Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: It's Time For Men To Talk About Depression; Addicted To The War On Drugs
The Star Tribune: Why Men Like Me Should Talk Openly About Depression
For too long, there’s been a stigma attached to mental illness in the United States and elsewhere. It’s especially bad for men, who are supposed to solve problems in this git-’er-done society of ours. Feelings? Fears? We’re supposed to swallow those, keep them bottled and buried. If they start to fight their way to the surface, you’re supposed to drown them in alcohol or play five rounds of golf every week or shut yourself away from family in your workshop or man cave. (Patrick Donnelly, 4/25)
USA Today: We Need A New NIH Director
Over his first 100 days in office, President Trump has set a new direction for the country in a variety of areas, from Defense policy to health care and federal hiring. One by one, he has been making good on his campaign promises. He is burnishing his pro-life credentials as well as proving his drive to innovate and put America back in a position of global leadership. Next on the president’s list should be a new director for the National Institutes of Health. (David A Prentice, 4/25)
Stat: It's Time To Kick Our Addiction To The War On Drugs
As New Jersey Governor Chris Christie takes the lead in crafting the Trump administration’s response to the opioid crisis, he and his colleagues need to understand that we can’t fix the problem until we kick our long-term addiction to the war on drugs and accept overdoses for what they are: a health issue. Although the majority of Americans who consume illicit drugs do so without addiction, opioid overdose has become a deadly reality. Every day, 120 to 140 people in the US die from drug overdoses, more than from gunshot wounds or car accidents. About 90 of these are due to opioids. (Marc Krupanski, 4/25)
Stat: The Broad Institute Is Testing The Limits Of What 'Nonprofit' Means
When a federal patent court ruled that the nonprofit Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard could legally license its version of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing system, it opened the door to millions of dollars of revenue for the institute. It also contributed to the seismic shift occurring in science whereby tax-exempt research institutes established under an emerging model of “free market philanthropy” can amass money to further their research and protect their commercial interests. ... But it is the Broad’s handling of its own CRISPR business and partnerships that threaten to undermine its nonprofit mission. These relationships can challenge the concept of “public interest,” such as when the Broad sells CRISPR licenses to Monsanto for agricultural applications, since a sizable fraction of the public may not agree that genetically modified crops serve the public interest. Or it might not be in the public interest when a favored corporation reaps a financial benefit, such as when the Broad sells exclusive licenses for CRISPR to Editas Medicine, a company that was spun out of the institute. (Jim Kozubek, 4/25)
Stat: Fighting Diphtheria: This Old Disease Needs A New Treatment
It’s a tragedy whenever a child dies needlessly of a disease that is both preventable and treatable. Sadly, that happens daily around the globe, due mainly to a raft of infectious diseases. One of these is diphtheria. It is still a killer mainly because the treatment for it is no longer made and stockpiles of it are aging and dwindling. (Mark Klepner, 4/26)
The Des Moines Register: New Medical Cannabis Bill Is Nearly As Weak As The First
While recreational marijuana use has been legalized or decriminalized in nine states and 30 allow it for medicinal purposes, Iowa continues to limp along behind the curve. Our state has yet to get an effective, legally enforceable medical marijuana law. (Rekha Basu, 4/25)
