Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
American Taxpayers Are Unwittingly Betting On Hottest Trend In Cancer Treatment
The New York Times: Harnessing The U.S. Taxpayer To Fight Cancer And Make Profits
Enthusiasm for cancer immunotherapy is soaring, and so is Arie Belldegrun’s fortune. Dr. Belldegrun, a physician, co-founded Kite Pharma, a company that could be the first to market next year with a highly anticipated new immunotherapy treatment. But even without a product, Dr. Belldegrun has struck gold. (Richtel and Pollack, 12/19)
Also in the news: clinics for transgender care, sugar and college students' health —
Stat: Demand Surges For Clinicians Serving Transgender Youth
Thanks to the openness of Caitlyn Jenner and others, public awareness of transgenderism — and demand for trans-specific medical care like counseling, hormone treatments, and genital surgery — is exploding, even for the youngest of patients. At the 30-plus clinics for transgender youth across the US, doctors like [Johanna] Olson-Kennedy can barely keep up with the demand. Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital, for example, opened its trans clinic just four years ago but already has 500 patients — and a four-month waiting list. Seattle Children’s Hospital opened its clinic in October and immediately got scores of calls. Olson-Kennedy’s clinic, the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, is the country’s largest, treating 725 trans youth from across the western US. Five hundred of those patients are Olson-Kennedy’s. (McFarling, 12/20)
CNN: How Much Sugar Is OK? Paper Adds To Debate
How many spoonfuls of sugar can you have in a day? The World Health Organization advises no more than about 6 teaspoons of added sugar -- less than a can of soda. The same recommendation was made for children in a study published in the journal Circulation in August.The US government put a limit on sugar for the first time in its 2015 dietary guidelines, recommending that added sugar should make up no more than 10% of your daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, that would be 12 teaspoons. Now, a review paper published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday suggests that such guidelines might be wrong, saying they are based on low-quality evidence. (Howard, 12/19)
Sacramento Bee: Many College Students Graduate 10 Pounds Heavier Than When They Started, Study Finds
The term “freshman 15” describing the dozen or so pounds that college students typically put on during their first year of school may be a bit of a misnomer, according to a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The study, led by researchers from the University of Vermont, found that students gain an average of just 3 pounds during their freshman year but about 10 pounds by the time they graduate. (Caiola, 12/19)
And in water news —
Marketplace: Flint Isn't The Only City With Lead Poisoning Problems
Thousands of neighborhoods across the country have higher lead poising rates than Flint, Mich., according to a Reuters investigation published today. The Centers for Disease Control defines high lead content as 5 micrograms or more per deciliter, and 2.5 percent of children under six have elevated rates nationwide. Reuters found nearly 3,000 neighborhoods with double the rates of poisoning found in Flint. Roughly 1,000 neighborhoods had rates that were at least four times higher. (Wagner, 12/19)
CBS News: New EPA Report Takes Tougher Stance On Fracking And Impact On Drinking Water
An EPA report about fracking is reigniting fears over the extraction of oil and gas from rock below the earth. The agency says it’s unable to fully characterize the severity of fracking’s impact on drinking water. But it does point to circumstances that could make ground water vulnerable. The majority of U.S. fracking happens in seven zones – three of them at least partially in Texas, and some residents are concerned, reports CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez. (12/20)
