Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sutter Revises Plan To Replace California Hospital After Red Tape Prompts It To Seek New Site
Modern Healthcare: Sutter Health Drops Emeryville Hospital From $1B Project
Sutter Health will not build a hospital as part of its construction project in Emeryville, California, because of regulatory hurdles, the nonprofit health system said Friday. The $1 billion project, as outlined in a February 2025 announcement, included plans for an outpatient hub and a 200-bed replacement hospital for the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. But the lack of a clear regulatory path for the hospital leaves the health system vulnerable to litigation that could delay construction, Sutter said in a statement. (Kacik, 10/30)
San Francisco Chronicle: SF Hospitals Are Rethinking Emergency Care For Older Adults
When Maggie Lawlor had chest pain and trouble breathing this past September, she quickly got herself to the emergency room at UCSF Medical Center. Because her condition was not immediately life-threatening, Lawlor waited 11 hours on a gurney in the hallway — the chaos around her making her feel increasingly claustrophobic and anxious. (Ho, 11/1)
And in pharmaceutical industry news —
HealthDay: Study: Over A Quarter Of Americans Lie To Get Antibiotics
More than a quarter of Americans have exaggerated or invented symptoms to try to get antibiotics from their doctor, a new study says. The main reason cited by these folks is that they or their kids feel very sick, and they think antibiotics are the only treatment that will work, researchers reported Oct. 30 in JAMA Network Open. (Thompson, 11/2)
Axios: Pharma's Next Cash Cows Could Be Specialized Treatments
Pharmaceutical companies facing a steep patent cliff are concluding the key to future profits may be customized treatments tailored to patients' genes and lifestyles — not blockbusters aimed at large patient populations. (Bettelheim, 11/2)
Stat: Coming Readout Of Kymera Eczema Trial Is A High-Stakes Moment In A Bid To Rival Dupixent
Over the past decade, Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent has become the top-selling drug in immunology, bringing in tens of billions in revenue while transforming outcomes for the 1.4 million patients currently on the therapy for conditions including eczema, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But investors and doctors are intensely following an experimental therapy positioned to rival the pharma blockbuster, with results from a key study fast approaching. (Wosen, 11/2)
