Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The New York Times: New Cancer Drugs Are Revolutionary. Why Don’t More Patients Get Them?
A crushing sense of fatigue was spoiling John Ebers’s ski trip with his family. “I looked at my wife,” he recalled, “and said, ‘Man, I need to get in better shape.’” Less than four weeks later, Mr. Ebers, a 46-year-old commercial beekeeper, learned the problem was something much grimmer than his fitness level: A tumor had broken through the wall of his colon and spread to his lymph nodes. He had Stage 3 colorectal cancer. (Kolata, 9/30)
CNN: Chemicals In Everyday Plastics Pose Widespread Health Risks
Nearly 93% of known plastic chemicals used to wrap food and make clothes, toys, and other common household and personal care products pose a high risk to human health, according to a new investigation provided exclusively to CNN. (LaMotte, 9/30)
ProPublica: Four Kids In An Idaho Faith-Healing Family Died. Officials Could Do Nothing.
An exemption in Idaho law shields faith-healing parents from criminal prosecution for conduct that otherwise would be charged as neglect. It also keeps police and social workers from stepping in to protect a dead child’s surviving siblings. (Dutton, 10/1)
Bloomberg: FlyDubai Near-Disaster Brings Pilot Suicides Back Into Focus
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv narrowly avoided catastrophe when one of the pilots allegedly tried to stab his colleague, forcing the plane into a steep plunge and an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The incident revives concerns about cockpit crews’ mental health and recalls past incidents of pilot murder-suicides. The cases are rare but not unheard of. A US Federal Aviation Administration study in 2014 found that eight of 2,758 fatal aviation incidents between 2003 and 2012 were determined to be aircraft-assisted murder-suicides. (Philip, 9/30)
Fortune: McDonald’s Is Exploring An $8.5 Billion Bet On A Fast Food Wave Led By Protein-Maxxing And GLP-1s
The health wave has made its impact on what could have been considered its mortal enemy: fast food. In a far cry from its old era of “supersized” menus, McDonald’s is exploring a new $8.5 billion, decade-long “McDonald’s Next” overhaul—and the fast food giant is exploring smaller and more flexible portions aimed at protein-first and GLP-1 consumers. The company is considering grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps, crispy chicken and burger bowls, and egg bites as it adapts to changing eating habits. (Hong, 10/1)
