First Edition: November 17, 2021

KHN: California Plans For A Post-Roe World As Abortion Access Shrinks Elsewhere
With access to abortion at stake across America, California is preparing to become the nation’s abortion provider. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have asked a group of reproductive health experts to propose policies to bolster the state’s abortion infrastructure and ready it for more patients. Lawmakers plan to begin debating the ideas when they reconvene in January. Abortion clinics are already girding themselves for a surge in demand. (Bluth, 11/17)

KHN: Texas Abortion Law Harms Survivors Of Rape And Incest, Activists Say
The Safe Alliance in Austin, Texas, helps survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. Before Texas’ new abortion law took effect, the organization counseled a 12-year-old who had been repeatedly raped by her father. Piper Stege Nelson, chief public strategies officer for the Safe Alliance, said the girl’s father didn’t let her leave the house. “She got pregnant,” Nelson said. “She had no idea about anything about her body. She certainly didn’t know that she was pregnant.” The girl eventually got help, but if this had happened after Sept. 1, when the state law took effect, her options would have been severely curtailed, Nelson said. (Lopez, 11/17)

KHN: Congressional Doctors Lead Bipartisan Revolt Over Policy On Surprise Medical Bills
The detente that allowed Congress to pass a law curbing surprise medical bills has disintegrated, with a bipartisan group of 152 lawmakers assailing the administration’s plan to regulate the law and medical providers warning of grim consequences for underserved patients. For years, people have faced these massive, unexpected bills when they get treatment from hospitals or doctors outside their insurance company’s network. It often happens when patients seek care at an in-network hospital but a physician such as an emergency room doctor or anesthesiologist who treats the patient is not covered by the insurance plan. The insurer would pay only a small part of the bill, and the unsuspecting patient would be responsible for the balance. (McAuliff, 11/17)

KHN: Patients Get Stranded Out Of Network As Insurer-Hospital Contract Talks Fall Apart
In September, when Shelly Azzopardi went to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with abdominal pain, she didn’t worry about her insurance. Doctors said she had a case of appendicitis. But she also tested positive at the hospital in Marietta, Georgia, for covid-19. Physicians decided not to do surgery and treated her with antibiotics and painkillers. Azzopardi, 47, went home after a couple of days in the hospital, feeling better. But in October, the appendix pain again flared. Her husband took her to the same hospital, where surgery was performed successfully. This time, though, she ran into a snag with her insurance. (Miller, 11/17)

The New York Times: The U.S. Aims To Lift Covid Vaccine Manufacturing To Create A Billion Doses A Year
The White House, under pressure from activists to increase the supply of coronavirus vaccines to poor nations, is prepared to invest billions of dollars to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity, with the goal of producing at least one billion doses a year beginning in the second half of 2022, two top advisers to President Biden said in an interview on Tuesday. The investment is the first step in a new plan, to be announced on Wednesday, for the government to partner with industry to address immediate vaccine needs overseas and domestically and to prepare for future pandemics, said Dr. David Kessler, who oversees vaccine distribution for the administration, and Jeff Zients, Mr. Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator. (Gay Stolberg, 11/17)

The New York Times: Pfizer Asks The F.D.A. To Authorize Its Covid Antiviral Pill
Pfizer has applied to the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its antiviral pill to treat unvaccinated people with Covid-19 who are at high risk of becoming severely ill, the company said on Tuesday. The drug, which will be sold under the brand name Paxlovid, could become available within weeks if authorization is granted. It is meant to be dispensed by pharmacies and taken at home. Paxlovid is the second antiviral pill to show effectiveness against Covid, in a new class of treatments for the disease that are expected to reach far more patients than other drugs that are typically given by infusion. (Robbins, 11/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Submits Covid-19 Pill For FDA Authorization
“There is an urgent need for lifesaving treatment options,” Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said Thursday. “We are moving as quickly as possible in our effort to get this potential treatment into the hands of patients.” Health authorities and doctors have struggled with only a handful of options for treating Covid-19 patients, especially shortly after infection. A Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD -0.46% antiviral, remdesivir, is mostly used to treat hospitalized patients, while monoclonal antibody treatments have proven effective but are costly and typically given in doctor’s offices or hospitals. (Hopkins, 11/16)

The New York Times: U.S. To Buy Enough Of Pfizer’s Covid Antiviral Pills For 10 Million People
The Biden administration plans to pay more than $5 billion for a stockpile of Pfizer’s new Covid-19 pill, enough for about 10 million courses of treatment to be delivered in the next 10 months, according to people familiar with the agreement. Senior federal health officials are counting on the drug to be a powerful weapon against Covid. When given promptly to trial groups of high-risk unvaccinated people who developed symptoms of the disease, the drug sharply reduced the risk of hospitalization and death. (LaFraniere and Robbins, 11/16)

The Washington Post: Biden Administration To Buy Pfizer Antiviral Pills For 10 Million People, Hoping To Transform Pandemic
The Biden administration is planning to purchase 10 million courses of Pfizer’s covid pill, a $5 billion investment in a treatment that officials think will help change the trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic by reducing severe illness and deaths, according to two people with knowledge of the transaction. As the administration and Pfizer on Tuesday hammered out the final details, the company asked federal regulators to authorize the five-day antiviral pill regimen called Paxlovid. The medication is the second easy-to-take treatment aimed at keeping newly infected people out of the hospital to go before the Food and Drug Administration. The other is by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. (Pager, McGinley, Johnson, Taylor and Parker, 11/16)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Plans To Authorize Pfizer Boosters For All Adults This Week
The Food and Drug Administration is aiming to authorize booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for all adults as early as Thursday, a move that would expand the number of Americans eligible for additional shots by tens of millions, according to people familiar with the agency’s plans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent committee of vaccine experts has scheduled a meeting for Friday to discuss data on the booster dose’s efficacy and safety. If both the F.D.A. and the C.D.C. sign off this week, they will have acted strikingly quickly — a little more than a week after Pfizer asked for authorization of boosters for everyone 18 and older. (Weiland and LaFraniere, 11/16)

The New York Times: New York’s Governor Urges A Broader Group Of Adults To Get Boosters Based On Risk
Gov. Kathy Hochul urged New Yorkers on Tuesday to get a coronavirus vaccine booster if they believed they were at high risk or lived in a “high transmission area,” jumping ahead of a possible decision by federal regulators to authorize an additional shot for all adults. Ms. Hochul went further than earlier comments, but still created some confusion by offering a vague definition of high risk. That may not be an issue for too long, as the Food and Drug Administration is aiming to authorize booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for all adults as early as Thursday, according to people familiar with the agency’s plans. (Ferré-Sadurní, 11/16)

Reuters: Fauci Says Boosters For All Key To U.S. Reaching COVID-19 Endemic Level
"To me, if you want to get to endemic, you have got to get the level of infection so low that it does not have an impact on society, on your life, on your economy," Fauci said. "People will still get infected. People might still get hospitalized, but the level would be so low that we don't think about it all the time and it doesn't influence what we do." To get there, he said, would take a lot more people rolling up their sleeves for initial COVID-19 shots and boosters. If the United States makes boosters available for everyone, it is possible the country can get control of the virus by spring of 2022, Fauci added. (Steenhuysen, 11/17)

The Washington Post: Ad Campaign Features Testimonials From Young ‘Long Haulers’ To Motivate Vaccine-Holdouts
Resolve to Save Lives, a New York City-based nonprofit headed by Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched a campaign Tuesday that features testimonials from three people in their 20s who have been battling long-term health complications of covid-19 for the past year. They talk in television, radio and social media ads about devastating and lasting symptoms that prevent them from working, socializing and doing the simplest tasks. The nonprofit is hoping the voices of those “long haulers” can encourage vaccine uptake, especially among young adults. (Sun, 11/16)

AP: 2nd Group Of States Challenges Health Worker Vaccine Mandate
A second set of states has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers. The latest suit, dated Monday, was filed in Louisiana on behalf of 12 states and comes less than a week after another lawsuit challenging the rule was filed in Missouri by a coalition of 10 states. “The federal government will not impose medical tyranny on Louisiana’s people without my best fight,” Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a news release announcing the lawsuit. (McGill, 11/17)

AP: Idaho Lawmakers Advance Vaccine Worker Comp Legislation
A bill making it easier for Idaho residents to get worker compensation if they become ill after taking an employee-mandated vaccine sailed through the House and headed for the Senate on Tuesday. The measure passed the House on a 67-3 vote. It was among seven COVID-19-related bills that the chamber pushed through with expedited voting and sent to the Senate. Supporters said workers are getting sick after being vaccinated for COVID-19, and some are having problems receiving compensation. The bill tilts the field toward employees for compensation of hard-to-prove claims such as illnesses caused by vaccines, backers said. (Ridler, 11/17)

ABC News: NYC Sanitation Workers Suspended Without Pay Over Alleged Fake COVID Vaccine Cards
Several dozen New York City sanitation workers have been accused of submitting falsified vaccination cards to satisfy the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and they've been suspended without pay, according to a city official. The city's Department of Investigation is looking into the allegations, with spokesperson Diane Struzzi adding: "DOI is aware of allegations involving the issuance of bogus vaccination cards and declines further comment." (Agarwal and Katersky, 11/16)

The New York Times: New Year’s Eve Will Return To Times Square For Vaccinated Guests
After a scaled-down celebration last year, the famously frigid event will return at “full strength,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday. It will be Mr. de Blasio’s final act running New York City, after eight years in office, and serve as a prelude to his possible bid for governor next year. “We want to welcome all those hundreds of thousands of folks, but everyone needs to be vaccinated,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Join the crowd, join the joy, join a historic moment as New York City provides further evidence to the world that we are 100 percent back.” (Wong and Rubinstein, 11/16)

The Hill: US Daily COVID-19 Cases Up Nearly 27 Percent In Last Three Weeks
COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are up nearly 27 percent in the last three weeks after steadily increasing since mid-October, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC reported that as of Nov. 14, the 7-day average was at 80,823 daily cases, up from 63,852 on Oct. 24, representing a 26.6 percent increase in three weeks time. The COVID-19 increase could be a troubling indicator for what is ahead in the U.S. if it follows Europe's lead into another coronavirus wave. (Breslin, 11/16)

NPR: U.S. COVID Cases Start To Rise Again As The Holidays Approach
It's a worrying sign for the U.S. ahead of the holiday travel season: coronavirus infections are rising in more than half of all states. Experts warn this could be the start of an extended winter surge. The rise is a turnaround after cases had steadily declined from mid September to late October. The country is now averaging more than 83,000 cases a day — about a 14% increase compared to a week ago, and 12% more than two weeks ago. (Stone, 11/16)

AP: Cases Surge In New COVID Hot Spots Of Michigan, Minnesota
Hospitals in Michigan and Minnesota on Tuesday reported a wave of COVID-19 patients not seen in months as beds were filled with unvaccinated people and health care leaders warned that staff were being worn down by yet another surge. Michigan had slightly more than 3,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals this week, the first time it had crossed that threshold since spring, while nearly all hospital beds were occupied in Minnesota. Both held the unflattering rank of national virus hotspots. (White, 11/17)

AP: GOP-Majority Court Chosen To Consider Biden Vaccine Mandate
Challenges to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers will be consolidated in the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, a panel dominated by judges appointed by Republicans. The Cincinnati-based court was selected Tuesday in a random drawing using ping-pong balls, a process employed when challenges to certain federal agency actions are filed in multiple courts. (Mulvihill, 11/16)

The New York Times: Biden Vaccine Mandate Challenges Moved To Appeals Court In Ohio
A federal judicial panel on Tuesday assigned the appeals court in Cincinnati to handle at least 34 lawsuits that have been filed around the country challenging the Biden administration’s attempt to mandate that large employers require their workers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing. A court clerk for the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation randomly selected the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by drawing from a drum containing entries for the twelve regional courts of appeal, each of which has at least one related case pending. The procedure can be used to consolidate cases that are all raising the same issue. (Savage, 11/16)

The Hill: Maryland Republican Says Complaint Filed Against Him For Prescribing Ivermectin To COVID-19 Patient
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) said a complaint was filed against him with a medical board for prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients. Harris alluded to the complaint during the House Freedom Caucus meeting about vaccine mandates on Monday, The Baltimore Sun reported. “An action is currently being attempted against my medical license for prescribing ivermectin, which I find fascinating, because as an anesthesiologist, I know I use a lot of drugs off-label that are much more dangerous,” Harris said at the meeting. (Oshin, 11/16)

The Hill: Duckworth Touts Drinking Water Infrastructure Funds In Bipartisan Bill
The bipartisan infrastructure package signed Monday by President Biden contains a bill streamlining funding for water infrastructure projects, a provision that its sponsor, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), hopes will mean “a difference made in people’s lives every day.” In an interview with The Hill Tuesday, Duckworth called the measure in question, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021, “the backbone of all the water infrastructure in this larger bill.” The provision includes $15 billion in direct payments to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for Lead Service Line Replacement, which Duckworth told The Hill is “historic.” (Budryk, 11/16)

Modern Healthcare: Doctors In Congress: 20 Of 23 Currently Serving Belong To GOP
In one moment, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), an anesthesiologist, is holding a news conference advising people to get vaccinated. He’s even helped administer COVID-19 shots in his eastern Maryland district. But in another moment, Harris is on the radio talking about his disappointment that he couldn’t find a pharmacy that would fill a prescription he wrote for ivermectin—an antiparasitic—to treat a patient with COVID-19, a viral infection. (Hellman, 11/16)

The Hill: Greene Says She's Accumulated $63K In House Mask Fines And Is Not Vaccinated
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that she has accumulated $63,000 in fines for refusing to wear a mask on the House floor, with additional fines likely to be imposed as she continues to defy the chamber's mask requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I'm up to $63,000," Greene told The Hill outside the House chamber while not wearing a mask and confirmed that the fines are automatically "deducted out of my check." Greene also volunteered that she is not vaccinated against COVID-19 after declining to disclose her vaccination status for months. (Marcos, 11/16)

Reuters: North Carolina Attorney General Launches Probe Into E-Cigarette Maker Puff Bar
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein on Tuesday launched a state-wide investigation into e-cigarette maker Puff Bar, citing concerns over kid-friendly flavors and youth marketing. Stein also filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs Inc founders James Monsees and Adam Bowen, seeking civil penalties and damages, alleging they personally participated in Juul's marketing strategy of attracting young users to their product. The probe also takes aim at other companies that manufacture tobacco-free cigarettes and at retailers across the state that sell flavored e-cigarettes, including many located near schools. (11/16)

The Hill: Petition Launched In Oregon To Decriminalize Sex Work
A philanthropist filed a petition with the Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan to decriminalize sex work in the state, The Associated Press reported. Chief petitioner Aaron Boonshoft filed the Sex Worker Rights Act on Tuesday. Organizers have said the Sex Worker Rights Act will end criminal penalties for those participating in consensual adult sex work, add health and safety protections, and will maintain laws against human trafficking, according to the AP. (Oshin, 11/16)

The Washington Post: Transgender Athlete Eligibility Will No Longed Be Based On Testosterone, IOC Says
The International Olympic Committee is moving away from a focus on individual testosterone levels in transgender and intersex athletes as a way of determining those athletes’ eligibility for competition. In new guidelines for inclusion on the basis of gender identity, the IOC is encouraging policies that require evidence that transgender athletes have a competitive advantage. In guidance released Tuesday, the IOC pushes responsibility for making gender policies to the global governing bodies of individual sports while offering to give those organizations assistance in creating fair rules. (Carpenter, 11/16)

The Washington Post: Post-ABC Poll: Abortion Rights Have Broad Support As Supreme Court Weighs Texas, Mississippi Laws
The lopsided support for maintaining abortion rights protections comes as the court considers cases challenging its long-term precedents, including Dec. 1 arguments over a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Post-ABC poll finds 27 percent of Americans say the court should overturn Roe, while 60 percent say it should be upheld, attitudes that are consistent in polls dating to 2005. More broadly, three-quarters of Americans say abortion access should be left to women and their doctors, while 20 percent say they should be regulated by law. (Clement, Bishop and Barnes, 11/16)

ProPublica: One Major Reason The U.S. Hasn’t Stopped Syphilis From Killing Babies
In public health, a “sentinel event” is a case of preventable harm so significant that it serves as a warning that the system is failing. The alarms are now blaring. A growing number of babies are being born with syphilis after their mothers contract the sexually transmitted disease and the bacteria crosses the placenta. These cases are 100% preventable: When mothers who have syphilis are treated with penicillin while pregnant, babies are often born without a trace of the disease. But when mothers go untreated, there is a 40% chance their babies will be miscarried, be stillborn or die shortly after birth. Those who survive can be born with deformed bones or damaged brains, or can suffer from severe anemia, hearing loss or blindness. (Chen, 11/16)

NPR: Colleges Are Turning to Science to Limit Suicide Contagion and Help Heal Campuses
Ethan Phillips was 13 years old when he first heard the term "suicide contagion." It's the scientific concept that after one person dies by suicide, others in the community may be at higher risk. (Pattani, 11/16)

Bloomberg: WHO Reports Tobacco Use Fall, Urges Help For People To Stop Smoking Cigarettes
Tobacco use around the world is on a downward trend and governments need to keep investing to help their populations quit, global health officials said. The number of tobacco users has fallen by 200 million to 1.3 billion since 2015, and will probably drop another 2.3% by 2025, according to a report from the World Health Organization. Some 37% of men and 8% of the world’s women made up the world’s tobacco users last year. (Gretler, 11/16)

CIDRAP: Multistate E Coli Outbreak Linked To Organic Spinach Sickens 10
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday announced an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Josie's Organics fresh baby spinach that has sickened 10 people from 7 states. No one has died, but two people have required hospitalization, the CDC said. The outbreak is concentrated in the Midwest, with cases reported in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Illness-onset dates range from Oct 15 through Oct 27. (11/16)

CIDRAP: Death Rate 68% Lower In COVID Outpatients Sent Text Message Check-Ins
An automated text messaging system for adult COVID-19 outpatients developed at Penn Medicine saved two lives a week during the first US pandemic surge, and users were 68% less likely than controls to die, finds a study today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The text messaging system, COVID Watch, sent twice-daily automated text check-ins to outpatients who tested positive for COVID-19 from Mar 23 to Nov 30, 2020, at the Penn Medicine health system. Patients could report worsening symptoms to a small team of registered nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (11/16)

ABC News: Eating Disorder Hospitalizations Doubled During COVID-19 Pandemic, New Data Shows
The number of people who were hospitalized for eating disorders in the United States doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows. The increase in in-patient treatment for eating disorders came as early as May 2020, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, whose study was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Kindelan and Joseph, 11/16)

CIDRAP: IDSA Issues Advice For COVID-19 PPE Use In Healthcare Workers
An Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guideline panel published eight evidence-based recommendations for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare workers against COVID-19, according to a paper yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The panel, led by a University of Washington at Seattle researcher, conducted a systematic review of the literature to determine the standards of PPE use in conventional, contingency, and crisis situations. The panel recommended that healthcare personnel caring for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 don a medical/surgical mask or N95 respirator and eye protection but made no recommendation about the use of double gloves or shoe covers. (11/16)

CBS News: First Human Trial Of Alzheimer's Disease Nasal Vaccine To Begin At Boston Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital will test the safety and efficacy of a nasal vaccine aimed at preventing and slowing Alzheimer's disease, the Boston hospital announced Tuesday. The start of the small, Phase I clinical trial comes after nearly 20 years of research led by Howard L. Weiner, MD, co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at the hospital. (Reardon, 11/16)

The Hill: Two 'Forever Chemicals' More Toxic Than Previously Thought: EPA Drafts
The drafts found the safe levels of ingestion for chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are much lower than the agency had found in prior assessments. The agency also found that PFOA is “likely” carcinogenic to humans. This is a step up from before, as it has previously said that there is “suggestive” evidence that the substance can cause cancer. Both PFOA and PFOS can be found in drinking water, as well as other substances. PFOA has been used in nonstick cookware, flame repellants and cosmetics. PFOS has been used in water- and stain-resistant products. (Frazin, 11/16)

CIDRAP: Scottish Report Shows 5-Year Decline In Human Antibiotic Use
A report today from Scotland highlights reduced antibiotic use in the country since it adopted a One Health approach to combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The report, from Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland, shows that total antibiotic use in people was 19.2 defined daily doses per 1,000 population per day in 2020, a 17.1% reduction since 2016. The report notes that the 11.8% reduction from 2019 to 2020 likely reflects the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected antibiotic use in all healthcare settings. (11/16)

Modern Healthcare: Catching Up To Sci-Fi: Innovations In Transplant Care
As a young trainee decades ago, Dr. Mikel Prieto, a transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic, said the one-year success rate for a donor organ could be as low as 25%. Now most short-term success rates for organ transplants are in the 80s or 90s, he said. Although there are still issues of equity and access, organ transplantation has become safer and more routine due to major developments in the field. (Devereaux, 11/16)

Modern Healthcare: Telehealth May Prevent Detecting Drug Misuse, Providers Warn
Three-fourths of physicians said they believe telemedicine visits limit their ability to determine whether patients are at risk for or are currently misusing prescription drugs, according to a new study. Providers are concerned that substance abuse issues are slipping through the cracks in virtual care, as patients experience more stress and mental illness, according to the 2021 Quest Diagnostics Health Trends report released in November. (Devereaux, 11/16)

Modern Healthcare: Studies Show Less Staffing, More Surprise Bills After Private Equity Takeovers
Plenty of lawmakers, consumer advocates and others are leery of private equity’s growing presence in the healthcare sector. They worry investors will cut corners when it comes to staffing, supplies or safety in the name of saving a buck. There have been examples of private equity firms eliminating less profitable service lines after buying providers. On the revenue side, private equity has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle allegations that it fraudulently oversold products or services, including to the government. (Bannow, 11/16)

Modern Healthcare: Unsubstantiated Drug Price Hikes Cost $1.67B Last Year
Pharmaceutical companies continue to increase the prices of their most profitable drugs despite minimal year-over-year improvements, according to a new report. Seven of the top 10 drugs that inflated U.S. healthcare spending in 2020 due to price increases did not offer substantial clinical benefits, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review's analysis found. The price hikes of those seven drugs increased healthcare spending by an estimated $1.67 billion last year, with AbbVie's rheumatoid arthritis biologic accounting for $1.4 billion alone. (Kacik, 11/16)

Modern Healthcare: LifePoint Health Launching Health Tech Incubator
LifePoint Health is teaming up with venture studio 25madison and Apollo Global Management to launch a startup incubator for health tech in Nashville, according to a news release Tuesday. Dubbed 25m Health, the new venture will kick off with $20 million in seed funding. The companies hope combining LifePoint’s healthcare knowledge with 25madison’s startup experience will help spawn a wave of innovative companies, products and services to improve healthcare quality, access and patient outcomes and lower costs at the same time. (Brady, 11/16)

The Wall Street Journal: GE Pounces On Surging Healthcare Demand With Spinoff
In spinning off its healthcare business, General Electric Co. GE -3.11% is betting on the fast-growing diagnostic-imaging-equipment market, a sector facing disruption from artificial intelligence and growing competition from startups as well as established players. GE Healthcare—which makes MRI, ultrasound and other healthcare equipment—will be spun off in early 2023, with GE planning to retain a 19.9% stake in the new firm. Already dominant in the sector, as a stand-alone it would be able to move faster and have more capital to scoop up companies and technologies, analysts said. (Kantchev, 11/16)

Reuters: Roche Walks Away From Atea Partnership To Develop COVID-19 Pill
Roche Holding AG has ended a partnership with Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc to jointly develop a COVID-19 antiviral pill, the Swiss drugmaker said on Tuesday, a month after the drug failed to help patients in a small study. Boston-based Atea's shares fell 11% to $10.08 in extended trading, set to add to the 72% slump this year. Many companies are racing to develop an oral pill as it can be taken as an early at-home treatment to help prevent COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, a promising new weapon in the fight against the pandemic. (11/16)

Reuters: Gilead Sues Lupin Over Proposed Generic Of Symtuza HIV Drug
Gilead Sciences Inc has said an Indian generic drugmaker's proposed version of the HIV drug Symtuza infringes its patents, in a lawsuit in Delaware federal court. Gilead accused Lupin Pharmaceuticals of infringing two patents with its Abbreviated New Drug Application for the generic in a complaint entered on Tuesday. ANDAs, which companies file for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of generic drugs, assert that the relevant drug patents are invalid or that the generic wouldn't infringe, and open the applicant to infringement claims from the patent owner. (Brittain, 11/16)

AP: Many In Mississippi's Capital Left With Little Or No Water
Residents of Mississippi’s capital city are being warned to boil water before using it because of low pressure in the aging water system. The citywide alert was issued after a problem occurred during the weekend at one of Jackson’s water treatment plants, WAPT-TV reported. Charles Williams, the city’s chief engineer, said the issue was resolved but it had drained the storage tanks. Pressure dropped after the city cut off treatment at one of the plants after a worker discovered a bad batch of treatment chemicals were used, WLBT-TV reported. The worker found the problem Sunday, but the pressure did not drop below the threshold until Monday evening. (11/16)

CBS News: Mississippi Capital Under Boil Water Notice After Suspected Bad Batch Of Chemicals Found At Water Treatment Plant
City officials in Jackson, Mississippi, are asking residents to boil their water as "complications" at a water treatment plant are addressed. Some residents in parts of the city have low water pressure or none at all, according to a press release from the city. The issues began over the weekend when a worker discovered a problem at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant. According to CBS affiliate WJTV, city engineer Dr. Charles Williams said they were forced to shut down a portion of the plant and empty the water after what was believed to be a bad batch of chemicals was put into the water. (Reardon, 11/16)

AP: Corrections Boss Defends Care Provided In Arizona Prisons
Arizona’s corrections chief testified at a trial on Tuesday over the quality of medical and mental health care in state prisons that incarcerated people often have greater access to health services than people who aren’t locked up. The defense by Corrections Director David Shinn of the health care system for prisoners came after the state has faced years of complaints about poor health care behind bars and has been fined $2.5 million for not complying with a settlement over the issue. (Billeaud, 11/16)

AP: Northern California Kaiser Permanente Pharmacists Reach Deal
Kaiser Permanente reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract with pharmacists in its Northern California region early Monday, the company said. “In light of this, the Guild for Professional Pharmacists has canceled the strike that was expected to begin November 15 and our pharmacies will return to normal operations later today,” Kaiser Permanente said in a statement. (11/15)

AP: Florida Woman Who Sued For Ivermectin Dies From COVID
A Florida teacher hospitalized with COVID-19 has died after her husband unsuccessfully sued to force doctors to treat her with ivermectin, a drug popular among some skeptics of accepted coronavirus treatments despite a lack of studies proving its effectiveness. Tamara Drock died Friday, 12 weeks after being admitted to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Ryan Drock told the Palm Beach Post. He sued the hospital last month in an attempt to require doctors to administer ivermectin, a drug used to treat conditions caused by parasitic worms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the drug to treat COVID-19, saying it hasn’t proved effective in pre-clinical trials. (11/16)

Bloomberg: Mexico To Begin Vaccinating Some Teenagers Against Covid-19
After dragging its feet and falling behind regional peers, Mexico’s government will finally vaccinate some teenagers, and one state will even begin sending minors to the U.S. to get shots. During a press conference on Tuesday, the nation’s virus czar Hugo Lopez-Gatell announced that vaccinations will now be available to kids from the ages of 15 to 17 without underlying health conditions. (Villamil, Gonzalez and Navarro, 11/16)

Bloomberg: Ireland Reimposes Some Covid Restrictions As Coronavirus Cases Surge
Ireland has reintroduced some Covid-19 restrictions as it grapples with surging infections and a rising number of hospitalizations. Starting Thursday, people should work from home where possible, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said in a national address, while bars and restaurants must close by midnight. Cinemas and theaters will now require proof of vaccination, he said. (Flanagan, 11/16)

AP: Belgium To Make COVID-19 Shots Mandatory For Health Workers
Health workers in Belgium who don’t want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will face losing their jobs. Amid a surge of coronavirus cases that has led hospitals in Belgium to reserve half of their 2,000 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients, Belgium’s federal government finalized a draft bill late Monday to make vaccinations mandatory for health care workers. (Petrequin, 11/16)

AP: Coalition Launched To Provide School Lunches To Global Needy
Over 60 governments and 50 U.N. agencies and organizations have joined forces to press for the restoration of school lunches for all 388 million primary school children who were receiving the meals before the COVID-19 pandemic. They also will push for school meals to be started for 73 million vulnerable youngsters who weren’t getting them before the coronavirus struck in early 2020. Led by France and Finland, the School Meals Coalition was officially launched at a U.N. event Tuesday with a longer-term goal of ensuring that every needy child in the world gets a nutritious school meal by 2030. (Lederer, 11/17)

Reuters: Russia Reports Record Daily COVID-19 Deaths
Russia on Wednesday reported a new record one-day death toll of 1,247 from COVID-19, a little over a week after most of its regions emerged from a week-long workplace shutdown designed to curb the spread of the virus. The government coronavirus task force also reported 36,626 new coronavirus cases nationwide in the last 24 hours, including 2,966 in Moscow. (11/17)

AP: South Korea Pushes Booster Shots As COVID-19 Spread Worsens
South Korea on Wednesday reported 3,187 new cases of the coronavirus, nearly matching a one-day record set in September, a worrisome development in a country that eased social distancing rules in recent weeks to lessen the pandemic’s economic impact. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 2,550 of the new cases came from the greater capital area, including a record 1,436 in Seoul. The country’s death toll is now 3,137, after 21 deaths were reported on Wednesday, the 16th consecutive day of double-digit fatalities, including a record 32 on Saturday. (11/17)