Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Dose Of Upbeat And Inspiring News
The New York Times: People With Severe Diabetes Are Cured In Small Trial Of New Drug
A single infusion of a stem cell-based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes. One year later, these 10 patients no longer need insulin. The other two patients need much lower doses. The experimental treatment, called zimislecel and made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals of Boston, involves stem cells that scientists prodded to turn into pancreatic islet cells, which regulate blood glucose levels. (Kolata, 6/20)
The New York Times: Cutting-Edge Cancer Therapy Offers Hope For Patients With Lupus
CAR T-cell therapy, a kind of “living drug” that modifies patients’ immune cells to help them attack misbehaving ones, has been used with significant success to treat some cancers, particularly of the blood. A growing body of evidence has suggested that the therapy can also treat a severe form of lupus that, at best, can be managed as a lifelong condition and, at worst, resists treatment and can lead to organ failure and death. (Agrawal, 6/18)
Newsweek: Scorpion Venom Could Help Treat Breast Cancer
A venomous creature from the Amazon rainforest may hold the key to fighting one of the deadliest cancers affecting women today. (Notarantonio, 6/18)
CBS News: After Her Heart Started To Fail, A First-Of-Its-Kind Surgery Saved Her Life
Sue Baker was told that she had two options after her heart started to fail after years of intervention: Enter palliative care, or try an experimental surgery. (Breen, 6/21)
Becker's Hospital Review: 6 1st-Of-Its-Kind Procedures Performed In 2025
In the first half of 2025, eight systems have performed first-of-their-kind procedures and clinical treatments. (Taylor, 6/16)
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CBS News: LGBTQ+ Seniors Find Safety And Joy In North Carolina Retirement Village
Village Hearth in Durham, North Carolina, a retirement village for people 55 and older who identify as LGBTQ+, is one of the nation's first co-housing developments created specifically for an aging, queer population. (Samlian and Hastey, 6/19)
The Wall Street Journal: Eyeglasses With Built-In Hearing Aids: This Just Makes Sense
These aren’t just any specs. They’re eyeglasses with hearing aids built in, designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Look closely and you’ll see tiny speakers in the arms and microphones around the front. The $1,200 Nuance Audio frames, which launched in the U.S. in April, join Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 as an auditory option for people who don’t want traditional hearing aids. (Nguyen, 6/22)
