Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Historic Second Pig Kidney Transplant Patient Has Now Died
The New York Times: Second Patient To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died
A 54-year-old New Jersey woman who was the second person to receive a kidney transplanted from a genetically modified pig, and who lived with the organ for 47 days, died on Sunday, surgeons at NYU Langone Health announced on Tuesday. The patient, Lisa Pisano, was critically ill, suffering from both kidney failure and heart failure. She received the pig kidney on April 12, just eight days after implantation of a mechanical heart pump. (Rabin, 7/9)
USA Today: All Patients Who Have Received Pig Organs Have Now Died
The first trials using pig organs in people, two heart transplants at the University of Maryland in 2022 and 2023, followed by a kidney transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital at NYU in April, were supposed to turbocharge the field. But none of the patients survived more than two months with their pig organs. (Weintraub, 7/9)
In other health and wellness news —
AP: Cancer Stole His Voice. A Rare Larynx Transplant Brought It Back
A Massachusetts man has regained his voice after surgeons removed his cancerous larynx and, in a pioneering move, replaced it with a donated one. Transplants of the so-called voice box are extremely rare, and normally aren’t an option for people with active cancer. Marty Kedian is only the third person in the U.S. ever to undergo a total larynx transplant – the others, years ago, because of injuries – and one of a handful reported worldwide. (Neergaard, 7/9)
Axios: Study: Acupuncture Can Ease Methadone Treatment
Eight weeks of acupuncture was found to reduce the dose of methadone needed to control opioid cravings, which could make patients likelier to stick with their treatment. Why it matters: Methadone is one of the most effective medications for curbing opioid addiction, but uncomfortable side effects can cause people to stop treatment. (Goldman, 7/10)
NPR: Some Argue For Age Limits On Buying Nonalcoholic Beer, Wine And Mocktails
Darryl Collins owns a zero-proof bottle shop called Hopscotch in Baltimore, Md., selling over 200 options of nonalcoholic spirits, beer, wine and canned cocktails. ... Collins set his own age limit, and he’s free to set it however he wants because in Maryland — as in the majority of states — there are no state age restrictions on who can buy adult non-alcoholic beverages. Now, some health researchers are calling for clear, consistent age limits for non-alcoholic beers, wines and liquors, likening them to candy cigarettes. (Huang, 7/9)
Axios: Why Parents Shouldn’t Stress About Kids’ Screen Time, According To A Leading Pediatrician
Don't get hysterical about your child's screen time or yank away their cellphone protectively, says Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician who runs a leading treatment program for kids with so-called "internet addictions" (a term he detests). Children will go through life with a smartphone, he points out — and it's important for the adults in their lives to teach them to use one wisely. (Kingson, 7/10)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (7/9)
On the gun violence epidemic —
AP: Milk, Eggs And Now Bullets For Sale In Handful Of US Grocery Stores With Ammo Vending Machines
A company has installed computerized vending machines to sell ammunition in grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas, allowing patrons to pick up bullets along with a gallon of milk. American Rounds said their machines use an identification scanner and facial recognition software to verify the purchaser’s age and are as “quick and easy” to use as a computer tablet. But advocates worry that selling bullets out of vending machines will lead to more shootings in the U.S., where gun violence killed at least 33 people on Independence Day alone. (Chandler, 7/9)
KFF Health News: These Vibrant, Bigger-Than-Life Portraits Turn Gun Death Statistics Into Indelible Stories
Zarinah Lomax is an uncommon documentarian of our times. She has designed dresses from yellow crime-scene tape and styled jackets with hand-painted demands like “Don’t Shoot” in purple, black, and gold script. Every few months, she hauls dozens of portraits of Philadelphians — vibrant, bold, bigger-than-life faces — to pop-up galleries to raise an alarm about gun violence in her hometown and America. (Spolar, 7/10)
