First Edition: January 5, 2023

Politico: New Covid Strain Is The Most Transmissible Yet, WHO Says
The coronavirus Omicron strain XBB.1.5, which has become the dominant strain in the U.S. in just a matter of weeks, could drive a new wave of cases, a World Health Organization official told reporters Wednesday. (Paun, 1/4)

The Hill: White House Cautions Against Panic As XBB.1.5 Omicron Subvariant Spreads
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha posted a lengthy Twitter thread on Wednesday addressing concerns over the sudden rise of XBB.1.5. He acknowledged that the subvariant going from 4 percent of cases to 40 percent in a matter of weeks was a “stunning increase.” (Choi, 1/4)

Reuters: Biden Flags Concern On China's COVID Response As WHO Doubts Death Toll
China defended on Thursday its handling of its raging COVID-19 outbreak after U.S. President Joe Biden voiced concern and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Beijing was under-reporting virus deaths. ... U.S. President Joe Biden raised concern about China's handling of a COVID outbreak that is filling hospitals and overwhelming some funeral homes. (Orr and Goh, 1/5)

Houston Chronicle: Houston COVID Cases, Hospitalizations On Rise Amid New Omicron Variant
A new omicron COVID-19 variant is spreading fast across the United States and beginning to make inroads in Houston, where the positivity rate continues to rise. (Gill, 1/4)

Dallas Morning News: North Texas COVID-19 And Flu Hospitalizations On The Rise
North Texas COVID-19 and flu hospitalizations are climbing as the region endures an early and unpredictable respiratory virus season. No one knows whether the current case and hospitalization trajectories will continue, but experts say one thing is certain: The health care system is much better off now than it was a year ago. (Wolf, 1/4)

Des Moines Register: Iowa’s COVID Hospitalizations Hold Steady As New XBB 1.5 Variant Looms
Iowa entered the new year in roughly the same pandemic situation as it left the previous one, according to data released Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But a new, even more contagious variant of the virus is waiting in the wings. (Webber, 1/4)

Reuters: Explainer: What Does The FDA's New Rule Mean For The Fight Over Abortion Pills?
Previously, mifepristone had to be dispensed by an authorized clinic or through certain specialty mail-order pharmacies — a process that could take days or even weeks if a clinic is busy. Once pharmacies begin dispensing the drug in states that allow abortion, it "will make it much easier to access the pill," according to Naomi Cahn, a professor at University of Virginia School of Law. (Pierson, 1/4)

AP: New Jersey Sets Aside $15M For Abortion Provider Upgrades
New Jersey will award $15 million in zero-interest loans and grants to health care facilities that provide abortion services for facility improvements and increased security, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. The new financial aid stems from last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to strip away the federal right to abortion, the governor said in a statement. (Catalini, 1/4)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s Abortion Ban Could Go Into Effect If Lawmakers Pass This New Bill
While some of the first bills being prepared for the upcoming session give Utahns a glimpse of what abortion policy could look like in the future, a proposal from Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, could upend the past. (Anderson Stern, 1/4)

AP: Abortion, Spending Likely Battles In New Nebraska Session
The body is currently made up of 32 senators registered as Republicans and 17 registered as Democrats. That split looms large over the issue of abortion. A Republican-led effort last year to pass a near total abortion ban fell two votes short of garnering the 33 needed to overcome a filibuster. (Beck, 1/4)

Reuters: Sotomayor Felt 'Shell-Shocked' After U.S. Supreme Court's Abortion Decision 
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday told legal educators she felt a "sense of despair" at the direction taken by the U.S. Supreme Court during its previous term, during which its conservative majority overturned the constitutional right to abortion. (Sloan, 1/4)

NBC News: Doctors Call On More People To Learn CPR After Damar Hamlin's Cardiac Arrest
Doctors are calling on the public to familiarize themselves with lifesaving CPR techniques after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a football game Monday night in Cincinnati. (Bendix, Martin and Lewis, 1/4)

Los Angeles Times: Want To Learn CPR? Here's Where To Find Classes
Dr. Mariell Jessup, chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Assn., said she couldn’t say for sure what caused Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s heart to stop during an NFL game Monday night. But she was sure of one thing: “Everyone needs to know how to do CPR.” (Healey, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Bills Safety Damar Hamlin Shows Improvement; NFL Mulls Scheduling Options 
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin demonstrated signs of improvement following the injury that led to him suffering cardiac arrest on the field during a game, the team announced Wednesday, although he remained listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit of a Cincinnati hospital. (Maske, 1/4)

Stat: 3 Drug Pricing Issues To Watch In 2023
The legislative saga on drug pricing is mostly over for now, but drug pricing policy will still offer plenty of controversy in 2023. (Cohrs, 1/5)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Medicaid Rule Clarifies Nonclinical Care Reimbursement
CMS' guidance allows Medicaid agencies to pay for nonclinical services such as housing, nutrition and transportation that would reduce health costs by preventing adverse health events. States must determine such services are appropriate and a cost-effective substitute for medical care. It requires such substitutes, known as in-lieu-of services, be written into managed care contracts and considered when determining payment to private insurers. (Tepper and Hartnett, 1/4)

Politico: EPA Advances Hot-Button Air Toxics Rule For Sterilizers
EPA is advancing a long-delayed air regulation to limit the release of a cancer-causing gas from medical sterilization facilities, sending its proposal to the White House for inter-agency review just before Christmas. (Snider, 1/4)

Washington Post: Fla. Surgeon General Used ‘Flawed’ Vaccine Science, Faculty Peers Say
Joseph A. Ladapo, a professor of medicine at the University of Florida and the state’s surgeon general, relied upon a flawed analysis and may have violated university research integrity rules when he issued guidance last fall discouraging young men from receiving common coronavirus vaccines, according to a report from a medical school faculty task force. But the university says it has no plans to investigate the matter. (Stripling, 1/4)

Politico: UF Won’t Probe Ladapo After Faculty Question ‘Careless And Contentious’ Vaccine Research
The University of Florida has declined to investigate claims raised by its medical faculty alleging that Covid-19 vaccine research led by controversial state Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo was “seriously flawed.” (Atterbury, 1/4)

Politico: Lawsuit Alleges 'Forever Chemicals' In Popular Juice Brand
Despite being marketed as "all natural," Coca-Cola Co.'s Simply Tropical juice contains PFAS, according to the lawsuit filed Dec. 28. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the complaint alleges that the company violated state and federal consumer laws in marketing the product as free of synthetic substances. (Crunden, 1/4)

AP: Toxic PFAS Plume Detected In Green Bay — Study
A large plume of toxic chemicals produced by a plant that manufactures firefighting foam has seeped through groundwater to Lake Michigan's Green Bay, scientists said Tuesday. (1/4)

Fortune/AP: Toxic PFAS Chemicals From Tyco Plant In Wisconsin Leak Into Lake Michigan's Green Bay
Water samples taken along the shoreline in the Marinette area found PFAS concentrations of 250 parts per trillion — much higher than levels detected in a previous study of rivers flowing into the bay, Remucal said. They also far exceed the 70 parts per trillion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had established as a drinking water health risk threshold for two common PFAS compounds, known as PFOS and PFOA. (Flesher, 1/4)

Politico: Young Adults Most Likely To Use Marijuana, National Survey Says
More than 52 million people used marijuana in 2021, according to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health released Wednesday, with young adults accounting for the highest share of users. (Zhang, 1/4)

NBC News: Ketamine Clinics For Mental Health Are Popping Up Across The U.S. Does The Treatment Work?
Inside Field Trip Health’s New York City clinic, the vibe is less doctor’s office, more tranquil spa. Tucked away on the 11th floor of a nondescript building, you can barely hear the clamor of the busy streets. Instead, this ketamine clinic feels like an oasis of zen, strewn with twinkle lights, lush greenery and comfy meditation pillows. (Dunn and Snow, 1/4)

Reuters: Geron Says Blood Cancer Drug Succeeds In Late-Stage Study, Shares Surge
Geron Corp (GERN.O) said on Wednesday its experimental drug helped more patients with a difficult-to-treat blood cancer achieve independence from routine transfusions in a late-stage trial, sending shares of the drug developer nearly 50% higher. The drug, imetelstat, was being studied in patients with types of lower risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), which requires frequent blood transfusions for patients to manage their anemia, the company said. (Roy, 1/4)

Stat: Roivant-Pfizer Inflammatory Bowel Drug Succeeds In Phase 2 Study
An experimental inflammatory bowel disease medicine that serves as the basis for a partnership between Roivant Sciences and Pfizer met high expectations for a Phase 2 clinical trial data released Wednesday. In a clinical study of 245 volunteers, the drug, called RVT-3101, helped 32% of trial participants with ulcerative colitis go into remission, compared to 12% in the placebo group. (DeAngelis, 1/4)

Reuters: Eisai Alzheimer's Drug And Clot Buster Seen As Cause Of Brain Hemorrhage Death -Analysis
Emergency treatment with a blood clot buster called tissue plasminogen activator for a patient who had a stroke while being treated with the experimental Alzheimer's drug lecanemab led to a fatal cascade of brain hemorrhage and burst blood vessels, an autopsy analysis published on Wednesday suggests. (Beasley, 1/4)

CIDRAP: Right Choice Of Antibiotic Linked To Lower Risk Of Death From Bloodstream Infections
The multicenter cross-sectional study, which included more than 32,000 patients who had been hospitalized with BSIs, found that receipt of appropriate initial empiric antibiotic therapy was associated with lower risk of in-hospital death for three pathogen groups compared with those whose initial antibiotic was inappropriate. For all three groups, the risk of in-hospital death was more than or nearly cut in half for patients who received the right antibiotic. (Dall, 1/4)

CIDRAP: Certain Symptoms Diminish Well-Being In Long-COVID Patients, Survey Shows 
Among long-COVID patients in Israel, nonspecific emotional and cognitive symptoms such as fatigue, lack of concentration, and sleep disorders lowered subjective well-being (SWB) the most, according to a study published today in Epidemiology & Infection. (Van Beusekom, 1/4)

CIDRAP: COVID Shots, Previous Infection May Cut Risk Of Spread In Prisons
Recent COVID-19 vaccination and previous infections independently lowered the odds of Omicron variant transmission from infected California prison inmates to their cellmates, but the risk remained high, suggests a study published earlier this week in Nature Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 1/4)

Crain's Chicago Business: CommonSpirit Health Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Data Breach
Chicago-based Catholic hospital chain CommonSpirit Health has been hit with a proposed class-action lawsuit over its month-long data breach at the end of last year that impacted more than 600,000 patients. (Davis, 1/4)

Reuters: Moderna Snaps Up Japan's OriCiro Genomics In MRNA Manufacturing Push
Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) on Wednesday agreed to buy Japan-based OriCiro Genomics for $85 million to boost the U.S. drugmaker's messenger RNA (mRNA) manufacturing capabilities. (1/4)

Reuters: GE HealthCare Rises 8% In Market Debut, Eyes Small Deals 
GE HealthCare Technologies Inc's shares rose as much as 8.4% in their Nasdaq debut on Wednesday and its chief executive said the company was looking to do small acquisitions to boost its cardiology and oncology operations in the long term. (Leo and Deka, 1/4)

Reuters: J&J's Consumer Health Unit Kenvue Files For IPO, Moving Closer To Spin-Off
Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) consumer health unit Kenvue on Wednesday filed to be listed as an independent company, bringing the healthcare conglomerate a step closer to completing the biggest shakeup in its 135-year history. (1/5)

Roll Call: Providers Say Medicare Advantage Hinders New Methadone Benefit
In 2018, responding to a wave of overdose deaths, Congress passed legislation requiring Medicare to pay for services at opioid treatment programs for the first time. But two years after Medicare began covering those programs, which use methadone and other medications to help reduce opioid use and overdose deaths, providers say their efforts are being hindered by Medicare Advantage — private insurance companies that administer benefits to about half of the Medicare population. (Hellmann, 1/4)

AP: Oklahoma AG Announces 4 New Opioid Settlements Worth $226M
Oklahoma entered settlement agreements with three major pharmacy chains and an opioid manufacturer totaling more than $226 million, Attorney General John O’Connor announced Wednesday. Including the new settlements with drugmaker Allergan and pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, Oklahoma has received more than $900 million from opioid makers and distributors to help address the state’s opioid crisis, O’Connor said. (Murphy, 1/4)

AP: Aetna Picked To Operate North Carolina Employee Health Plan
Insurance giant Aetna will administer North Carolina’s health coverage plan for state government employees, teachers, retirees and their family members starting in 2025, the State Treasurer’s Office announced Wednesday. (Robertson, 1/4)

Bloomberg: NJ Extends Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Despite Fees Dispute
New Jersey extended its health benefits contract with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield for another year even after state officials alleged the health insurer failed to meet the terms of the deal. The state will pay lower fees in exchange for reducing the scope of some services Horizon was originally hired to provide to state employees, according to the revised document posted on a state website. (Tozzi, 1/4)

Politico: Council To Introduce Bill Allowing Municipal Retirees To Be Charged For Health Insurance
The City Council will introduce legislation Wednesday that would allow the Adams administration to charge municipal retirees — who don't opt into Medicare Advantage — for private health insurance, but an intense lobbying effort by the former workers means the bill's passage is uncertain. (Touré, 1/4)

The New York Times: A Colorado Library Closed Because Of Meth Contamination
In downtown Boulder, Colo., a public library that provides the surrounding community with a space to meet and learn has been closed for two weeks. No, winter weather was not to blame. Overdue books weren’t the cause, and neither was funding. It was meth. (Bryson Taylor, Holpuch and Hauser, 1/4)