Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Advocates Aren't Satisfied With Juul's New Marketing Campaign That Shifts Away Targeting Teens
The Associated Press: Juul's 'Switch' Campaign For Smokers Draws New Scrutiny
The young models and the candy-colored graphics that helped propel Juul to the top of the e-cigarette market are gone. In their place are people like Carolyn, a 54-year-old former smoker featured in new TV commercials touting Juul as an alternative for middle-age smokers. "I don't think anyone including myself thought that I could make the switch," Carolyn says, sitting in a suburban living room as piano music quietly plays in the background. (Perrone, 5/9)
In other news from the health care industry —
Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare Launches Maternity-Care Bundle
The nation's largest insurer, UnitedHealthcare, has launched a nationwide bundled-payment model for maternity care, closely following the lead of Cigna and Humana, which have had the option since early last year. The Minnetonka, Minn.-based payer announced Thursday that its new bundled-payment program already has two provider groups participating, and plans to add as many as 20 by year-end. (Castellucci, 5/9)
Bloomberg: J&J Loses Emergency Bid To Transfer Baby-Powder Cancer Suits
Johnson & Johnson failed to get 2,400 state-court cancer lawsuits tied to its baby powder immediately transferred to a federal court in Delaware, where it could forge a single defense strategy. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Wilmington dismissed J&J’s request on Thursday, noting that the world’s largest maker of health care products is partly responsible for the boomlet of litigation over its transfer strategy that it now characterizes as a crisis. (Feeley and Fisk, 5/9)
