First Edition: Sept. 27, 2023

KFF Health News: Florida Foster Kids Are Given Powerful Medications, But Feds Find State Oversight Lacking 
The powerful anti-seizure drug the 5-year-old boy had been taking for more than a year made him “almost catatonic,” his new foster mom from Florida’s Pinellas County worried. And there was no paperwork showing that the boy’s biological mother or a judge had authorized the psychotropic medication, Keppra, as required by state law. “I was caught between a rock and a hard spot,” she said. “You can’t just stop that cold turkey.” (O'Donnell, 9/27)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KHN newsroom to the airwaves each week. (9/26)

ABC News: Almost Half Of US Adults Plan To Get New COVID-19 Vaccine, Survey Finds
Nearly half of all adults in the United States plan to get the newly recommended COVID-19 vaccine, according to results from a survey released Wednesday. The latest poll conducted by the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor found that 23% of U.S. adults say they will "definitely" get the updated booster, 23% say they will "probably" get it, while 19% say they will "probably not" get it and 33% say they will "definitely not" get it. (Wetsman and Winsor, 9/27)

Reuters: About 250,000 Courses Of COVID Pill Paxlovid Being Administered Per Week - Pfizer CEO
Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) chief executive said on Tuesday that almost 250,000 courses of the drugmaker's oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid were being administered per week as cases surged in the United States. Speaking at the Cantor Fitzgerald Annual Healthcare Conference, Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said the company is still uncertain about when Paxlovid, which is currently being distributed by the government, will receive approval to be sold in the U.S. commercial market. (9/27)

Fox News: New COVID Poll: Democrats Have A ‘Particularly Negative’ Outlook, Are Most Likely To Keep Wearing Masks
People are becoming more concerned about COVID-19 amid the recent uptick in cases and new variants, according to Gallup’s latest quarterly poll. Gallup polled more than 5,000 U.S. adults between Aug. 29 and Sept. 5. Thirty percent of respondents said they believe the pandemic is getting worse — up from 5% in late May/early June and 8% in February, according to a news release on Gallup’s website. (Rudy, 9/27)

CBS News: Long COVID Has Affected Nearly 7% Of American Adults, CDC Survey Data Finds
Millions of Americans report having long COVID, either previously or at the time of being surveyed, according to new data from the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. In reports published Tuesday using data from 2022 National Health Interview Survey, the agency said 6.9% of U.S. adults reported ever having long COVID, while 3.4% said they currently had the condition at the time of interview. Based on U.S. Census data, that would mean nearly 18 million have suffered from the condition at some point since the pandemic began. (Moniuszko, 9/26)

The Boston Globe: A Massachusetts Reproductive Rights Organization Expands Into N.H.
Reproductive Equity Now announced on Tuesday that it is moving into both New Hampshire and Connecticut as a part of its goal to make the region “a beacon for abortion access,” the organization’s president, Rebecca Hart Holder, said. “Granite Staters share a deep commitment to reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy, and dignity in health care, but recent attacks on our health care show us that the state is only one election away from eroding New Hampshire and our region’s reproductive health access,” she said. (Gokee, 9/26)

Newsweek: As Trump Faces Abortion Heat, GOP Senate Candidates Seek Middle Ground
Former President Donald Trump came under heat from anti-abortion groups after dodging questions during a recent "Meet The Press" interview on whether he'd support a national abortion ban and calling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' law banning the procedure after six weeks a "terrible thing." As the overwhelming GOP presidential front-runner, Trump faces the same burden that Republican Senate candidates running for office in swing states do—striking a balance on the issue that appeals to moderates without alienating the party's conservative base. (Rouhandeh, 9/26)

Hartford Courant: Connecticut Joins First Regional Model For Abortion Freedoms
With reproductive freedoms at risk across the U.S., abortion rights activists announced Tuesday that Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire will form the nation’s first regional model for reproductive health care advocacy. Pro-Choice Connecticut will sunset this month to join Massachusetts-based Reproductive Equity Now as it expands into Connecticut and New Hampshire, Liz Gustafson, director of Pro-Choice Connecticut and future Connecticut state director for Reproductive Equity Now, said at a press conference outside the State Capitol Tuesday. (Cross, 9/26)

AP: Anti-Abortion Groups Demand Liberal Wisconsin Prosecutors Charge Abortion Providers Despite Ruling
A coalition of anti-abortion organizations on Tuesday demanded that prosecutors in Wisconsin’s two largest counties bring charges against abortion providers who have resumed practicing following a court ruling that consensual abortions are legal in the state. Wisconsin Right to Life, Wisconsin Family Action and Pro-Life Wisconsin held a news conference in the state Capitol to call for Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm to prosecute abortion providers in their counties. (Richmond, 9/26)

Arizona Republic: Abortion Access Fight Moves From Red States To Blue States
The sanctuary in Grace Covenant Reformed Church was packed. People stood shoulder to shoulder wherever they could – near the stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible, behind the neatly lined rows of chairs that serve as pews, against a wall covered in crosses made from painted wood, wire, glass and ceramic red chiles. ... Residents of Clovis, a town of some 40,000 people a mere 20-minute drive to the Texas state line, crammed into this little brick building that night to discuss a plan of action to ban abortion. (Ebbers and Kavathas, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Senate Advances Bill To Temporarily Aid Hospitals, Health Centers
The legislation would fund the federal government and temporarily reauthorize disproportionate share hospital payments, the federally qualified health centers program, graduate medical education funding, the National Health Service Corps and other healthcare initiatives until Nov. 17. The fiscal year ends on Saturday and Congress has not passed any spending bills for fiscal 2024. (McAuliff, 9/26)

The Washington Post: How A Government Shutdown Would Affect Medicare, Medicaid Benefits
A government shutdown could wreak havoc on many federally funded programs if lawmakers cannot negotiate a spending deal by the Saturday deadline, including potential disruptions to some services provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare benefits will not be affected, and Medicaid has full funding for the next three months. While the agency is partially shielded from the impending tumult, it will retain fewer than half of its employees — many unpaid — until a shutdown ends, according to the updated Health and Human Services contingency plan released Thursday. (Malhi, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Government Shutdown Threat Risks HHS Programs, Staffing
A government shutdown could thrust healthcare providers into unpredictable and uncharted territory, even though vast portions of the federal healthcare apparatus, including Medicare and Medicaid, are immune from annual budget showdowns in Congress. According to President Joe Biden's proposed budget for fiscal 2024, which begins Sunday, 91% of Health and Human Services Department spending is categorized as mandatory, not as discretionary spending that is subject to yearly appropriations bills or periodic reauthorizations. (McAuliff, 9/26)

Reuters: Cough Syrup Deaths Overseas Prompt US Crackdown On Toxic Testing
The U.S. FDA is cracking down on lax testing practices by dozens of makers of healthcare products following hundreds of deaths overseas from contaminated cough syrups, a Reuters review of regulatory alerts found. The Food and Drug Administration has reprimanded at least 28 companies this year, saying they failed to prove sufficient testing of ingredients used in over-the-counter drugs and consumer products for the toxins ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG), according to a Reuters analysis of agency import alerts and warning letters to manufacturers. (Wingrove, 9/26)

Reuters: Walgreens Accused Of 'Grossly Inflated' Fee Bid In Health Plans' Lawsuit
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and other insurers have asked a U.S. judge to deny what they called a "grossly inflated" request for legal fees from national retail pharmacy chain Walgreens (WBA.O) arising from a dispute over evidence in a court case. The insurers said in a Chicago federal court filing on Monday that Walgreens' attorneys at Ropes & Gray were seeking "excessive" fees of more than $103,000 for the work of 11 lawyers on a single court motion in the litigation. (Scarcella, 9/26)

Politico: Medicare Advantage Premiums And Plans To Increase Slightly Next Year
The average premium for Medicare Advantage plans are expected to increase slightly next year, according to the Biden administration. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Tuesday that premiums will go up $0.64 per month in 2024. The number of plans is also expected to increase from 5,674 to more than 5,700. The data comes as signups in the Medicare Advantage program are expected to make up more than half of all Medicare enrollment next year and amid growing congressional scrutiny over how plans advertise to seniors. (King, 9/26)

Politico: CMS Lacks Data On Private Equity In Nursing Homes
CMS’ data on private equity ownership of nursing homes has significant limitations, according to a Government Accountability Office report first obtained by Pulse. The details: The report to House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) found that CMS’ data didn’t include all of many nursing homes’ owners. That could be because some didn’t meet reporting requirements for ownership or comply with reporting mandates. (Leonard and Cirruzzo, 9/26)

Politico: FDA Appears Skeptical Of ALS Stem Cell Treatment
The FDA is weighing the first stem cell treatment to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and agency documents indicate regulators are leaning against clearing it for market. FDA scientists said they have “major concerns” about the candidate, called NurOwn, ahead of a Wednesday meeting of the agency’s expert advisers. The drug, made by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, intends to treat ALS by using patients’ own stem cells to produce proteins thought to prevent neurons from dying. (Lim, Ellen Foley and Gardner, 9/26)

Politico: ARPA-H Announces New Cancer-Research Programs, Nationwide Health Innovation Network
The Biden administration announced almost $115 million in funding for three new cancer research programs Tuesday, as well as a nationwide network to deploy health innovation and medical breakthroughs to a wider swath of the country faster. The programs are through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, the new agency focused on high-risk, high-reward research. (Schumaker, 9/26)

The Boston Globe: Cambridge Chosen As National ARPA-H Hub
A new federal health research agency will set up shop in Cambridge with plans to spend billions of dollars to accelerate breakthroughs to vanquish tough-to cure diseases such as cancers and Alzheimer’s. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, said Tuesday that Cambridge will host the agency’s “investor catalyst” hub, which will work with researchers, entrepreneurs, and financiers to speed the transition of basic research into new technologies and medicines. (Chesto and Weisman, 9/26)

CIDRAP: FDA Releases Draft Guidance On Antibiotic Duration Limits In Food Animals
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today published draft guidance for defining appropriate duration of use in antibiotics used in the feed of food-producing animals.The guidance aims to address an issue that critics say the FDA has neglected in its efforts to promote more judicious use of medically important antibiotics in livestock and poultry. Roughly one-third of medically important antibiotics approved for use in food-producing animals have no duration limit, meaning farmers can use those antibiotics in animal feed for extended periods of time to prevent disease—a practice critics say compensates for poor living conditions that promote disease in herds and flocks. (Dall, 9/26)

Politico: Rising Temps May Increase Hospital Visits For Drugs And Alcohol
Now, new research finds that warmer weather can increase the risk of substance-related hospitalizations. The study, published today in the journal Communications Medicine, finds that higher temperatures are associated with more hospitalizations related to the abuse of alcohol and drugs in New York state. For nonalcohol substances, hospitalizations increased until temperatures reached about 50 degrees — then tapered off. (Harvey, 9/26)

NBC News: Teens Inundated With Phone Prompts Day And Night, Research Finds
New research Common Sense Media released Tuesday finds about half of 11- to 17-year-olds get at least 237 notifications on their phones every day. About 25% of them pop up during the school day, and 5% show up at night. ... Dr. Benjamin Maxwell, the interim director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, said he is "immensely concerned" by the findings. (Edwards and Snow, 9/26)

The New York Times: Former U.S. Military Bases Remain A Toxic Menace 
The cities of Seaside and Marina, Calif., where Fort Ord had been critical to the local economy, were left with a ghost town of clapboard barracks and decrepit, World War II-era concrete structures that neither of the cities could afford to tear down. Also left behind were poisonous stockpiles of unexploded ordnance, lead fragments, industrial solvents and explosives residue, a toxic legacy that in some areas of the base remains largely where the Army left it. (Vartabedian, 9/27)

CBS News: New Orleans' Drinking Water Threatened As Saltwater Intrusion Looms
Millions of Louisiana residents are facing a possible drinking water crisis as saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico threatens to contaminate the freshwater supply. The saltwater intrusion, caused by a severe summer drought that lowered the Mississippi River's water levels, could have serious consequences, as many local water treatment facilities are ill-equipped to handle high salt content, which can corrode pipes and pose health risks when consumed. (Villafranca and Novak, 9/26)

Newsweek: Spider Venom Toxin Could Help With Erectile Dysfunction
A huge, horrifying spider might be the last thing you want to think about in the throes of passion, but scientists are now using spider venom to cure erectile dysfunction. Venom from the Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria nigriventer), also known as the banana spider, is the perfect candidate for a Viagra-like drug, as it is known to cause painful and long-lasting erections as a side effect. (Thomson, 9/26)

CBS News: New Study Links Tear Gas Exposure To Adverse Reproductive Health Outcomes
During protests in the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, law enforcement used chemical irritants on the crowds. Later, some protestors reported disruptions in their menstrual cycles and reproductive health. The anecdotal reports prompted a study at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Planned Parenthood to explore the relationship between tear gas exposure and reproductive health. (Mitchell, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: New Study Points With ‘94% Accuracy’ To Biological Signs Of Long COVID
A study published Monday in the journal Nature reveals an array of physical anomalies among the 152 study participants with long COVID, narrowing in on likely causes that researchers have suspected for years. The sheer variety of biomarkers — measurable physical characteristics — sets long COVID apart from more straightforward illnesses like hypertension, which can be easily identified by measuring blood pressure. The new study confirms that there isn’t just one such characteristic in people with long COVID, but many, and that not all are shared by everyone with the disease. (Asimov, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Centene Layoffs To Hit 2,000 Employees
Centene said it will lay off about 2,000 of its employees, or slightly more than 3% of its workforce. "We routinely assess our workforce to ensure we have the talent and expertise necessary to support our members and the evolving needs of the business," a spokesperson said Tuesday. "Our decision was not made lightly." (Tepper, 9/26)

Reuters: US Judge Overturns Eli Lilly's $176.5 Million Loss In Teva Patent Case
Drugmaker Eli Lilly (LLY.N) convinced a federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday to overturn a $176.5 million jury verdict for Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA.TA) that found Lilly's migraine drug Emgality infringed three patents related to Teva's rival drug Ajovy. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said in a post-trial ruling that the Teva patents covering the use of antibodies to inhibit headache-causing peptides were invalid. (Brittain, 9/26)

Reuters: Consulting Firm McKinsey To Pay $230 Million In Latest US Opioid Settlements
Consulting firm McKinsey & Co has agreed to pay $230 million to resolve lawsuits by hundreds of U.S. local governments and school districts alleging it fueled an epidemic of opioid addiction through its work for bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and other drug companies. The settlements, which require a judge's approval, were disclosed in papers filed on Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco. The money is on top of $641.5 million that McKinsey already paid to resolve claims by state attorneys-general. (Raymond, 9/27)

Houston Chronicle: Rice Gets $45M For Immunotherapy Device That May Cut Cancer Deaths
A team of researchers led by Rice University will receive $45 million to create an implantable device that aims to reduce U.S. cancer-related deaths by more than 50 percent. ... This type of treatment, called immunotherapy, is increasingly popular for fighting cancer. But it usually requires tethering patients to hospital beds, IV bags and monitors. The goal of Rice’s project would be to use engineered cells to produce biologic-based drugs inside patients. The dosage could then be adjusted in real time as cancer cells evolve and adapt. (Leinfelder, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Tower Health To Sell Urgent Care Centers To American Family Care
Tower Health is selling eight urgent care centers to American Family Care and closing five locations in Pennsylvania, effective Oct. 1. Financial details of the transaction with Birmingham, Alabama-based American Family Care were not disclosed. Tower said there are no planned layoffs, and American Family Care, which operates more than 200 urgent care centers in 26 states, is expected to offer jobs to as many affected employees as possible. (Hudson, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Boston Children’s, T-Mobile To Build 5G Network Ahead Of Epic Switch
Boston Children’s Hospital is installing a private hybrid 5G network from cell phone carrier T-Mobile, in part to prepare for its upcoming switch to Epic's electronic health record system. The 5G network also will enable the hospital to run its virtual health programs more effectively and improve communications between clinicians, said Heather Nelson, Boston Children's chief information officer. (Perna, 9/26)

Reuters: Ionis' Metabolic Disorder Drug Lowers High Levels Of A Type Of Fat In Study
Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS.O) said on Tuesday its experimental drug met the main goal of reducing abnormally high levels of the most common type of body fat in a late-stage trial in patients with a metabolic disorder. The rare genetic disorder, known as familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), prevents the body from breaking down fats and is characterized by extremely high levels of triglyceride. (9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: It Serves 50,000 Patients A Year. It Just Avoided A Massive Strike
A last-minute labor deal has averted a workers strike at a nonprofit health care provider that serves tens of thousands of mostly lower-income immigrant and refugee patients in Alameda County. The deal struck Friday between the employees and managers of Asian Health Services, a nonprofit organization with 14 community health care centers, is expected to relieve a staffing crisis that created massive wait lists for dental care and basic checkups, and difficult working conditions for staff, say health care workers involved in the negotiation process. (Li, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Signs Gun-Control Laws After Two Mass Shootings
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several gun control measures Tuesday, including a bill that tightens the state’s concealed-carry rules and another that imposes a new tax on firearm and ammunition sales. During a signing ceremony in Sacramento alongside lawmakers and gun control advocates, Newsom said California would resist legal efforts to dismantle its firearms laws and maintain its position as a national gun control leader, but called for greater federal action. (Wiley, 9/26)

AP: Louisiana's Struggle With Influx Of Salt Water Prompts A Request For Biden To Declare An Emergency
A mass inflow of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico creeping up the drought-stricken Mississippi River is threatening drinking water supplies in Louisiana, prompting Gov. John Bel Edwards to ask President Joe Biden for federal help. Edwards sent a letter Monday evening saying the issue “is of such severity and magnitude” that state and local authorities can no longer manage it on their own. Federal assistance is “necessary to save lives and to protect property, public health and safety or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster,” Edwards wrote. (Cline, 9/26)

AP: Oregon Gov. Kotek Directs State Police To Crack Down On Fentanyl Distribution
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Tuesday she has directed state police to launch new strategies aimed at disrupting the fentanyl supply chain and holding sellers of the frequently deadly drug accountable. Kotek said in a statement that she made the announcement at a Tuesday meeting of her task force created to revitalize downtown Portland. (9/26)

AP: Missouri's GOP Attorney General Sues School For Closed-Door Debate On Transgender Bathroom Use
Missouri’s Republican attorney general on Tuesday sued a school district for allegedly secretly discussing transgender students’ bathroom access, in violation of the state’s open-meeting law. The lawsuit by Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is campaigning to keep his seat in 2024, claimed a suburban St. Louis school board went into a closed session to talk about a student’s request to use a different bathroom. (Ballentine, 9/26)

CIDRAP: Quick Takes: Vectorborne Infections In New Hampshire, More Florida Dengue Cases, UK-Seqirus Pandemic Vaccine Deal
Florida has reported eight more locally acquired dengue infections, raising the year's total to 31, the Florida Department of Health said in its latest weekly arbovirus surveillance report. Most (26) cases this year have been reported from Miami-Dade County, though a few were reported from Broward (3), Hardee (1), and Polk (1) counties. (Schnirring, 9/26)

The Hill: Minnesota Senator Tests Positive For COVID-19
Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith (D) on Tuesday announced she has tested positive for COVID-19. “I tested positive for COVID this morning after developing mild symptoms Sunday night,” Smith said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’ll stay here in Minnesota while following CDC guidelines.” (Suter, 9/26)