Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Florida Pharmacists May Soon Become Prescribers; How Accurate Are Early Alzheimer's Tests?
Miami Herald: With Fewer Doctors, Should Florida Broaden Pharmacists' Responsibilities?
As Florida lawmakers learned in December, their state is expected to have a severe physician shortage in the 2030s. Even now, it can take up to three weeks to get an appointment with a primary care clinician. Many rural Floridians live in primary care deserts. (Marc Joffe and Jeffrey A. Singer, 3/28)
Chicago Tribune: Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Using Pseudoscience Is Dangerous
Early detection and early intervention have been medicine’s mantra for the past several decades. Medical societies recommend colonoscopy and mammograms, for example, to individuals who are at minimal risk. This is based on the presumption that the biological processes that lead to the disease begin years, if not decades, before the disease becomes manifest. Detecting the disease in its “preclinical” state will result in early treatment that will prolong and improve the quality of life. (Anand Kumar, 3/28)
Seattle Times: Supreme Court Scoffs At Flimsy Abortion Pill Argument
Abortion is back at the Supreme Court. The case contests decisions by the Food and Drug Administration to make the drug mifepristone available by mail and via telemedicine. But at oral argument on Monday, the court that overturned Roe v. Wade seemed poised to reject the arguments of the pro-life Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. (Noah Feldman, 3/28)
Seattle Times: WA Must Continue Its Role As Lead Defender Of Abortion Rights
First, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Then came last month’s attack by the Alabama Supreme Court with its ruling on embryos, which momentarily halted in vitro fertilization in the state. The latest attack, which was before the high court this week, was lobbed by anti-abortion doctors and organizations that claim they are morally harmed by people using the abortion drug mifepristone. (3/28)
Stat: Bipartisan Industrial Policy For The Life Sciences Is Needed In The U.S.
President Biden’s efforts to revitalize the nation’s technology-based industries, which began with semiconductors and electric vehicles, should encompass the life sciences. Biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital therapeutics, diagnostics, genomics, and AI-based clinical decision support compete in a global market where other nations are doubling down in support for their domestic champions. The benefits of investing in the life sciences cannot be measured solely in terms of improved health — they also include high-wage jobs, exports, and tax revenues; pandemic and military preparedness; and spillovers to other sectors. (James C. Robinson, 3/29)
