Red States Eye More Medicaid Work Rules Under A Second Trump Term

Politico: Red States Hopeful For A 2nd Trump Term Prepare To Curtail Medicaid
Republicans in half a dozen states have a request for a second Trump administration: Require low-income adults to work for free government health care. In places like Idaho, Missouri and South Dakota, GOP officials are laying the groundwork to substantially overhaul their health safety-net programs. Their plans, if approved by a Trump White House, could cut hundreds of thousands of people from a program that conservatives have long complained is bloated — but the move could also save states and the federal government billions of dollars. (Messerly, 2/20)

Stat: Weight Loss Drugs Aren’t Covered By Obamacare. That May Change
Drugmakers are doing everything to tap the bottomless well of demand for new obesity drugs, and they might get some government help. The agency that regulates Obamacare insurance is considering a technical change that would require insurers to cover obesity drugs in a market of more than 20 million Americans. (Wilkerson, 2/20)

Side Effects Public Media: Feds Send Letters To 44 States To Fix SNAP Application Errors
The majority of states are not processing food assistance applications on time and making too many payment errors, according to the federal government. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to the governors of 44 states earlier this month that are failing to meet federal standards when it comes to processing applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The states include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. (Krebs, 2/19)

Modern Healthcare: How CMS’ Rule Could Tighten Accrediting Organization Oversight
Accrediting organizations may have to reduce their fee-based consultation services and prohibit survey participation for employees with ties to health facilities or face penalties for violating conflict-of-interest provisions if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sticks with recent oversight proposals. CMS proposed a rule to hike oversight of those organizations Feb. 8 in response to concerns about the integrity of accrediting bodies and the quality of the facilities they survey. (Devereaux, 2/20)

Also —

AP: US Lawmakers Raise Alarms About Failure To Compete With China In Biotechnology
U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms about what they see as America’s failure to compete with China in biotechnology, warning of the risks to U.S. national security and commercial interests. ... Biotechnology promises to revolutionize everyday life, with scientists and researchers using it to make rapid advances in medical treatment, genetic engineering in agriculture and novel biomaterials. Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to bar “foreign adversary biotech companies of concern” from doing business with federally funded medical providers. The bills name four Chinese-owned companies. (Tang, 2/19)

Stat: Court Unexpectedly Revives Controversial Sanofi Drug Shortage Suit
A U.S. appeals court revived a controversial lawsuit brought by nearly two dozen people who claimed they were harmed by a contaminated rare disease medicine sold by a Sanofi subsidiary and a subsequent rationing plan that only worsened their health. And if some upcoming procedural hurdles are cleared, the suit may shine a light on an unusual patient dilemma when a drug is in short supply. (Silverman, 2/20)

In FDA news —

The Wall Street Journal: Novartis, Roche’s Food Allergies Treatment Xolair Gets FDA Approval
Novartis and Roche Holding said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved their Xolair treatment to reduce allergic reactions following the exposure to one or more foods. The pharmaceutical companies on Friday said Xolair has been approved for patients aged one year and older with the IgE-mediated food allergy. (Ojea, 2/16)

AP: FDA Expands Use Of Asthma Drug Xolair To Treat Severe Food Allergies
A medication used to treat asthma can now be used to help people with food allergies avoid severe reactions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. Xolair, the brand name for the drug omalizumab, became the first medication approved to reduce allergic reactions caused by accidental exposure to food triggers. Patients as young as age 1 with allergies can take the drug by injection every two to four weeks, depending on their weight and their body’s response to allergens. (Aleccia, 2/16)

The Hill: FDA Approves First Cellular Therapy To Treat Advanced Melanoma
“Unresectable or metastatic melanoma is an aggressive form of cancer that can be fatal,” said Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), said in a press release. “The approval of Amtagvi represents the culmination of scientific and clinical research efforts leading to a novel T cell immunotherapy for patients with limited treatment options.” Amtagvi was approved under an accelerated pathway — reserved for serious or life-threatening illnesses when other therapies don’t work. (Suter, 2/17)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Approves AstraZeneca's Tagrisso-Chemo Combo
A combination of AstraZeneca's(AZN.L), opens new tab blockbuster cancer drug Tagrisso with chemotherapy to treat a type of lung cancer has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company said in a statement on Friday. The drug would be used to treat adults with a type of advanced lung cancer, AstraZeneca said, adding that the FDA's approval was based on trials which extended median progression-free survival (PFS) by nearly nine months. (2/17)