First Edition: Sept. 26, 2023

KFF Health News: A Decades-Long Drop In Teen Births Is Slowing, And Advocates Worry A Reversal Is Coming
Cicely Wilson’s work doesn’t end when she leaves her day job as a lactation consultant, doula, and child care expert. Wilson founded a nonprofit called Sunnyside Up Youth Pregnancy Services, which connects girls ages 13 to 19 with resources they need to care for their babies. After-hours, she looks for affordable Nashville apartments, books medical appointments, tries to find strollers and other baby supplies, and hosts conversations with pregnant teens about breastfeeding and preparing mentally for childbirth. (Sweeney, 9/26)

California Healthline and KFF Health News: Massive Kaiser Permanente Strike Looms As Talks Head To The Wire
Kaiser Permanente and union representatives pledged to continue negotiating a new contract up until the last minute as the threat of the nation’s latest large-scale strike looms next month. Unless a deal is struck, more than 75,000 health workers will walk out for three days from Oct. 4-7, disrupting care for KP patients in California, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C. The unions represent a wide range of KP health workers, including lab technicians, phlebotomists, pharmacists, optometrists, social workers, orderlies, and support staff. (Wolfson, 9/25)

KFF Health News: The Tata Way
Episode 5 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast explores how a partnership between public health institutions and a huge, influential private company was key in the campaign to eliminate smallpox. (9/26)

The Boston Globe: New COVID Vaccine Rollout Faces Canceled Appointments, Pricey Bills
According to CDC Director Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, it’s the first time the federal government is leaving purchasing to the private market since the pandemic began, which is similar to how the flu vaccine is distributed. ... “It’s important to know that there is vaccine available,” Cohen said in a video posted on social media last week. “You will be able to get one. And it should be free for you — whether or not you have insurance.” “It’s great that people are excited to get the vaccine,” added Cohen. “If you’ve had a problem finding the vaccine, stick with it. More vaccine is on the way.” (Gagosz, 9/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid Boosters Aren’t Reaching People Who Want Them
The shift in responsibility for Covid-19 shot distribution from federal agencies to the commercial market is off to a rocky start. (Abbott and Wilde Mathews, 9/25)

The Hill: Potential Link Found Between Merck Antiviral And Mutated COVID Strains
A new study published Monday links COVID-19 antiviral created by Merck with new mutations of the virus that have been sequenced around the world. Molnupiravir, known commercially as Lagevrio, is one of two COVID-19 antivirals authorized for treating coronavirus infections along with Paxlovid from Pfizer. The drug works by inducing mutations in the virus’s cells as it replicates, resulting in random mutations that are harmful to the virus and cuts down on its viral load. Researchers from the U.K. and South African delved into the question of where some mutated variants may have occurred, given that some have been found with seemingly random mutations, and whether molnupiravir may have contributed to the rise of some strains. (Choi, 9/25)

CIDRAP: UK: Still Not Clear If BA.2.86 Will Outcompete Other Variants
The United Kingdom's Heath Security Agency (HSA) recently posted a technical briefing on the highly mutated Omicron BA.2.86 variant, which said that, based on moderate confidence, the level of antibody escape is probably similar to XBB.1.5. In addition, data from two labs suggests it may have slightly higher ACE2 binding affinity, a factor that might play a role in transmissibility. So far, there's no sign that infections involving BA.2.86 are more severe. (Schnirring, 9/25)

ABC News: About 18 Million US Adults Have Had Long COVID: CDC
Millions of Americans say they've had long COVID, and some say they're still battling it, according to new federal data. Two new reports, published early Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, looked at data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey. (Kekatos, 9/26)

Fortune: Where To Order Free COVID Tests From The U.S. Government
If your medicine cabinet is bereft of COVID tests, now is the time to stock up: The U.S. government is again mailing out free kits, ahead of an anticipated fall and winter surge. Each U.S. household is eligible to receive four free tests as of Sept. 25, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Orders can be placed at COVID.gov/tests. (Prater, 9/25)

AP: A Judge Has Rewritten Missouri Ballot Summary Language That Described 'Dangerous' Abortions
Missouri is among several states, including Ohio, where abortion opponents are fighting efforts to ensure or restore access to the procedure following the fall of Roe v. Wade last year. If supporters gather enough voter signatures, the proposed constitutional amendments will go before Missouri voters in 2024. Ashcroft’s description asks voters whether they want to “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions, from conception to live birth, without requiring a medical license or potentially being subject to medical malpractice.” (Ballentine, 9/25)

The New York Times: A New Border Crossing: Americans Turn To Mexico For Abortions
The text message Cynthia Menchaca received this summer was one she was seeing more and more: A woman living in Texas said she had left a violent relationship only to discover she was pregnant, and she desperately wanted an abortion. The woman had learned that Ms. Menchaca could send her abortion pills from Mexico, where the procedure has been decriminalized in several states. But the growing U.S. demand for abortion care is not limited to deliveries of medication, according to advocates like Ms. Menchaca, who lives in Coahuila state in northeastern Mexico. (Kanno-Youngs and Espriella, 9/25)

PolitiFact: Fact Check: Does Trump Support Punishing Women Who Have Abortions?
The claim: A new ad from President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign takes aim at some of his Republican rivals’ positions on abortion, highlighting comments by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. PolitiFact ruling: Mostly False. A Biden campaign ad featured a clip of Trump saying “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions. This is misleading. Trump made the comment in a 2016 MSNBC interview, but walked it back the same day. (Putterman, 9/25)

Reuters: Biden, US Officials Warn Of Hunger For Millions In A Government Shutdown
U.S. President Joe Biden and one of his top aides warned on Monday that a federal government shutdown could cause widespread suffering, including a rapid loss of food benefits for nearly 7 million low-income women and children. Biden told a meeting on Historically Black Colleges and Universities that failure by Congress to fund the federal government would have dire consequences for the Black community, including by reducing nutritional benefits, inspections of hazardous waste sites and enforcement of fair housing laws. (Holland, 9/25)

Fortune: Anthony Fauci Says He Still Needs A Security Detail After Ron DeSantis Threatened To ‘Grab That Little Elf And Chuck Him Across The Potomac’
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he still needs a security detail, despite having retired from public service at the end of 2022, because of threats to his life inspired by comments from right-wing figures like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Hagy, 9/25)

CBS News: In New Effort To Reset Flu Shot Expectations, CDC To Avoid Messages That "Could Be Seen As A Scare Tactic"
"People are more likely to perceive messages as credible and trustworthy if they set realistic expectations about what vaccines can and cannot do," the CDC's Sara Dodge Ramey told a panel of federal vaccine advisers at a meeting Friday. ... That led to them rolling out a campaign this year carefully crafted to "avoid messages that could be seen as a scare tactic," she said, acknowledging some voiced "fatigue" around talking about important steps to avoid dying from respiratory diseases this fall and winter. (Tin, 9/25)

CIDRAP: CDC Launches ‘Wild To Mild’ Flu Vaccine Campaign
In an effort to rebrand and rightsize expectations on the seasonal influenza vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last week launched a new campaign, called “Wild to Mild.” Decorated with pictures of ferocious wild animals paired against mild house pets, the campaign portrays the flu shot as a way to lessen severity of illness, and not necessarily prevent the virus. (Soucheray, 9/25)

Politico: Our New Poll Shows Just How Much GOP Voters Have Diverged From Everyone Else On Vaccines
A majority of voters overall see advantages to vaccination, though there’s a large partisan divide on the question. Among Democratic voters, 76 percent said they “care more about potential health benefits than the potential health risks of vaccines.” But among Republicans, it’s split evenly: 51 percent care more about the potential health risks, while 49 percent care more about the benefits. (Shepard, 9/23)

The Wall Street Journal: Uncle Sam Wants You—To Fight High Drug Prices
Help Wanted: Join the government. Fight Big Pharma. ... Medicare is hiring economists, data scientists and others for a team to conduct the U.S.’s first drug-price negotiations. (Walker, 9/25)

Stat: Medicaid, Medicare Dual-Eligible Plans Are Up For Senate Scrutiny
The Senate has set its eyes on regulating insurance plans for some of the most vulnerable patients in the U.S. — the 12.5 million people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. “They’re a complex group of people with a lot of chronic conditions — mental illness, frailty, disability,” said Jose Figueroa, an internal medicine physician and health policy expert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Over a third of these dual-eligible beneficiaries have less than a high school education, and about 90% make less than $20,000 per year. (Bajaj, 9/26)

Politico: Hearings To Discuss Drinking Water Infrastructure, Access
Hearings in both the House and Senate will focus on water issues this week, as lawmakers assess recent regulatory developments and push agencies to do more against persistent problems. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment is set to discuss infrastructure financing for clean water projects. (Crunden, 9/25)

Politico: Court Hands EPA Big Win In 'Good Neighbor' Litigation
EPA scored a crucial victory Monday in defense of its latest bid to curb the cross-country spread of smog-forming emissions. In a brief order, a divided three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a flurry of motions from states and industry groups to stay the "good neighbor rule" released in March. Granting a national stay would have been a sign that the court was likely to throw out the rule, thereby gutting EPA's ability to enforce smog reduction requirements affecting almost half the country and predicted to yield substantial health benefits. (Reilly, 9/25)

Politico: EPA Advances Closely Watched Soot Rule
Beset by a host of competing pressures, EPA is now in the last lap of a two-year marathon to tighten a particularly consequential set of air pollution regulations. At issue is a rule on airborne levels of soot, which is tied to a host of environmental and health concerns. Because human sources range from refineries and other types of heavy industry to residential wood stoves, the regulatory impact of any changes to the standards can be far-reaching. (Reilly, 9/25)

AP: Experimental Treatment Pushed By ALS Patients Gets Day Before FDA, But Agency Unconvinced It Works
The Food and Drug Administration meets this week to consider approval of an experimental treatment for Lou Gehrig’s disease, the culmination of a yearslong lobbying effort by patients with the fatal neurodegenerative disease. Those advocates still face one giant hurdle: FDA regulators say the treatment hasn’t been shown to work.In documents posted Monday, the FDA reiterated its longstanding position that a lone study by drugmaker Brainstorm doesn’t provide convincing evidence that its stem cell-based therapy helps patients with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (Perrone, 9/25)

The New York Times: Online Marijuana Shops Make It Easy For Minors To Buy, Study Finds
Many online marijuana dispensaries do not enforce age limits on purchases, and they have other lax policies that enable minors to buy cannabis on the internet, according to a new study published on Monday in The Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics. ... The study found that 18.8 percent of dispensaries, or nearly one in five, “required no formal age verification at any stage of the purchasing process.” And that more than 80 percent accepted “nontraceable” payment methods, like prepaid cards or cash, thus “enabling youth to hide their transactions,” the authors noted. (Richel, 9/25)

The Boston Globe: First Human Case Of Jamestown Canyon Virus Found In New Hampshire This Year, Officials Say
The first human case of Jamestown Canyon virus this year has been identified in New Hampshire, where public health officials have also discovered two cases of Powassan virus, both of which are spread by bites from insects. A virus spread by mosquito bites, JCV was identified in an adult in HIllsborough County, the Division of Public Health Services said Monday. (Ellement, 9/25)

The Washington Post: Burkey Belser, Designer Of Ubiquitous Nutrition Facts Label, Dies At 76
Burkey Belser, a graphic designer who created the ubiquitous nutrition facts label — a stark rectangle listing calories, fat, sodium and other content information — that adorns the packaging of nearly every digestible product in grocery stores, died Sept. 25 at his home in Bethesda, Md. He was 76. ... Mr. Belser’s nutrition facts label — rendered in bold and light Helvetica type — was celebrated as a triumph of public health and graphic design when it debuted in 1994 following passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. (Rosenwald, 9/25)

CIDRAP: COVID Patients At Higher Risk Of New Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular Conditions Amid Delta Wave
A large study from Singapore suggests that COVID-19 infection increased the risk of new-onset cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications during the Delta variant era and that vaccination lowered the risk. For the study, published today in Clinical Infectious Diseases, a team led by National Centre for Infectious Diseases researchers used national testing and healthcare claims databases to evaluate the risk and rates of incident cardiovascular (eg, abnormal heart rhythms), cerebrovascular (eg, stroke), and other thrombotic (blood clot–related) complications among adults. (Van Beusekom, 9/25)

NBC News: Long Covid Blood Test Shows Differences In The Immune System, Research Finds
Scientists have found clear differences in the blood of people with long Covid — a key first step in the development of a test to diagnose the illness. The findings, published Monday in the journal Nature, also offer clues into what could be causing the elusive condition that has perplexed doctors worldwide and left millions with ongoing fatigue, trouble with memory and other debilitating symptoms. (Edwards, 9/25)

CIDRAP: Report Calls For 'Grand Bargain' To Fix Antibiotic Development Market
A new report by an international team of experts is calling for a "grand bargain" to improve the antibiotic development market. The report, released last week by the Center for Global Development, calls for governments and drug makers to negotiate and come to a political understanding that would help fix the antibiotic development market. Such an agreement is needed because the current market, the report argues, is failing to spur antibiotic research and development (R&D), ensure equitable access to new antibiotics, and protect antibiotics from overuse. (Dall, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: How ChatGPT, Generative AI Could Eliminate Third-Party Tech Vendors
Health system leaders are viewing generative artificial intelligence as a way to cut costs and pare relationships with certain third-party vendors. Excitement is palpable for AI in healthcare. A survey released last week by the Center for Connected Medicine at UPMC and market research firm KLAS Research showed AI was “dominating the thoughts of many executives at health systems.” AI was identified as the most exciting emerging technology by nearly 80% of health system respondents. (Turner, 9/25)

Politico: AstraZeneca Plans To Negotiate With Medicare Over Price Of Farxiga
Drugmaker AstraZeneca plans to negotiate a price with Medicare for its diabetes drug Farxiga, the company told POLITICO. Farxiga — which is used to treat type 2 diabetes, as well as heart failure and chronic kidney disease — was among the first 10 drugs selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last month for price negotiations Congress ordered in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. (Lim, 9/25)

Reuters: Exclusive: Medical Components Maker Zeus Explores $4 Billion Sale -Sources
Zeus Company Inc, a family-owned manufacturer of components used primarily in medical equipment and devices, is exploring options including a sale that could value the company at $4 billion or more, including debt, people familiar with the matter said. The Orangeburg, South Carolina-based company is in the early stages of a sale process and is working with investment bank Goldman Sachs Group (GS.N) to establish whether a deal would be financially attractive, the sources said. (Carnevali, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: Elevance, Blue Cross Louisiana Halt $2.5B Proposed Merger
"We have chosen to withdraw BCBSLA's plan of reorganization and Elevance Health's acquisition application from the Louisiana Department of Insurance to provide more time for key stakeholders to understand the benefits this transaction will provide to Louisianaians and how the quality service our stakeholders know, and value will continue," the companies said in a joint statement Monday. (Tepper, 9/25)

Reuters: AbbVie Terminates Deal With I-Mab To Develop Cancer Drug
China-based biotech company I-Mab (IMAB.O) said on Friday that AbbVie (ABBV.N) has terminated a 2020 deal to co-develop and market I-Mab's lead cancer drug candidate lemzoparlimab. AbbVie's decision to scrap the deal comes after it pulled the plug on an early-stage study in August last year that was testing lemzoparlimab in combination with two other drugs for treating two types of blood cancers, myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelocytic leukemia. (9/25)

Reuters: Artificial Heart Maker Carmat Could Run Out Of Cash After Sales Miss
French artificial heart maker Carmat (ALCAR.PA) said on Monday supply issues meant it would miss its full-year sales target and warned it could run out of cash by the end of October. "During the first half of 2023, the production ramp-up we were anticipating was significantly disrupted by supply issues," CEO Stephane Piat said in a press release after the market close. "Due to the lack of a sufficient number of devices, we were late in generating the demand from hospitals." (9/25)

Reuters: Scynexis To Recall GSK-Partnered Antifungal On Cross Contamination Risk
Scynexis (SCYX.O) said on Monday it would voluntarily recall its antifungal pill, which it has licensed to GSK (GSK.L), due to risk of cross-contamination with a potential allergy-inducing compound, sending the drugmaker's shares tumbling over 30%. The drugmaker said it became aware substances used to make drugs that contain beta-lactam are manufactured using equipment also used to make its treatment, called Brexafemme. (Mishra, 9/25)

Reuters: Novo Nordisk And Valo To Research Cardiometabolic Treatments
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) said on Monday it would collaborate with U.S. tech firm Valo Health to discover and develop new treatments for cardiometabolic diseases using human data and artificial intelligence. Novo Nordisk said in a statement it will use Valo's platform and Valo will receive an upfront payment and a potential near-term milestone payment of $60 million. (9/25)

Reuters: Canada's Appili Gets US FDA Approval For Oral Antibiotic Solution
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved Canadian drugmaker Appili Therapeutics' (APLI.TO) liquid oral form of antibiotic drug metronidazole, offering an alternative to patients who have difficulty taking injections or pills. An injectable form of the drug, which is commonly used in the treatment of bacterial and parasitic infections, has been in shortage in the United States since early last year due to high demand and regulatory delays. (9/25)

Reuters: Pakistan Probes Distributors Of Roche Cancer Drug After Patients Go Blind
Pakistan said on Monday it was investigating two local distributors of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche's (ROG.S) Avastin cancer drug after 12 diabetic patients injected with the drug went blind. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) said the health authorities in Punjab, the most populous province, had launched the investigation into local use of the drug Avastin, which is licensed for use in Pakistan. ... On its website, Roche said Avastin was approved in more than 130 countries, including the United States, to treat several types of cancer. (Bukhari, 9/25)

AP: Tornado-Damaged Pfizer Plant In North Carolina Restarts Production
A major Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina that makes critical supplies for U.S. hospitals has restarted production about 10 weeks after it was heavily damaged by a tornado, the company announced Monday. Getting a majority of manufacturing lines at the Rocky Mount facility back up and running is a “proud achievement,” Pfizer said in a statement. Full production across the facility’s three manufacturing sites is expected by the end of the year. (9/25)

AP: North Carolina To Launch Medicaid Expansion On Dec. 1
Medicaid expansion will launch Dec. 1 in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Monday after achieving what he’s sought for nearly seven years on the job and what’s possibly his biggest policy win. Government health insurance should be available to another 600,000 low-income adults, with roughly half of them receiving coverage on Day One. But securing expansion through the Republican-controlled state legislature came with hefty political expenses for the Democratic governor that will be difficult to reverse. (Robertson, 9/25)