First Edition: Oct. 10, 2023

KFF Health News: Thousands Got Exactech Knee Or Hip Replacements. Then, Patients Say, The Parts Began To Fail
Ron Irby expected the artificial knee implanted in his right leg in September 2018 would last two decades — perhaps longer. Yet in just three years, the Optetrak implant manufactured by Exactech in Gainesville, Florida, had worn out and had to be replaced — a painful and debilitating operation. (Schulte, 10/10)

KFF Health News: Epidemic: Bodies Remember What Was Done To Them 
Global fears of overpopulation in the ’60s and ’70s helped fuel India’s campaign to slow population growth. Health workers tasked to encourage family planning were dispatched throughout the country and millions of people were sterilized — some voluntarily, some for a monetary reward, and some through force. This violent and coercive campaign — and the distrust it created — was a backdrop for the smallpox eradication campaign happening simultaneously in India. (10/10)

USA Today: Walgreens Pharmacists Stage Walkout Just Weeks After Similar Action By CVS Staffers
Just two weeks after dozens of CVS pharmacists protested unsafe working conditions by walking off the job in Kansas City, Walgreens pharmacists followed suit with their own walkout Monday that left stores shuttered or short-staffed across the nation’s second-largest retail pharmacy chain. The organizer estimated that several hundred pharmacists and pharmacy technicians participated in the protest, which will last through Wednesday. (Le Coz, 10/9)

CNN: Walgreens Walkout: 5 Things You Need To Know 
Some stores are remaining open with a skeleton emergency crew – an organizer told CNN that Walgreens had asked regional leaders to mobilize and staff the pharmacies on Monday. Many pharmacies that are open are severely understaffed as the majority of their employees called out today. Some stores said they were able to operate only their drive-thru pharmacy Monday and others said they would be closing early due to a lack of staff. (Goodkind, 10/9)

AP: Pharmacist Shortages And Heavy Workloads Challenge Drugstores Heading Into Their Busy Season 
A dose of patience may come in handy at the pharmacy counter this fall. Drug and staffing shortages haven’t gone away. Stores are starting their busiest time of year as customers look for help with colds and the flu. And this fall, pharmacists are dealing with a new vaccine and the start of insurance coverage for COVID-19 shots. Some drugstores have addressed their challenges by adding employees at busy hours. But experts say many pharmacies, particularly the big chains, still don’t have enough workers behind the counter. (Murphy, 10/7)

Reuters: Kaiser Healthcare Unions Say Weeklong Strike Possible Early Next Month 
The labor coalition that staged a 72-hour strike by 75,000 healthcare workers against Kaiser Permanente last week is giving the company nearly three more weeks to reach a contract deal before facing a second, potentially longer walkout next month. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said on Monday it has served the company notice that a weeklong "follow-up strike is possible" starting Nov. 1 unless the two sides come to a settlement beforehand. (Gorman, 10/9)

Bay Area News Group: Kaiser Chops Jobs In Two East Bay Cities And In Southern California
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals has disclosed plans to trim scores of California jobs, most of them in the Bay Area, according to official filings with state labor officials. The healthcare titan revealed that it plans to eliminate 49 non-union jobs in California, the filings with the state Employment Development Department show. The Bay Area layoffs include a loss of 28 jobs, all in the East Bay, according to the WARN notices. (Avalos, 10/9)

Los Angeles Times: Healthcare Workers Kick Off 5-Day Strike At Four Hospitals Over Staffing Shortage, Labor Practices
Roughly 1,500 essential workers at four hospitals in Los Angeles County kicked off a five-day strike Monday morning to protest what they claim are dangerous working conditions and unfair labor practices by hospital management. ... The strike follows on the heels of what many called a “hot labor summer,” when writers, actors and hotel workers organized labor actions across Southern California. (Solis, 10/9)

The Hill: Long COVID Rare Among Children: CDC
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shed light on the rate at which long COVID affects children, indicating the condition occurs among only a small minority of them. In a new survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the CDC found that 1.3 percent of children had long COVID in 2022 and 0.5 percent now have it. (Choi, 10/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Not COVID, But Symptoms Won’t Pass? You May Have A ‘Long Cold’
People who test negative for the coronavirus but experience a lingering cough, fatigue or digestive issues may suffer from “long colds,” according to a new study. Contrary to the common belief that respiratory infections like colds and flu vanish within a week, the findings published Friday in the Lancet scientific journal suggest that they can lead to health complications persisting for more than four weeks after the initial illness, often escaping detection. (Vaziri, 10/6)

Reuters: New COVID Shots Still Hard To Find For Some Americans
Americans have started rolling up their sleeves for the latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine, but weeks into the rollout some say they are still having difficulty finding appointments for themselves and their children. Shot seekers also say they have been surprised by requests for upfront payments of $150 to $200 now that the U.S. government has handed off to private companies including vaccine makers, pharmacies, and insurance plans to handle distribution, administration and payment coverage. (Erman and Aboulenein, 10/8)

Reuters: Updated Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Shipped To Distributors, To Be Available This Week 
Vaccine maker Novavax Inc on Monday said it has shipped millions of doses its updated COVID-19 shots to distributors after receiving the go-ahead from U.S. regulators. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the updated vaccine last week for emergency use in individuals aged 12 years and older, but batches of the shots needed additional clearance from the FDA before they could be released. (Erman, 10/9)

The New York Times: Feeling Terrible After Your Covid Shot? Then It’s Probably Working 
A new study has an encouraging message for Americans who shy away from Covid shots because of worries about side effects: The chills, fatigue, headache and malaise that can follow vaccination may be signs of a vigorous immune response. People who had those side effects after the second dose of a Covid vaccine had more antibodies against the coronavirus at one month and six months after the shot, compared with those who did not have symptoms, according to the new study. Increases in skin temperature and heart rate also signaled higher antibody levels. (Mandavilli, 10/7)

USA Today: Florida Family Selling Bleach Mix As COVID Cure Sentenced To Prison
The family convicted for selling a bleach mixture as COVID cure was sentenced Friday to several years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida. Prosecutors said the men sold more than $1 million of the “Miracle Mineral Solution,” commonly referred to as MMS, claiming it could cure almost any ailment including coronavirus. Mark Grenon founded the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, which he admitted to being a front to to protect their practice of selling MMS, according to court documents. (Crowley, 10/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: Mayo Clinic Revises Site After Former Trump Official's Tweet
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic revised its hydroxychloroquine site after a former Trump administration official linked to it in a tweet. Mayo Clinic said it took down the webpage last month to "make it clear that hydroxychloroquine should not be used to treat COVID-19 patients." (Bruce, 10/9)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Officials Defend Posts Aimed At Vaccine Skeptics
Missouri health officials recently defended social media posts instructing COVID-19 vaccine skeptics to “just keep scrolling” after the posts generated heavy criticism. The Sept. 13 posts on X and Facebook were promoting the updated COVID-19 vaccine, which authorities began rolling out last month. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending the vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. Missouri health officials said, “COVID vaccines will be available in Missouri soon, if you’re in to that sort of thing. If not, just keep scrolling!” (Suntrup, 10/6)

The New York Times: Teen Depression Rose During Pandemic, With Racial Gaps In Treatment
Approximately 20 percent of adolescents had symptoms of major depressive disorder in 2021 — the first full calendar year of the pandemic — but less than half who needed treatment received it, according to a new study. The research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that treatment was most lacking for minority adolescents, particularly those who are Latino and mixed-race. (Richtel, 10/9)

ABC News: Excessive Drinking During The Pandemic Increased Rates Of Liver Disease, Transplants
Excessive drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to skyrocketing rates of alcohol-associated liver disease to the point of needing transplants, according to doctors. Transplant centers across the United States are reporting more patients in need of a new liver than ever before, sometimes seeing double the number of patients needing transplants compared to pre-pandemic levels. (Kekatos, 10/8)

The New York Times: Skeletons Of 1918 Flu Victims Reveal Clues About Who Was Likely To Die 
While a narrative emerged that the pandemic indiscriminately struck the young and healthy, new evidence suggests that frail young adults were most vulnerable. (Kolata, 10/9)

NBC News: New Type Of Heart Disease Identified Links Obesity, Diabetes And Kidney Disease
As more Americans are being diagnosed with multiple chronic health problems at younger ages, for the first time, the American Heart Association is identifying a new medical condition that reflects the strong links among obesity, diabetes and heart and kidney disease. According to an advisory released Monday, the goal in recognizing the condition — cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM — is to get earlier diagnosis and treatment for people at high risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. (Carroll, 10/9)

Modern Healthcare: Best Buy To Sell Dexcom G7 System For Diabetes Care
Best Buy will begin selling the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitoring system online, its foray into selling prescription-based medical devices. Best Buy Health, which announced the news Monday during this year's HLTH conference in Las Vegas, said it is working with virtual care platform Wheel and pharmacy partner HealthDyne to sell the device used by people with diabetes. (Hudson, 10/9)

Reuters: U.S. Employers Covering Weight-Loss Drugs Could Nearly Double In 2024 - Survey
The number of U.S. employers who cover obesity medications, including Wegovy from Novo Nordisk that belongs to a class of GLP-1 drugs, could nearly double next year, according to a survey. The survey of 502 employers by Accolade, a company that provides healthcare programs for employers, and research firm Savanta said 43% of the employers it polled could cover GLP-1 drugs in 2024 compared to 25% that cover them now. (10/10)

Stat: Judge Dismisses Novo Nordisk Lawsuit Over Compounded Versions Of Ozempic And Wegovy 
In a setback for Novo Nordisk, a U.S. judge dismissed its lawsuit accusing a compound pharmacy of selling versions of its Wegovy and Ozempic medicines, which are widely prescribed for weight loss and have become franchise products for the drug company. (Silverman, 10/6)

Reuters: Weight-Loss Drugs Fuel Boom For Firms That Fill Syringes 
Contract drug manufacturers seeking to tap into the booming market for weight-loss drugs are investing billions of dollars to expand or build factories that fill the injection pens used to administer treatments like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. Interviews with a dozen company executives, analysts and investors showed pharmaceutical services companies jostling to secure more of the specialist work of filling the syringes used in the pens, a process known as fill-finish. (Fick, 10/9)

The Wall Street Journal: The Company That Defined Dieting Is Sorry It Told Us to Have More Willpower
For decades, WeightWatchers told the world that weight loss came through sheer willpower—“choice, not chance,” as its founder, Jean Nidetch, said in the 1960s. Now, thanks to new drugs like Ozempic, Sistani is rejecting that blame-the-dieter approach in favor of the view that obesity is an illness—one her company can help cure. The promise that a doctor’s prescription can eliminate extra weight for good has touched off a seismic moment in global health, and compelled WeightWatchers to undergo its most radical change yet.  (Schwartzel, 10/7)

The Washington Post: Most Childhood Cancer Survivors Face Serious Health Problems As Adults
In a sobering analysis, researchers warn that those who’ve had childhood cancer are highly likely to face physical and mental health challenges later in life, with 95 percent developing a “significant health problem” related to their cancer or treatment by age 45. The researchers reviewed 73 studies, including 39 cohort studies that followed patients over time. Publishing their findings in JAMA, they said approximately 15,000 children and adolescents through age 19 are diagnosed with cancer every year and that 85 percent of children now live five years or more beyond their diagnosis. That’s compared with just 58 percent in the 1970s, according to the American Cancer Society. (Blakemore, 10/8)

Stat: Colorectal Cancer Study Finds Potential In Overlooked Immune Cell 
Within the linings of our guts, immune cells patrol like sentries on a castle wall. These cells, called intraepithelial T lymphocytes, are constantly probing the cells of the gut barrier for signs of disease, killing any cells that appear suspect due to infections or cancer mutations. A new paper published in Science Immunology on Friday suggests that a subtype of T cells called gamma-delta T cells may be key to that process — and that a protein known as TCF-1 is central to controlling their actions. (Chen, 10/6)

Axios: U.S. Cancer Centers Report Fewer Drug Shortages, But Crisis Continues
Fewer U.S. cancer centers are reporting shortages of critical drugs than at the beginning of the summer, but the shortfalls are far from resolved, a new survey of leading cancer centers found. The availability of life-saving platinum-based generic cancer drugs reached crisis levels earlier this year, leading doctors to delay patients' care or turn to less attractive alternatives and causing the FDA to OK importation of certain drugs from China. (Reed, 10/6)

Stat: In $4.8 Billion Deal, Bristol Myers Squibb To Buy Cancer Player Mirati
Bristol Myers Squibb said that it would purchase Mirati Therapeutics, maker of the cancer drug Krazati, for $4.8 billion in cash in a deal that shows the continued interest of large pharmaceutical firms in relatively small “bolt-on” acquisitions. (Herper, 10/8)

Becker's Hospital Review: Mark Cuban's Pharmacy Racks Up Collaborators
Nearly two years after Mark Cuban launched a mail-order pharmacy with low-cost medications, the entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" star has secured more than a dozen collaborators. In September, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. penned a deal with Avanlee Care, which runs an app designed to help caregivers for elderly patients. The app, called Ava, will feature an option for its users to order medications from Cost Plus Drugs. Mr. Cuban's company also teamed up with two fertility health companies to reduce the burden of the pink tax, or inflated prices on women's products. (Twenter, 10/9)

Modern Healthcare: Google Cloud Adds Generative AI Search Functions To Vertex AI
Google’s cloud arm is adding a generative artificial intelligence search function for healthcare and life science organizations, the company announced at the HLTH conference on Monday. Google Cloud said its Vertex AI search capabilities are being tuned for healthcare organizations, which will allow clinicians to search for specific information directly in electronic health records and other clinical systems. (Perna, 10/9)

The Washington Post: 23andMe’s Hacked Data On Jewish Users Offered For Sale Online 
A hacker is offering to sell records identifying names, locations and ethnicities of potentially millions of customers of genetic testing company 23andMe, beginning by touting a batch that would contain data of those with Jewish ancestry. A 23andMe spokeswoman confirmed that the leak contained samples of genuine data and said the company is investigating. (Menn, 10/6)

WIBW: Kansas Hospital Closed, Remains Open For Records Handling Through End Of Week
One town in Kansas is losing its hospital. 13 NEWS reached out to the Herington Hospital Monday morning about reports of its closure. Employees were informed Monday the facility is indeed closing. The hospital confirmed the closure to 13 NEWS around 3 p.m. All services end on Monday. The building will remain open through the end of the week for people to retrieve their medical records. Any records will need to be requested in person, though the hospital did note they will be maintained. In a statement released Monday afternoon, Herington Hospital cited “lengthy financial struggles and consistently low patient volumes” prompting the decision. (Grabauskas, 10/9)

The Boston Globe: Good Samaritan Medical Center In Brockton Reopens Sunday After Power Outage
Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton fully reopened Sunday morning, about a day after a power outage in some parts of the building forced officials to evacuate some patients and direct ambulances to other hospitals in the area. The hospital lifted its “code black” — meaning it had been diverting ambulances to other facilities — at about 7:30 a.m., according to Deborah Chiaravalloti, a spokesperson for Steward Health Care. “We are back up and running,” Chiaravalloti said in an email. (Hilliard, 10/8)

Axios: What Rural Health Providers Want From Washington
Rural health providers have a long to-do list for Congress. When the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee last month put out a call for ideas on shoring up rural America's fraying health care system, rural providers came prepared. (Goldman, 10/10)

Los Angeles Times: New California Law Takes A Step Toward Single-Payer Healthcare
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Saturday that sets the stage for California to work toward universal healthcare, such as a single-payer system that progressive activists have sought for years. The law could help California obtain a waiver that would allocate federal Medicaid and Medicare funds to be used for what could eventually become a single-payer system that would cover every California resident and be financed entirely by state and federal funds. (Sosa, 10/8)

CNN: Red Dye No. 3: California Governor Signs Bill Banning It 
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a landmark law aimed at banning red dye No. 3 and other potentially harmful food additives in consumer goods. On Saturday, the Golden State became the first in the country to forbid the use of the ingredients found in many popular candies, drinks and more, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization that cosponsored the law with Consumer Reports. (Boyette, Rogers and Babineau, 10/9)

Los Angeles Times: Pharmacies Must Report Prescription Errors Under Bill Signed By Governor
For the first time, California pharmacies must report every prescription error under legislation signed by the governor Sunday. The measure — Assembly Bill 1286 — is aimed at reducing the estimated 5 million mistakes pharmacists make each year. ... In a survey of California licensed pharmacists in 2021, 91% of those working at chain pharmacies said staffing wasn’t high enough to provide patients adequate care. (Petersen, 10/9)

Los Angeles Times: Gov. Newsom Signs Bill To Make Rape Kits More Accessible To Students
Seeking to make rape kits more accessible to students, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will require most California universities and colleges to provide transportation for students to and from a sexual assault treatment center. Assembly member Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) wrote Assembly Bill 1138, which will require schools to provide free and anonymous transportation to a treatment center that provides Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) exams or to contract with local organizations to provide the transportation. (Lin, 10/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Vetoes Bill To Decriminalize Psychedelic Mushrooms
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Friday that would have decriminalized psilocybin, aka magic mushrooms — but left the door open for California to reconsider it next year. Newsom, in his veto message, said the measure proposed by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would have decriminalized possession before therapeutic protections are in place. (Garofoli, 10/7)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Vetoes Bill That Would Allow Condoms To Be Freely Distributed To Public High School Students
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed legislation that would have provided teenagers attending public high school with access to free condoms and prohibited retailers from refusing to sell them to youths. Newsom said that although he agreed that providing condoms are “important to supporting improved adolescent sexual health,” the bill would have created an unfunded program that was not included in the state’s annual budget. (Sosa, 10/8)

Becker's Hospital Review: Hawaii Health Officials Working To Identify Care Gaps For Maui Residents
Two months after wildfires devastated parts of Maui, Hawaii's health department is conducting a needs assessment to understand where healthcare gaps may exist after the fire upended resources and destroyed some care facilities. Following the fire, the Maui District Health Office opened a clinic in West Maui that offered general health services including wound care, pharmacy and prescriptions needs and mental health services. (Hallowell, 10/9)

News Service of Florida: Initiative To Get An Abortion Amendment On The Ballot Tops 400,000 Signatures
Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights have topped 400,000 valid petition signatures submitted to the state. The Florida Division of Elections website on Thursday showed 402,082 valid signatures for the proposal, which the political committee Floridians Protecting Freedom is trying to put on the November 2024 ballot. The total reflects signatures that have been validated, not necessarily the overall number of signatures collected. (10/9)

USA Today: Salmonella, E-Coli Found In Fast Food Soda Fountain Drinking Water
Scientists in Southern California are asking the kind of questions that make soda drinkers uneasy after a recent study that found fast-food soda fountains were serving up high levels of bacteria along with self-serve drinks. Researchers from Loma Linda University found bacteria levels that surpassed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations for drinking water at fast-food restaurants in the eastern Coachella Valley, where largely low-income, Latino farmworker families have struggled with accessing potable water. (Cuevas, 10/9)

CNN: ‘Healthy Eating’ Curriculum Can Do More Harm Than Good
Children across all grade levels are taught nutrition concepts aimed at improving health, but I find these well-intended lessons can end up backfiring, harming kids’ eating habits and their overall well-being. Nutrition lessons — largely driven by state education standards — can be damaging because they unintentionally convey the same messages as an eating disorder: cut out certain foods, limit calories and fear weight gain. (Hanson, 10/9)