First Edition: May 13, 2024
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
San Francisco Tries Tough Love By Tying Welfare To Drug Rehab
Raymond Llano carries a plastic bag with everything he owns in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, and the flattened cardboard box he uses as a bed under his arm as he waits in line for lunch at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. At 55, he hasn’t had a home for 15 years, since he lost a job at Target. Llano once tried to get on public assistance but couldn’t — something, he said, looking perplexed, about owing the state money — and he’d like to apply again. (Cohen, 5/13)
KFF Health News:
First Responders, Veterans Hail Benefits Of Psychedelic Drugs As California Debates Legalization
Wade Trammell recalls the time he and his fellow firefighters responded to a highway crash in which a beer truck rammed into a pole, propelling the truck’s engine through the cab and into the driver’s abdomen. “The guy was up there screaming and squirming. Then the cab caught on fire,” Trammell says. “I couldn’t move him. He burned to death right there in my arms.” (Wolfson, 5/13)
Reuters:
US To Provide Nearly $200 Million To Contain Bird Flu Spread On Dairy Farms
The Biden administration said on Friday it will provide nearly $200 million to fight the spread of avian flu among dairy cows, in the government's latest bid to contain outbreaks that have fueled concerns about human infections with the H5N1 virus. The virus has been detected among dairy cattle in nine states since late March. Scientists have said they believe the outbreak is more widespread based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration findings of H5N1 particles in about 20% of retail milk samples. (Douglas, 5/10)
AP:
US Pledges Money And Other Aid To Help Track And Contain Bird Flu On Dairy Farms
The new funds include $101 million to continue work to prevent, test, track and treat animals and humans potentially affected by the virus known as Type A H5N1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. ... In addition, dairy farmers will be compensated for the loss of milk production from infected cattle, whose supply drops dramatically when they become sick, officials said. (Aleccia and Stobbe, 5/10)
The New York Times:
Biden Administration To Pay Dairy Farmers For Bird Flu Protective Measures
The Biden administration said on Friday that it would compensate dairy farmers for cooperating with its efforts to limit the spread of the bird flu virus, part of a series of expansive measures aimed at containing an outbreak. The payment system amounted to one of the most forceful actions taken so far by agriculture officials who have raced to keep up with the spread of the virus among dairy cows. (Weiland, Qiu and Mandavilli, 5/10)
Reuters:
Final Tests Of US Dairy Samples Are Negative For Bird Flu Virus, US FDA Says
Final testing of U.S. retail dairy samples came back negative for viable H5N1 bird flu virus, the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The FDA said it finished its laboratory research into 297 retail dairy samples tested for bird flu, after previously reporting that preliminary results showed the commercial milk supply was safe. (5/10)
USA Today:
AI, ChatGPT Show Promise In Making Medical Visits More Effective
Dr. Rebecca Mishuris remembers her mother, also a doctor, bringing home her patients' medical charts every night and working on them long after she'd gone to bed. ... But no more. Since last summer, she's been piloting two competing software applications that use large-language models and generative artificial intelligence to listen in on, transcribe and summarize her conversations with patients. At the end of a patient visit it takes her just two to three minutes to review the summary for accuracy, cut and paste a few things into the patient's health record and hit save. (Weintraub, 5/11)
Modern Healthcare:
AI Uses In Nursing, Patient Care Concern Unions At HCA, Kaiser
Union leaders and technology experts say health systems should be open with nurses about how they plan to use artificial intelligence and educate them on such tools in light of staffing and other concerns. Hundreds of nurses at Kaiser Permanente and HCA Healthcare protested last month, worried about the systems’ use of AI to measure the severity of patients' illnesses and perform other clinical tasks. The nurses cited concerns about the technology’s potential to put patient safety at risk and cause job losses. (Devereaux, 5/10)
Stat:
Study: AI Not Yet Building 'N-Of-1' Drugs Faster
Two years ago, Yiwei Shi was searching desperately for someone to build a drug for her newborn son, Leo. Leo was born with a very small head, a symptom of many severe diseases. After a seizure at two months, doctors sequenced his genome and found a single misspelling in a gene called TNPO2. (Mast, 5/13)
AP:
Recipient Of First-Ever Pig Kidney Transplant Dies
Xenotransplantation refers to healing human patients with cells, tissues or organs from animals. Such efforts long failed because the human immune system immediately destroyed foreign animal tissue. Recent attempts have involved pigs that have been modified so their organs are more humanlike. More than 100,000 people are on the national waiting list for a transplant, most of them kidney patients, and thousands die every year before their turn comes.. (5/12)
The New York Times:
Patient Dies Weeks After Kidney Transplant From Genetically Modified Pig
Massachusetts General Hospital, where Mr. Slayman had the operation, said in a statement on Saturday that its transplant team was “deeply saddened” at his death. The hospital said it had “no indication that it was the result of his recent transplant.” Mr. Slayman, who was Black, had end-stage kidney disease, a condition that affects more than 800,000 people in the United States, according to the federal government, with disproportionately higher rates among Black people. (Hughes, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
Pig Kidney Transplant Patient Richard Slayman Dies, Mass. General Hospital Says
Slayman’s family said in a statement to media outlets that they were “deeply saddened about the sudden passing of our beloved Rick but take great comfort knowing he inspired so many” and thanked his doctors, saying medical staff “truly did everything they could to help give Rick a second chance.” “Their enormous efforts leading the xenotransplant gave our family seven more weeks with Rick, and our memories made during that time will remain in our minds and hearts,” the statement said. (Hassan, 5/12)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Extends Medicaid, CHIP Unwinding Waivers To 2025
States have more time to make accurate and timely redeterminations of Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program eligibility as they continue unwinding the continuous coverage provisions derived from expired COVID-19 relief programs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a memo to state officials Thursday that extends federal regulatory waivers and flexibilities to June 2025, one year after they were slated to be discontinued. (Tepper, 5/10)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicaid 80/20 Rule Spurs Potential Consolidation In Home Care
Private equity firms and large home care companies could soon be going head to head to buy smaller personal care operators expected to exit the industry because of a new regulation. The potential for industry consolidation stems from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services rule that will require home care companies to spend 80% of Medicaid reimbursements on caregiver wages. (Eastabrook, 5/10)
Stat:
FDA Criticized For Failing To Provide Clarity On Drug-And-Device Patents
When it comes to a crucial controversy over pharmaceutical patents, the FDA has been MIA. For nearly 20 years, drug companies have asked the Food and Drug Administration for guidance on listing patents for drug-and-device combination products, such as asthma inhalers and auto-injectors for diabetes treatments, in an obscure, but highly important agency registry. Known as the Orange Book, it holds a key, behind-the-scenes role in shaping the competitive landscape of the pharmaceutical industry. (Silverman, 5/13)
Reuters:
US Bill To Restrict WuXi AppTec, Chinese Biotechs Revised To Give More Time To Cut Ties
A new version of a congressional bill that would restrict U.S. business with certain Chinese biotechnology companies including WuXi AppTec and BGI would give U.S. companies until 2032 to end work with the firms, extending the amount of time to find new partners. The latest Biosecure Act also adds WuXi Biologics (2269.HK) to a list of biotech companies of concern, according to a copy seen by Reuters. (Freifeld, 5/10)
AP:
A Cyberattack Forces A Big US Health System To Divert Ambulances And Take Records Offline
A cyberattack on the Ascension health system operating in 19 states across the U.S. forced some of its 140 hospitals to divert ambulances, caused patients to postpone medical tests and blocked online access to patient records. ... The attack had the hallmarks of a ransomware, and Ascension said it had called in Mandiant, the Google cybersecurity unit that is a leading responder to such attacks. (Hanna, Murphy and Foody, 5/11)
Stat:
CDC Wastewater Surveillance Dashboard To Track Bird Flu Hotspots
Reluctance among dairy farmers to report H5N1 bird flu outbreaks within their herds or allow testing of their workers has made it difficult to keep up with the virus’s rapid spread, prompting federal public health officials to look to wastewater to help fill in the gaps. (Molteni and Branswell, 5/13)
Reuters:
Pandemic Treaty Talks Will Go On After Missed Deadline, Some Progress, WHO Says
Talks to draw up a global pact to help fight future pandemics have ended without a draft agreement by the expected deadline, but progress has been made, the World Health Organization said on Friday. Negotiators from the World Health Organization's (WHO) 194 member states were hoping to have a final draft agreement by the end of Friday, with a view toward adopting the legally-binding text at the World Health Assembly later this month. (Rigby, 5/10)
USA Today:
FDA Issues Recall: Insulin Pump-Related IOS App Crash Led To Injuries
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a recall correction for an app that connects with an insulin pump due to a software issue that causes the app to crash, which can drain the battery of the insulin pump and has led to over 200 injuries. This is a Class 1 recall, which the FDA says is the most serious type of recall, and use of the device can lead to serious injury or death. (DeLetter, 5/10)
Newsweek:
Baby Milk Recalled As Health Warning Issued
A Washington-based company is recalling a goat milk product and urging consumers to immediately stop using the product as baby formula. Healthwest Minerals Inc, doing business as Mt. Capra Products, of Chehalis, announced on Friday that it is recalling 1,506 boxes of Goat Milk Formula Recipe Kit on the advice of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because the product does not provide sufficient nutrition when used as infant formula. (Rahman, 5/12)
Fortune:
Colon Cancer Rates Have Tripled In Teens
First came public pleas for millennials and Gen Zers to be aware of the signs of colon cancer, which has seen such a rise in young adults that it’s now the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 and No. 2 in women under 50. This week, that plea expanded to adolescents, with news that colorectal cancer rates among kids between 10 and 14 and teens from 15 to 19 have risen by 500% and 333% percent, respectively, over two decades. (Greenfield, 5/10)
NPR:
Want To Protect Your Kids' Eyesight? Get Them To Play Outside
Spending at least two hours outside each day is one of the most important things your kids can do to protect their eyesight. "We think that outdoor time is the best form of prevention for nearsightedness," says Dr. Noha Ekdawi, a pediatric ophthalmologist in Wheaton, Ill. And that's important, because the number of kids with nearsightedness – or myopia – has been growing rapidly in the U.S., and in many other parts of the world. (Godoy, 5/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
How Helpful Are Mental-Health Chatbots?
Interest in mental-health chatbots is rising, fueled by advances in AI’s ability to conduct sophisticated conversations. But how much therapy can they really provide? Chatbots are still no substitute for a human therapist, researchers say. Not only do some of these tools have trouble helping patients in crisis, they don’t always offer a sufficient level of personalization or provide advice that is guaranteed to be accurate. (Wang, 5/12)
Fortune:
Parents Are Drugging Their Kids To Get Them To Sleep
New survey results from Sleep Doctor reveal that 79% of parents have given their child a substance to get them to sleep—with 66% using melatonin, 35% using Benadryl, and 20% turning to prescription sleep aids. Others reported using everything from herbal and over-the-counter aids to CBD, THC, and even alcohol. Millennial and Gen Z parents were most likely to have drugged kids for slumber, with 84% and 83%, respectively, saying they had done so. (Greenfield, 5/12)
Newsweek:
Boys' IQs May Be Impacted By Moms' Pregnancy Stress Levels
High levels of stress during the late stages of pregnancy may impair IQ scores in young boys, a new study suggests. Researchers at Odense University Hospital in Denmark found that increased cortisol, a stress hormone, in the third trimester may have a lasting impact on boys aged seven, but not girls. The findings highlight the important role cortisol plays in the in utero development of boys and girls independently. (Smith, 5/10)
Newsweek:
Scientists Reveal How Autism Develops In Kids
Scientists have made a breakthrough in our understanding of the development of childhood autism. The discovery, which sheds light on a small number of biochemical pathways involved in autism development, may help inform early detection and prevention strategies in the future, researchers say. (Dewan, 5/10)
Newsweek:
Just A Few Days On Night Shift Has 'Long-Term' Consequences
Working night shifts for just a couple of days is enough to have serious impacts on our health, a new study has warned. Numerous studies have highlighted the impact of shift work on human health, with effects on our heart, fertility and certain types of cancer. Now, research from Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has found that night shifts may also throw off the natural rhythms that regulate our blood sugar, metabolism and inflammation, increasing our risk of various metabolic disorders. (Dewan, 5/10)
The Hill:
1 In 8 Adults Has Taken Ozempic Or Other GLP-1 Drug: Survey
A poll from the health policy nonprofit KFF found that 1 in 8 adults say they’ve taken a GLP-1 agonist, the obesity and diabetes medications that include Ozempic, Mounjaro and Zepbound. Among those surveyed, 12 percent said they had used a GLP-1 agonist, with 6 percent saying they’re currently using one. The majority — 62 percent — of them said they were using the drugs to treat a chronic condition such as diabetes or heart disease, while the remaining 38 percent they took the medications just to lose weight. (Choi, 5/10)
Newsweek:
Early Menopause Linked To Premature Death
People who stop menstruating earlier in life may have a higher risk of dying young, new research has found. Specifically, those who hit menopause before the age of 40—known as premature menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)—are twice as likely to die of any cause. People with POI are also more than four times more likely to die from cancer, according to the study, which is due to be presented by the researchers ... in Stockholm, Sweden from May 11 to 14. (Thomson, 5/11)
The Washington Post:
Hip Breaks More Deadly Than Some Cancers In Elderly, Study Finds
A recent analysis found poor survival rates after bone fractures in older adults, with fewer than a third of men and half of women surviving five years after a fracture. Published in JBMR Plus, the study looked at a cohort of 98,474 Ontario residents age 66 and older who suffered fractures to parts of the body associated with osteoporosis between January 2011 and March 2015. The patients were grouped into sets based on the fracture site and matched to patients with a similar demographic profile but no bone breaks during the study period. (Blakemore, 5/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
Bristol Myers Squibb Cancer-Treatment Trial Misses Endpoint
Bristol Myers Squibb said on Friday that its trial evaluating a combination of cancer treatments failed to meet its primary endpoint. The company’s trial was evaluating the cancer-drug Opdivo and concurrent chemoradiotherapy, followed by Opdivo plus Yervoy, the brand name for a monoclonal antibody, in treating unresectable, locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The trial’s primary endpoint was progression-free survival. (Glickman, 5/10)
Reuters:
Japan's Shionogi Says COVID Treatment Did Not Meet Endpoint In Late-Stage Trial
Japan's Shionogi & Co (4507.T) said on Monday its pill-based treatment for COVID-19 did not meet the primary endpoint of showing a statistically significant reduction of 15 common symptoms of the illness in a global, late-stage trial. The company's pivotal Phase 3 study (SCORPIO-HR) of ensitrelvir did however demonstrate a potent antiviral effect compared to placebo, the company said. Shionogi said previously it expected the pill, known commercially as Xocova, to deliver $2 billion in annual sales if it secured U.S. approval. (5/13)
CIDRAP:
Data Suggest SARS-CoV-2 Could Jump From Raccoon Dogs To People, But Species Barrier May Interfere
Raccoon dogs may carry and transmit COVID-19–causing SARS-CoV-2 to humans, although critical differences in the enzyme that facilitates viral entry into the cell may make the jump unlikely, a study in PLOS Pathogens finds. "The key to a coronavirus moving from one species to another is its spike protein's ability to bind to receptors on the cells of the new host," the authors noted. (Van Beusekom, 5/10)
CIDRAP:
Study: Functionally Dependent Patients Have Higher Risk Of Hand Contamination With Resistant Bacteria
A study of newly admitted patients at two hospitals in Michigan found that patients with severe functional dependence were more likely to harbor multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) on their hands and less likely to be able to clean them independently, researchers reported today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. (Dall, 5/10)
Politico:
Hospitals’ New Message For Patients: Stay Home
Hospitals want you to visit them less often. ... Hospital executives think they can more than make up the revenue by shifting their exam and recovery rooms to patients’ homes. And Congress is urging them on, with legislation in the works to help hospitals expand their at-home offerings and to allow Medicare to continue paying for telehealth after lawmakers first granted temporary permission after Covid struck. (Payne, 5/11)
Politico:
Newsom Walks Back On Plan To Use MCO Tax For Additional Health Care Raises
Gov. Gavin Newsom is walking back promised pay raises for some health care workers and other health care investments generated from a tax agreed last year, instead using those funds to help balance the state budget amid a major deficit. In his new budget blueprint unveiled Friday, Newsom proposed using nearly $7 billion from the managed care organization tax — aka MCO — to balance the budget instead of using it to help hospitals. (Bluth, 5/10)
Reuters:
Texas Top Court Rules Mother Can't Collect Damages Over Unwanted Pregnancy
Texas' highest court on Friday limited women's ability to obtain monetary damages from medical providers whose alleged negligence led them to have unwanted pregnancies, ruling that state law does not treat the birth of a healthy child as an injury for which a parent must be compensated. The Texas Supreme Court ruled, opens new tab that a mother in El Paso who alleged her doctor negligently failed to perform a sterilization procedure known as a tubal ligation was not entitled to recover any damages from him. (Raymond, 5/10)
Reuters:
Pharmacy Exec Sentenced In Michigan Over Deadly 2012 Meningitis Outbreak
A former owner of a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose mold-tainted drugs sparked a deadly U.S. fungal meningitis outbreak in 2012 was sentenced on Friday to at least 10 years in prison for his role in the deaths of 11 Michigan residents. (Raymond, 5/10)
CIDRAP:
2023 E Coli Outbreak In Kids In Utah Traced To Untreated Irrigation Water
A 2023 outbreak of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Utah that sickened at least 13 children was traced to contaminated irrigation water the children used for drinking and playing, according to a report from scientists from Utah and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The account, published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, points to the need to educate residents of communities that have untreated, pressurized municipal irrigation water (UPMIW) about the risks. (Van Beusekom, 5/10)