First Edition: July 25, 2023
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
New Weight Loss Drugs Carry High Price Tags And Lots Of Questions For Seniors
Corlee Morris has dieted throughout her adult life.After her weight began climbing in high school, she spent years losing 50 or 100 pounds then gaining it back. Morris, 78, was at her heaviest in her mid-40s, standing 5 feet 10½ inches and weighing 310 pounds. The Pittsburgh resident has had diabetes for more than 40 years. (Graham, 7/25)
KFF Health News:
Hospitals Ask Congress To Delay ACA Medicaid Funding Cuts — For The 14th Time
It has become as familiar a sight in Washington as the cherry blossoms in spring: lobbyists from the nation’s hospitals descending on the Capitol to ask lawmakers to postpone billions in Medicaid funding cuts prescribed by the Affordable Care Act — cuts industry leaders agreed to years ago. It is unlikely the reductions will occur this year, if history is any indication. Since 2013, Congress has voted 13 times to delay them, siding with hospitals over their claims that losing the money would hinder the delivery of care. (Galewitz, 7/25)
CIDRAP:
Political Party Affiliation Linked To Excess COVID Deaths
After May of 2021, roughly 1 month after COVID-19 vaccines became widely available, the gap between Republicans and Democrats further widened, to 7.7 percentage points (95% PI, 6.0 to 9.3 percentage points) in the adjusted analysis, or a 43% difference, the authors said. The difference was seen in Florida, but was most pronounced in Ohio. (Soucheray, 7/24)
Reuters:
Congressional Democrats Call On Biden For Workplace Heat Safety Steps
A group of 112 Democratic members of Congress on Monday called on U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to establish heat safety regulations for indoor and outdoor workplaces as a persistent and deadly heatwave spreads across the country. The group asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue new standards on adequate water and sheltered rest breaks, medical training to identify heat-related illness and a plan for workplaces to adjust their operations during times of dangerously high heat. (Walker, 7/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Extreme Heat In California Is Dangerous For Homeless People Living Outside
At a homeless encampment dubbed the Lost City, hidden behind a cluster of pine trees off Highway 95, Charles Johnson was sweltering. He was drenched in sweat, worsening the heat rash on his back and arms. His sunburned skin ached. He was hungry. He was desperate for water. And he yearned for ice — which he can’t keep from melting while living outside, under the unforgiving desert sun. (Vives and Dillon, 7/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Heart Attack Risk Rises Significantly On Extremely Hot, Polluted Days
Extreme heat and air pollution can be dangerous for the heart. Enduring both at the same time can be especially deadly, new research shows. (Mosbergen, 7/24)
Dallas Morning News:
Dallas-Fort Worth Under Heat Advisory Until Tuesday As Triple-Digit Temperatures Persist
Another week of triple-digit highs are in the forecast in North Texas, but it should feel less hot in the Dallas-Fort Worth area compared to last week, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. Still, the weather will remain dangerously hot, with increased risk of wildfires in areas along and west of Interstate 35W, according to the weather service. The NWS issued a heat advisory Monday afternoon for multiple parts of North Texas, including Dallas, Collin, Denton, Tarrant and Rockwall counties. The advisory was set to expire 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the weather service. (Choi, 7/24)
The New York Times:
2 Women Found Dead After Going Hiking In Nevada Park
Two women who had been hiking at a Nevada state park were found dead on Saturday, park rangers said, as record-breaking heat waves rippled through the region and sent temperatures rising through parts of the western and southwestern United States. (Che, 7/24)
Indianapolis Star:
Rokita Says He Should Have Access To Records Of Out-Of-State Abortions
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has joined 18 other states' attorneys general in asking the federal government to allow local governments to obtain medical records of patients seeking out-of-state abortion care in certain cases. Rokita earlier this month signed onto a letter asking the U.S. Office of Health and Human Services to abandon a proposed rule change to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA. The draft rule would bar local governments in states where abortion is illegal from obtaining medical records of patients who sought legal abortion care in another state as part of civil or criminal investigations. (Napier, 7/24)
AP:
Abortion Messaging Roils Debate Over Ohio Ballot Initiative. Backers Said It Wasn't About That
The fraught politics of abortion have helped turn an August ballot question in Ohio that would make it harder to change the state constitution into a cauldron of misinformation and fear-mongering. State Issue 1, the sole question on the ballot, calls for raising the threshold for passing future changes to the Ohio Constitution from a simple majority to 60%. Starting next year, it also would double the number of counties where signatures must be gathered, from 44 to all 88, and do away with the 10-day grace period for closing gaps in the total valid signatures submitted. (Carr Smyth and Swenson, 7/24)
Houston Chronicle:
Fact Check: DeSantis Says Some States Allow ‘Post-Birth’ Abortions
"In some liberal states," he said, "you actually have post-birth abortions and I think that’s wrong." Some on social media thought DeSantis misspoke, but the post-birth abortion claim is something that Republicans and anti-abortion activists have repeated for years, before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. PolitiFact Rating: False. Killing an infant after birth is infanticide and is illegal in all 50 states. Situations resulting in a fetal death in the third trimester are exceedingly rare, and involve emergencies such as fetal anomalies or life-threatening medical emergencies affecting the mother. (Putterman, 7/24)
Bloomberg:
Gen Z Roiled By Supreme Court Rulings On Student Loans, Abortion
The US Supreme Court has Taylor Porter questioning her career path, where she wants to live, and even the relationships around her as she enters her final year at the University of Texas. Porter, 20, wonders if she’ll be able to pursue plans to be a physician’s assistant and whether she should leave Texas, a red state, after the rulings all aligned with the court’s 6-3 conservative majority striking affirmative action, student loan forgiveness, and abortion rights. (Headley and Cohen, 7/24)
AP:
The Biden Administration Proposes New Rules To Push Insurers To Boost Mental Health Coverage
President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday is announcing new rules meant to push insurance companies to increase their coverage of mental health treatments. The new regulations, which still need to go through a public comment period, would require insurers to study whether their customers have equal access to medical and mental health benefits and to take remedial action, if necessary. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires that insurers provide the same level of coverage for both mental and physical health care — though the administration and advocates argue insurers’ policies restrict patient access. (7/25)
Stat:
House Panel Proposes Lowering Medicare Out-Of-Pocket Drug Costs
A key House committee announced its own plans to increase health care transparency and reduce some health care costs for patients on Monday, according to bill text obtained by STAT. The House Ways & Means Committee package includes a new provision that would ensure that patients in the Medicare program pay for medicines they pick up at the pharmacy counter based on the discounted price that insurers negotiate with drugmakers, instead of higher sticker prices, starting in 2027. (Cohrs, 7/24)
Stat:
New AMA Leader On Medicine's 'AI Era' And Telehealth Uncertainty
Much has been made of Jesse Ehrenfeld’s career of firsts. The current president of the American Medical Association, inaugurated in June, has long advocated for safe and equitable care for sexual and gender minorities, leading to an inaugural National Institutes of Health award for his research in the area. The anesthesiologist was the youngest-ever officer of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and this year became the first openly gay president of the AMA. Adding to that list: Ehrenfeld is the first board-certified clinical informaticist to take on the AMA’s top role — bringing a set of skills that could be particularly useful as medicine reacts to the rapid evolution of technology. (Palmer, 7/25)
AP:
$58M In Federal Grants Aim To Help Schools, Day Care Centers Remove Lead From Drinking Water
The Biden administration announced $58 million in grants to help schools and day care centers remove lead from drinking water during an event in Boston on Monday. The grants will help local communities test for lead in drinking water, identify potential sources of the contamination, and take steps to address the problem, said Radhika Fox, the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for water. (7/25)
Stat:
IQVIA's Health Data Empire, Used To Target Ads, Hit By FTC Lawsuit
The health data giant IQVIA became a dominant force by gobbling up its rivals. Over decades, it feasted on upstarts with new datasets or novel technologies, growing into a juggernaut with no peer in the business of brokering Americans’ medical information. Now, government regulators say, IQVIA’s appetite for acquisition is getting out of control — and must be reined in. (Ross, 7/25)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS' 340B Remedy Favors Hospitals That Provide Less Charity Care
Hospitals that would receive the biggest 340B remedy payments under a new proposal to correct unlawful reimbursement cuts tended to provide proportionally less uncompensated care than other 340B-eligible hospitals. (Kacik and Broderick, 7/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Weighs Potential Deal With China On Fentanyl
The Biden administration is discussing lifting sanctions on a Chinese police forensics institute suspected of participating in human-rights abuses, people familiar with the matter said, in a bid to secure Beijing’s renewed cooperation in fighting the fentanyl crisis. (Spegele and Hutzler, 7/24)
USA Today:
Depression In Young People Linked To Dementia Late In Life
A study of more than 1.4 million Danish adults found those diagnosed with depression were more than twice as likely to get dementia later in life, a link that suggests depression may increase dementia risk, researchers said. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology reported the risk of dementia more than doubled for men and women diagnosed with depression, even if diagnosed as young or middle-aged adults. (Alltucker, 7/24)
USA Today:
Many With Dementia Still Drive, Concerning Caregivers
One in 10 elderly Americans develop Alzheimer's or dementia, challenging their daily lives as they experience cognitive decline. A recent study found many with this condition continue driving, posing a greater risk for road safety. Researchers with University of Michigan Medicine demonstrated the complicated factors at play for those affected, as caregivers and individuals with dementia struggle to navigate the decisions around driving. (Prestininzi, 7/24)
NPR:
Trader Joe's Issues Recalls For 2 Types Of Cookies That Could Contain Rocks
Trader Joe's has issued recalls for two types of cookies it sells, as they could potentially have rocks in them, the grocery store chain said Friday. A supplier for Trader Joe's alerted the company that the Almond Windmill Cookies, with sell-by dates between Oct. 19 and Oct. 21, 2023, and the Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, with sell-by dates between Oct. 17 and Oct. 21, 2023, had been impacted. (Archie, 7/24)
NBC News:
Number Of Kids Who Received Free Summer Lunches Dropped By Nearly 45% In 2022 Compared To Previous Year
The number of children who received free summer lunches in 2022 dropped dramatically compared to the year prior, according to a new report from anti-hunger advocacy organization Food Research & Action Center. FRAC’s report found that nearly 3 million children received lunch from federally sponsored summer nutrition programs on an average day in July 2022, a decrease of almost 2.4 million children, or 44.5%, from July 2021. (Chuck, 7/25)
Bloomberg:
Black Americans More Likely To Be Mass Shooting Victims
Mass shootings claim a disproportionate number of Black victims and happen more often in US cities with higher Black populations, suggesting that structural racism may play a role, according to a new study by Tulane University researchers. (Webb Carey and Akinnibi, 7/24)
Stat:
New Alzheimer's Drugs Heat Up Race For Early Detection Blood Tests
Currently, diagnosing Alzheimer’s is slow. The standard confirmation test is an amyloid-PET scan, but by the time the disease is evident on the PET scan, the disease has already progressed, said Valerie Daggett, a bioengineering professor at the University of Washington. “A lot has to happen before you get there and you see those deposits,” she said. Enter: blood tests. A glut of these tests — some used in clinical trials for Leqembi and donanemab — have received FDA breakthrough device designation, though none have been authorized yet. Newer tests and biomarkers are even trying to diagnose patients before they develop Alzheimer’s symptoms. (Trang, 7/25)
Newsweek:
Bisexual Women Four Times More Likely To Have Long-Term Health Issues
While lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) patients as a whole experience health outcomes twice as poor as heterosexual people, bisexuals are the worst affected among this already marginalized community, according to a new study published on July 24 in the Journal of Sex Research, with bisexual women four times more likely than heterosexuals to suffer from long-term issues. The researchers suggest that this may be a result of biphobia, or discrimination from heterosexuals as well as gay and lesbian people. (Thomson, 7/24)
CIDRAP:
Hepatitis C Infection During Pregnancy Rose Sharply During Opioid Epidemic
The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection during pregnancy increased 16-fold between 1998 and 2018, fueled by the opioid epidemic, which has increased the odds of poor fetal outcomes, researchers from Johns Hopkins University recently reported in JAMA Network Open. The group's goal was to gauge how common HCV infections in pregnancy are and flesh out maternal and fetal outcomes to help with health policy decisions against the backdrop of rising opioid use, including in younger women of childbearing age. (Schnirring, 7/24)
USA Today:
Gut Bacteria Protect Host From Hyperuricemia, Gout And Cardiovascular Disease
Beer is rich with organic chemicals, called purines, that can crystalize and accumulate in the blood, which could lead to gout and cardiovascular disease. A study estimated that between 2015 and 2016, 9.2 million people in the United States experienced gout. And cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death for people over 45. But don’t say goodbye to your favorite craft beer just yet. (Truong, 7/24)
The Washington Post:
Low-Dose Aspirin Linked To Higher Anemia Risk For Seniors In Study
Older people who take a low-dose aspirin daily may be 20 percent more likely to develop anemia than those who do not, according to research published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Anemia develops when a person has an inadequate number of healthy red blood cells, which are needed to carry oxygen to tissues throughout the body. People with anemia often feel tired and out of breath. (Searing, 7/24)
AP:
Gene Therapy Eyedrops Restored A Boy's Sight. Similar Treatments Could Help Millions
Dr. Alfonso Sabater pulled up two photos of Antonio Vento Carvajal’s eyes. One showed cloudy scars covering both eyeballs. The other, taken after months of gene therapy given through eyedrops, revealed no scarring on either eye. Antonio, who’s been legally blind for much of his 14 years, can see again. (Ungar and Frisaro, 7/24)
The Washington Post:
Pfizer Drug Shortage Possible After Tornado Hits North Carolina Plant
The nation is already short of some of the products Pfizer said could be affected, according to a list maintained by the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, which represents 60,000 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. They include products containing lidocaine, morphine and fentanyl. Pfizer said it had identified products that could be in short supply after assessing its market share and inventory levels. The Rocky Mount plant, which has 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space, the firm said, makes almost 8 percent of all sterile injectable drugs used in American hospitals, including anesthesia, therapeutics and neuromuscular blockers. The tornado didn’t cause major damage to the production area. (Jeong, 7/25)
Reuters:
Pfizer Says Supply Of Some Drugs May Be Disrupted After NC Tornado
Drugmaker Pfizer Inc said over 30 drugs, including injections of painkiller fentanyl and anesthetic lidocaine, may see supply disruption after a tornado destroyed a warehouse at its Rocky Mount, North Carolina, plant last week. (7/24)
Modern Healthcare:
How A Recession Could Benefit A Tight Healthcare Labor Market
National industry leaders are warily eyeing the horizon for a potential recession, but for healthcare organizations, an economic downturn could bring some benefits. Hospitals, health systems and other provider organizations have struggled to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, battling the financial impacts of rising prices and historically high labor costs. The organizations have pledged to reduce reliance on contract labor and normalize pay increases for workers, but an ongoing staffing shortage is forcing providers to keep hiking wages and bonuses and/or look outside the industry to fill gaps. (Hudson, 7/24)
Bloomberg:
Sam Altman, Valley VCs Bet $48 Million On Blood-Testing Startup
Vital Biosciences Inc. plans to unveil new technology on Monday that it says can use a few drops of blood for 50 lab-grade tests in 20 minutes. The idea will give cold sweats to any investor familiar with Theranos Inc. That company, too, aimed to run large numbers of tests on small amounts of blood. It didn’t work, and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, is currently serving 11 years in prison for fraud after the company rode a $9 billion valuation down to zero. (McBride, 7/24)
The Boston Globe:
Alnylam Signs $2.8 Billion Deal With Roche To Advance Cambridge Biotech’s Injection For High Blood Pressure
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals will receive $310 million in cash from the Swiss drug giant Roche Holding AG and be eligible for as much as $2.5 billion more in a deal to jointly develop and market the Cambridge biotech’s novel potential treatment for high blood pressure. The firms announced on Monday that they will collaborate on Alnylam’s drug candidate, zilebesiran, which is undergoing testing in two mid-stage clinical trials. Unlike approved treatments for hypertension that require patients to take daily pills, the experimental medicine is given as an injection every few months. (Saltzman, 7/24)
The Hill:
Five Largest US Pharma Firms’ Net Earnings Topped $81.9 Billion Last Year: Watchdog
The five largest U.S. pharmaceutical companies by market cap — Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, AbbVie and Pfizer — reported combined earnings of $81.9 billion in 2022, an $8 billion increase from 2021, according to a new analysis by Accountable.US. The left-leaning corporate watchdog found the firms’ combined stock buybacks and dividends increased by $4.4 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively, from 2021 to 2022. (Giorno, 7/24)
Reuters:
Kodiak Sciences Scraps Development Of Eye Drug, Shares Slump
Kodiak Sciences will abandon further development of its lead drug to treat a type of eye disease after it failed in two late-stage studies, the company said on Monday, sending its shares tumbling more than 50%. The decision comes after the drug, tarcocimab tedromer, failed to improve vision in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) — the most common diabetes-related cause of vision loss — in two late-stage studies. (Sunny, 7/24)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Jefferson Health Layoffs To Affect 400 Positions
Jefferson Health, the largest health system in the Philadelphia region by number of hospitals, this week is reducing its workforce by 1%, or about 400 positions, in a bid to curb its financial losses by eliminating duplication in the not-for-profit system that grew rapidly though acquisitions before the pandemic. (Brubaker, 7/24)
Modern Healthcare:
Health Layoffs, Closures: Latest Updates On Industry Cuts
Biofourmis, a digital health and technology company, announced it had trimmed its global workforce by 18 percent or 120 employees. The company said the largest impact will be on its international operations outside of the United States. According to a written statement, most of the roles were operational and administrative. Of those employees laid off, 48 of them were based in the United States. (7/24)
Bay Area News Group:
California Republicans Want The State To End Tax On Health Savings Plans
California Republican members of Congress want the state to kill its tax on health savings accounts. Led by Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Seal Beach, six Republican members of California’s congressional delegation, including Rep. Young Kim, this week sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, urging him to end the state tax on health savings accounts. (Kang, 7/24)