Stat: FDA Approves First Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill
In a highly anticipated move, the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, a decision that could transform the way contraception is delivered in the United States. For the first time, people will now be able to readily purchase birth control online and at pharmacies, convenience stores, and grocery stores without a prescription, a requirement that has been seen as a hurdle to greater access to contraception. Called the Opill, it is expected to become available in the first quarter of 2024, but the pricing has not yet been disclosed by Perrigo, the company that manufactures the pill. (Silverman, 7/13)

Roll Call: FDA Approves First OTC Birth Control Pill 
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved HRA Pharma’s progestin-only birth control medication Opill, making it the nation’s first over-the-counter birth control pill. “Today’s approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (Clason, 7/13)

AP: Opill, The First Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill, Gets FDA Approval
Perrigo submitted years of research to the FDA to show that women could understand and follow instructions for using the pill. Thursday’s approval came despite some concerns by FDA scientists about the company’s results, including whether women with certain underlying medical conditions would understand that they shouldn’t take the drug. The FDA’s action only applies to Opill. It’s in an older class of contraceptives, sometimes called minipills, that contain a single synthetic hormone and generally carry fewer side effects than more popular combination hormone pills. (Perrone, 7/13)

The Washington Post: What To Know About Opill, The First U.S. Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill
“This is historic and transformative for reproductive rights without having to go to a physician, which presents a barrier to many people,” according to Julie Maslowsky, an associate professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health. She was a scientific consultant for HRA Pharma, a subsidiary of Perrigo that submitted the application to the FDA for approval. (Malhi, 7/13)

Despite the news, there are concerns over the drug's cost —

Axios: Cost Could Limit Demand For Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pills
While the Food and Drug Administration's decision to approve over-the-counter birth control pills could make contraception more accessible in places where it's hard to find a prescriber, the still-unknown cost could be a major hurdle. Health insurance plans are not required to cover birth control methods obtained without a prescription, meaning that consumers who take HRA Pharma's Opill, once it's available over-the-counter next year, will likely pay out-of-pocket. (Gonzalez, 7/14)

In other birth control developments —

Axios: Iowa Groups Expand Plan B Access As Abortion Restrictions Loom 
Local family planning advocates are trying to increase access to birth control medications like Plan B in light of evolving abortion restrictions in Iowa. The Iowa Legislature passed a bill banning most abortions around six weeks of gestation late Tuesday night, with exceptions for the life of the pregnant person or for rape and incest if they're reported to law enforcement within a certain time span. (Ta, 7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Weather: Powerful Heat Dome To Bring Scorching Temps
A high-pressure system will grow in size and intensity starting Thursday, ramping up the dangerous heat wave predicted for California this weekend. Weather models are in agreement that the high pressure will expand into California over the course of Thursday and Friday, covering everything from San Francisco to the Sierra Nevada. (Díaz, 7/13)

NBC News: In Already-Brutal Heat, States Scramble To Prepare For Record Temperatures
“We know that when it’s 119 degrees out, that means it’s going to be 120 [degrees] plus in your home,” said Jay Kline, the general manager at Penguin Air, Plumbing & Electrical. “We’re making sure that we have as much coverage as we can to help if people’s air conditioners break in this crazy, extreme heat.” (Chow, 7/13)

AP: Maryland Announces First Heat-Related Death Of Year 
Maryland announced the first heat-related death of the year in the state on Thursday. A 52-year-old man died in Cecil County, the state’s health department said. (7/13)

The Washington Post: How Bad Is A Phoenix Heat Wave? The Perils Of Burning Pavements, Water Hoses
The city’s hospitals and firefighters this week have been trying to help people who are seared by pavement that can register 160 degrees or hotter. They are treating patients whose temperatures are running as much as 10 degrees above normal by injecting them with frigid IV fluids, blasting them with evaporative cooling fans, and placing them in what look like small inflatable kayaks filled with ice. (Partlow, 7/13)

It's not just an American issue, the entire globe is hot —

NPR: June 2023 Was The Hottest On Record Since 1850 
Last month was the hottest June on record going back 174 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It's the latest temperature record to fall this summer, as the El Niño climate pattern exacerbates the effects of human-caused climate change. (Hersher, 7/13)

Stat: Medicare Eyes Cuts To Doctors, Raises To Outpatient Clinics In 2024 
Physicians are in line to absorb more Medicare cuts next year, while hospital outpatient departments and surgery centers will get billions in new revenue. The base figure that determines how much physicians get paid by Medicare will decrease by 3.3% for 2024, the federal government said Thursday. The cuts will not be distributed equally among all specialties. Indeed, primary care doctors, endocrinologists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants would see their Medicare payment rates rise, on average, according to the annual payment rule. (Herman, 7/13)

Politico: Biden Administration Proposes Cutting Physician Pay By 3.3 Percent
The proposed cut is already getting blowback from some provider groups. The Medical Group Management Association said the cut “further increases the gap between physician practice expenses and Medicare reimbursement rates.” This is the second consecutive year physicians face a cut to Medicare payments. Last November, CMS finalized a 4 percent pay cut for 2023. (King, 7/13)

In other developments —

Modern Healthcare: CMS Outpatient, Ambulatory Surgical Center Pay Rule Issued
Hospitals are set to receive a 2.8% increase in Medicare reimbursements for outpatient care in calendar 2024 under a proposed rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. The American Hospital Association characterized the outpatient reimbursement increase as insufficient. (Berryman, 7/13)

Politico: Premium Increases Proposed For Public Worker Health Plans For 2024 
Proposed rates — unveiled publicly during a meeting of the State Health Benefits Commission Wednesday — are approximately a 7.4 percent overall increase for combined current local government workers, early retirees, and Medicare retirees and 4.3 percent for current state government workers, early retirees, and Medicare retirees. The state-run program oversees public workers' health insurance for the state and local governments that choose to participate in it. (Han, 7/13)

Also —

KFF Health News: A Plan To Cut Montana’s Medicaid Waiting List Was Met With Bipartisan Cheers. Then A Veto
Montana state Sen. Becky Beard thought she’d found a fix for a shortage of assisted living care options for Montanans who can’t afford to pay for it themselves — a shortage she became aware of while searching for a suitable place for her mother to live. (Denison, 7/14)

The 19th: House Votes To Eliminate Abortion Provisions In 2024 Defense Bill
After the Supreme Court’ decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization landed last year, ending the federal right to an abortion, the Biden administration issued new rules to assist service members and military dependents who had to travel across state lines for abortion services. However, House members voted 221-213 Thursday night to pass an amendment eliminating these abortion provisions from the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense spending bill. (Padilla, 7/13)

The New York Times: Defense Bill’s Fate Teeters After G.O.P. Wedges In Social Issues
The fate of the annual defense bill was in doubt on Friday, after Republicans loaded the legislation with a raft of conservative social policy restrictions limiting access to abortions, gender transition procedures and diversity training for military personnel, alienating Democrats whose votes G.O.P. leaders had seen as crucial to passing the legislation. (Demirjian, 7/14)

The Texas Tribune: U.S. House Adopts Texan’s Amendment Blocking Pentagon Abortion Policy
A sharply divided U.S. House voted Thursday to amend the annual defense policy bill to ban a Biden administration policy that allowed service members to be reimbursed for abortion-related travel and other expenses. U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, introduced the amendment with the backing of Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, and 70 other Republican co-sponsors. Jackson argued that the Department of Defense policy violates the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for abortion. (Alafriz, 7/13)

The president spoke on politics versus reproductive health —

CNN: Biden Slams Tuberville's Block Of Military Promotions As 'Irresponsible' And 'Jeopardizing US Security'
President Joe Biden said Thursday that Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville is being “irresponsible” and jeopardizing national security by blocking military promotions over his objections to the Defense Department’s reproductive health policies. (Saenz and Collins, 7/13)

Also in the bill, a boost for psychedelics —

Reuters: US Lawmakers Make Bipartisan Push For Psychedelics Research In Defense Bill
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pushed to include a provision allowing medical research of psychedelic drugs as part of a sweeping annual defense policy bill, saying it could help treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments despite possible concerns. "These are powerful substances, I don't want to give that short shrift," Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who first sponsored a bill on the topic in 2019, told a Capitol Hill press conference. "But they also have powerful potential as well." (Warburton, 7/13)

The Hill: Cassidy Introduces Bill To Fund Community Clinics, Citing Stalled Negotiations With Sanders
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), introduced legislation Thursday to reauthorize funding for community health centers as his office says negotiations with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on this issue aren’t progressing. (Choi, 7/13)

Politico: Without Bipartisan Agreement, Cassidy Introduces Health Reauthorization Bill
HELP ranking member Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Thursday introduced legislation that would reauthorize several health programs that have long enjoyed bipartisan support. But his bill represents a crack in the consensus over how to fund the programs, as Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pushes ahead with his own reauthorization plan, which includes large boosts to several health programs. (Payne, 7/13)

Meanwhile —

Stat: House Panel Passes Public Health Bills Following Contentious Debate
The House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee on Thursday voted along party lines to pass a bill to let employers provide telehealth-only insurance and another to retroactively require Senate confirmation of the president’s pick to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also passed a bill to renew federal pandemic-preparedness programs, but Republicans blocked attempts by Democrats to add drug shortage reforms. (Wilkerson, 7/13)

Politico: House Subcommittee Approves Permanent Tax Breaks For Telehealth Plans
The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee advanced legislation in a largely partisan fashion Thursday that would permanently allow employers to offer telehealth as a tax-free benefit separate from their group health insurance plans. Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig — a sponsor of the bill — was the lone Democrat joining Republicans in a 16-11 vote. (Leonard, 7/13)

Politico: House Panel Advances Opioid Treatment Reauthorization Bill
A subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee took its first steps to reauthorize a 2018 law meant to address the opioid epidemic and added resources to combat a deadly new drug cocktail. The health subcommittee advanced the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act to the full panel via voice vote on Thursday. The bill would reauthorize substance abuse programs passed under the SUPPORT Act. (King, 7/13)

Politico: House GOP Proposes Deep Health Spending Cuts
Republicans are proposing to drastically reduce federal spending on a variety of health agencies, cutting or eliminating a slew of programs that tackle everything from the HIV epidemic to teen pregnancy. The draft Labor-HHS spending bill, which the House Appropriation Committee unveiled Thursday, would offer $147 billion in overall funding for programs in its jurisdiction — 29 percent below 2023 levels. HHS would receive $103.3 billion, $14 billion less than fiscal 2023 levels and $26 billion less than what the Biden administration has asked for. (Leonard, 7/13)

On matters of pricing and health costs —

Politico: Hospitals Could Face New Price Transparency Requirements
CMS proposed major changes to how hospitals post prices for certain services in a bid to make them easier for consumers to understand. The agency included new requirements for hospital charge data in the proposed Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System rule released Thursday. The rule, which lays out payment rates and policy changes for 2024, creates a template for hospitals to share data intended to help consumers price shop. (King, 7/13)

Stat: How A Key Senate Committee Is Planning To Regulate PBMs
A key Senate health care panel has developed a plan to tackle reforms to middlemen in the pharmacy drug payment system, according to bill text obtained by STAT. The draft legislation, authored by Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), includes several measures to regulate how pharmacy benefit managers are paid by health plans to negotiate with drugmakers. (Cohrs, 7/13)

Reuters: Uninsured US Patients Pay Up To $330 For Eli Lilly’s $25 Insulin, Senator Warren Says
Americans without health insurance pay an average of $98 for Eli Lilly’s generic insulin despite the company’s May 1 pledge to cut its list price to $25 per vial, according to a survey of more than 300 U.S. pharmacies by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office released on Thursday. (Wingrove, 7/13)

In other developments —

The Washington Post: White House Planning To Tap Retired General To Lead New Pandemic Office
The White House is planning to name a longtime military health official to lead its new pandemic preparedness office amid growing concerns that efforts to brace for the next global health crisis are flagging. Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, who retired from the military this summer and joined the National Security Council to work on biodefense and global health security, is the planned selection to lead the White House’s Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a pending personnel move. (Diamond, 7/13)

The New York Times: Democrats Try A Novel Tactic To Revive The Equal Rights Amendment
Democrats in Congress are making a fresh push for the nearly century-old Equal Rights Amendment to be enshrined in the Constitution, rallying around a creative legal theory in a bid to revive an amendment that would explicitly guarantee sex equality as a way to protect reproductive rights in post-Roe America. (Karni, 7/13)

Bloomberg: Senator Questions Eldercare Startup Papa About Abuse Allegations
The chairman of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging sent a letter to the eldercare startup Papa Inc. on Thursday, pressing the company to “provide assurances that it is taking steps to ensure the safety and dignity of care workers and clients” following a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation revealing allegations of sexual assault and harassment. (Anand, 7/13)

Also —

KFF Health News: How A Combination Of Covid Lawsuits And Media Coverage Keeps Misinformation Churning
Public health has had its day in court lately. And another day. And another day. Over the course of the pandemic, lawsuits came from every direction, questioning public health policies and hospitals’ authority. Petitioners argued for care to be provided in a different way, they questioned mandates on mask and vaccine use, and they attacked restrictions on gatherings. (Tahir, 7/14)

Stat: HHS Leader Tells Covid Vaccine Makers To Set 'Reasonable' Prices
Amid ongoing controversy over the cost of medicines, a key Biden administration official told Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers that their next round of shots should be priced reasonably, a move that comes after two key suppliers were accused of price gouging. (Silverman, 7/13)

Reuters: US Govt Tells Vaccine Makers To Price Updated COVID Shots Reasonably
COVID vaccine makers should price their updated shots for the fall at a reasonable rate that would reflect the benefits they received through government investments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday. The U.S. government will also launch a $1 billion "Bridge Access Program" for this fall, to help those without insurance and the underinsured to continue getting vaccines and treatments at no cost. (7/13)

The Hill: $130 Per Shot COVID Vaccines? Manufacturers Warned Against Price Gouging
“Updated COVID-19 vaccines entering the market this fall should be priced at a reasonable rate, reflective of the value that you have obtained through U.S. government investment,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a Thursday letter to the CEOs of Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax. “Price gouging behavior takes advantage of the trust the American people have placed in you through the COVID-19 response,” Becerra said. (Weixel, 7/13)

Meanwhile, in news on when updated shots should be expected —

CNN: First On CNN: Updated Covid Shot Should Be Ready By ‘Latter Part Of September,’ HHS Secretary Says In Letter To Manufacturers
On Thursday morning, US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter to the CEOs of Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax detailing how, after the transition to commercialization, HHS expects “that vaccines will remain available in the types of locations where the public currently receives them – including pharmacies, clinics, healthcare provider offices, health departments, and other points of care – to maximize access.” (Howard, 7/13)

CNN: WHO Declares Widely Used Sweetener Aspartame A Possible Cancer Cause, But Intake Guidelines Stay The Same
For the first time, a semi-independent committee for the World Health Organization said Thursday that it’s determined that aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener found in thousands of products like diet sodas and sugar-free gum, should be categorized as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” But as alarming as the designation might sound, this label does not mean your diet soda causes cancer. The designation means that some of the research reviewed by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) shows that there may be a possible link between aspartame and liver cancer, but that science is by no means conclusive, like it is for a substance like asbestos or tobacco. (Christensen, 7/13)

The move against aspartame triggered many discussions of risk —

Stat: Does Aspartame Cause Cancer? What New WHO Guidance Says
Aspartame, the popular artificial sweetener in diet sodas and chewing gums, may possibly cause cancer — but the risk appears to be very low for occasional consumers of these products, according to two reports released Thursday evening by the World Health Organization. The first report, penned by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), found “limited evidence” that aspartame may cause liver cancer. The second, from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), reconfirmed the WHO’s previous recommendations that the sweetener is generally safe up until very large doses. (Florko, 7/13)

The New York Times: Aspartame And Cancer: What To Know About The WHO’s Advice
According to the W.H.O., it is safe to consume up to 40 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day. Using diet soda as a measure, the limit means that, by some estimates, a 150-pound person would need to drink more than a dozen cans each day to surpass it. (Blum, 7/13)

Axios: Diet Coke Drinkers: What To Know About Aspartame And Cancer Risk
Despite Diet Coke's cultish following, sales have been in decline over perceptions of its health risks. A World Health Organization cancer agency on Thursday classified aspartame — a key sweetener — as possibly carcinogenic, though experts say that likely doesn't mean you need to quit Diet Coke. (Mallenbaum, 7/13)

The FDA reacted to the news —

NPR: Sweetener Aspartame Is 'Possibly' Carcinogenic, WHO Report Says. FDA Disagrees
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it disagrees with this new classification, pointing to evidence of safety. In a written statement, an FDA official told NPR that aspartame being labeled by the WHO "as 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' does not mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer." (Aubrey, 7/13)

The 19th: Families, Health Care Workers Sue Texas Over Gender-Affirming Care Ban
Five families of transgender youth in Texas, plus three health care workers, are suing the state in an attempt to block its ban on gender-affirming care for minors from taking effect at the start of September. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and national legal groups are leading the lawsuit, which was filed late on Wednesday and names the state, the Texas attorney general and state medical board. Although the law has not gone into effect, transgender youth and their families have already been suffering, said Brian Klosterboer, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas. (Rummler, 7/13)

The Hill: Texas Families, Doctors File Lawsuit Challenging State’s Gender-Affirming Care Ban
In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Travis County District Court in Texas, parents of transgender children and teenagers between the ages of 9 and 16 argued that enforcing the law would cause “probable, imminent, and irreparable injuries” to their families. “Because my daughter might need puberty blockers in the next few months, I am temporarily relocating out of state with her and my other child. Her father will stay behind to continue working in Texas,” said Mary Moe, a plaintiff and the mother of Maeve Moe, a 9-year-old transgender girl. “We all intend to return and reunite in our home once it is safe for Maeve to receive this care in the state.” (Migdon, 7/13)

Meanwhile, in Florida —

Axios: Florida Medical Boards Issue New Rules For Trans Health Care
Transgender people in Florida are facing more restrictions to their medical care, even after two recent court rulings lambasted the state's approach to gender-affirming health care regulation. The state boards of medicine and osteopathic medicine issued new rules last week for trans adults to undergo hormone replacement therapy and surgery. The guidance is part of an informed consent process required by Senate Bill 254, which went into effect in May. (Varn, 7/13)

Also —

AP: An Anti-Trans Kansas Law Doesn't Prevent Birth Certificate Changes, The Governor Argues
The Democratic governor in Kansas is defending changes in the sex listings on transgender people’s birth certificates in a federal court filing arguing that continuing the changes doesn’t violate a new state law rolling back transgender rights. An attorney for Gov. Laura Kelly’s office also argued in the filing this week that the new Kansas law is discriminatory and “represents a willful failure of the Kansas Legislature” to protect people’s rights. It took effect July 1 and defines male and female based on a person’s sex assigned at birth for any other state law or regulation, barring legal recognition of transgender people’s gender identities. (Hanna, 7/13)

The Boston Globe: As Bans On Transgender Care For Minors Grow, A Migration Of Sorts Is Underway
Laws banning or restricting transition-related medical care for youths have been rolled out in 20 states in the past two years, mostly in conservative areas in Southern and Central parts of the country. Some bans haven’t gone into effect, and others have been temporarily blocked by courts (a lawsuit was filed in Texas state court this month arguing that the ban violates parental rights and discriminates against transgender youth), but some families have already started relocating to places with stronger LGBTQ+ protections. Many people who can’t move are planning to seek care in other states, where wait lists are growing, or face the prospect of having their child stuck in a body they don’t identify with. (Johnston, 7/14)

Politico: Emergency Room Visits Linked To Cannabis Spiked During Pandemic
Emergency department visits related to cannabis use increased among people under the age of 25 during the pandemic and have remained elevated, according to a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Demko, 7/13)

The Hill: Cannabis-Related ER Visits Rose Among Young People During Pandemic
The CDC observed data on ER visits from 2019 to 2022 among people under the age 25. In total, there were 539,106 cannabis-involved emergency department (ED) visits during this period in that demographic, with the weekly average of visits rising significantly across younger age groups. Among children younger than 10, the average number of weekly pot-related ED visits rose from 30.4 in 2020 to 71.5 in 2022, compared to ranging from 18.7 to 23.2 in 2019. (Choi, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Emergency Visits For Cannabis In Youth, Young Adults Increased In Pandemic
Of note, female cannabis-involved ED visit ratios surpassed those of males in the first half of the 2020-21 school year (2020, weeks 37–53), and this continued throughout most of the pandemic. "This might indicate that females were more likely than males to use cannabis to cope with pandemic-related stress," the authors said. (Soucheray, 7/13)

On other public health developments —

AP: Eating Limits Of Fish From North Carolina River Recommended Due To "Forever Chemical"
North Carolina health officials formally recommended on Thursday limits on eating certain fish caught from portions of the Cape Fear River due to health concerns from a substance within the family of “forever chemicals.” The state Department of Health and Human Services issued a consumption advisory for species of freshwater fish from the middle and lower Cape Fear River south of Fayetteville to north of Wilmington because of exposure to what’s called perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, of PFOS. (7/13)

New Hampshire Bulletin: New Data Shows Hunger Is A ‘Really Big Issue’ For LGBTQ+ People In New Hampshire
One population of Granite Staters experiences “severe” food insecurity and insufficiency, according to experts – but their invisibility means that few efforts exist to help them. In New Hampshire, the most recent data from the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy reveals 29% of LGBTQ+ individuals face food insecurity, and 28% have an annual income below $24,000.Furthermore, during the average week, 13% of gay, lesbian, and non-heterosexual New Englanders did not have enough food to eat. (Pirani, 7/13)

Bloomberg: US Family Homelessness Rises By 40% In Cities Like New York, Chicago Post-Covid
Family homelessness in the US is on the rise in an alarming sign of how the increasing cost of goods, the ever-tightening housing supply and the end of most pandemic-era benefits are putting pressure on Americans. (Saraiva, 7/13)

AP: Online, 'Unalive' Means Death Or Suicide. Experts Say It Might Help Kids Discuss Those Things
Amber Samuels, a 30-year-old therapist in Washington, D.C., who has used “unalive” in her own social accounts, says that she has heard clients use it and similar euphemisms in speech. To her, “it doesn’t feel abnormal or unusual.” “I think when we avoid using specific language to talk about suicide and sexual assault, we risk contributing to a culture of silence and shame surrounding these topics,” Samuels says. “In the case of social media, though, it’s the avoidance of using the actual, uncensored word that allows awareness and conversations to even be possible.” (McMillan, 7/14)

Axios: 988 Hotline's Long Road Ahead
As it hits the one-year mark, most Americans still aren't aware the 988 national suicide prevention and mental health hotline exists — and few states have established long-term funding commitments to sustain it. Without more outreach and resources, the three-digit number could languish as the nation continues to grapple with its mental health crisis. (Moreno, 7/14)

If you are in need of help —

Dial 9-8-8 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

Reuters: Johnson & Johnson Sues Researchers Who Linked Talc To Cancer
Johnson & Johnson has sued four doctors who published studies citing links between talc-based personal care products and cancer, escalating an attack on scientific studies that the company alleges are inaccurate. (7/13)

On an anti-cancer treatment —

Reuters: Caribou's Cell Therapy Shows Promise In Early-Stage Cancer Study
Caribou Biosciences Inc (CRBU.O) said on Thursday its experimental CAR T-cell therapy helped clear all signs or decrease tumor size in 94% of patients being treated for a type of cancer in the lymph nodes in a small, early-stage trial. (7/13)

Stat: Caribou Posts Encouraging Results On Off-The-Shelf CAR-T Therapy
Caribou Biosciences said Thursday that its off-the-shelf CAR-T therapy induced durable, complete remissions in patients with advanced B-cell lymphoma that move it closer to the benchmarks set by more established, patient-specific CAR-T therapies. In an update to an early-stage study, 44% of the 16 patients treated with Caribou’s on-demand therapy, called CB-010, achieved a complete remission lasting a minimum of six months — a key threshold of durability. (Feuerstein, 7/13)

In other news from the health industry —

Stat: Roche Shortens Delivery Time For MS Drug In Key Trial
For people living with multiple sclerosis, slowing or stopping this chronic and debilitating neurological disease often means sitting through hours-long infusion sessions, during which treatments slowly drip into a patient’s bloodstream. But on Thursday, Swiss pharma giant Roche raised hopes that this process could be cut down to minutes. (Wosen, 7/13)

Crain's Chicago Business: Health Care Service Corporation Uses AI For Prior Authorization 
Health Care Service Corp. is expanding a pilot integration of artificial intelligence into its prior authorization process, which the parent of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois promises will make the approval process for many procedures quicker and easier for providers and patients alike. (Asplund, 7/13)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Aspirus To Expand Into Minnesota In Deal With Duluth Hospital System
A Duluth-based health system is joining Wausau-based Aspirus Health, in yet another consolidation of regional hospital systems, the two announced on Wednesday. If the deal is ultimately approved, St. Luke’s, a system with two hospitals, would become the newest member of Aspirus' health system, said Andy Napgezek, a spokesman for Aspirus. (Volpenhein, 7/13)

Crain's New York Business: New York Gives Stipulations For Mount Sinai Merger
The state health commissioner has laid out several contingencies Mount Sinai must comply with to earn state approval of its controversial New York Eye & Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai merger, Crain’s has learned. The potential merger that would effectively join NYEEI with Beth Israel has sparked controversy since it came to light last summer. Sinai leaders maintain that the merger will not disrupt services, while infirmary leaders and community members have expressed concern that it will result in patients losing access to care. (Neber, 7/13)

Modern Healthcare: UCHealth-Parkview Health Pending Deal Delayed
The proposed merger of UCHealth and Parkview Health System has stalled due to "regulatory matters," according to financial documents filed this week. Pueblo, Colorado-based Parkview said in the filing its pending combination with Aurora, Colo.-based UC Health would not close in mid-2023 as expected. Parkview did not provide a new timeline for the deal's closure, saying it "remains committed to working through any regulatory hurdles," but "can give no assurance when or if the transaction will be consummated." (Hudson, 7/13)

Reuters: Roivant In Talks To Sell Bowel Disease Drug To Roche In Over $7 Bln Deal 
Biotech company Roivant Sciences (ROIV.O) is nearing a deal to sell an experimental drug to treat inflammatory bowel diseases including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease to Roche (ROG.S) in a deal that could be valued at more than $7 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. (7/13)

Reuters: U.S. Watchdog Lifts Price Estimate For Bluebird, Vertex/CRISPR Gene Therapies To $2.1 Million
An influential U.S. drug pricing watchdog raised the price estimate of two experimental gene therapies from Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX.O)/CRISPR Therapeutics and bluebird bio (BLUE.O) to as much as $2.05 mln, saying the new price can be cost effective to treat sickle cell disease. (Satija, 7/13)

Reuters: Strong U.S. Demand Eases Pressure On Novo To Show Weight-Loss Drug's Health Benefits 
Soaring U.S. demand for Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug has reduced the pressure from investors on the company to deliver strong results in its trial to test whether the drug also has medical benefits, eight investors and analysts say. Novo (NOVOb.CO) is expected to publish in August the results of a large study called SELECT, which is assessing whether Wegovy reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events like strokes or heart attacks in overweight or obese people with a history of heart disease. (Fick, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: One Big Way S.F.’s Oldest Hospital Could Change Under UCSF
A proposal for UCSF to absorb St. Mary’s Medical Center into its vast medical network has rattled some of its senior doctors and prompted questions about what would happen if the Catholic institution transformed into a secular hospital. Under current ownership, St. Mary’s employees are technically required to follow the Catholic Church’s ethical and religious directives, which ban contraceptives, abortions, sterilization and gender care. (Mishanec, 7/13)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pew Charitable Trusts Awards Millions To Philly Nonprofits
Five Philadelphia organizations working on child and youth mental health will receive a combined $6.55 million in grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts to expand access to services, the national nonprofit announced Thursday. (Gutman, 7/13)

Stat: Hospitals Are Cutting Ties With Moody's Over Cost, Time Commitment
Not-for-profit hospitals have been cutting ties with Moody’s Investors Service in recent years, citing the high cost and time commitment required to maintain their relationships with the rating agency. With labor and supply costs inflated and margins thin following the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals are eager to trim any expenses they can. Increasingly, that means cutting a bond rating. (Bannow, 7/14)

Also —

KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What the Health?' Podcast: The Long Road To Reining In Short-Term Plans
President Biden made good on a campaign promise this week with a proposal that would limit short-term health insurance plans that boast low premiums but also few benefits. (Rovner, 7/13)

CIDRAP: More Than A Third Of COVID Survivors In Italy Had Persistent Symptoms At 2 Years
Of 230 COVID-19 survivors in Italy infected during the first pandemic wave, 36.1% still had symptoms at 2 years, finds a study published today in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. A University of Insubria–led team interviewed 230 hospitalized and nonhospitalized adults followed at Udine Hospital 6, 12, and 24 months after illness onset in March to May 2020. Average patient age was 54.7 years, 53.5% were women, and 95.6% had received an mRNA vaccine booster. (Van Beusekom, 7/13)

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Boosters Protect Cancer Patients From Poor Outcomes, Study Suggests
Cancer patients and survivors in Singapore derived significant protection from severe COVID-19 after three or four vaccine doses for at least 5 months, according to a nationwide study published today in JAMA Oncology. (Van Beusekom, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Ambulance Personnel Felt High Stress During Pandemic 
In a study this week in PLOS One, researchers describe the mental health impact of the pandemic on ambulance personnel, showing through the findings of six studies that as many as 92.2% felt a psychological burden while working during COVID-19. (Soucheray, 7/13)

On developments relating to aging —

CNN: Study Finds More Clues As To Why ‘SuperAgers’ Have Better Brains 
In the largest observational study to date on “SuperAgers” — people in their 80s who have brains as sharp as those 30 years younger — researchers in Spain found key differences in lifestyle that may contribute to these older adults’ razor-sharp minds. SuperAgers in the study had more gray matter in parts of the brain related to movement, and they scored higher on agility, balance and mobility tests than typical older adults — even though the physical activity levels of the two groups were the same. (LaMotte, 7/13)

Bloomberg: ‘Superagers’ With Good Memories Linked To Mobility, Physical Quickness
Possessing a remarkable memory later in life is linked to better mobility and physical quickness, according to a study that sheds light on the factors that shape how people age. Superagers, people who are at least 80 years old and have the memories normally seen in those in their 50s or 60s, are more agile and mobile than their peers, according to a study published Thursday in the Lancet Healthy Longevity medical journal, and score better on tests for anxiety and depression. (Griffin, 7/13)

In news on other research not related to covid —

Axios: How Male And Female Sex Chromosomes Influence Disease
Scientists are beginning to understand how sex chromosomes and hormones affect people's risk for certain diseases — and whether the biology behind those differences can be harnessed to improve treatments. Doctors and scientists have long recognized certain diseases affect men and women differently but that is rarely reflected in the dosage and design of drugs. (Snyder, 7/13)

Stat: Doctors Find Melanoma Drugs Effective Against Rare Brain Cancer
By going down to the molecular level, doctors have uncovered a way to treat tumors caused by a rare brain cancer using medicines that already exist. Two cancer drugs — currently approved for the treatment of melanoma — were able to treat a rare type of brain cancer called PCP, or papillary craniopharyngioma, researchers reported in a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Iskandar, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Resistance Accelerated In Multiple-Strain Bacterial Infections, Study Finds
A study led by researchers at the University of Oxford provides new insight into how antimicrobial resistance evolves in patients with bacterial infections. The study, published this week in Nature Communications, found that in patients colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resistance evolved more rapidly in response to antibiotic treatment among those with multiple strains of the pathogen, compared with those with a single strain. (Dall, 7/13)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Syphilis Outbreak On Rise Among Women, Jumps 128 Percent
A syphilis outbreak in Houston has led to a 128 percent increase in cases among women and a nine-fold increase in congenital syphilis cases since 2016, the Houston Health Department said Thursday. (Gill, 7/13)

AP: Houston To Spend Millions To Relocate Residents Living Near Polluted Union Pacific Rail Yard
Houston plans to spend millions of dollars to relocate residents from neighborhoods located near a rail yard polluted by a cancer-linked wood preservative that has been blamed for an increase in cancer cases, the city’s mayor announced Thursday. (Lozano, 7/13)

The Texas Tribune: Investigation Clears Texas Prison Contractor MTC Of Fraud Accusations
Months after one of the country’s largest private prison companies was accused of defrauding Texas by collecting millions of dollars for in-person therapy it didn’t provide to prisoners, a state investigation found there was no fraud because prison officials sanctioned the practice. (McCullough, 7/13)

The Texas Tribune: What Texas’ New School Safety Laws Mean For Schools
Almost a year after Texas’ deadliest school shooting, state lawmakers ordered school districts to secure schools with armed officers and to train more staff to identify students who may need mental health support under legislation set to become law in September. The new school safety law will grant the Texas Education Agency more authority to make sure schools have robust safety plans to respond to an active shooter — something about half of all Texas school districts lacked, according to a 2020 assessment report. Meanwhile, another law will allow schools to use school safety funds to employ unlicensed chaplains for mental health roles, a move some critics have said could allow religious activists to recruit in schools and further polarize school communities. (Mendez, 7/14)

In news from Missouri —

St. Louis Public Radio: Hawley, Missouri Leaders Demand St. Louis Nuclear Waste Cleanup
Missouri leaders are demanding the federal government accelerate its cleanup of nuclear waste that has been contaminating waterways and soil in parts of north St. Louis County for roughly 75 years and to pay people sickened by the waste. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri legislators and statewide officials joined local advocacy groups on Thursday at the Weldon Spring Site to discuss the decadeslong complaints and worries that nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project is causing rare cancers in people who lived near Coldwater Creek and West Lake Landfill. (Davis, 7/14)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Hawley Wants Federal Government To Pay For Cleanup, Health Effects Of Nuclear Contamination
Citing decades-old government studies and memos, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday he is drafting legislation to create a fund to pay for the medical care of the victims of radioactive contamination in the St. Louis metro region. Hawley made the announcement at a press conference, attended by other elected officials and activists, at the Weldon Spring Site Interpretative Center, a U.S. Department of Energy-managed site along Highway 94 that features a 41-acre rock-covered disposal cell packed with contaminated waste from munitions production and uranium refining. (Colbert, 7/13)

On other health news developments across the country —

San Francisco Chronicle: Berkeley Decriminalizes Some Psychedelics, Joining National Movement
Berkeley passed legislation this week to decriminalize the personal use of some psychedelics, including mushrooms, following a nationwide trend. The Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday on a resolution that instructs law enforcement to de-prioritize investigating and prosecuting people using psychedelics that come from plants or fungi. The resolution, introduced by Council Member Sophie Hahn, does not apply to synthetic drugs like LSD or MDMA, also known as ecstasy. (Ravani, 7/13)

AP: Connecticut Sues For-Profit Nursing School That Closed Abruptly And Left Students In The Lurch 
Connecticut’s attorney general sued a for-profit nursing school and its owner Thursday, alleging they left hundreds of students in the lurch when the school abruptly closed its three campuses in the state in February while reaping millions of dollars in profits. (Collins, 7/13)

The Baltimore Sun: ‘He Didn’t Need To Go To Jail’: Dementia Experts Fear More Run-Ins With Police As Condition Becomes More Prevalent
Samantha Hart hardly recognized her father when she picked him up at the Baltimore County jail. Henry Hart, who days earlier had been joking and dancing at a family gathering, was slumped over in a wheelchair. The 76-year-old had lost weight, his knees and elbows were bruised, and his right hand was purple and swollen. But what concerned Samantha most was that three days after her 911 call led to her father’s arrest, he didn’t recognize her or his wife of 57 years, Rosalind. (Roberts and Jensen, 7/13)

KUNC: The Mountain West Has Trended Towards A Decrease In Mosquitos, But Disease Risks Remain
Summer is here, which means mosquitoes are on the hunt. Though you may be lighting those citronella candles more than ever, recent data shows that compared to other parts of the country, the Mountain West is experiencing fewer days with mosquitoes. However, when it comes to mosquito-born diseases, the public might not be out of the woods. (VandenEinde, 7/13)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Hospitals To Study, Address Health Inequities In Kids' Care
Michigan’s three largest children’s hospitals are teaming up in what they say is a historic collaboration to look for inequities in how pediatric patients are treated. The goal is to address differences in the quality of patient care associated with gender, race and ethnicity, income, disability, sexual orientation, weight and more. (Jordan Shamus, 7/13)

CBS News: Justice Department Investigating Georgia Jail Where Inmate Was Allegedly "Eaten Alive" By Bedbugs
The Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the conditions at a Georgia jail where an inmate died after he was, according to his family, "eaten alive" by bed bugs. The department found credible allegations that the Fulton County Jail is "structurally unsafe, that prevalent violence has resulted in serious injuries and homicides, and that officers are being prosecuted for using excessive force," officials said Thursday. Investigators will determine whether there are systemic violations of federal law at the jail and how to correct them if that's the case. (Chasan, 7/13)

Fortune Well: Having A Negative View Of Aging May Be Hurting Your Health And Shortening Your Lifespan. 5 Ways To Change Your Mindset
To say Americans have a toxic view of aging would be an understatement. Research shows that a cultural fixation on appearing and acting young has led to political, economic, and social ramifications for older individuals. However, ageism, or bias and discrimination against older people, doesn’t simply come from those who are younger. Increasingly, self-directed ageism is causing negative health effects—both mental and physical—for those who have decades of life under their belts.  (McPhillips, 7/8)

USA Today: What Longevity Science Is Learning About Anti-Aging Possibilities
Humans have searched for ways to live longer, healthier lives pretty much since there have been humans. In recent decades, scientists have joined the effort. In animals, studies suggest that slowing aging affects multiple age-related diseases.  A single gene change can both keep a mouse healthy for longer and extend its lifespan. (Weintraub, 7/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Would You Pay $100,000 A Year To Join A Longevity Clinic?
Medical clinics are popping up across the country promising to help clients live longer and better—so long as they can pay. Longevity clinics aim to do everything from preventing chronic disease to healing tennis elbow, all with the goal of optimizing patients’ health for more years. Clients pay as much as $100,000 a year for sometimes-unproven treatments, including biological-age testing, early cancer screenings, stem-cell therapies and hair rejuvenation. (Janin, 7/10)

The New York Times: What Haunts Child Abuse Victims? The Memory, Study Finds
For generations, our society has vacillated about how best to heal people who experienced terrible things in childhood. Should these memories be unearthed, allowing their destructive power to dissipate? Should they be gently molded into something less painful? Or should they be left untouched? Researchers from King’s College London and the City University of New York examined this conundrum by conducting an unusual experiment. (Barry, 7/11)

Fox News: ‘Bed Rotting’ Is Self-Care, Some Insist, But Mental Health Expert Shares Warnings About Social Media Trend 
Lounging in bed all day might seem lazy — but some Gen Z trend followers are now embracing it as a form of self-care. "Bed rotting" — the practice of spending long periods of time snuggled under the covers with snacks, screens and other creature comforts — is gaining popularity on social media. The unofficial definition, per Urban Dictionary, is "the Gen Z term for staying in bed for days on end, binging on Netflix, Tik Tok and Hinge." (Rudy, 7/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Sex, Drugs And Spreadsheets: Dr. Glazer Treats Wall Street’s Addiction Surge
When titans of finance get addicted to drugs and alcohol, they sometimes end up on the couch of Dr. Sam Glazer. Dr. Glazer, a psychiatrist, treats the Wall Street set for substance abuse and other mental illnesses. Demand for services like his has ballooned since the pandemic. Glazer recently added two therapists to his now six-member practice, which treats about 200 patients at a time. Most are traders, fund managers, investment bankers and corporate lawyers. Almost all are men who are afraid to tell their employers about their ailments, much less ask for medical leaves. (Wirz, 7/11)

Stat: New Weight Loss Drugs Could Upend Our Understanding Of Cravings
Recent research raises a striking question: If new weight loss drugs erase food cravings, what other harmful desires might they free us from? (Molteni, 7/10)

The Atlantic: The Theory Of A COVID ‘Cover-Up’ Is Incoherent
For more than three hours yesterday, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic grilled a pair of virologists about their participation in an alleged “cover-up” of the pandemic’s origins. Republican lawmakers zeroed in on evidence that the witnesses, Kristian Andersen and Robert Garry, and other researchers had initially suspected that the coronavirus spread from a Chinese lab. “Accidental escape is in fact highly likely—it’s not some fringe theory,” Andersen wrote in a Slack message to a colleague on February 2, 2020. When he laid out the same concern to Anthony Fauci in late January, that some features of the viral genome looked like they might be engineered, Fauci told him to consider going to the FBI. (Engber, 7/12)

Stat: Living With Fabry Disease, A Condition That Causes Chronic Pain
A man with Fabry disease in five generations of his family began an online support group for others in 1996 and has seen it flourish. (Cueto, 7/10)

Scientific American: Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pills Have Been Approved. Let's Make Them Inexpensive And Easily Available 
At a time of unrelenting attacks on reproductive autonomy, the Food and Drug Administration’s decision on July 13 to approve a birth control pill for over-the-counter (OTC) use is an important advance toward providing people with tools to control their fertility. (Mai Fleming, April J. Bell and Christine Dehlendorf, 7/13)

The Washington Post: Don't Freak Out About Aspartame. Don't Stop The Research, Either
Two different messages about the sweetener aspartame are coming from international health and food safety experts in Geneva. (7/13)

The Star Tribune: The Ongoing Gender Issue With Medical Research
Most people aren't aware of this law, which requires that women be included in research to develop drugs, therapies and treatments that are designed to improve the health of all people. (Nicole Woitowich, 7/13)

Stat: Congress: Eradicate Hepatitis C And Reduce The Deficit 
Congress faces a historic opportunity to stamp out a disease that kills thousands of Americans each year and save billions of dollars to boot. In March, the Biden administration proposed an initiative to eliminate hepatitis C in the United States — a plan that should make sense to both conservatives and progressives. (Neeraj Sood and Jagpreet Chhatwal, 7/14)

Scientific American: New Human Embryo Models Spark Needless Controversy 
The world has now learned of a surprising scientific advance: so-called “synthetic embryos.” Their arrival promises to reveal to medicine previously hidden glimpses into problems of early pregnancy. (Insoo Hyun, 7/13)

Miami Herald: Susan Love Changed Medical Care For Breast Cancer Patients - With Resolve And Compassion
In the end, a lowly tape recorder helped change the face of breast cancer treatment.Susan Love, who died recently at age 75, was in the early 1990s the director of the UCLA Breast Center, which was designed to turn the world of breast cancer treatment on its head. (Karen Stabiner, 7/13)