The New York Times: F.D.A. To Issue First Approval For Mass Drug Imports To States From Canada 
The Food and Drug Administration has decided to allow Florida to import millions of dollars worth of medications from Canada at far lower prices than in the United States, overriding fierce decades-long objections from the pharmaceutical industry, according to a senior administration official. The approval is a major policy shift for the United States, and supporters hope it will be a significant step forward in the long and largely unsuccessful effort to reign in drug prices. Individuals in the United States are allowed to buy directly from Canadian pharmacies, but states have long wanted to be able to purchase medicines in bulk for their Medicaid programs, government clinics and prisons from Canadian wholesalers. (Jewett and Stolberg, 1/5)

Axios: Dizzying Reason Behind America's Drug Shortage: Low Prices
A rash of generic drug shortages across the United States can be partly explained by a somewhat counterintuitive and politically inconvenient factor: The prices are way too low. (Owens, 1/5)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

AP: Drugstore Chain Walgreens Cuts Quarterly Dividend To Get More Cash To Grow Its Business 
Walgreens is chopping its dividend nearly in half as the drugstore chain looks to strengthen its balance sheet. The health care giant said Thursday that reducing its quarterly payout to shareholders to 25 cents per share will help free up capital to spend growing its pharmacy and health care businesses. (Murphy, 1/4)

Stat: Allogene Pivoting To New Strategy On Off-The-Shelf CAR-T Therapy 
Allogene Therapeutics is making unexpected changes to development plans for its off-the-shelf cell therapy for a type of blood cancer — a concession that competition from personalized CAR-T treatments, already entrenched in the market, has become more challenging. (Feuerstein, 1/4)

Stat: Susan Tousi Leaves Illumina To Head Cancer Liquid Biopsy Startup 
Delfi Diagnostics, a startup devising new ways to use routine blood draws to detect early signs of cancer, told STAT Thursday that it has appointed Susan Tousi, chief commercial officer for genomics giant Illumina, as its new CEO. She is the fourth senior executive to leave Illumina since June. (Wosen, 1/4)

News Service of Florida: An Appeals Court Will Weigh A Patient Drug Dispute In A Case Involving Publix
An appeals court this month will hear arguments in a long-running battle pitting the Publix supermarket chain and insurers against a state agency and doctors over rules for dispensing medications to injured workers. The case involves whether workers’ compensation insurers should be required to reimburse physicians who dispense medications to people injured on the job. Publix and the insurers say drugs should be dispensed at pharmacies. (Saunders, 1/4)

Also —

Axios: Vivek Ramaswamy Sells $33 Million In Roivant Stock To Boost Campaign
Vivek Ramaswamy sold $33 million worth of shares in the biotech company he founded, as he fights to stay competitive in the GOP presidential primary race. Ramaswamy will use some of the proceeds to make a "significant investment" in his campaign, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios. (Cai and Primack, 1/4)

Reuters: Wegovy, Ozempic Not Linked To Increase In Suicidal Thoughts, US Study Finds 
A large U.S. study found no evidence that taking Novo Nordisk's Ozempic or Wegovy is tied to an increase in suicidal thoughts, researchers reported on Friday. Both Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and the obesity treatment Wegovy have the same active ingredient, semaglutide. Instead, the analysis of electronic medical record data from more than 1.8 million patients found a lower risk of new and recurrent suicidal thoughts in those taking semaglutide compared to those using other medications for weight loss or diabetes. (Lapid, 1/5)

More news about weight-loss drugs —

Bloomberg: Weight Loss Drugs Can Now Be Delivered To Your Home By Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly & Co. launched a service to sell its weight-loss drugs directly to the public. That pits the company against startups such as Ro and Noom that have fed the frenzy over GLP-1 medications by making them easy to access online. ... It will also offer direct home delivery of certain drugs through third-party pharmacies, Lilly has partnered with closely-held Form Health Inc., a virtual weight loss program, on obesity and will work with 9amHealth Inc on its diabetes offerings. (Muller, 1/4)

Bloomberg: Merck Looks To Join The Weight-Loss Drug Frenzy
Merck & Co. is seeking new obesity-fighting drugs called GLP-1s, joining a host of companies angling for a slice of the exploding market. The drug giant is looking for therapies that provide health benefits for diabetes and other disorders alongside weight loss, Chief Executive Officer Rob Davis said Thursday at an investor conference hosted by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Merck is seeking opportunities through its own drug development as well as deals, he said. (Cattan, 1/4)

Reuters: Wegovy Maker Novo Nordisk Enters Research Tie-Ups With US Biotech Firms
Blockbuster weight-loss drug maker Novo Nordisk announced on Thursday research collaborations with two U.S. biotech firms, part of its efforts to stay ahead in big pharma's race to develop more treatments for cardiometabolic diseases. Novo, a Danish drugmaker whose share price rose 49% last year due to soaring demand for its weight-loss medicine Wegovy, said the partnerships with Omega Therapeutics and Cellarity Inc could lead to new treatments for people living with obesity and a type of liver disease known as MASH. (Fick, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: Ozempic Demand Drives Insurers To Ease Bariatric Surgery Coverage
Health insurance companies are expanding their coverage of bariatric surgery amid rising demand for pricey new weight loss drugs. Geisinger Health Plan and Blue Cross and Blue Shield carriers in Massachusetts, Michigan and Vermont are among those easing access to bariatric surgery over the past year as patients seek medicines such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic and Eli Lilly's Trulicity that can cost about $1,000 a month in perpetuity. (Tepper, 1/4)

Politico: Hydroxychloroquine Could Have Caused 17,000 Deaths During COVID, Study Finds
Nearly 17,000 people may have died after taking hydroxycholoroquine during the first wave of COVID, according to a study by French researchers. The anti-malaria drug was prescribed to some patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, "despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits," the researchers point out in their paper, published in the February issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. Now, researchers have estimated that some 16,990 people in six countries — France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the U.S. — may have died as a result. (Eccles, 1/24)

The Messenger: Trump-Backed Drug Linked To Thousands Of COVID Deaths: Study 
Among the nearly 17,000 excess deaths linked to the drug, more than 12,000 occurred in the U.S. alone. ... “What do you have to lose? Take it,” President Trump said during a White House briefing in 2020. “I really think they should take it. But it’s their choice. And it’s their doctor’s choice or the doctors in the hospital. But hydroxychloroquine. Try it, if you’d like.” (Shaheen, 1/4)

On long covid and Paxlovid —

CIDRAP: Study Describes Clinical Features That May Lead To Long COVID
Today a study published in Nature Communications describes features of the acute phase of COVID-19 infection seen in patients who later developed long COVID, and a second study in the same journal suggests that long-COVID fatigue is linked to changes to the mitochondria in muscle cells. (Soucheray, 1/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Paxlovid Doesn’t Reduce Risk Of Long COVID, UCSF Study Finds
The COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid does not reduce the risk of long COVID for vaccinated people who’ve tested positive for the virus for the first time, according to a new study by UCSF researchers. The study, published Thursday in the Journal of Medical Virology, also found that a higher share than previously reported experienced rebound symptoms and tested positive for COVID after taking the antiviral medication. (Flores, 1/4)

The New York Times: Paxlovid Cuts Covid Death Risk. But Those Who Need It Are Not Taking It
As Covid rises again, killing about 1,500 Americans each week, medical researchers are trying to understand why so few people are taking Paxlovid, a medicine that is stunningly effective in preventing severe illness and death from the disease. A study of a million high-risk people with Covid found that only about 15 percent who were eligible for the drug took it. If instead half of the eligible patients in the United States had gotten Paxlovid during the time period of the research, 48,000 deaths could have been prevented, the authors of the study, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, concluded. (Jewett, 1/4)

More covid news —

NPR: COVID And Flu Cases Are Rising Across The U.S. 
In most U.S. states, respiratory illness levels are currently considered "high" or "very high," according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A few respiratory viruses have been driving the upward trend. (Huang, 1/5)

USA Today: COVID-19 Cases Are Rising Again. Here's How To Check If Your At-Home Tests Are Expired
With cases of COVID-19 on the rise again this winter thanks in part to the new JN.1 variant of the virus, now is probably a good time to take stock of the tests you may have at home. (DeLetter, 1/4)

Chicago Tribune: Chicago COVID-19 Risk Rises To ‘Medium’ As Hospital Admissions Increase
Chicago’s COVID-19 risk level has risen from “low” to “medium” for the first time since last January. The heightened warning, spurred by a jump in hospitalizations, shows the virus’s spread “is creeping up,” said Dr. Alex Sloboda, medical director of immunization and emergency preparedness programs with the Chicago Department of Public Health. (Sheridan, 1/4)

Reuters: COVID-19 Treatment Developer Humanigen Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Drug developer Humanigen has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to a court filing, after struggling to get regulatory approval for its COVID-19 treatment. The Burlingame, California-based company, once controlled by convicted pharma executive Martin Shkreli, listed assets worth $521,000 and total debt of $44.1 million, as per the Jan.3 filing. (1/4)

On the spread of measles in Pennsylvania —

CBS News: Philadelphia Health Confirms At Least 4 Measles Cases, Warns About Addition Exposures At Day Care And Hospitals
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported additional measles exposures with at least four confirmed cases Thursday afternoon after warning the public of a possible measles exposure in late December. Three cases and an index case, which is the the earliest known or suspected case of infection in an outbreak, have been confirmed, according to a release from Philadelphia Health. (Newbill, Tallant, and Roberts, 1/4)

The New York Times: Sixth Grader Killed And 5 Others Injured In Iowa School Shooting
A gunman killed a sixth-grade student and injured five other people at a high school in Perry, Iowa, early Thursday morning just as students were arriving back to school after their winter break. Four of the injured were students, and one was an administrator, Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said at a news conference on Thursday. One of the injured victims was in critical condition. The administrator was identified by Easton Valley Community School District as Dan Marburger, the principal at Perry High School, where the shooting took place. Officials did not release the names of any other victims. The gunman, identified as Dylan Butler, a 17-year-old student at the high school, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Mr. Mortvedt said. Law enforcement officials believe he acted alone and said the motive for the attack was not yet known. (Tumin, Mather and Mensching, 1/4)

Firstpost: 17-Year-Old Behind Shooting At Iowa School: Why Are More Adolescents Picking Up Guns In The US?
The 17-year-old student at the high school is believed to have acted alone. The motive of the attack was not clear, according to law enforcement officials. Dylan Butler was armed with two firearms – a handgun and shotgun – and a makeshift explosive device when he walked into Perry High School around 7.30 am. He opened fire on the campus minutes before classes resumed. The teenage gunman’s friends told The Associated Press that he was a quiet person who was bullied for years. “He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment. Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no,” said 17-year-old Yesenia Roeder. Her sister Khamya Hall, also 17, echoed similar views alongside their mother Alita. They said that their classmate, who police identified as the shooter, was bullied relentlessly since elementary school. That escalated recently, they said, when his younger sister started getting picked on too. Officials at the school didn’t intervene, they said, and that was “the last straw” for Butler. (1/5)

Advocate: Right-Wing Influencers Focus On Alleged Shooter's Gender Identity
While law enforcement has not commented about the alleged shooter’s gender identity or sexual orientation, social media users focused on the appearance of a Pride flag on an account allegedly linked to the shooter, and it led to a narrative amplified by right-wing influencers online. That account is no longer available, but screen grabs of its content have circulated widely on social media. ... Chaya Raichik, known for running the anti-LGBTQ+ Libs of TikTok social media accounts, began posting hours before the shooter was identified, alleging him to be gender fluid, based upon a hashtag allegedly included in the person’s social media footprint. She later posted a meme inaccurately linking several mass shooters to the LGBTQ+ community. Elon Musk amplified this idea on the platform X, formerly Twitter. (Wiggins, 1/4)

The Hill: Haley Calls For Mental Health Reform After Iowa School Shooting 
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley called for mental health reform following the deadly school shooting in Perry, Iowa on Thursday. “We have to deal with the cancer that is mental health. We have to,” Haley told voters at a CNN town hall in Iowa. “One in three people have a mental health issue, but if treated they can live a perfectly normal life. What we see is that 80 percent of mass shooters are in some sort of crisis at the time that they do that. We have got to do better. The problem is we don’t have enough mental health therapists.” (Manchester, 1/4)

The Hill: Ramaswamy Slams ‘Knee-Jerk Policy Reactions’ After Iowa Shooting 
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the “knee-jerk policy reactions” he expects to see from politicians calling for gun control legislation after a school shooter killed one student and injured five others on Thursday. In a sit-down with voters Thursday, Ramaswamy said the legislative focus shouldn’t be on guns, but on mental health. (Robertson, 1/4)

In related news about gun violence —

The Washington Post: As Mass Shootings Rise, Some Senators Are Recanting Their Gun Debate Votes
It is rare for politicians to shift their views on policy issues as culturally divisive as gun rights. But the expressions of remorse underscore how the failure to change laws in response to Sandy Hook continues to haunt many who held power at the time — prompting some of them to openly wonder if they allowed short-term political considerations to cloud their judgment on votes that might have saved lives. (Wallsten and Kane, 12/27)

KFF Health News: States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars To Combat Gun Violence 
To tackle America’s gun problem, a growing number of states are using Medicaid dollars to pay for community-based programs intended to stop shootings. The idea is to boost resources for violence prevention programs, which have been overwhelmed in some cities by a spike in violent crime since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. An infusion of reliable federal funding, advocates say, could allow these nonprofits to expand their reach to more residents most at risk of being shot — or of shooting someone. (Young, 1/5)

CBS News: As Gun Violence Increases, Active Shooter Defense Industry Booms 
American schools are expected to spend $3.5 billion on security this year, according to the research firm Omdia, part of a growing trend in spending on defense against active shooters. Greg Vecchi, director of research and training at SafeDefend, says the company's technology can help people survive a shooting at schools and workplaces. (Saberi, 1/4)

Also —

6 ABC Philadelphia: Gun Violence Statistics: New Jersey Sees Historic Drop In 2023
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials are touting a big milestone in the battle against gun violence. In 2023, the Garden State had its lowest number of shootings in 15 years. Governor Murphy says it's because of the collaboration between officials at every level, as well as community programs. The number of shooting victims dropped 13% from 2022 to 2023, and the number of those killed by gun violence was down 8%. (1/5)

News 5 Cleveland: New Ohio Study Claims Permitless Carry Didn't Increase Gun Violence, But Police Argue Against It
A new report from the state found that gun violence has actually decreased since a controversial firearm law took effect, but police warn it doesn't tell the full story. Gun owners in Ohio were able to legally carry a firearm without a permit as of June 2022. Police and gun safety advocates testified that it could cause an increase in gun violence. Now, the data is in. The Center for Justice Research report took data from Ohio’s eight largest cities and analyzed crimes related to firearms, verified gunshot-detection alerts and the number of law enforcement officers shot. (Trau, 1/4)

AP: It Took Decades, But San Francisco Finally Installs Nets To Stop Suicides Off Golden Gate Bridge
Suicide-prevention barriers at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge have been completed more than a decade later. “We have a continuous physical suicide barrier installed the full length of the 1.7-mile bridge on the east and the west side. The bridge is sealed up,” said Dennis Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. The barriers are already working as intended, he added. (Rodriguez, 1/3)

If you are in need of help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

Houston Chronicle: Texas Plans New $50M Mental Health Treatment Center In Conroe
Texas is sending $50 million to Montgomery County to build a new mental health treatment center to expand the number of beds and facilities to address behavioral health illnesses across the state. Senate Bill 30, which was effective in September, allocates about $3 billion for new mental health facilities. (Dominguez, 1/4)

CBS News: New N.Y. Law Aids Mental Health Crisis Response; "Every Second Counts"
Westchester County is building a network of mobile crisis response teams, trained experts who respond to mental and behavioral health emergencies. Now a new state law "green lights" helping them get where they're needed, faster. ... "Individuals with mental health needs should be approached and helped, not by law enforcement, but by professionals who are trained in mental health and mental health crisis," said Joe Glazer, of the county's Department of Community Mental Health. (Aiello, 1/4)

Houston Landing: Houston Schools Brace For Losing COVID Mental Health Funds
In Harris County, thousands of students continue to grapple with the long shadow of grief cast by the deaths of parents and caregivers from COVID-19. Yet today, with federal stimulus funding for schools drawing to an end and state lawmakers dedicating virtually no additional money for public schools during the 2023 legislative session, education leaders are starting to make tough choices about whether to maintain mental health support for children. Their decisions will have lifelong effects on students quietly struggling with their anguish. Researchers have found the sudden loss of a parent trumps all other traumas when it comes to impact on academic performance. (Lehrer-Small, 1/5)

The Hechinger Report: School Program Reduces Trauma In Latina And Black Girls But Faces Hurdles
On a November afternoon inside Robert Abbott Middle School, six eighth grade girls quickly filed into a small but colorful classroom and seated themselves in a circle. Yuli Paez-Naranjo, a Working on Womanhood counselor, sported a purple WOW T-shirt as she led the group in a discussion about how values can inform decisions. (Hayes, 1/4)

On the use of psychedelics —

USA Today: Ibogaine Helps Combat Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD
Herb Daniels attempted suicide twice before he decided he'd try anything to make life livable again. The 52-year-old former Green Beret had traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. ... In July 2022, Daniels booked a trip to Tijuana to become part of an experimental psychoactive treatment. He knew little about ibogaine, a psychedelic derived from the root bark of a plant from the African rainforest, and neither do many U.S. scientists. But he signed up for the treatment anyway, along with other combat veterans, compelled reports of its curative potential. (Cuevas, 1/5)

Bloomberg: Peter Thiel-Backed Psychedelic Firm Atai To Buy Stake In Beckley
Atai Life Sciences NV agreed to acquire a stake in smaller rival Beckley Psytech to expand its portfolio of drug candidates for the treatment of mental health conditions. The German psychedelic drug maker firm is buying 35.5% of UK-based Beckley for $50 million, according to a statement Thursday, which confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. It will also receive warrants that could give it more stock in the future. (Henning, 1/4)

New Hampshire Bulletin: NH House Declines To Make Expanded Medicaid Permanent
House Republicans rejected legislation Thursday that would have permanently continued the state’s expanded Medicaid program, which provides nearly 57,000 low-income Granite Staters health insurance. (Timmins, 1/4)

The Washington Examiner: Maryland Implements Medicaid Expansions For Gender-Affirming Care
Effective Jan. 1, through its Trans Health Equity Act, Maryland Medicaid coverage has expanded gender-affirming services and procedures. It has expanded from mental health services, hormone replacement therapy and gender reassignment surgery to include body contouring, vocal surgery and therapy, hair removal, puberty blockers, fertility preservation and various other cosmetic surgeries. It also covers the revision or reversal of prior gender-affirming procedures. (Sweeney, 1/5)

AP: There's A Glimmer Of Hope For Broader Health Coverage In Georgia, But Also A Good Chance Of A Fizzle
Medicaid expansion was long politically impossible in Georgia. Now it’s just unlikely. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns says he wants lawmakers to consider more health coverage in the state as their session begins Monday. But he’s careful not to label it Medicaid expansion, and certainly not “Obamacare.” (Amy, 1/4)

Channel3000.com: Wisconsin BadgerCare, Medicaid Recipients To Receive Continuous Health Coverage
BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid members under 19 can keep their health insurance benefits for at least 12 months, according to a press release form the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. "This policy change ensures Wisconsin children will continue to get the care they need when they need it," said DHS Secretary-designee Kirsten Johnson. "Families will have peace of mind knowing their kids can get wellness checks, vaccines, and more to stay healthy." (Cuevas, 1/4)

KFF Health News: Most People Dropped In Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Never Tried To Renew Coverage, Utah Finds 
A first-of-its-kind survey of people who lost Medicaid coverage last year found just over half made no effort to renew their coverage — in many cases because they were unable to navigate paperwork requirements. The survey sheds light on why millions of beneficiaries nationwide were dropped from the federal-state health insurance program for “procedural reasons.” KFF Health News obtained the survey, which Utah’s Medicaid program paid more than $20,000 to conduct, through a public records request. (Galewitz, 1/4)

Health Affairs: Dispelling The Myths Hindering Medicaid Innovation
Entrepreneurs and the venture capital firms that fund them have largely overlooked solutions for the Medicaid program. Our recent internal analysis, conducted in collaboration with Rock Health, highlights that from 2011 to 2022, only about 7.7 percent ($7.75 billion) of approximately $101 billion invested in all forms of digital health was raised to support companies engaging with Medicaid plans (see exhibit 1). (Velasquez and Gebremedhin, 1/4)

In Medicare news —

KFF Health News: Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped In Medicare Advantage Plans 
In 2016, Richard Timmins went to a free informational seminar to learn more about Medicare coverage. “I listened to the insurance agent and, basically, he really promoted Medicare Advantage,” Timmins said. The agent described less expensive and broader coverage offered by the plans, which are funded largely by the government but administered by private insurance companies. For Timmins, who is now 76, it made economic sense then to sign up. And his decision was great, for a while. Then, three years ago, he noticed a lesion on his right earlobe. (Tribble, 1/5)

Connecticut Public: UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage Plan Is 'Misleading,' CT Advocates Say
UnitedHealthcare could face potential federal fines for allegedly creating misleading advertisements touting its Medicare Advantage plan. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the ads, targeting elderly, low-income and disabled adults, described added benefits, but instead actually restricted access to care. (Martinez, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: How Private Equity Could Be Affecting Patient Safety In Hospitals
Hospitals purchased by private equity firms have higher rates of adverse patient safety events than other facilities, according to a recent study, and its authors said the findings could be indicative of how the acquisitions affect hospital operations. The study published in JAMA found hospital-acquired conditions like surgical infections and pressure ulcers increased by 25% among Medicare patients at private equity-owned facilities compared with a control group of hospitals. (Devereaux, 1/4)

Reuters: Elevance's Deal To Buy Paragon Healthcare Valued At Over $1 Billion 
Elevance Health will buy private firm Paragon Healthcare for more than $1 billion, according to three people familiar with the matter, Axios reported on Thursday. The health insurer had said earlier on Thursday it would acquire Paragon Healthcare, but did not disclose the financials of the deal. (1/4)

Modern Healthcare: Elevance To Boost Infusion Services With Paragon Healthcare Deal
Plano, Texas-based Paragon Healthcare specializes in infusible and injectable therapies and serves more than 35,000 patients with chronic and acute conditions. It operates more than 40 ambulatory infusion centers in eight states: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Elevance aims to grow the provider’s footprint and operations following completion of the deal, according to the release. (Berryman, 1/4)

In other health industry developments —

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Alleges Trade Secret Theft By Ex-Execs
Two former UnitedHealth Group executives allegedly took trade secrets with them on the way out the door and used the information to found a pair of diabetes management startups, the conglomerate claims in a federal lawsuit. UnitedHealth Group filed suit against Ken Ehlert, Mark Pollmann and other leaders of Lore Health and Sequelae in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on Dec. 28. (Tepper, 1/4)

Reuters: New Lawsuits Claim CooperSurgical IVF Solution Killed Embryos 
Two couples have sued fertility technology company CooperSurgical, claiming that a solution made by the company for growing embryos for in vitro fertilization was toxic and killed the embryos they hoped to use to have children. In a pair of lawsuits filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles on Thursday, the two couples said CooperSurgical belatedly recalled several lots of its so-called embryo culture medium late last year, after the embryos were lost. They said the company has not made any public statement about the recall, leaving fertility patients in the dark. (Pierson, 1/4)

Axios: Medical Devices Could Be Hackers' Next Target, Health Officials Fear
Amid growing cybersecurity threats to health care facilities, federal officials and health systems are turning their attention to potential vulnerabilities hiding in plain sight in hospital rooms, imaging centers and even patients' homes: medical devices. Hackers have especially targeted health systems for their valuable troves of patient data and in some cases have temporarily knocked systems offline, disrupting patient care. (Reed, 1/4)

Los Angeles Times: LA's Old Westside Pavilion Will Become UCLA Science Center
The former Westside Pavilion, a long shuttered indoor mall, will be transformed into a UCLA biomedical research center aimed at tackling such towering challenges as curing cancer and preventing global pandemics, officials announced Wednesday. The sprawling three-story structure will be known as the UCLA Research Park and will house two multidisciplinary centers focusing on immunology and immunotherapy as well as quantum science and engineering. (Vincent and Petersen, 1/4)

The New York Times: Ambulance Workers In Texas Are Reeling Under The Border Surge
Through the long, busy months of autumn, the calls kept coming in: Mothers losing grip of their children while trying to cross the treacherous waters of the Rio Grande. Pregnant women getting caught in barbed wire. Bodies washing up on shore. Cities like New York and Chicago have struggled in recent months to accommodate the busloads of migrants arriving during the latest surge in migration. But here on the border, the small town of Eagle Pass, Texas, has been one of several cities facing an even more difficult challenge. Up to 5,000 migrants a day were crossing the border there from Mexico during the height of the influx in recent weeks, gathering along the river, running through people’s yards and looking for help. (Sandoval, 1/4)

The CT Mirror: More Than 800,000 CT Residents Impacted By Data Breach
More than 800,000 Connecticut residents had their personal information compromised during a data breach of an online wellness program used by health care providers and businesses, including some Connecticut health systems. (Carlesso, 1/4)

KFF Health News: Listen To ‘Tradeoffs’: How The Loss Of A Rural Hospital Compounds The Collapse Of Care 
The share of rural Americans who live in communities without a hospital grows each year. It’s part of an ongoing collapse in rural health care that has persisted for decades and isn’t improving, despite regulatory efforts to shore up small-hospital finances. Since 2010, about 150 rural hospitals have shuttered and hundreds more have slashed services, leaving a growing number of America’s 60 million rural residents in health care deserts. (1/5)

Also —

Military.com: Denied Care, Deaths In Japan Result From Lack Of Emergency Medical Services For American Personnel 
At least 24 American service members, civilian Defense Department employees or military dependents have been turned away for medical care from Japanese hospitals in the past two years, and four have died, according to Navy and Marine Corps leadership responsible for personnel in Japan. In one case, a 7-year-old child who suffered a traumatic brain injury last January died from the oxygen deprivation she experienced as ambulance techs spent 35 minutes searching for a facility that would take her. (Kime, 1/4)

Stat: FDA Deal With Data Provider On Opioid Misuse Faces Pushback
Several advocacy groups are blasting a Food and Drug Administration proposal to work with a Denver Health surveillance system for monitoring misuse of prescription opioids over long-standing ties the operation has to the pharmaceutical industry. (Silverman, 1/4)

The Boston Globe: Fentanyl Test Strips Could Become Legal In Massachusetts
Massachusetts could soon become the latest state to legalize small strips of paper for detecting whether street drugs contain fentanyl, the fast-acting and highly potent synthetic opioid driving the overdose crisis. For years, those who carried or distributed fentanyl test strips could be arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. ... On Thursday, the state Senate voted unanimously to approve legislation that would legalize the test strips. (Serres, 1/4)

CBS News: Pennsylvania Has One Of The Highest Xylazine Overdose Death Rates, CDC Says
According to the CDC, Pennsylvania has one of the highest overdose death rates when it comes to xylazine. It's an animal tranquilizer that's being used with drugs like heroin and fentanyl. The state Department of Health said xylazine contributed to more than 640 deaths in 2022. That's a 1,000% increase from 2018.  CDC data shows Pennsylvania as one of the highest states for overdose deaths with xylazine detected. ... Xylazine, or "tranq," is presenting challenges as naloxone is not bringing people out of overdoses. (Hoffman, 1/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Paid To Stay Sober: Promising But Debated Therapy Comes To California
For the past 30 years, if Daniel Costa was sober for the holidays, it was because he was in jail. This year everything is different ... thanks to a new substance-use treatment program called Rewarding Recovery. The Rewarding Recovery program uses a treatment approach called “contingency management,” where drug users are rewarded with gift cards for attending counseling sessions and staying sober. Despite proof of its efficacy in treating stimulant addiction in research trials, contingency management remains controversial. (Cheng, 1/4)

On medical marijuana —

AP: Kentucky Governor Backs Longer List Of Conditions Eligible For Treatment Under Medical Marijuana Law 
Access to medical marijuana in Kentucky should expand to include a longer list of severe health conditions, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday in advocating a change that would make hundreds of thousands more people eligible for treatment when the program begins next year. The measure passed by the GOP-led legislature in 2023 specified that the eligible conditions include cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. (Schreiner, 1/4)

On alcohol use —

CBS News: New Study: Just One Alcoholic Beverage Increases Risk Of Cancer
A recently released study by the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that cessation of alcoholic beverage consumption reduces the risk of several cancer diseases. "Even a single glass per week is sufficient to increase the risk for several types of cancer that are not related to the liver," said Dr. Mike Cusnir, Chief Oncologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, in Miami Beach. He echoes the results of the recent study about alcohol and cancer, which includes beer, wine and hard liquor. Basically, the data says "No safe amount." (Taylor, 1/4)

Axios: How To Make "Damp January" Meaningful For You
Going sober for Dry January has been popular for years — but if you're intentionally drinking less (but not nothing) this month, there's another term for that: Damp January. Limiting alcohol can have a number of physical and mental health benefits, but Damp January isn't a fit for everyone. (Mallenbaum, 1/4)

New Hampshire Bulletin: Effort To Ban Gender-Affirming Surgeries For Minors Moves Forward At NH State House
The New Hampshire House passed a bill to ban gender-affirming procedures for minors Thursday, in a 199-175 vote that edges the bill closer to Gov. Chris Sununu’s desk. House Bill 619 would prohibit a doctor or other health care professional from carrying out “genital gender reassignment surgery” to anyone in New Hampshire under 18. It would also prohibit health care workers from referring minors to facilities out of state that offer those procedures. (DeWitt, 1/4)

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

The Boston Globe: Senate Voting On Bill To Speed Wheelchair Repairs In Mass.
Wheelchair users took a victory lap at the State House on Thursday after the state Senate passed legislation to address a national crisis, chronic delays of months or longer for even the most basic repairs to chairs. The bill, passed with a vote of 39-0, would extend warranties on new chairs from one year to two, a period during which chair owners could avoid cumbersome insurance authorization for fixes, advocates said. Chairs with expired warranties would not need insurance approval for repairs less than $1,000. (Laughlin, 1/4)

North Carolina Health News: NC Rape Crisis Centers Struggle As Federal Funds Dry Up 
There are cubicles but no distinct offices, the room a hum of soft voices and the scratching of pens on paper. The overhead fluorescent lights are off, and the natural light gives the wide space a calming, rather than corporate, feel. Across the white walls, bright signs draw the eye: “This space was made with you in mind.” “I’ll tell you what freedom means to me: no fear.” “I believe survivors I believe survivors I believe survivors.” (Kaufman, 1/5)

The Texas Tribune: Eddie Bernice Johnson’s Family Says Medical Neglect Caused Congresswoman’s Death
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson died a “terrible, painful death” from an infection caused by negligence at her Dallas recovery facility following a September back surgery, according to a statement Thursday from Johnson’s family outlining their intention to file a lawsuit. "She had no reason not to be here," Kirk Johnson, the congresswoman's son, told reporters at a Thursday afternoon news conference. "If she had gotten the proper care, she would be here today." (Harper, 1/4)

ABC News: Connecticut Woman Becomes Among First Non-Residents To Use Vermont's Medical Aid In Dying Law
A Connecticut woman who was the first non-resident of Vermont granted the ability to use the state's medical aid in dying law will use it on Thursday morning, according to local reports. Lynda Bluestein, a 76-year-old from Bridgeport, is suffering from terminal ovarian cancer and fallopian tube cancer. The five-year survival rate for these cancers is 31%, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. (Kekatos, 1/4)

Fox News: Portland Health Officials Warn Of Bacteria Spreading Among Homeless Population
Portland, Oregon, is grappling with a cluster of a highly infectious illness that spreads through fecal matter and puts the city’s large homeless population at high risk, according to health officials. "While we are currently seeing an increase in Shigella cases in the Portland metro area, the risk to the broader public remains low at this time and there are no measures for most folks to take at this time. ..." Multnomah County Deputy Health Officer Teresa Everson said in a comment to Fox News Digital. (Colton, 1/5)

In reproductive health updates —

Reuters: New York Could Be First State To Offer Prenatal Paid Leave To Mothers 
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday proposed offering pregnant women 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments, which she said would make New York the first state in the U.S. to offer such benefits. The proposal was part of a six-point plan to improve maternal and neonatal health at a time when U.S. maternal mortality rates are growing with each generation and the country has fallen way behind other developed nations. (Trotta, 1/4)

KUNR Public Radio: Which Mountain West States Could Have Abortion On The 2024 Ballot?
In 2024, abortion could be on the ballot in nearly a dozen states, including some in the Mountain West. In Nevada, abortion rights groups are trying to put a measure on the ballot that would enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state constitution. The effort had a setback in November when a judge ruled the proposal violates Nevada’s requirement that ballot measures address a single subject. Proponents are likely to appeal that ruling to the state Supreme Court. In Colorado, advocates on both sides of the issue are working to put constitutional amendments on the ballot. (Roedel, 1/4)

KFF Health News: New Year, Same Abortion Debate 
It’s a new year, but the abortion debate is raging like it’s 2023, with a new federal appeals court ruling that doctors in Texas don’t have to provide abortions in medical emergencies, despite a federal requirement to the contrary. The case, similar to one in Idaho, is almost certainly headed for the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Congress returns to Washington with only days to avert a government shutdown by passing either full-year or temporary spending bills. And with almost no progress toward a spending deal since the last temporary bill passed in November, this time a shutdown might well happen. (1/4)

Stat: Baby Monitor Videos Yield Evidence For Long-Suspected Link Between Seizures And Unexplained Toddler Deaths
The baby monitor didn’t go off. Any sound or motion in the twins’ room was supposed to set off an alarm — but in the wee hours of Nov. 27, 2022, Katie Czajkowski-Fell and Justin Fell weren’t woken up. They’d gotten it because of Hayden’s febrile seizures. These are common, generally nothing to worry about, the doctors said. Toddlers’ immune responses can be more assertive than adults’, burning into action against a world they’re still getting used to, routinely sparking high fevers, potentially irritating the brain. Hayden would likely grow out of them. (Boodman, 1/4)

On plastics in food and water —

Reuters: Consumer Reports Finds 'Widespread' Presence Of Plastics In Food 
Consumer Reports has found that plastics retain a "widespread" presence in food despite the health risks, and called on regulators to reassess the safety of plastics that come into contact with food during production. The non-profit consumer group said on Thursday that 84 out of 85 supermarket foods and fast foods it recently tested contained "plasticizers" known as phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic more durable. (Stempel, 1/4)

WBUR: Glitter's Microplastic Problem: The Environmental Case For Breaking Up With Glitter In Makeup 
Glitter — a microplastic — washes off into landfills and waterways where it lives for a thousand or more years, impacting water and wildlife. Beauty journalist Jessica DeFino is calling for people to give up glitter in makeup. ... “Over hundreds of years, [glitter] breaks up into smaller and smaller microplastic particles, which go on to infiltrate the water supply, the air, soil, animals, and even human bodies, causing negative health effects to people, on the planet,” DeFino says. (Young, Healy, and Hagan, 1/4)

In other health and wellness news —

CBS News: Study: Disrupted Sleep In Early Middle Age Linked To Cognitive Decline
People who have more interrupted sleep in their 30s and 40s are more than twice as likely to have memory and thinking problems a decade later, according to a new study. ... The research was published Wednesday in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ... People with the most disrupted sleep were found to be more than twice as likely to score worse than average on the set of cognitive tests compared with those who had the least disrupted sleep. (McPhilips, 1/4)

Stat: A Non-Hormonal Male Birth Control Gel Shows Early Promise
Between condoms and vasectomies lies a vast, undeveloped chasm of male birth control. Contraline, a device startup that released early, positive clinical data in a press release on Thursday, hopes to fill it. (Lawrence, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Kentucky Woman Loses Arms, Legs After Kidney Stone Infection 
Lucinda Mullins lay on her Kentucky home’s bathroom floor last month in excruciating pain from a kidney stone. She was vomiting and had developed a fever and back pain, so she yelled for her husband, DJ, to help. Mullins went to a hospital. Weeks later, she would be a quadruple amputee. Her kidney stone had become infected and caused sepsis, the immune system’s extreme attempt to fight an infection, which can cause organ failure and death. Doctors gave Mullins medication that sent all her blood flowing to her organs — and restricted it from her less vital arteries in her legs and arms. (Melnick, 1/5)

The 19th: Dark Money Is Flowing To Groups Trying To Limit Medication Abortion. Leonard Leo Is Again At The Center
Tax filings shed light on the conservative activist's role in the network of groups challenging FDA regulation of mifepristone in a case set to go before the Supreme Court. (Becker, 1/4)

The New York Times: Monica Bertagnolli, NIH’s New Leader, Wants To Broaden Participation In Medical Research 
In a wide-ranging interview, Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli, the director of the National Institutes of Health, discussed drug patents, trust in science and her own experience as a cancer patient. (Stolberg, 12/25)

The New York Times: Should Palliative Psychiatry Be Considered For Anorexia? 
Treatment wasn’t helping her anorexia, so doctors allowed her to stop — no matter the consequences. But is a “palliative” approach to mental illness really ethical? (Engelhart, 1/3)

The Washington Post: From Bitter Bark To Wonder Drug — Exhibit Explores Aspirin’s History 
For centuries, willow bark was prized by folk healers for its pain-relieving properties. But the bitter bark would eventually give rise to the first modern “superdrug,” aspirin — and set the stage for a revolution in both pain relief and modern medicine. “Take Two and Call Me in the Morning: The Story of Aspirin Revisited,” a new online exhibition from the National Library of Medicine, looks at the surprising history behind the household staple. The exhibition draws on the institution’s massive historical collections, tracking aspirin from its humble roots as a widespread natural remedy to its synthesis and modern use as a commercial drug. (Blakemore, 12/31)

The Wall Street Journal: What’s The Best Time To Eat Dinner? Here’s The Math 
Your grandparents were onto something with those early-bird dinners: The best time to eat the evening meal is four hours before bedtime. Peak dinnertime in America is 6:19 p.m., but it varies from a little after 5 p.m. to after 8 p.m., depending on the part of the country, according to a statistician who analyzed time-use data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nutritionists vary on when dinner should be served but agree it should be at least two hours before bedtime. (Jargon, 1/3)

AP: The Air Force Said Its Nuclear Missile Capsules Were Safe. But Toxic Dangers Lurked, Documents Show 
A large pool of dark liquid festering on the floor. No fresh air. Computer displays that would overheat and ooze out a fishy-smelling gel that nauseated the crew. Asbestos readings 50 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety standards. These are just some of the past toxic risks that were in the underground capsules and silos where Air Force nuclear missile crews have worked since the 1960s. Now many of those service members have cancer. (Copp, 12/29)

The Wall Street Journal: China Is Pressing Women To Have More Babies. Many Are Saying No
Chinese women have had it. Their response to Beijing’s demands for more children? No. Fed up with government harassment and wary of the sacrifices of child-rearing, many young women are putting themselves ahead of what Beijing and their families want. Their refusal has set off a crisis for the Communist Party, which desperately needs more babies to rejuvenate China’s aging population. With the number of babies in free fall—fewer than 10 million were born in 2022, compared with around 16 million in 2012—China is headed toward a demographic collapse. China’s population, now around 1.4 billion, is likely to drop to just around half a billion by 2100, according to some projections. Women are taking the blame. (Qi and Lu, 1/2)

Stat: My Yearlong Odyssey To Get My Son’s ADHD Medication Covered 
Last January, I went to fill my son’s ADHD prescription and was handed a bag with an unfamiliar drug name on it. No mistake, the pharmacist tech said, it was just the generic version. I had a sinking feeling. As a former editor for diabetes publications, I knew that insurance companies regularly switched people from one brand of insulin to another, or from a name brand of insulin to a generic. I’ve heard stories from people with diabetes who said the switch completely upended their blood sugar management. However, I had used generic medicine for my blood pressure without a problem, so I hoped for the best with this switch. (Craig Idlebrook, 1/5)

The Washington Post: The Top 10 Health Policy Issues For 2024
Last year, I put together a top 10 list of medical and public health policy issues I anticipated to dominate the headlines in 2023. Here is my updated list for the topics I expect to cover in 2024. (Leana S. Wen, 1/4)

CNN: I’m An Emergency Room Doctor. Here’s What Has Me Worried If Trump Comes Back To Power 
I’m an emergency room doctor. The patients I treat suffer from a variety of ailments, from asthma and diabetes to heart conditions and poor circulation. Until 2010, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law, many of my patients were uninsured, which meant that serious illnesses often went untreated. That’s why, of all the alarming changes former President Donald Trump has threatened if he returns to America’s highest office, none scares me more than his pledge to do away with Obamacare. (Rob Davidson, 1/4)

Miami Herald: It's Not Just Insurance To Blame For US Healthcare Woes. We Have To Look At Ourselves
The perception that our U.S. healthcare system is broken has become nearly fact among healthcare workers and the public alike. Many other countries are facing similar challenges, beyond the recent spotlight on our Canadian and British friends across the pond. The issue remains: Who are we to blame and more importantly, what can we do about it? (Alejandro Badia, 1/4)

Stat: Buprenorphine Access Should Be A Low- To No-Barrier Proposition 
In December 2022, Congress repealed the “X-waiver” requirement, which had limited medical providers’ ability to prescribe buprenorphine-naloxone, one of the three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Lawmakers knew that the waiver was a major barrier to providing lifesaving medication that halves the risk of overdose to the millions of Americans needing treatment for opioid use disorder. (Joella W. Adams, 1/5)

Miami Herald: Bipartisan Push To Expand HIV Treatment Access Could Save Lives, Boost Public Health
Florida pharmacies play an important role in the state’s complex healthcare system. As retail storefronts staffed by trained and certified pharmacy professionals, Florida pharmacies help increase access to care by treating illnesses, offering tools for prevention and promoting health and wellness. (Alexis Calatayud, Shevrin Jones and Gallop Franklin II, 1/4)

The Tennessean: Veteran Studies Research Matters Even After Troops Return Home
From advancements in prosthetics, to support for transition back home, research into veterans’ needs has done more than advance science and policy, it’s helped shape America’s future. But that future is in doubt as we stare down a new dark age in the veteran community. (Chris Andrew Cate, 1/4)