Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ultraprocessed Food Could Be To Blame For Colon Cancer Rise In Young Women
NBC News: Ultra-Processed Foods Linked To Increased Risk Of Precancerous Polyps, Study Finds
Eating more ultra-processed foods is tied to an increased risk of precancerous colorectal growths in women under 50, according to a study published Thursday in JAMA Oncology. These growths, called adenomas or polyps, can later turn into cancer and are a good indicator of a person’s cancer risk, experts say. (Sullivan, 11/13)
On alpha-gal syndrome and bird flu —
CIDRAP: New Jersey Man's Death First One To Be Tied To Tick-Related Meat Allergy
A previously healthy New Jersey man has been identified by an allergist at the University of Virginia (UVA) and his coauthors as suffering the first documented fatality from alpha-gal syndrome, a meat allergy triggered by tick bites. The case study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Practice yesterday. The allergy is caused by the bite of the lone star tick, which can sensitize people to alpha-gal, a sugar found in mammalian meat, including beef, lamb, and pork. (Soucheray, 11/13)
AP: Washington State Reports First Human Bird Flu Case Since February
Health officials in Washington state say they have identified the nation’s first human case of bird flu since February, pending confirmatory testing. A Grays Harbor County, Washington, resident preliminarily tested positive for the infection, the Washington State Department of Health said Thursday. Health officials say they’re still investigating the source of the infection, including contact with wild or domestic birds. The patient is an older adult with underlying health conditions, state health officials said. (Shastri, 11/13)
On the opioid crisis —
AP: Few Object To Settlement With Purdue Pharma, Sackler Family Members
Lawyers representing OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, branches of the Sackler family that own it, cities, states, counties, Native American tribes, people with addiction and others across the U.S. are expected to deliver a nearly unanimous message for a bankruptcy court judge Friday: Approve a plan to settle thousands of opioid-related lawsuits against the company. If U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane abides, it will close a long chapter — and maybe the entire book — on a legal odyssey over efforts to hold the company to account for its role in an opioid crisis connected to 900,000 deaths in the U.S. since 1999, including deaths from heroin and illicit fentanyl. (Mulvihill, 11/14)
On dementia, gout, and breast cancer —
Fox News: Researchers Develop New Tool To Predict Alzheimer's Risk Before Symptoms Arise
A team of Mayo Clinic scientists have created a way to estimate a person’s risk of developing memory and thinking problems long before symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease begin, potentially changing how the disease is detected and treated in the future. The research, published in The Lancet Neurology, draws on decades of data from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a long-running effort that tracks thousands of residents over time, according to a press release. (Quill, 11/13)
The Washington Post: Listening To Music Is Linked To Lower Dementia Risk, Study Suggests
Regularly listening to music is linked to a lower risk of developing dementia, according to a new study. In the study, published in October, researchers looked at data spanning a decade and involving more than 10,000 relatively healthy people, aged 70 and older, in Australia. People who listened to music most days slashed their risk of developing dementia by 39 percent compared with those who did not regularly listen to music, the study found. (Penman, 11/13)
WUSF: Gout Is More Related To Genetics Than Lifestyle, Study Shows
Forget what you think you know about gout. Gout is a common form of arthritis that can cause sudden bouts of pain, strong enough to wake someone from a deep sleep. It causes inflammation, redness and tenderness in one or more joints and is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. (Levesque, 11/14)
MedPage Today: Key HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Therapy Gets Its First Biosimilar
The FDA approved pertuzumab-dpzb (Poherdy) as the first biosimilar for its reference product Perjeta, a monoclonal antibody commonly used in standard regimens for HER2-positive breast cancer. FDA granted the targeted agent an interchangeable status as well, allowing for pharmacy-level substitutions. (Bassett, 11/13)
