First Edition: May 2, 2024

KFF Health News & Politifact: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is Wrong About A Ban On NIH Research About Mass Shootings
The National Institutes of Health is the federal government’s main agency for supporting medical research. Is it barred from researching mass shootings? That’s what presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said recently. Kennedy, whose statements about conspiracy theories earned him PolitiFact’s 2023 “Lie of the Year,” is running as an independent third-party candidate against President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic candidate, and the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. (Jacobson, 5/2)

KFF Health News: DIY Gel Manicures May Harm Your Health
A fresh set from the comfort of your own home? DIY gel nails have been all the rage on social media, but the practice could cause you to develop a life-changing allergy. In a TikTok video, creator @alina.gene describes developing an acrylate allergy from doing gel nails at home. Now, when exposed to acrylates, the creator feels severe pain. The creator warns viewers not to self-apply nail polish that requires a UV light to cure. (Lofton, 5/2)

KFF Health News: ‘Breaking A Promise’: California Deficit Could Halt Raises For Disability Workers
Families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities say Gov. Gavin Newsom is reneging on a scheduled raise for the workers who care for their loved ones, and advocates warn of potential lawsuits if disability services become harder to get. Citing California’s budget deficit, the Democratic governor wants to save around $613 million in state funds by delaying pay increases for a year for about 150,000 disability care workers. (Sánchez, 5/2)

Arizona Mirror: Arizona Senate Repeals 1864 Abortion Ban After Two Republicans Join Democrats
A 160-year-old abortion ban written before Arizona became a state that punishes doctors with prison time is now one step away from being repealed after a pair of Republicans in the state Senate on Wednesday crossed party lines to join Democrats in voting it down. (Gomez, 5/1)

South Florida Sun Sentinel: ‘Women Are Scared And Angry:’ The Reality Of The Florida’s New Six-Week Abortion Law Sets In
On Tuesday, the reality of Florida’s new six-week abortion ban hit the radar of pregnant women seeking care. At a Planned Parenthood clinic in West Palm Beach, doctors scrambled to provide abortions for anyone pregnant beyond six weeks. Women crowded into a waiting room, returning for a pill or surgical procedure. ... Yet, even with the scramble, the clinic turned some women away, a glimpse into the future of reproductive care in Florida. (Krischer Goodman, 5/1)

The New York Times: Kamala Harris Looks To Make Trump The Face Of Florida’s Abortion Ban 
On the day that Florida began to enforce its six-week abortion ban, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a searing attack on former President Donald J. Trump in Jacksonville, calling the measure “another Trump abortion ban” and saying he was forcing women to live a “horrific reality” without access to essential medical care. “As much harm as he has already caused, a second Trump term would be even worse,” Ms. Harris said to about 200 supporters at a convention center in a historically African American neighborhood. (Nehamas, 5/1)

NPR: A 6-Week Abortion Ban Gives A Woman 2 Weeks To End A Pregnancy. Here's Why
Florida's abortion ban after six-weeks gestation is in effect as of May 1. That means the time a person has to decide whether or not to have an abortion in Florida is – at most – two weeks. What? It has to do with how the medical community dates a pregnancy. (Simmons-Duffin, 5/1)

Reuters: US Judge Blocks Some North Carolina Restrictions On Abortion Pill
A federal judge has struck down parts of a North Carolina law restricting patients' access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which has become the subject of legal battles nationwide. Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles on Tuesday struck down the state's requirements that mifepristone be prescribed only by doctors and only in person, as well as a requirement that patients have an in-person follow-up appointment. She said the requirements conflicted with federal law because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously considered and rejected them. (Pierson, 5/1)

The Boston Globe: Abortion Data Mandate Up For Debate In New Hampshire
Lawmakers in the New Hampshire House will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a proposal that sparked contentious debate in the Senate over whether health care providers should be required to report certain abortion data to the state. Republican senators approved a version of Senate Bill 461 that would require providers to report the date and place of each abortion they perform, the pregnant patient’s age and state of residence, the abortion method used, any prescriptions written to induce abortion, and the gestational age of the aborted fetus. (Porter, 5/1)

AP: Abortion Consumes US Politics, Courts Two Years After SCOTUS Draft Leak 
Two years after a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion signaled that the nation’s abortion landscape was about to shift dramatically, the issue is still consuming the nation’s courts, legislatures and political campaigns — and changing the course of lives. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case was released officially on June 24, 2022, upending nearly 50 years of abortion being legal nationwide. But the world caught a glimpse of it about six weeks earlier, on May 2, after a news outlet published a leaked draft. (Mulvihill, 5/2)

The Hill: Partisan Gap On Abortion ‘Larger Than Ever:’ Analysis
The divide between Democrats and Republicans on abortion is at its starkest point in years, according to a new survey on the issue that’s poised to play a big role in the 2024 presidential race. There’s a 50-point gap between the two major parties, a figure that is “larger than ever,” according to research from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). (Mueller, 5/2)

The Hill: Biden To Announce $3 Billion To Replace Lead Pipes
President Biden will announce Thursday that his administration will be doling out $3 billion in funds to replace lead pipes, which can pose a health hazard. Biden will announce the funds, part of a total of $15 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, during a trip to Wilmington, N.C., to replace these pipes. (Frazin, 5/2)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth’s Andrew Witty Leads CEO Compensation In 2023
UnitedHealth Group's Andrew Witty became the highest-paid CEO among the major health insurers last year, but his total compensation paled in comparison to Oscar Health CEO Mark Bertolini. Witty's total 2023 compensation was $23.5 million, up 12.8% from a year earlier, driven by gains in stock and option awards. (Berryman, 5/1)

NBC News: Two Possible Bird Flu Vaccines Could Be Available Within Weeks, If Needed
The U.S. has two vaccines ready should the strain of bird flu circulating in dairy cows begin spreading easily to people, federal health officials said Wednesday. They could begin shipping doses widely within weeks, if needed. ... At a briefing Wednesday, government health officials said they are preparing for a potential scenario of H5N1 jumping from animal to person — or person to person. (Lovelace Jr., 5/1)

CIDRAP: FDA Finds No Live H5N1 Avian Flu Virus In Sour Cream Or Cottage Cheese, Will Assess Raw Milk 
In updates today from federal agencies involved in the response to H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in dairy cows, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said egg inoculation tests on cottage cheese and sour cream that tested positive for traces of the virus traces showed no live virus. (Schnirring, 5/1)

The New York Times: Bird Flu Highlights Concerns Around Raw Milk
Raw milk, in the best of times, “is one of the riskiest foods that we have,” said Benjamin Chapman, a professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University. But with cases of avian influenza, or bird flu, detected in dairy cows, it could potentially be even riskier now, health experts warn. Nearly all of the dairy milk sold in stores is pasteurized, and testing by the F.D.A. has so far shown that this process inactivates the avian influenza virus H5N1. (Callahan and Blum, 5/1)

Stat: Missing Data Stymies Scientists Tracking Bird Flu Virus Changes 
Another upload of genetic sequence data from the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle has exacerbated the scientific community’s frustration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the agency again failed to include basic information needed to track how the virus is changing as it spreads. (Branswell, 5/2)

The Hill: 16,000 Pounds Of Ground Beef Recalled Nationwide Over E. Coli Concerns 
More than 16,000 pounds of raw ground beef are under recall, the USDA announced Wednesday, due to possible E. coli contamination. The recall was issued by Cargill Meat Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based company that distributes meat around the country. The recalled beef was shipped to Walmart stores nationwide, according to the USDA. (Martichoux, 5/1)

Stat: DEA Reverses Course To Avert Morphine Shortages 
The Drug Enforcement Administration is reversing a regulation that had been expected to create shortages of morphine and other opioid injectables, according to a DEA letter to drugmakers obtained by STAT. (Wilkerson, 5/1)

CIDRAP: Scant Drug Ingredients Linked To US Generic-Drug Shortages In First 2 COVID Years 
In the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages of 11% of generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) made by global manufacturers—35% of them from larger facilities in India—were tied to generic-drug unavailability in the United States, according to a research letter posted this week in JAMA. (Van Beusekom, 5/1)

FiercePharma: Emergent BioSolutions To Cut 300 Employees, Shutter 2 Facilities In Restructuring Launched Under New CEO 
Emergent will reduce its current workforce by about 300 employees “across all areas of the company” and will eliminate about 85 job openings, the company said Wednesday. Simultaneously, the company will close its Baltimore-Bayview drug substance manufacturing facility and its Rockville drug product facility, both of which are located in Maryland. The firm’s sites in Winnipeg, Canada, and Lansing, Michigan, will conduct the bulk of operations going forward, while the company “actively explores strategic alternatives for its other sites throughout the year.” (Liu and Kansteiner, 5/1)

Reuters: Healthcare And Drugmaker Groups Seek To Revive Challenge To US Drug-Pricing Law 
Healthcare and drug industry groups on Wednesday urged a U.S. appeals court to revive their challenge to a law requiring manufacturers to negotiate the prices of some drugs with the U.S government's Medicare health insurance program or pay heavy penalties. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the Global Colon Cancer Association and the National Infusion Center Association (NICA) sued the government last year, claiming the program, a signature initiative of Democratic President Joe Biden, violated the U.S. Constitution by giving too much power to federal regulators and imposing excessive fines on companies that refuse to participate. (Pierson, 5/1)

NBC News: Johnson & Johnson To Pay $6.5 Billion To Resolve Nearly All Talc Ovarian Cancer Lawsuits In U.S.
Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday said it plans to pay $6.5 billion over 25 years to settle nearly all of the thousands of lawsuits in the U.S. claiming its talc-based products caused ovarian cancer, pending approval of the claimants. Those cases have for decades caused financial and public relations trouble for J&J, which contends that its now-discontinued talc baby powder and other talc products are safe for consumers. About 99% of the talc-related lawsuits filed against J&J and its subsidiaries stem from ovarian cancer. (Kim Constantino, 5/1)

Carolina Public Press: HCA Pruned Staff At Mission Hospital, Reaped Soaring Profits 
Staff cuts have driven up patient-care profits at Mission Hospital in Asheville after HCA Healthcare acquired the facility, according to a draft report by Mark Hall, director of the health law and policy program at Wake Forest University. (Vitaglione, 5/2)

Modern Healthcare: Ensign Group Buys 7 Skilled Nursing Facilities In 6 States
Senior living services company Ensign Group acquired seven skilled nursing facilities in six states, as well as a long-term acute care hospital. The deals closed Wednesday, the same day Ensign Group will report first quarter 2024 earnings. San Juan Capistrano, California-based Ensign Group did not disclose the price of the deals, which bring its portfolio of skilled nursing facilities to 310 operations across 14 states. (Eastabrook, 5/1)

The Colorado Sun: New Medical School Coming To University Of Northern Colorado As State Tries To Solve Workforce Shortages
Colorado will create its third medical college — likely in 2026 — after Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday signed a bill into law that will expand health care programs at higher education institutions across the state in a bid to overcome workforce shortages that worsened during and after the pandemic. (Breunlin, 5/2)

NPR: Benefits Of Hormone Therapy For Menopause Symptoms Outweigh Risks, Study Finds
The benefits of hormone therapy for the treatment of menopause symptoms outweigh the risks. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the medical journal JAMA. "Among women below the age of 60, we found hormone therapy has low risk of adverse events and [is] safe for treating bothersome hot flashes, night sweats and other menopausal symptoms, " says study author Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. This is a departure from the advice many women have been given in the past. (Aubrey, 5/1)

The New York Times: Aspirin Can Prevent A Deadly Pregnancy Complication. Why Aren’t Women Told? 
Baby aspirin is routinely prescribed to people who survive heart attacks. But there’s another vulnerable group who benefit from daily low-dose aspirin: pregnant women at risk of developing pre-eclampsia, life-threatening high blood pressure. But not enough pregnant women are getting the word that low-dose aspirin can help. Now leading experts are hoping to change that. (Rabin, 5/1)

Politico: Appeals Court Orders Youth Climate Suit Dismissed — Again
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Wednesday ordered a lower court judge to end a climate change lawsuit filed against the federal government by children for the second time. The appellate court “reluctantly” ruled in 2020 that the case should be dismissed, but the district court judge in Oregon hearing the case allowed the children to file a new version of the suit. The 9th Circuit rebuked that decision in an order issued Wednesday and unequivocally directed the case be dismissed. (Guillen, 5/1)

NBC News: FDA Misses Own Deadline To Propose Ban On Cancer-Linked Formaldehyde From Hair Relaxers
A proposal to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products that was scheduled to take place in April has not been released by the Food and Drug Administration, disregarding the agency’s own deadline. The proposal had come after wide-ranging studies found an association between some of the ingredients in hair-smoothing and hair-straightening products, which are used mostly by Black women, and cancer. (Garcia, Lovelace Jr. and Griffith, 5/1)

The Hill: Potatoes Will Remain Classified As A Vegetable, Not A Grain, Collins Says
Spuds won’t be considered a starch following protests from more than a dozen senators. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she received assurances Wednesday that potatoes will not be reclassified as a grain, a move she feared would give the impression that one of Maine’s key crops is unhealthy. “I am pleased Secretary Vilsack called me personally to tell me that the USDA has no intention of reclassifying potatoes and recognizes that potatoes are, in fact, a vegetable.” (Beitsch, 5/1)