First Edition: November 30, 2017

Kaiser Health News: Patients With Rare Diseases And Congress Square Off Over Orphan Drug Tax Credits
As President Donald Trump talked tax reform on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Arkansas patient advocate Andrea Taylor was also meeting with lawmakers and asking them to save a corporate tax credit for rare disease drug companies. Taking the credit away, Taylor said, "eliminates the possibility for my child to have a bright and happy future." (Tribble, 11/30)

The Washington Post: HHS Nominee Alex Azar Testifies On Government Role In Lowering Drug Costs
“I think there are constructive things we can do” to bring down the price of medicines, Azar said, sitting alone at the broad witness table in a paneled Senate hearing room. He said he favors fostering competition between brand-name drugs and generic equivalents — an issue he worked on in the early 2000s while he was the HHS general counsel during the George W. Bush administration. “We have to fight gaming in the system by patents and exclusivity agreements.” (Goldstein and Eilperin, 11/29)

The New York Times: Health Nominee Grilled On Commitment To Lower Drug Prices
Mr. Azar sailed through the first of two hearings on his nomination without making major missteps. But he did not appear to dispel the doubts of Democrats who distrust him because of his experience as a top executive at a major drug maker, Eli Lilly and Company, for 10 years. (Pear, 11/29)

The Associated Press: Trump Health Pick Parries Questions On Drug Cost, Health Law
That was insufficient for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. “You’ve got some convincing to make me believe you’re going to represent the American people, not big pharma,” said Paul. Paul demanded a written explanation from Azar on why it wouldn’t be safe for U.S. patients to import lower-cost prescription drugs from other advanced countries. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/29)

Reuters: Sign-Up Pace Much Slower In Week 4 Of 2018 Obamacare Enrollment
The pace of people signing up for individual insurance under Obamacare slowed significantly during the fourth week of 2018 enrollment, as nearly 37 percent fewer people signed up for the healthcare plans than in the previous week, a U.S. government agency reported on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that 504,181 people signed up for 2018 Obamacare individual insurance in the 39 states that use the federal government website HealthCare.gov for the week ended Nov. 25, down from 798,829 people in the previous week. New consumer sign-ups fell to 152,243 from 220,323 in the previous week. (11/29)

The New York Times: The Tax Bill’s Automatic Spending Cuts
If Congress passes its tax bill and then takes no other action, the funding for dozens of federal spending programs could be cut — in many cases to nothing — beginning next year. The cuts would be automatic, the consequence of a 2010 law that Congress passed to keep itself from increasing the deficit too much. The biggest program affected would be Medicare, the health insurance program for older people and the disabled. But the law allows Medicare to take only a relatively small cut: 4 percent. (Sanger-Katz, 11/29)

The Hill: Collins Gets Promise To Pass ObamaCare Funding This Year
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday she has received a commitment from Senate GOP leadership to include ObamaCare funding in a must-pass bill. Collins said she got a promise from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that the deal crafted by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would be included in legislation this year. (Carney, 11/29)

The Hill: Freedom Caucus Chair Opposes ObamaCare Funding Pushed By GOP Senator
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said Wednesday that he opposes ObamaCare funding known as "reinsurance" that was part of a commitment given to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to help gain her vote for tax reform. "That's a totally different thing because that actually puts more money into a failing system where the money will not actually lower premiums and reduce costs in a substantial way," Meadows told The Hill. "I think that's a bigger problem." (Sullivan, 11/29)

Reuters: U.S. Healthcare Shares Climb As Investors See Upside From Republican Tax Bill
Shares of U.S. healthcare companies mostly climbed on Wednesday, as investors saw some potential upside for the stocks from a Republican-led bill to cut taxes. ... “We see tax reform as providing a durable benefit to healthcare services companies,” Bernstein analysts wrote in a research note. “Healthcare services companies generally pay the full 35 percent corporate tax, as domestic companies with limited adjustments.” Possible changes to the Affordable Care Act and fees paid by health insurers could also benefit healthcare companies, they said. (Valetkevitch, 11/29)

Los Angeles Times: What Happens If Congress Doesn't Fund The Health Insurance Used By Almost 2 Million Kids And Pregnant Women In California?
Unless Congress comes to an agreement fast, federal funding for a program that provides health insurance to 2 million California children and pregnant women will run out around the end of the year. After that, California could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars because the state is required to offer the insurance even if the federal funds don’t show up. (Wire, 11/29)

Reuters: New Vaccine, Long-Acting Drug Trials Buoy Hopes In HIV Fight
Researchers announced the launch of two big studies in Africa on Thursday to test a new HIV vaccine and a long-acting injectable drug, fueling hopes for better ways to protect against the virus that causes AIDS. (Hirschler, 11/30)

The Associated Press: Health Groups Urge Congress Not To Allow AIDS Fight To Wane
A coalition of nearly 40 advocacy groups said Wednesday they’re concerned about the Trump administration’s commitment to the global fight against AIDS so they’re urging senior members of Congress to make sure money for key prevention programs isn’t cut back. (Lardner, 11/29)

NPR: Gene Therapy Shows Promise For A Growing List Of Diseases
So far, gene therapy has only been tested on a relatively small number of patients who have been followed for relatively short periods of time. Many more patients will have to be studied for longer periods before anyone really knows how well the therapies work, how long the benefits last, and whether the therapies are safe. But doctors and families of those helped so far are elated at the progress. (Stein, 11/29)

The Washington Post: Quitting Smoking Is Hard. FDA Wants New Nicotine-Replacement Therapies To Help.
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it is taking new steps to encourage the development of innovative nicotine-replacement therapies to wean smokers off conventional cigarettes. In a blog post on the agency's website, three top officials said they want to ensure the FDA has the right policies to advance new products to help smokers. ... The post said a new Nicotine Steering Committee made up of senior FDA officials will explore the agency's handling of smoking-cessation products. (McGinley, 11/29)

Los Angeles Times: Australia's Flu Season Has U.S. Health Officials Bracing For A Bad Winter — And Wishing For A New Vaccine
The flu season is just getting underway in North America, but if Australia’s experience with influenza is any guide, we’re in for a miserable winter. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Wednesday that the United States could experience a “relatively severe influenza season.” If so, it would extend a run of bad luck that began in 2014, when the available flu vaccines proved to be a poor match for the most common viruses in circulation. (Healy, 11/29)

USA Today: Hey Kids! You Can Soon Have Low-Fat, Chocolate Milk With Your School Lunch
Lunchroom bosses across the nation are getting a bit more flexibility in what they serve under a new federal rule unveiled Wednesday amid criticism that easing restrictions means less healthy young Americans. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue cited President Trump's February executive order to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens in announcing the interim rule, effective for the 2018-2019 school year. (Bacon, 11/29)

USA Today: 'Scary' Prediction For U.S. Kids: 57% Could Be Obese By Age 35
A whopping 57% of the nation’s children and teens will be obese by age 35 if current trends continue, according to a sobering new study out Wednesday. The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, goes beyond previous studies suggesting unhealthy childhood weights often lead to adult obesity. It suggests that while heavy children face the highest risk, even those who make it to age 20 in good shape face substantial peril in a world where obesity could soon be the new normal. (Painter, 11/29)

The Associated Press: US Troops Get Freeze-Dried Plasma For Battlefield Bloodshed
All of the U.S. military’s special operations fighters sent off to warzones and raids now have an essential addition to their first-aid kits: freeze-dried blood plasma. Last month, the Marines Corps’ special ops units became the last of the military branches to begin carrying freeze-dried plasma. The plasma helps clot blood and can prevent badly wounded troops from bleeding to death on the battlefield. (Dalesio, 11/30)

The New York Times: Air Pollution May Weaken The Bones
Air pollution increases the risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures, researchers report. (Bakalar, 11/29)