Subway Rider
A man who witnesses said was yelling and appeared to be suffering a mental health episode in a New York City subway car was killed when another passenger grabbed him from behind and placed him in a chokehold, authorities said. (Petri, 5/3)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Hospitals Have To Say If Won’t Allow Tube Tying, Gender-Affirming Care
An unknown number of women in Colorado — including an aide to state Rep. Brianna Titone — have learned while in the hospital to give birth that the hospital they chose will not tie their tubes to prevent future pregnancies. Older Coloradans and those with terminal illnesses have discovered near the end of their lives that the hospital system they’ve gone to for years does not prescribe aid-in-dying medication. (Brown, 5/3)

AP: Detroit School Closes For Cleaning Amid Spike In Illnesses
A Detroit elementary school has closed for the rest of the week for a deep cleaning amid a spike in flu-like illnesses, officials said Wednesday. One of the students who fell sick, a kindergartner, died last week, according to school and health officials, though no cause had yet been determined for the death or the illnesses. (5/4)

Kansas City Star: PA Doctor Gave Patients Unnecessary Artery Procedures: Feds
Many patients are at “greater risk of leg amputations” after their Pennsylvania doctor provided invasive and medically unnecessary procedures as part of a $6.5 million insurance scam, according to federal authorities. The U.S. is now suing Dr. James McGuckin and his affiliated practices in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under the False Claims Act. This lawsuit was originally filed by another doctor under whistleblower provisions. (Alanis, 5/3)

Wyoming Public Radio: Some Telehealth Restrictions Are Coming Back After The Federal COVID-19 Health Emergency Ends
Back in 2020, the Trump Administration removed restrictions on telehealth services. “We saw, especially older adults, really showed a willingness to figure out the technology to understand the process and really embrace telehealth,” said Tom Lackock, the associate state director for AARP Wyoming. Lacock said in a rural state it helped to not have to drive miles to see a provider but rather stay at home. But starting on May 12, there will be one main change. (Kudelska, 5/3)

ScienceDaily: Chances Of Eliminating HIV Infection Increased By Novel Dual Gene-Editing Approach 
Gene-editing therapy aimed at two targets -- HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS, and CCR5, the co-receptor that helps the virus get into cells -- can effectively eliminate HIV infection, new research shows. The study combines a dual gene-editing strategy with antiretroviral drugs to cure animals of HIV-1. (Temple University Health System, 5/2)

CIDRAP: Post-Treatment Lesions In Mpox Patients Likely Less Severe Than Initial Presentation 
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene describe nine cases of new skin or mucosal lesions in patients with mpox who had recently completed the 14-day tecovirimat (Tpoxx) treatment course. (Soucheray, 4/27)

CIDRAP: Raw Milk Tied To Shiga Toxin-Producing E Coli Cases In Tennessee Infants
A new report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes how raw milk from a Tennessee cow-sharing arrangement likely caused two cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections in infants, which led to one of the infants developing kidney failure from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The infants developed diarrhea between July 25 and August 1, 2022, and testing revealed STEC. Both households received raw milk from participants in the same cow-share. Children under age 5, adults older than 25, and immunocompromised individuals are most at risk for developing complications from STEC infections. (Soucheray, 4/28)

CIDRAP: Long-COVID Patients Show Abnormal Brain Activity On MRI While Doing Memory Tasks
Long-COVID patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms such as brain fog showed abnormal brain activity on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while completing memory tests, with a shift from activity in brain areas normally used for memory to other brain regions, shows a study published yesterday in Neurology. (Van Beusekom, 4/27)

The New York Times: Why Americans Feel More Pain 
“I believe pain is the most complex experience a human body can have,” Dr. Haider Warraich told me. Dr. Warraich is a cardiologist who teaches at Harvard Medical School, but his familiarity with pain is personal: While still in medical school, he began to suffer disabling back pain that for many years took over his life. (Nicholas Kristof, 5/3)

The Washington Post: Is ADHD An 'Illness'? Readers React To Kate Woodsome Column 
Is ADHD a condition, a disorder, an illness, a neurodivergence, a superpower? Each person with ADHD with whom I talked chose a different word depending on the severity of their symptoms, how it affects their executive functioning and whether they have access to coaching, medicine or a supportive family, and school or work. (Kate Woodsome, 5/4)

The New York Times: Why Does Bad Science On Covid’s Origin Get Hyped? 
In mid-March, new analysis of genetic data collected in Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market from January and February of 2020 generated enormous publicity for a scrap of virological news — and probably the most attention that’s ever been given to an obscure, adorable species of mammal known as raccoon dogs. (David Wallace-Wells, 5/3)

Roll Call: Why Congress Should Extend Key COVID-19 Flexibilities On Programs Like Medicaid, CHIP 
On March 20, 2020, no one could have predicted how COVID-19 was going to impact our country. But in the ensuing three years, virtually everything about our lives has felt the difference. (John Faso and Stan Soloway, 5/3)

Stat: How Can Medical Chatbots Seem So Empathetic?
An April 28 article in JAMA Internal Medicine, “Comparing Physician and Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Patient Questions Posted to a Public Social Media Forum,” generated a great deal of discussion — much of it horrified. In particular, people are focusing on the study’s conclusions: that “chatbot responses were longer than physician responses, and the study’s health care professional evaluators preferred chatbot-generated responses over physician responses 4 to 1. (Jennifer Lycette, 5/4)

Indianapolis Star: Let's Improve Health Outcomes For All Hoosiers. Here's How We Do It
Indiana consistently ranks near the bottom of multiple national health statistics, including maternal deaths (42nd out of 51 states and Washington D.C.) and mental illness prevalence and access to care (42nd again). Where are we ranked near the top? Cigarette use among adults (11th out of 53 states, D.C. and territories), which is not a rank to be lauded. (Marc Hackett and James Bien, 5/4)