Stat: Upending Purdue Pharma’s Settlement Does Little To Help Today’s Opioid Crisis, Advocates Say
The drug policy world has been left torn by the Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday that Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy deal could not move forward if it included legal protections for the company’s billionaire owners. In one camp are those who were eager to see the agreed-upon $6 billion settlement put to work preventing and treating opioid addiction. In the other are those who found the prospect of shielding the Sackler family from civil lawsuits to be indefensible. (Facher, 6/28)

Reuters: US Supreme Court Purdue Ruling Makes Mass Litigation Tougher To Resolve In Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy may become a less attractive way to resolve sprawling lawsuits after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling scuttled OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 settlement and sharply scaled back a court's ability to wipe away legal claims against entities that have not filed for bankruptcy themselves. Bankruptcy courts offer several attractive tools for companies and other organizations to settle mass tort litigation, which have been used in cases involving claims of widespread sexual abuse against Catholic dioceses and the Boy Scouts of America, the marketing and sale of addictive opioid painkillers, and that consumer products cause cancer. (Knauth, 6/27)

KFF Health News: Supreme Court Upends Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement
In a 5-4 vote, the court ruled that the Sackler family cannot be shielded from future claims through Purdue’s bankruptcy. Since the case was first heard, victims of the opioid crisis and recovery advocates have been split on the desired outcome. Some wanted the bankruptcy deal to go through so that settlement money could start flowing and fund urgently needed addiction services. Others said it would be unacceptable to allow the Sacklers to evade responsibility for their actions. (Pattani, 6/27)

NBC News: Families Of Those Lost In Opioid Crisis 'Devastated' By Supreme Court's Decision To Reject Purdue Settlement
Some people who lost family members to opioids expressed shock and sadness, but also a resolve to keep fighting, after the Supreme Court on Thursday torpedoed a massive settlement for victims of the drug crisis. "I felt like someone came up and punched me in the stomach," Jill Cichowicz, whose twin brother, Scott Zebrowski, collapsed in a California parking lot and died of fentanyl poisoning after he took what he thought was OxyContin in 2017, said. "It kind of equated to the day that he died," Cichowicz, who founded a nonprofit group called Two in the Stigma, said in an interview that aired on NBC News' "Hallie Jackson Now." (Helsel and Lubbehusen, 6/27)

In other news about the opioid crisis —

Reuters: UnitedHealth's Optum To Pay $20 Mln Over US Claims It Ignored Opioid 'Red Flags'
UnitedHealth Group's OptumRx pharmacy benefit manager unit has agreed to pay $20 million to settle claims by U.S. authorities that it improperly filled certain opioid prescriptions, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday. The settlement appeared to be the first reached by the government with a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) over allegedly illicit opioid prescriptions. (Pierson, 6/27)

Bridge Michigan: As Crisis Rages, Michigan Speeds Up Opioid Spending In New Budget 
Michigan lawmakers have approved $48.2 million to fight the opioid epidemic, more than doubling the amount the state’s health department had planned to spend in the coming budget year. ... The spending, included in the 2024-25 budget approved early Thursday, comes from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors who were deemed to be partly responsible for the explosion of opioids that now kill close to 3,000 Michiganders a year. (French and Erb, 6/27)

The 19th: Biden And Trump Address Abortion In First Debate — With Misinformation And Confusion
In the first presidential debate of 2024, former President Donald Trump defended abortion restrictions levied by Republican-led states across the country and falsely accused Democrats of supporting the murder of babies after they are born. President Joe Biden, who has staked his reelection campaign on reproductive rights, called the end of federal abortion protections “a terrible thing” but did little to articulate his support or clearly push back on Trump’s claims. Thursday’s debate, hosted by CNN, marked the first time Trump and Biden have faced off in nearly four years. It was also the first debate since the end of federal abortion rights reshaped the country and brought the fight for reproductive rights to the forefront of American politics. (Barclay and Rodriguez, 6/27)

The Hill: Donald Trump Says He Will Not Block Access To Mifepristone
Former President Trump said Thursday he would not block access to the abortion pill mifepristone if he returned to the White House. “The Supreme Court just approved the abortion pill, and I agree with their decision to have done that, and I will not block it,” Trump said during the CNN presidential debate in Atlanta when asked if he would block abortion medication. (Vakil, 6/27)

On Medicare, Social Security, the ACA, and insulin costs —

KRCGTV: Trump, Biden Trade Shots Over Struggling Finances Of Social Security And Medicare
Both presidential candidates accused each other of running Social Security and Medicare into the ground at their debate in Atlanta Thursday night as both popular entitlement programs are facing serious budget shortfalls in the next decade that could result in stiff benefits cuts without congressional intervention. The long-term finances of the programs are one of the chief problems facing Washington over the next decade and certain to be a part of budget battles on Capitol Hill for years to come. Without action from Congress, both are destined to automatic benefit cuts. (Denean, 6/28)

Bankrate: Where Trump And Biden Stand On Social Security And Medicare
President Biden has consistently pledged not to cut Social Security benefits. During his presidential campaign and his time in office, he emphasized his commitment to protecting and strengthening the program. Donald Trump’s approach often hinges on the belief that a stronger economy would naturally bolster Social Security. (Christian, 6/27)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Biden Accuses Trump Of Planning To Eliminate The Affordable Care Act
President Joe Biden accused former President Donald Trump of planning to eliminate the Affordable Care Act if re-elected. Biden also added that he pushed to cap the price of insulin to $35. (Baruchman, 6/27)

AP: Biden-Trump Debate: A Look At Some Of The False Claims Made
Joe Biden, who tends to lean more on exaggerations and embellishments rather than outright lies, misrepresented the cost of insulin and overstated what Trump said about using disinfectant to address COVID. Here’s a look at the false and misleading claims on Thursday night by the two candidates. (6/28)

On the opioid crisis —

Stat: Trump, Biden Don't Mention Addiction Treatment In Debate
President Biden and former President Trump were each given the chance on Thursday to speak to a kitchen-table issue plaguing the nation: the addiction and drug overdose epidemic claiming over 110,000 American lives each year. One word was conspicuously absent from both of their answers: “treatment.” (Facher, 6/27)

On the candidates' ages —

The Washington Post: The First Debate Reinforced Biden’s Biggest Weakness
Joe Biden has very few opportunities to demonstrate to the public that his age is not a hindrance to what he wants to do, including this opportunity. He demonstrated the opposite. (Bump, 6/27)

USA Today: Biden, Trump's Age Has Taken Center Stage. Many US Workers Are As Old
On Nov. 20, 2022, Joe Biden broke new ground by becoming the first 80-year-old commander in chief, but consider how many of his and Donald Trump’s peers also are still working. Only about a quarter of Americans 65 and over are in the workforce, but nearly 2 million people over 75 are still working, based on estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Maybe more significant to those in the ageism camp: CEOs who lead four of the 500 largest U.S. companies are older than both candidates, according to a Madison Trust Company analysis. (Sergent, 6/26)

Roll Call: Idaho Abortion Decision Leaves Both Sides In Long-Term Limbo 
The Supreme Court’s decision that Idaho’s near-total ban on abortions does not preempt federal rules requiring certain treatment in emergency rooms is the second major ruling to bolster the Biden administration on abortion rights since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The ruling, at least for now, also preserves a key tool the Biden administration has increasingly relied upon since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022 — a 1986 law known by the acronym EMTALA that requires hospitals to provide “necessary stabilizing treatment” to all patients as a condition of receiving Medicare funding. (Raman, 6/27)

The Hill: Justice Jackson Dissents On Supreme Court's Idaho Abortion Ruling
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson slammed her Supreme Court colleagues for punting a decision about Idaho’s strict abortion ban Thursday, saying in a charged dissent that the court has failed pregnant women in the state. Forcefully reading her dissent from the bench, Jackson said the ruling was “not a victory for pregnant patients in Idaho,” even though doctors will be allowed to provide emergency abortions as the case is litigated in lower courts. (Weixel, 6/27)

Stat: Biden's Supreme Court Abortion Wins Could Be Short Lived
The Supreme Court this month handed President Biden a pair of wins on abortion rights — but they could be short-lived. The court made two major decisions about abortion that preserved or expanded access to reproductive health care for now, but teed up an even sharper debate about reproductive rights that will play out in November’s elections. (Owermohle, 6/27)

Abortion news from Iowa —

Des Moines Register: Iowa Supreme Court Abortion Ban Ruling Coming Friday
The Iowa Supreme Court will release a highly anticipated ruling Friday that could have massive implications for the ability of women to obtain abortions in Iowa. At issue is a 2023 law banning most abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, about six weeks into a pregnancy. A lower court blocked the law from going into effect, and Gov. Kim Reynolds has appealed that ruling. (Morris, 6/27)

Also —

The New Republic: $100 Million For Abortion Rights—With A Lot Of Questions
At first glance, the new campaign Abortion Access Now doesn’t look that new—its website features the ubiquitous, navy-blue “Keep Abortion Legal” protest sign from the National Organization for Women (who are not part of the campaign). Its remit doesn’t seem all that new, either; the “national, 10-year campaign,” Politico reported this week, “will both prepare policies for the next time Democrats control the House, Senate and White House, and build support for those policies among lawmakers and the public.” But the policies that have been shared so far are legislative proposals that have already been made. The headline is the money: The groups involved in the campaign—including well-known and well-resourced groups such as Planned Parenthood and the ACLU—recently announced they are “pledging a $100 million investment.” (Grant, 6/27)

KFF Health News: Republicans Are Downplaying Abortion, But It Keeps Coming Up
For generations, the GOP campaigned on eliminating the right to an abortion in the United States. Now, torn between a base that wants more restrictions on reproductive health care and a moderate majority that does not, it seems many Republicans would rather take an off-ramp than a victory lap. And yet, they just can’t escape talking about it. The policy high point for abortion opponents — the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to strike down Roe v. Wade — is proving a low point for public support for their cause. (Rovner, 6/28)

The Hill: Democrats Vow To Make Abortion Protections Top Priority If Given House Majority
House Democrats are vowing to make abortion protections among their first acts of business next year if voters return them to power in November’s elections. The lawmakers are warning that keeping the GOP in control of the House — especially if Republicans take the Senate and White House — would lead to tougher restrictions on not only abortions, but also contraception, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and stem cell research. (Lillis, 6/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Abortions To Save Mothers’ Lives Are An Agonizing Call For Doctors
For two years, doctors in more than a dozen states where abortion is restricted have faced an agonizing calculus. When has a pregnant woman’s medical condition deteriorated enough to qualify for an abortion under state law? And at what point might doctors compromise their medical duty to help a patient by not performing an abortion sooner? (Calfas and McKay, 6/27)

The New York Times: New Covid Shots Recommended For Americans 6 Months And Older This Fall
All Americans ages 6 months and older should receive one of the new Covid-19 vaccines when they become available this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The recommendation comes as the nation faces a summer wave of Covid, with the number of infections rising in at least 39 states and territories. (Mandavilli, 6/27)

CIDRAP: Reminders—But Not Free Rides—Boost COVID-19 Booster Uptake
Nature has published a large study showing that text message reminders to receive a COVID-19 booster worked to increase vaccine uptake, but that offering free rides to pharmacies did not. The study was based on outcomes seen among 3.66 million CVS Pharmacy patients in the United States who were offered free round-trip Lyft rides via text to CVS Pharmacies for vaccination appointments and received seven different sets of behaviorally informed vaccine reminder messages. (Soucheray, 6/27)

USA Today: LB.1 COVID Variant: Symptoms, Spread, Latest Data
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking the growth of the COVID-19 LB.1 variant as it begins to trail KP.3. For a two-week period starting on June 9 and ending on June 22, the CDC’s Nowcast data tracker showed the projections of the COVID-19 variants. The KP.3 variant accounted for 33.1% of positive infections followed by KP.2 at 20.8%. The new variant LB.1 was at 17.5% of infections and JN.1, the previous ring leader since 2023, only had 1.6% of positive cases. (Forbes, 6/27)

In bird flu news —

Time: What To Know About Bird Flu Vaccines
There are three vaccines for bird flu. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved H5N1 vaccines made by Sanofi, GSK subsidiary ID Biomedical Corporation of Quebec (IDB), and CSL Seqirus—all of which also make seasonal flu vaccines. Sanofi received the first license in 2007 for an H5N1 shot, using chicken-egg manufacturing. IDB's vaccine, approved for adults in 2013, is also egg-based and is the first against H5N1 to include an adjuvant, or an ingredient that generates a stronger immune response. CSL Seqirus’ shot also contains an adjuvant and was approved in 2020 for anyone 6 months or older. The company makes vaccines in two ways: by growing H5N1 in cells in its U.S. facility, and by growing it in eggs in its U.K. facility. (Park, 6/27)

CIDRAP: USDA Spells Out Financial Assistance To Offset H5N1-Linked Milk Losses
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced more details about a program to compensate dairy farmers for H5N1 avian flu-related milk losses, including that it will start accepting applications on July 1. In a statement, the USDA said it is offering the assistance through an update to its Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). The change will reimburse a portion of financial losses when cattle are removed from milking herds due to confirmed H5N1 test results. (Schnirring, 6/27)

Reuters: US Charges 193 People In $2.75 Billion Health Care Fraud Bust 
The U.S. Justice Department has criminally charged 193 people, including 76 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, with participating in health care fraud schemes worth $2.75 billion, the agency said on Thursday. The two-week operation ensnared defendants accused of illegally distributing millions of pills of the stimulant Adderall. (6/27)

Modern Healthcare: HHS, FBI Issue Phishing, Ransomware Attack Advisory For Providers
The federal government is warning providers and public health entities about certain types of cyber attacks and advising them not to pay ransoms. An advisory issued this week by the Health and Human Services Department and the FBI said criminals are using social engineering campaigns to target healthcare, public health entities and providers. Phishing schemes are being used to steal login credentials that give bad actors access to payment information. (Turner, 6/27)

Modern Healthcare: Amazon Clinic Folds Into One Medical
Amazon is consolidating its healthcare businesses, the tech giant said on Thursday. The company is axing its Amazon Clinic telehealth marketplace after only 19 months. In its place is a pay-per visit telehealth model where users are automatically connected to a provider rather than getting to choose a third-party vendor in the marketplace. (Turner, 6/27)

Modern Healthcare: Clinically Integrated Network To Be Formed By Rural MN Hospitals
More than a dozen independent rural hospitals in Minnesota have teamed up to create a clinically integrated network, following the lead of providers in other states. The collaboration is designed to coordinate care, reduce costs and improve treatment across the 19 hospitals, executives said in a Thursday news release. (Kacik, 6/27)

Stat: Blind Employee Sues VA Over Its New EHR From Oracle
A blind employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs is suing the federal agency on grounds that their new electronic health records system makes it impossible for her to do her job. (Broderick, 6/28)

The Washington Post: Heart Surgeons Left ‘Unqualified’ Trainees Alone During Operations, DOJ Says 
For seven years, heart surgeons at a Texas medical center allegedly ran multiple operating rooms at once and left complex parts of procedures to their “unqualified” trainees before submitting false claims to Medicare, according to a federal settlement reached with their employers this month. Three physicians left operating rooms during procedures — including open heart surgeries — and falsely said on medical records that they were present the whole time to collect Medicare reimbursements, the June 13 settlement agreement says. On some occasions, the surgeons allegedly oversaw three operations at once. (Somasundaram, 6/27)

Stat: House Panel Passes Bills To Expand Medicare Obesity Drug Coverage, Cancer Screening
A House committee overwhelmingly passed four bills on Thursday that would expand Medicare coverage of obesity drugs and cancer screening blood tests and place guardrails around Medicare’s discretion in covering drugs and devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration. (Zhang, Wilkerson and Lawrence, 6/27)

Modern Healthcare: Dialysis Providers To See 2.2% Medicare Pay Bump In 2025 From CMS
Kidney dialysis providers would get a 2.2% Medicare reimbursement hike next year under a proposed rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. The agency also intends to go forward with a payment bundling plan including oral-only drugs for kidney disease patients with high phosphorus levels. Dialysis providers have said making them responsible for supplying medicines patients can get at retail pharmacies is infeasible. (Early, 6/27)

Bloomberg Law: Home Health Agencies To Renew Suit Over Medicare Payment Rates
The home health industry will turn to Congress—and again to the courts—for redress after absorbing yet another proposed Medicare pay cut this week. William A. Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), told Bloomberg Law that the organization intends to renew its lawsuit to stop Medicare from calculating home health payments using a disputed methodology that has slashed reimbursements since 2020. (Pugh, 6/28)

On health data and privacy —

Politico: Privacy Bill Vote Scrapped
Republicans can’t agree on whether to move forward with House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ bill to set a national data privacy standard. ... Why it matters: The measure would have significant ramifications for companies that collect data related to customers’ health. It would restrict how firms can use the data and require them to get customers’ consent before sharing it. (Schumaker, Paun, Payne, Reader and Odejimi, 6/27)

The Washington Post: Walgreens To Close ‘Significant’ Number Of Stores As Profits Fall
Walgreens will close a “significant portion” of its 8,600 U.S. locations over the next three years as it struggles to keep up with a rapidly evolving retail pharmacy industry, the company announced Thursday. “We are at a point where the current pharmacy model is not sustainable and the challenges in our operating environment require we approach the market differently,” Walgreens chief executive Timothy Wentworth said Thursday during the company’s quarterly earnings call. “We do not expect an improvement in the U.S. retail environment.” (Peiser, 6/27)

More pharma and tech news —

Reuters: US FDA Declines To Approve Merck-Daiichi's 'Guided Missile' Cancer Drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve Merck (MRK.N) and Japan-based Daiichi Sankyo's (4568.T) lung cancer treatment, which belongs to a lucrative class of cancer therapies that work like "guided missiles". The FDA cited findings from an inspection of a third-party manufacturing facility in its so-called complete response letter, the companies said late on Wednesday. (6/27)

Stat: How The FDA Embraced Research On MDMA And Other Psychedelics
Days after an advisory committee resoundingly voted for the Food and Drug Administration to reject MDMA as medical treatment, the founder of the company that applied for approval was ebullient. Rick Doblin, who has spent decades driving forward MDMA research, told a psychedelics conference in the Netherlands that his dream was not simply possible, but likely. There was “substantially more than a 50/50 chance” that the FDA would dismiss its advisers’ perspective and approve the first currently prohibited psychedelic come August, he said at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research. (Goldhill, 6/28)

Reuters: Eisai And Biogen Launch Alzheimer's Drug Leqembi In China
Eisai and Biogen have launched their Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi in China, the third country after the United States and Japan, the companies said on Friday. Leqembi, which works by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain, is the first Alzheimer's treatment proven to alter the course of the fatal, brain-wasting disease. (6/28)

Stat: Prenuvo To Launch Clinical Trial To Evaluate Whole-Body MRI Scans
A startup selling elective whole-body scans for upward of $1,000 is launching a 10-year, 100,000 person study to attempt to settle doubts within the medical community about its value and potential consequences. (Ravindranath, 6/27)

The Hill: DeSantis Says Florida Won't Comply With Surgeon General's Gun Violence Advisory
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said his state will not comply with the Surgeon General’s newly issued public health advisory on gun violence, calling the move “unconstitutional” in a post on the social platform X on Wednesday. “We will not comply,” DeSantis wrote. “Florida will always reject the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional power grabs.” (Teshome, 6/27)

Health News Florida: DeSantis Vetoes Bill On Control Of Beach, Pool Closures Over Water Quality 
Citing concerns of superseding control of local authorities, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have required the Department of Health to close beaches, waterways and swimming pools if needed because of poor water quality. (Mayer, 6/27)

Central Florida Public Media: Florida’s Dengue Travel Cases Exceed This Year’s Expectations, Data Show
Travel-related cases of dengue for June have exceeded what was expected for the year, according to the Florida Department of Health. “The dengue cases concern me,” said Steve Harrison, manager of Orange County Mosquito Control. “I don’t think the public needs to be overconcerned right now, but dengue is on my radar.” (Pedersen, 6/27)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

CBS News: As Mind-Reading Technology Improves, Colorado Passes First-In-Nation Law To Protect Privacy Of Our Thoughts
If you think telepathy or mind control is the stuff of science fiction, think again. Advances in artificial intelligence are leading to medical breakthroughs once thought impossible, including devices that can actually read minds and alter our brains. Dr. Sean Pauzauskie, a Neurologist at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital, says there are now about 30 neurotechnology devices for sale on the internet, including Emotiv, which he says is the first commercial-grade brain-to-computer interface. (Boyd, 6/27)

Newsweek: Delaware Warning Over Deadly Disease-Carrying Bugs: 'Wake-Up Call'
Scientists have issued a warning after a resident in New Castle County, Delaware, spotted a large insect on their pillow that was found to be carrying a potentially deadly parasite. Three months later, the same resident found another specimen of the same species, raising concerns about the prevalence of these insects on North America. (Dewan, 6/27)

KFF Health News: $2 Million Disbursed To Victims And Community Groups In Wake Of Super Bowl Mass Shooting
Surprised. Blessed. Overwhelmed. Already gone. Those were reactions from some of the 20 gunshot victims from the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shootings who were awarded $1.2 million from the #KCStrong fund on Thursday, with individuals receiving payments ranging from $22,000 to $100,000. (Lowe and Sable-Smith, 6/28)

The New York Times: Could Delaying Menopause Improve Women’s Health And Longevity? 
Scientists who study longevity and women’s health have come to realize that the female reproductive system is far more than just a baby-maker. The ovaries, in particular, appear to be connected to virtually every aspect of a woman’s health. (Gupta and Smith, 6/24)

The Boston Globe: Grassroots Groups Were Pioneers In The Concept Of Food As Medicine
It was 1988, and people were dying. By the end of the year, more than 80,000 cases of AIDS would be reported in the United States since the start of the epidemic, with more than 60,000 deaths. At the Ritz, a group of restaurateurs, chefs, caterers, and others from the food world gathered. They wanted to find a way to help. ... The result was Aid & Comfort, a benefit inspired by one that took place in San Francisco the previous year. It was an extravaganza, held at the Boston Garden with the goal of raising $250,000. (First, 6/26)

Undark: The Fuzzy Science On Whether Fido Is Actually Good For You
Research suggesting that pet ownership improves health is largely funded by the pet care industry. Does that matter? (Schulson, 6/24)

Stat: Ateev Mehrotra, The Researcher The Telehealth Lobby Loves To Hate, Isn’t Backing Down
He hardly seems the part of the telehealth industry’s public enemy No. 1. He’s unassuming, self-effacing, soft-spoken, with the bearing of a professor. But as telehealth lobbyists seize on this moment years after pandemic lockdowns to win new protections and incentives from Capitol Hill, Ateev Mehrotra is the industry’s chief critic — determined to warn congressional committees that the booming virtual care business comes with tradeoffs. (Ravindranath, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Hotter Days Correlated With Less Complex Political Speech In Study 
An analysis of more than 7 million speeches by lawmakers suggests that politicians use simpler language on high-temperature days, which researchers say may point to a potential effect of a warming climate on cognition. (Blakemore, 6/22)

Stat: Anti-Obesity Medicines Should Be Covered By Medicare Part D 
A new and effective class of anti-obesity medicines, along with lifestyle interventions and sometimes bariatric surgery, can help stem the rising tide of obesity in the United States. But outdated rules set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services make access to these new medicines nearly impossible for the 50 million Americans covered by Medicare and its prescription drug coverage program. (Annette Ansong, Rachel Bond and Tiffany Powell-Wiley, 6/28)

Scientific American: The Pentagon’s Antivaccine Propaganda Endangered Public Health And Tarnished U.S. Credibility 
The battle against scientific misinformation has only grown tougher, as public health advocates will attest, with the rise of a poisonous, hydra-headed anti-vax movement. (Keith Kloor, 6/27)

The Washington Post: A Pentagon Disinformation Campaign Shows What Not To Do
The Pentagon has offered a good lesson in what not to do. A clandestine disinformation campaign against Chinese coronavirus vaccines in 2020 and 2021, a program just revealed in an investigation by Reuters, was a grave error. (6/27)

Harvard Public Health: Diversity In Healthcare Is Good For Physicians And Patients Alike
Last month, I fulfilled my life’s greatest dream: I walked across the stage at Harvard Medical School, before the beaming smiles and proud cheers of my loved ones, to complete my two-decade-long journey to become Dr. Nolen. I am the first doctor in my family, an accomplishment I know will have an impact on my community, family, and future patients for years to come. (LaShyra Nolen, 6/25)

Stat: Deep South Biotech Hubs Can Help Secure The U.S. Supply Chain 
Scientific breakthroughs will enable a future of personalized drug discovery, where precision medicine makes it possible to receive the right dose of the right medicine at the right time. America’s ability to lead this global frontier of medicine is contingent upon our willingness to recognize China as a competitor and respond accordingly. But often overlooked in this essential conversation is the importance of investing more in U.S. biotech firms and innovation ecosystems — including those outside of the well-recognized hubs. (Josh Carpenter, 6/28)