First Edition: Nov. 3, 2022

KHN: Haven’t Seen Your Doctor In A Few Years? You May Need To Find A New One
When Claudia Siegel got a stomach bug earlier this year, she reached out to her primary care doctor to prescribe something to relieve her diarrhea. The Philadelphia resident was surprised when she received an online message informing her that because she hadn’t visited her doctor in more than three years, she was no longer a patient. And since he wasn’t accepting new patients, she would have to find a new primary care physician. (Andrews, 11/3)

KHN: Colorado Voters To Decide Whether All Schoolkids Get A Free Lunch 
During most of the pandemic, in every public school cafeteria throughout the country, every kid could get a free lunch, not just those from the poorest homes. Everyone. The program that fed 50.6 million U.S. students expired in September, but some states are figuring out ways to extend it. California and Maine have both passed legislation to fund universal free lunch. In Colorado, a coalition of parents, teachers, and anti-hunger advocates are pushing to make permanent universal free school lunches, and lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled legislature put it on the ballot. (Daley and Winfrey, 11/3)

KHN: California’s Proposed Flavored Tobacco Ban Gives Hookah A Pass 
In 2019, local business owners began gathering regularly at Arnie Abramyan’s hookah lounge on the outskirts of Los Angeles to fight a proposed statewide prohibition on the sale of flavored tobacco. From the heavily Armenian neighborhood of Tujunga in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Abramyan and other hookah shop and cafe owners began spreading the word that the ban, prompted by a burgeoning epidemic of e-cigarette use among teens, could put them out of business and extinguish a beloved social ritual that many feel is part of their heritage. (Scheier, 11/3)

Reuters: 'Considerable' Monkeypox Transmission Happens Before Symptoms, Study Suggests
Monkeypox can spread before symptoms appear, British researchers said on Wednesday, providing the first evidence indicating the virus can be transmitted this way. It was previously thought that monkeypox was almost entirely spread by people who were already sick, although pre-symptomatic transmission had not been ruled out and some routine screening had picked up cases without symptoms. (Rigby, 11/3)

Sky News: Monkeypox Transmission Occurs Up To Four Days Before Symptoms Appear, Scientists Find 
Researchers looked at the time it took from when first symptoms occurred in the first patient to when symptoms developed in a second patient, and also looked at the incubation period - the time from exposure to the virus to the onset of symptoms. The findings showed four days was the maximum time that transmission was detected before symptoms appeared. (Osborne, 11/2)

The Hill: HHS Renews Public Health Emergency For Monkeypox Outbreak 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday renewed the national public health emergency for the monkeypox outbreak, with officials stating that the virus is still very present in the U.S. even as cases continue to drop. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra cited the “continued consequences of an outbreak of monkeypox cases across multiple states” as well as a “consultation with public health officials” for his decision to renew the public health emergency. (Choi, 11/2)

CIDRAP: Meta-Analysis Suggests 14% Hospitalization Rate For Monkeypox Patients
A new study published in eClinicalMedicine analyzed 19 studies on monkeypox, which included 7,553 reported cases, among which there were 555 hospitalizations. The meta-analysis suggests monkeypox patients have a 14.1% hospitalization rate. (11/2)

CNN: Severe Depression Eased By Single Dose Of Synthetic ‘Magic Mushroom’
A single dose of a synthetic version of the mind-altering component of magic mushrooms, psilocybin, improved depression in people with a treatment-resistant form of the disease, a new study found. The randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which authors called “the largest of its kind,” compared results of a 25-milligram dose to a 10-milligram and 1-milligram dose of a synthetic psilocybin, COMP360, that was administered in the presence of trained therapists. (LaMotte, 11/2)

AP: Psychedelic 'Magic Mushroom' Drug May Ease Some Depression
Researchers tested the chemical in 233 adults in the U.S., Europe and Canada. Each swallowed capsules containing one of three doses of psilocybin during a 6-to 8-hour session. Two mental health specialists guided them through hallucinatory experiences. (Tanner, 11/2)

Stat: Enthusiasm Over Psilocybin Tempered By Durability Question
The hype around psychedelic therapy has been put to the test, with the publication Wednesday of the largest-ever study of psilocybin to treat depression. The Phase 2 trial found that the drug was effective — it reduced or eliminated symptoms in the short term in more than one-third of patients who took the highest dose — but not as dazzlingly powerful as earlier smaller studies had suggested. (Goldhill, 11/2)

Stat: Telehealth Startups Prescribing Ketamine At Home Stir Concern
Since the late ’90s, Kathy Wallace has been battling major depression with a series of drugs — first Prozac, then three others, and back again to Prozac. But in the last six months, nothing seemed to be helping. So her psychiatrist recommended something new: Spravato, a nasal spray approved in 2019 that delivers a drug similar to the hallucinogen ketamine. (Palmer, 11/3)

Stat: Weight-Loss Drug Had Dramatic Effect In Adolescents With Obesity
A blockbuster weight-loss medicine led to dramatic effects for adolescents diagnosed with obesity, a result that will likely widen the use of an in-demand drug — and fan a debate over whether someone’s body weight should be treated as a disease. (Garde, 11/2)

NBC News: Weight Loss Drug Wegovy Helped Teens With Obesity Lose Weight
Results of a clinical trial released in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday found that adolescents who got a weekly injection of a drug that reduces appetite lost an average of 14.7% of their starting bodyweight, while those who got a placebo and counseling on diet and exercise gained 2.7% of their initial weight. The trial included 201 young people ages 12 to 17 at three medical centers around the country and in Europe and Mexico. (Carroll, 11/2)

Barron's: Weight-Loss Drug Shortage Fixed By Year End: Novo Nordisk
The first highly effective weight-loss drug has been in short supply since it was approved last year. But Novo Nordisk told investors Wednesday that its drug Wegovy—whose users average a loss of 16% of their weight—will be broadly available toward the end of the year. (Alpert, 11/3)

Axios: TikTok: Study Finds Trends On TikTok Glorify Weight Loss
Health and dieting trends on TikTok glorify weight loss and may contribute to disordered eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction, particularly in adolescent and young users, according to a University of Vermont study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS One. (11/2)

The Washington Post: High Demand For Amoxicillin Is Causing Shortages Amid Child RSV Surge
As respiratory illnesses spread rapidly among children across the country, an increased demand for amoxicillin is causing a shortage of the commonly prescribed antibiotic. Parents filling their kids’ prescriptions may have to try a few pharmacies or end up with a different strength or form than originally prescribed, but amoxicillin in some form is generally still available, pharmacists said. The supply of the liquid version is most strained, along with some chewable tablets. (McDaniel, 11/2)

NBC News: Amoxicillin Is In Short Supply, Federal Health Officials Say
One of the most commonly used antibiotics in the country, amoxicillin, is in short supply, federal health officials say. The notice from the Food and Drug Administration about an oral solution of the drug comes as pharmacy owners report diminished inventory of the medication, which is prescribed to treat bacterial infections, including pneumonia and bronchitis. (Stelloh and Chow, 11/3)

Detroit Free Press: Macomb County Boy, 6, Dies Of RSV Amid Surge Of Infections
A 6-year-old Macomb County boy has died from respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, Oakland County's chief medical examiner said Wednesday, amid a surge of infections among Michigan children that has pediatric hospitals across the state at or near capacity. (Jordan Shamus, 11/2)

ABC News: Why This Could Be The Worst Flu Season In The US In More Than A Decade
The number of positive flu tests and hospitalizations in the United States is the highest in more than a decade, indicating this influenza season may be the most severe in years. (Kekatos, 11/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: Santa Clara County Health Officer Warns Of “Grandchildren Of Omicron”
Wastewater data shows that COVID-19 transmission levels are higher than official case counts indicate in Santa Clara County, health officials told the board of supervisors Tuesday. “It looks to the casual observer that we’re in pretty good shape because we’re between waves and it’s gone lower,” said Dr. Sara Cody, the county health officer, but added that data from the sewer sheds covering 75% of the population showed substantially higher virus levels in circulation. (Vaziri, Buchmann and Asimov, 11/2)

Scientific American: New Omicron Variants Are Here--What We Know So Far 
There is no question these variants are increasing at a rapid rate. BQ.1.1, for example, currently accounts for 7,000 cases per day and appears to be doubling every nine days, says Trevor Bedford, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center who models COVID evolution. It is outpacing BA.5—the current leading variant in the U.S. That’s because every person sick with BQ.1.1 is infecting an average of 1.4 other people, while those sick with BA.5 are averaging an infection of less than one other person. (11/1)

Reuters: Swiss Drugs Regulator Looking Into Bubbles In COVID Booster Vials
Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic said on Wednesday it is examining potential risks in connection with bubbles that appeared in vials of COVID-19 vaccine boosters retooled to target the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. (11/2)

CIDRAP: Severe Adverse Events More Likely In Previously Infected COVID Vaccinees
Americans who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after SARS-CoV-2 infection are more likely to experience severe systemic adverse events (AEs) than their never-infected counterparts, according to a study published yesterday in Vaccine. (11/2)

CIDRAP: Increased COVID-19 Knowledge In Teens Linked To Better Mental Health
US teens who could correctly answer survey questions about COVID-19 reported lower stress, anxiety, and depression as well as less loneliness and fear of missing out, according to a study today in Journal of Child and Family Studies. (11/2)

CNN: CDC Wants To Change 'Antiquated' Rules That Hamper Agency's Ability To Fight Covid, Polio And Other Diseases
This summer, when the shocking news emerged that there was a case of polio in New York, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immediately turned to Shoshana Bernstein. The agency urgently needed to increase polio vaccination rates in Rockland County, New York. And while Bernstein is neither a doctor nor a public health official, she is exactly what the CDC was looking for: a local vaccine educator who’s part of the Orthodox Jewish community, one of several groups that has a low vaccination rate. (Cohen and Lape, 11/2)

AP: Abortion-Rights Protesters Briefly Interrupt Supreme Court 
Protesters opposed to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning abortion rights briefly interrupted arguments at the court Wednesday and urged women to vote in next week’s elections. It was the first courtroom disruption since the court’s decision in June that stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion after nearly a half-century under Roe v. Wade. (11/2)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. City Council Approves Law Targeting Pregnancy Centers
The law, introduced by City Atty. Mike Feuer, allows the city to fine a pregnancy center up to $10,000 if it is caught falsely advertising the services it provides, such as prenatal care, abortions or emergency contraceptives. Individuals who are misled by these centers can sue and seek damages under the new law, which takes effect immediately via an urgency clause. (Valdez, 11/2)

NPR: Misinformation About Abortion Is Surging In Spanish In The Lead Up To Elections
Just after news leaked in May that the Supreme Court planned to overturn Roe v. Wade, Liz Lebrón and her colleagues noticed something unusual: a spike in false and misleading information on abortion being shared in Spanish on social media. (Godoy, 11/3)

Fierce Healthcare: ACA, Medicare Southern Call Centers Ring In The First Day Of Open Enrollment With A Strike
Nov. 1 marked the first day of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment and the beginning of the largest nonunion strike since the beginning of 2021. (Fierce Healthcare Editor's Note: This story has been updated with a statement from Maximus and new information about the number of workers who went on strike.) (Burky, 11/2)

Axios: Senate Dems Urge Action On False Medicare Marketing
The Biden administration needs to crack down on deceptive Medicare Advantage marketing, Democratic staff for the Senate Finance Committee wrote in a report released Thursday. (Goldman, 11/3)

Axios: GOP Floats Medicare Changes While Ducking Details
Some House Republicans aren't waiting for the election to think about overhauling Medicare. But it's hard to tell if there are specifics behind the talking point. (Sullivan and Knight, 11/3)

Stat: Physicians Rally To Avert Medicare Payment Cuts 
The federal government is officially reducing Medicare payments to physicians next year by 4.5%, but doctors and their lobbyists are ready to blitz Congress over the next two months to convince lawmakers that those cuts should be averted — again. (Herman, 11/2)

Stat: Medicare Punts On Quality Rules For New Type Of Rural Hospital 
Hospitals that decide to convert to a new type of rural provider won’t have to report quality metrics next year, but they also won’t qualify for a popular drug discount program — a likely dealbreaker for some. (Bannow, 11/2)

Reuters: New U.S. Cancer Drug Prices Rise 53% In Five Years -Report
The annual price of a newly-launched cancer drug in the United States averaged $283,000 last year, a 53% increase from 2017, according to a new report from U.S. Democratic Representative Katie Porter, a consumer bankruptcy law professor running for re-election in California. (Beasley, 11/2)

Stat: Methadone Providers Say A Big Increase In Access Could Backfire
Providers of methadone for addiction treatment have a message for advocates seeking a giant expansion in access: Be careful what you wish for. (Facher, 11/3)