Military.com: VA Says It Performed 88 Abortions In The Past Year, But Congress Again Threatens Subpoenas In Pursuit Of More Details
The Department of Veterans Affairs provided 88 abortions in the first year that it offered the procedure, according to a document sent to Congress this month that was obtained by Military.com. The number was given to the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the Republican-led panel threatened to subpoena the VA if it did not provide detailed data on the abortions it has provided. (Kheel, 10/19)

Bridge Michigan: Michigan Senate Votes To Repeal 24-Hour Wait For Abortion, Other Restrictions 
Democrats in the Michigan Senate voted Thursday to repeal a series of abortion regulations despite strenuous Republican objections and an uncertain future for the bills in the House. The package, approved in a series of party-line votes, would eliminate a 24-hour waiting period for abortions in Michigan and repeal strict facility regulations for abortion clinics, among other things. ... The measures, now head to the House, where they face roadblocks. (Oosting, 10/19)

The 19th: An Arizona Supreme Court Justice Openly Opposes Abortion. He’ll Hear A Case Deciding Its Legality Anyway
A justice on the Arizona Supreme Court — which this winter could decide whether the state can enforce a near total ban on abortion — has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the procedure and received campaign support from a prominent state anti-abortion activist, according to materials reviewed by The 19th. Experts told The 19th that his past comments could be grounds for him recusing himself from the abortion-ban case, which he has not done. (Luthra, 10/19)

Texas Public Radio: San Antonio's Reproductive Justice Fund At The Center Of Texas' Latest Abortion Battle
Since abortion became illegal in Texas — first with the passage of SB8 and later with the fall of Roe v Wade — organizations have been working to help Texans access abortion care in other states. But anti-abortion groups are looking to shut them down. In September, the San Antonio City Council passed a budget item in the amount of $500,000 to create the city’s new Reproductive Justice Fund. (Davies, 10/19)

In other reproductive health news —

Stateline: Many Women Can't Access Miscarriage Drug Because It's Also Used For Abortions 
Since losing her first pregnancy four months ago, 32-year-old Lulu has struggled to return to her body’s old rhythms. Lulu, who asked to be identified by her first name to protect her privacy, bled for six full weeks after her miscarriage and hasn’t had a normal menstrual cycle since. Such disruptions aren’t uncommon after miscarriage, which affects roughly 1 in 10 known pregnancies. But for Lulu, they’ve also served as a persistent reminder that she couldn’t access the drug mifepristone — her preferred method of care — to help her body pass the miscarriage. Instead, her doctor prescribed a drug called misoprostol, which on its own is less effective. “I recall clarifying with her about the kind of medication I would get,” Lulu said. “When she said misoprostol … I was really shocked. I made her repeat herself.” (Dewey, 10/20)

St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Patients Get Vasectomies At Mobile Clinic 
A mobile clinic adorned with cartoon depictions of sperm is on a Missouri road trip offering free vasectomies this week. The trailer, which on Thursday was posted in the parking lot of Planned Parenthood’s Central West End clinic, also will stop at clinics in Springfield and Rolla. This is the third trip the mobile clinic and its owner, Dr. Esgar Guarín, have made to the region since 2021. For Guarín, who operates Iowa clinics in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, the trip helps highlight an underutilized form of birth control. (Fentem, 10/20)

Stat: House Committee Hearing Kicks Off Potential Doctor Pay Reforms In Medicare
The House Energy & Commerce health subcommittee kicked off its first hearing in four years on whether to reform the way Medicare pays doctors. But they didn’t discuss how to pay for those changes. Lawmakers brought up 23 different bills on the topic, many of which are drafts that haven’t been introduced. (Wilkerson, 10/19)

Axios: Medicare's Plan To Fix Major Drug Shortages Has Big Gaps, Experts Say
A Medicare proposal to help alleviate major shortages of cancer drugs and other essential medicines could disadvantage facilities serving vulnerable populations and instigate new supply issues, experts and hospital groups say. (Goldman, 10/19)

Fierce Healthcare: Physician-Owned Hospitals Could Have Saved $1.1B In 2019: Report
A new analysis backed by doctor lobbying groups suggest that physician-owned hospitals could have fueled about $1.1 billion in savings across 20 of Medicare’s most expensive conditions in 2019— though the hospital industry is sticking firm to its stance that the broadly restricted facilities are a detriment to the U.S. healthcare system. The technical report (PDF), commissioned by the Physicians Advocacy Institute and The Physicians Foundation, but conducted by researchers from UConn Health and Loyola University Chicago, concluded that the Medicare program and its beneficiaries’ total payments at traditional hospitals would have been 8.6% and 15.2% (depending on the condition) lower if reimbursed at the same rate as a physician-owned hospital (POH). (Muoio, 10/19)

Healthcare Finance News: Walgreens, Alignment Rolling Out Co-Branded Medicare Advantage Plans 
Walgreens and Alignment Healthcare have signed an agreement to offer new $0-premium co-branded Medicare Advantage plans in select markets throughout Arizona, California, Florida and Texas starting January 1, 2024. This will reach about 1.6 million Medicare-eligible adults, pending regulatory approvals, the companies said. Dawn Maroney, president, markets of Alignment Healthcare, and CEO of Alignment Health Plan, said the goal is to deliver better access, and to make it more convenient and cost-effective for seniors to get their medicine. (Lagasse, 10/19)

KFF Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast: The Open Enrollment Mixing Bowl 
Autumn is for pumpkins and raking leaves — and open enrollment for health plans. Medicare’s annual open enrollment began Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 15. It will be followed shortly by the Affordable Care Act’s annual open enrollment, which starts Nov. 1 and runs until Jan. 15 in most states. But what used to be a fairly simple annual task — renewing an existing health plan or choosing a new one — has become a confusing, time-consuming mess for many, due to our convoluted health care system. (10/19)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Pulls Certain Cold Medicines From Shelves And Will Stop Selling Them 
CVS Health is pulling some of the most common decongestants from its shelves and will no longer sell them, after advisers to U.S. health regulators recently determined that an ingredient doesn’t work. The products contain oral phenylephrine, an almost-century-old ingredient in versions of decongestants and over-the-counter pills, syrups and liquids to clear up congested noses. ... Oral products that list phenylephrine as its only active ingredient include Sudafed PE. (Hopkins, 10/19)

On the high cost of drugs —

Bloomberg: Sanofi’s Lantus Insulin To Sell For $35 Via GoodRx Site
Sanofi’s Lantus, its most commonly prescribed insulin, will sell for $35 a month through GoodRx Holdings Inc. in a deal that signals the drug-discount site’s growing business with large pharma companies. Under the agreement, GoodRx will sell Lantus supplies at the same price to both insured and uninsured patients, the companies said Thursday. While Sanofi said in March that it would lower list prices for Lantus and cap out-of-pocket costs for people with insurance at $35 a month starting next year, the GoodRx price goes into effect immediately for all customers. (LaPara and Tozzi, 10/19)

KFF Health News: Biden Pick To Lead NIH Finally Has Her Day, But Still Gets Caught Up In Drug Price Debate
A Senate committee finally held a hearing Wednesday on President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health. But the panel’s chair, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was focused on drug prices — an issue over which the NIH has very little control. After introducing the nominee, Monica Bertagnolli, at a hearing of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sanders quickly pivoted to the high prices Americans pay for prescription drugs. (DeGuzman, 10/19)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Reuters: Walgreens To Settle Rite Aid Investors' Merger Claims For $192 Million
Walgreens Boots Alliance has agreed to pay $192.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit by investors in Rite Aid who accused Walgreens of misleading them in 2017 about scrutiny of the two drugstore chain operators' then-pending merger. (10/19)

Stat: Laronde Merges With Another Biotech After Data Integrity Issue
RNA medicines startup Laronde is merging with another startup, after closing the door on a scientific misconduct issue that affected its leading drug candidates. (DeAngelis, 10/19)

The Wall Street Journal: Making Medicines Greener 
Making and supplying medicines generates roughly a third of the global healthcare industry’s greenhouse-gas emissions. But Western companies say it isn’t easy to bring down that number without changing the way these drugs are produced and regulated. Pharmaceutical companies that have committed to lowering their carbon footprint in the coming years say the main challenges arise from emissions that occur in their supply chains and as a result of how patients use some of their products. These so-called Scope 3 emissions are often the hardest to reduce because they depend on a large web of external suppliers and energy-intensive chemical processes to make medicines. (Butini, 10/19)

Bloomberg: Ozempic Maker Is Testing Weight-Loss Drugs For Kids
Pharmaceutical companies are looking to get buzzy weight-loss shots approved for younger and younger patients. Eli Lilly & Co. is planning to test its diabetes drug Mounjaro for patients six and up with obesity, according to a person familiar with the trial who didn’t want to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Novo Nordisk A/S is also testing Saxenda — an older and less powerful version of its blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy — in kids as young as six. (Muller, 10/20)

More on the weight-loss frenzy —

Reuters: Demand For Weight-Loss Drugs Fuels Global Rise In Counterfeits 
Extraordinary demand for Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and other drugs used for weight-loss is fueling a global surge in counterfeit versions, according to Reuters interviews with law enforcement, anti-counterfeiting and public health officials. The U.S.-based Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI), an industry-backed organization that counts drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly as members, said it is working with agencies, including Europol, Interpol and U.S. Homeland Security, as well as companies that help identify counterfeit products such as Israel’s BrandShield. (Wingrove and Fick, 10/20)

Bloomberg: Lilly Files Trade Complaint To Block Weight-Loss Drug Knock-Offs
Eli Lilly & Co. filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission against companies around the world that it alleges are importing, selling and distributing unapproved versions of Mounjaro, its blockbuster drug for diabetes that’s often used for weight loss. Lilly is targeting foreign importers and domestic distributors that are unlawfully marketing and selling products labeled as Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, according to the complaint filed Thursday. In some cases, the knock-offs have been found to contain impurities, the company alleged. (Muller, 10/19)

The Wall Street Journal: How Weight-Loss Drugs Are Rewriting The Playbook For Treating Obesity 
Medical organizations including the Obesity Society are writing new standards for treatment and addressing dilemmas. Should the drugs be prescribed to patients who haven’t tried losing weight before or who don’t have health problems? How much weight should you lose? What is the best way to maintain a lower weight? About half of the U.S. adult population technically qualifies for Wegovy, according to criteria in the drug’s label. That includes people with a body-mass index of 30 or more, or 27 and a health problem related to weight such as diabetes or high blood pressure. A BMI of 25 is the benchmark for normal weight. (McKay, 10/19)

Daily Mail Online: Will Ozempic Change Junk Food Forever? Nestle Developing 'Companion Products' For Weight Loss Drugs 
If you're trying to lose weight, you're unlikely to reach for a Kit-Kat. But the chocolate bar maker Nestle has started to work on new products for people who might be on weight-loss drugs to ensure it doesn't suffer if people start cutting calories and stop buying its candy. The Swiss food giant's CEO Mark Schneider said Nestle had not seen any impact from weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic on the company's sales so far, addressing the threat the medications pose to the junk food industry that has spooked investors in recent weeks. (Tilley, 10/19)

In other news about obesity and diabetes —

Roll Call: Military Obesity Rates Soar, Compounding Recruitment Challenges 
Obesity rates among active-duty servicemembers doubled in the past decade, and antiquated policies and incomplete data have complicated efforts to combat the trend, according to a new report from the American Security Project. Military obesity rates across the active duty jumped from 10.4 percent in 2012 to 21.6 percent in 2022, according to the study, the findings of which were released on Oct. 12. This mirrors a national trend that has shrunk the military’s recruitment pool and led to billions of dollars in associated health care costs. (Satter, 10/18)

NPR: More Than One Serving Of Red Meat A Day May Drive Up The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
People who routinely eat a lot of red meat may be increasing their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Processed meats, like bacon and hot dogs, are linked to an even higher risk. Researchers tracked the eating habits of more than 200,000 people enrolled in long-term health studies for up to 36 years and found that those who regularly consumed a lot of red meat — more than a serving per day — had a significantly higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. (Aubrey, 10/19)

CBS News: This Flesh-Eating Parasite Spread By Sand Flies Has Foothold In U.S., Appears To Be Endemic In Texas, CDC Scientists Report 
Once thought to be a danger largely reserved for travelers, a flesh-eating parasite known as Leishmania mexicana is now likely spreading locally through some sand flies native to the southern U.S., a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis has concluded. Skin sores caused by Leishmania mexicana typically erupt weeks to months after people are bitten by an infected fly. The parasite can continue to inflict damage for years, leading to long-term scarring in its wake. (Tin, 10/19)

USA Today: Tropical Disease Endemic, CDC Says. Coming In Deadlier Form Via Dogs
Health officials warn that a related, deadlier parasite seen in other countries could thrive in the U.S. due to these improved climatological conditions for the disease. The parasite known as leishmania spreads when sandflies, historically found in tropical climes, bite people. ... Climate change, some researchers say, may be expanding the geographical reach of sandflies and, consequently, the reach of the disease. A related parasite also comes in undetected by way of one million dogs entering the country annually. (Cuevas, 10/19)

On dengue —

Reuters: First Pill For Dengue Shows Promise In Human Challenge Trial
A pill for dengue fever developed by Johnson & Johnson appeared to protect against a form of the virus in a handful of patients in a small human challenge trial in the United States, according to data presented by the company on Friday. There are currently no specific treatments for dengue, a growing disease threat, the company said ahead of presentation of the data at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting in Chicago. (Rigby, 10/20)

On RSV and covid —

CIDRAP: High Demand For Nirsevimab Leads To Supply Glitches
Unprecedented demand for nirsevimab-alip (Beyfortus), the new long-acting monoclonal antibody injection for preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in newborns, has led to some supply problems, Sanofi said last week in a statement. Despite an aggressive supply program, demand for Beyfortus has been higher than expected, especially for the 100-mg dose used for babies born before RSV season. Sanofi said it is closely collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure doses are equally distributed through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. It added that its distribution plan for the private market will be similar and that it is working with AstraZeneca to boost supply. (Schnirring, 10/19)

AP: California Tech CEO Convicted In COVID-19 And Allergy Test Fraud Case Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison
A Silicon Valley executive who lied to investors about inventing technology that tested for allergies and COVID-19 using only a few drops of blood was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $24 million in restitution, federal prosecutors said. Mark Schena, 60, was convicted last year of paying bribes to doctors and defrauding the government after his company billed Medicare $77 million for fraudulent COVID-19 and allergy tests, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. (10/18)

KFF Health News and Cox Media Group: Senators Demand Answers From Social Security On Clawbacks Tied To Covid Relief 
Three U.S. senators on a panel that oversees Social Security have called on the Social Security Administration to address a news report saying that, in violation of agency policy, people’s benefits were reduced or suspended because they received covid-19 relief payments. The lawmakers, who include Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), sent a letter to acting SSA Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi on Wednesday saying they were “deeply concerned” and wanted answers to a list of questions within 30 days. (Hilzenrath and Fleischer, 10/19)

WMFE: AdventHealth Opens Southeast’s First Lifespan Down Syndrome Clinic In Orlando
Adults with Down syndrome in the Southeast now have a one-stop shop for specialty treatments in Orlando. AdventHealth is expanding its services for children and adults by opening the Stella Tremonti Down Syndrome Clinic (SMILE, for short). The clinic is named after the 2-year-old daughter of one of the founding donors — the lead guitarist of the band Creed, Mark Tremonti. (Pedersen, 10/19)

In other health care industry news —

Becker's Hospital Review: New York Hospital Limits Care After City Runs Out Of Water
Samaritan Medical Center in Waterton, N.Y., is pausing some clinical services and rescheduling surgeries due to a major water main break, the hospital said Oct. 19.The water main break occurred the morning of Oct. 19 outside Waterton's main water treatment facility. As of 2 p.m., Mayor Jeffrey Smith said the city's reservoirs were completely depleted and that all the water left is what is in the pipes, according to The Watertown Daily Times. Once the break is located and repaired, it will take 24 to 36 hours to refill the reservoirs. (Bean, 10/19)

Modern Healthcare: Aetna Coverage Cuts Threaten Access, Hackensack Meridian CEO Says
Hackensack Meridian Health will ask Aetna about its coverage cuts to virtual care during contract negotiations, said Robert Garrett, CEO of the nonprofit health system. CVS Health subsidiary Aetna plans to cut commercial telehealth reimbursement for dozens of services as of Dec. 1, including some mental health services. Aetna said the move is “in-line with the industry” as the healthcare system continues to transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic, when telehealth utilization spiked and has since waned. (Kacik, 10/19)

Modern Healthcare: Prospect Medical Holdings To Sell Crozer Health
Prospect Medical Holdings is looking to sell Crozer Health within a year, the private equity company said Thursday. Prospect said in a statement it will work with Morgan Stanley to advise on the sale—a process it hopes to begin after 60 days. (Hudson, 10/19)

Kansas City Star: KU Health, Liberty Hospital Announce Partnership Plan
Liberty Hospital, an independent institution in Kansas City’s Northland for nearly 50 years, could soon join the growing University of Kansas Health System, hospital officials said Thursday. Liberty Hospital’s board of trustees voted to pursue a partnership with KU, a decision that came after the public hospital announced in May its plans to begin a national search for a “strategic growth partner.” Over the coming days, leaders plan to draft a letter of intent outlining the specifics of aligning the two. (Lukitsch, 10/19)

Modern Healthcare: Waystar IPO Could Reopen Market For Digital Health Startups 
Digital health investors and analysts will see how Wall Street responds to digital health’s first U.S.-based initial public offering in 2023 before declaring another IPO window has opened. Healthcare payment technology company Waystar announced its parent company, Waystar Holding Corp., had filed a registration statement on Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission related to a proposed initial public offering. (Turner, 10/19)

Also —

Stat: Hospital Price Transparency Does Save Money, Advocate Argues
For all those who think hospital price transparency will not save money, Cynthia Fisher has a message: it’s already doing so. Fisher, who spoke Wednesday at the annual STAT Summit in Boston, is the successful entrepreneur and founder of PatientRightsAdvocate.org who has been leading an unorthodox campaign to get hospitals to disclose prices. (Wilkerson, 10/19)

Stat: Meta's Zuckerberg And Chan On Track To Put $50 Billion Into Science 
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan sit atop a fortune that is currently valued at $113 billion, and they’ve promised to give almost all of it away. Their philanthropic funding group, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, is committed to investing in an array of fields, including science, education, housing insecurity, and expanding access to startup capital to entrepreneurs of color. (Molteni, 10/19)

Stat: HHS Leader On Health, Climate Change And Biopharma Emissions
Renee Salas, an emergency medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, blames climate change for the sinking feeling she had so often in the ER. “I often feel like I’m in the emergency department pulling patients out of a river, only to see many more behind,” she told STAT’s Sarah Owermohle on Thursday at the STAT Summit in Boston. “So I started walking upstream to find what is causing patients to fall in the river in the first place. And I found that the burning of fossil fuel’s producing pollution, especially air pollution, that’s causing disease.” (Trang, 10/19)

The Texas Tribune: Denton School Will Open A Health Clinic For Students On Medicaid 
A North Texas school district plans to open a new school-based health clinic to serve its students covered by Medicaid, despite concerns from certain parents that the district is overstepping its role. Leaders in the Denton Independent School District say the clinic will make health care more readily available for its students — 49% of whom are eligible for the federal free or reduced price lunch program, an indicator of economic hardship. (Runnels, 10/20)

Stateline: 10 Medicaid Holdout States Scramble To Improve Health Coverage
The Republican-led states that have refused to expand Medicaid are trying a variety of strategies to save struggling hospitals and cover more people without full expansion, which was one of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. ... But health care advocates say those efforts are weak substitutes for full expansion — especially as non-expansion states continue to fare poorly on most health metrics. (Claire Vollers, 10/19)

On LGBTQ+ health —

Axios: Arkansas' Sanders Bans Gender Neutral Terms From State Documents
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order Thursday banning the use of terms like "pregnant person" and "chestfeeding" in state government documents. The terms are to be replaced with "pregnant woman" and "breastfeeding." Legislatures in all but two states introduced more than 500 bills during the 2023 session targeting the LGBTQ+ community, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. (Sparkman, 10/19)

News Service of Florida: Federal Judge Grants Class-Action Status In Florida Trans Treatment Case 
A federal judge Wednesday said a lawsuit challenging new Florida restrictions on treatments for transgender people will move forward as a class action. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued a 15-page order that “certified” a class action in the lawsuit filed on behalf of transgender children and adults. (10/19)

In other news from Florida  —

WMFE: Number Of Opioid Overdoses In Florida Is Down For The First Time In Years
Opioid overdose deaths are declining overall in the Sunshine State, according to new data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Central Florida region saw some of the biggest reductions, according to a report by Project Opioid. Opioid overdose deaths skyrocketed after the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. But in 2022, Florida saw a 2.6% decrease in drug overdoses, CDC data showed. (Pedersen, 10/19)

News Service of Florida: Florida Proposal Would Provide Alzheimer's Training For Law Enforcement 
A Senate Republican on Monday filed a proposal that would offer training to law-enforcement officers about Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, filed the proposal (SB 208) for consideration during the 2024 session, which will start in January. (10/19)

Axios: Ex-Florida Lawmaker Behind "Don't Say Gay" Bill Sentenced For COVID Aid Fraud
The former Florida lawmaker who sponsored the state's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill was sentenced to four months in federal prison on Thursday. Former state Rep. Joe Harding (R-Williston) pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements related to COVID-19 relief funds, according to the Department of Justice. (Habeshian, 10/19)

From California —

KFF Health News: California Moves Ahead Of The FDA In Banning Common Candy Additives
Halloween candy could be in for a California makeover. Asserting that the Food and Drug Administration has not moved quickly enough on dangerous food additives, state lawmakers last month passed the California Food Safety Act, which bans four ingredients found in popular snacks and packaged foods — including candy corn and other Halloween treats. (Sciacca, 10/20)

Stat: FDA Struggles To Regulate Food Additives, Sometimes For Decades
Richard Nixon was the president when the Food and Drug Administration issued its first warnings about brominated vegetable oil, based on reports it could harm a slew of vital organs, from the liver to the heart. But the agency still hasn’t actually banned the ingredient — it only sent a proposed ban to the White House in August. It’s been illegal in the U.K. since 1970. (Florko, 10/19)

Fox News: New Prostate Cancer Treatment Could Be On The Horizon, Say UK Researchers: ‘Tremendously Exciting’
A new study published in the journal Nature has found that for some patients with treatment-resistant prostate cancer, a new process can "block" the messages that cancer uses to "hijack" white blood cells. In early clinical trials, researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research in the U.K. found that this process made advanced prostate cancers more treatable, "shrinking tumors or halting their growth," according to a press release from the university. (Rudy, 10/19)

In other cancer news —

CBS News: Researchers Are Looking To Use Artificial Intelligence To Help Detect Pancreatic Cancer
Nearly 70% of patients with pancreatic cancer face death within the first year of diagnosis. That's why early detection is critical. But doctors say small pancreatic cancers aren't easily detected on CT scans until it's advanced to an incurable stage. For this new study, researchers used imaging datasets from past CT scans of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer to create an artificial intelligence model. They hope it will help aid in early detection of small tumors that are currently difficult to detect. (Stahl, 10/19)

Reuters: Bristol Myers' Injectable Form Of Opdivo Meets Main Goal In Kidney Cancer Trial 
Bristol Myers Squibb said on Thursday the injectable form of its blockbuster cancer drug Opdivo met the main goal in trial that had patients with a type of kidney cancer. The new formulation of the drug that was tested in the trial used Halozyme Therapeutics' proprietary technology, which allows large volumes of Opdivo, currently administered intravenously, to be delivered as an injection under the skin. (10/19)

Stat: Merck, Daiichi Strike Cancer Drug Pact Worth Up To $22 Billion
Merck is paying billions of dollars to partner with Daiichi Sankyo on a series of cancer drugs, underscoring the excitement around targeted chemotherapy treatments. The deal includes a $4 billion upfront payment and an additional $1.5 billion over the next two years. Up to $16.5 billion more is on the table depending on the success of the drugs in development. (Joseph, 10/20)

Wired: This Vaccine Protects Against Cancer—But Not Enough Boys Are Getting It
Since its development and rollout in the mid-2010s, the HPV vaccine’s prowess at heeding off cervical cancer rates has been remarkable. Over an 11-year period in the United Kingdom, cases of cervical cancer fell by 87 percent among those who received the vaccine compared to those who didn’t. It’s conceivable that one day, a whole form of cancer could be effectively eliminated. And the vaccines don’t just protect against cervical cancer. They can also prevent head and neck, vaginal, anal, and penile cancer, as well as protecting against genital warts in both genders. But there’s the rub: Although these vaccines protect against cancers that affect both men and women, boys and men aren’t offered the vaccine in two-thirds of countries where they are available. In those places, half the people who could benefit are missing out on a potentially life-saving intervention. But that’s starting to change. (Browne, 10/20)

The Atlantic: How A Common Stomach Bug Causes Cancer
At first, doctors didn’t believe that bacteria could live in the stomach at all. Too acidic, they thought. But in 1984, a young Australian physician named Barry Marshall gulped down an infamous concoction of beef broth laced with Helicobacter pylori bacteria. On day eight, he started vomiting. On day 10, an endoscopy revealed that H. pylori had colonized his stomach, their characteristic spiral shape unmistakeable under the microscope.Left untreated, H. pylori usually establishes infections that persist for an entire lifetime, and they’re common: Half of the world’s population harbors H. pylori inside their stomach, as do more than one in three Americans. In most cases, the microbe settles into an asymptomatic chronic infection, but in some, it becomes far more troublesome. It can, for example, cause enough damage to the stomach lining to create ulcers. Worse still, H. pylori can lead to cancer. This single bacterium is by far the No. 1 risk factor in stomach cancers worldwide. By one estimate, some 70 percent can be attributed to H. pylori. (Zhang, 10/19)

CBS News: New Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic At Northwestern Aims To Improve Access To Care
The Lurie Cancer Center Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic, which opened in September, was created to address disparities between Hispanic women and White women when it comes to screening, treatment, and research. ... According to Research by the National Institutes of Health, despite being diagnosed less than White women, breast cancer in Hispanic women tends to be more aggressive and more deadly. (Mogos, 10/198)

Fox News: Suicide And Genetics: Study Identifies 12 DNA Variations That Could Increase The Risk
Researchers from the University of Utah Health have identified 12 genetic variations that are linked to a higher risk of suicide attempts, according to a study published this month in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Scientists across several hospitals conducted a worldwide analysis of almost one million people across 22 different populations. ... Then they identified the genetic variations that were more common among the 43,871 people who attempted suicide. (Rudy, 10/20)

American Homefront Project: After A Series Of Suicides, USS George Washington Returns To Sea With More Mental Health Care 
Capt. William Mathis, the second in command of the USS George Washington, walked the carrier's flight deck in mid-September. The ship was operating off the coast of Florida to stay out of the path of Hurricane Lee. Talking with reporters, Mathis recalled the feeling on board when a sailor died by suicide Jan. 23. “The captain cried, I cried, as he was a member of our family,” Mathis said. “It was very difficult. And it will never be easy to deal with the death of one of our sailors, one of our teammates.” (Walsh, 10/19)

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.

More on depression, stress, and mental health —

The Washington Post: Sleeping Less Associated With Symptoms Of Depression, Study Finds
Short sleepers — those who regularly get five or fewer hours of sleep at night — may be at a higher risk of developing depression symptoms, according to a study published Thursday. Researchers examined the health data of 7,146 individuals, age 50 and older in England, and found that older adults who sleep five or fewer hours a night — either because of a genetic predisposition or other reasons — were more likely to show signs of depression years later. The researchers followed the study participants for an average of eight years. (Amenabar, 10/19)

The Washington Post: Depression After Weaning Can Be A Serious Concern For Some New Moms 
While postpartum depression is relatively well studied, with the Food and Drug Administration recently approving a new drug for its treatment, a similar condition that affects new mothers — known as postweaning depression — has almost no research dedicated to it. Postweaning depression occurs during or after the cessation of breastfeeding and is thought to result from a subsequent drop in hormone levels. Symptoms can include anxiety, hopelessness, irritability and insomnia. It is unclear how many women may have or be at risk of postweaning depression because research is limited. (Kim, 10/19)

Orlando Sentinel: These Florida Researchers Are Giving Depressed, Anxious People Psychedelics
A therapy session with Patricia Brown starts like any other. She leads her clients into a peaceful, quiet room, draped in beige and generic, calming artwork. Then her clients lie down, close their eyes, put on a blindfold and headphones, and trip for six hours on psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical found in magic mushrooms. ... These treatments could have untapped potential for helping the estimated one in three people with treatment-resistant depression, ... said Brown. The clinical trial she’s working on right now targets this group. (Catherman, 10/19)

The Washington Post: How Stress Weathers Our Bodies, Causing Illness And Premature Aging 
Physicians and public health experts have pointed to one culprit time and again when asked why Americans live shorter lives than peers in nations with similar resources, especially people felled by chronic diseases in the prime of life: stress. A cardiologist, endocrinologist, obesity specialist, health economist and social epidemiologists all said versions of the same thing: Striving to get ahead in an unequal society contributes to people in the United States aging quicker, becoming sicker and dying younger. (Johnson and Gomez, 10/17)

Roll Call: As 2024 Nears, Advocates Push For Caregiving As Campaign Issue 
Family caregivers are seeking to make their plight a 2024 campaign issue after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the lack of support for the more than 53 million people who provide unpaid care to parents, spouses, friends and disabled children. Exhausted from shortages of workers who help care for people who need it and the rising costs of caregiving, advocates argue caregivers could become a powerful voting bloc in next year’s elections. (Hellmann, 10/19)

KFF Health News: Let’s Have An Honest Conversation About What To Expect As You Age 
How many of us have wanted a reliable, evidence-based guide to aging that explains how our bodies and minds change as we grow older and how to adapt to those differences? Creating a work of this kind is challenging. For one thing, aging gradually alters people over decades, a long period shaped by individuals’ economic and social circumstances, their behaviors, their neighborhoods, and other factors. Also, while people experience common physiological issues in later life, they don’t follow a well-charted, developmentally predetermined path. (Graham, 10/20)

The Washington Post: Strokes Could Kill Nearly 10 Million People In 2050, Research Predicts 
Worldwide stroke deaths could increase by 50 percent by 2050, killing as many as 9.7 million people per year, an international group of stroke researchers predicts in a report in Lancet Neurology. Young people and those in low- and middle-income countries face even higher increases, the report says. The document, produced by dozens of researchers writing as the World Stroke Organization-Lancet Neurology Commission Stroke Collaboration Group, forecasts an ongoing “huge” global burden because of stroke and calls for “pragmatic solutions” to reduce the medical condition worldwide. (Blakemore, 10/19)

The New York Times: Strokes Are More Common And Serious In Women
Each year, more than 6.6 million people worldwide die from strokes, and researchers caution that the incidence is increasing, especially in young and middle-aged people and in low- and middle-income countries. In a report published last week, researchers predicted that stroke deaths would increase by about 50 percent, reaching 9.7 million deaths annually in 2050. Strokes occur when the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain is cut off. This can happen when blood vessels get weak and eventually rupture under pressure, known as a hemorrhagic stroke. More commonly, clots or plaque can block blood vessels to the brain; this is known as an ischemic stroke. Both types of stroke can lead to permanent damage or death. (Sheikh, 10/18)

More health and wellness news —

AP: So-Called Toddler Milks Are Unregulated And Unnecessary, A Major Pediatrician Group Says 
Powdered drink mixes that are widely promoted as “toddler milks” for older babies and children up to age 3 are unregulated, unnecessary and “nutritionally incomplete,” the American Academy of Pediatrics warned Friday. The drinks, which are touted to parents on TikTok, in television ads and on other sites, often contain added sugar and salt. The manufacturers make unproven claims that the drinks boost kids’ brains or immune systems, said Dr. George Fuchs, a member of the AAP’s nutrition committee, which released the new report. (Aleccia, 10/20)

Columbus Dispatch: More Young Children Are Getting Sick Through Contact With Vape Liquid
During a press conference Thursday, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff warned of the rising danger of children being poisoned by the liquid used in e-cigarettes and vapes. The number of e-cigarette exposures reported to the state’s poison centers has nearly tripled over the past seven years from 130 in 2015 to 360 in 2022. So far this year, 328 exposures have been recorded, signaling another likely increase. (Bentley, 10/19)

NBC News: Scooters, Curling Irons And Magnets Are Injuring Kids, Doctors Warn
According to research being presented this weekend at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference, children are getting burned by hair styling tools, swallowing tiny magnets found in desk toys and injuring themselves on electric scooters. Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S., and some of those deaths "stem from things in the household that potentially could be hazardous,” said Dr. Brandon Rozanski, a pediatric resident at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. (Bendix, 10/20)

AP: FDA Is Thinking About A Ban On Hair-Straightening Chemicals. Stylists Say Black Women Have Moved On
Black hair stylists say such products — specifically the ones being looked at by the FDA, which contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals — have fallen out of favor, especially among younger generations. “Relaxers have taken an extreme decline ... as we became more knowledgeable about the effects of the relaxer on your hair and what it can do to your hair,” said Kayleigh Butler, a hair stylist in Atlanta who remembers getting relaxers when she was 5 years old. She added, “I think people just wanted to move away from that and live a healthier lifestyle.” (Hunter, 10/19)

Axios: New Effort Aims To Build An African Ancestry Biobank
Four big drug companies are joining with a historically Black medical school to build a database of genetic information from a half-million people of African ancestry that could help address health inequities. African Americans have been historically underrepresented in scientific and medical research, and account for less than 2% of the known genetic information being studied today. (Bettelheim, 10/19)

Stat: Michael J. Fox On How Far Parkinson’s Research Has Come: ‘We Don’t Want To Be Celebrated. We Want To Get Things Done.’
When Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 29, his clearest symptom was a small one — his pinky finger was twitching. But even by that stage, 70% to 80% of a patient’s dopamine-producing cells are already gone, Fox said. (Gaffney, 10/19)

The Washington Post: U.S., Portugal Show Contrasting Paths To Public Health, Life Expectancy 
Two sisters, one in Lisbon and the other in New Jersey, show how Portugal provides a promising if imperfect model for improving a nation’s life expectancy. (Sellers and Martins, 10/17)

The Washington Post: How Lunchables Ended Up On School Lunch Trays
Weak rules and industry power have allowed ultra-processed products on the menu. Lunchables altered two of its products to meet federal school lunch standards. (Bernstein, Weber and Keating, 10/17)

ProPublica: When Foster Parents Don’t Want to Give Back the Baby
In many states, adoption lawyers are pushing a new legal strategy that forces biological parents to compete for custody of their children. (Hager, 10/16)

Forbes: What You Need To Know About Male Breast Cancer
Many of the factors that predispose men to breast cancer are similar to those for women. (Awan, 10/18)

Los Angeles Times: After The Maui Fire, Some Hawaiians Rethink Aloha Spirit. Is It For Tourists, Family, Everyone?
More than a chill tropical greeting — an exotic salutation used in place of hello and goodbye — aloha is defined by state law as “mutual regard and affection” and extending “warmth in caring with no obligation in return.” ... “Aloha, it’s not always happy and sunshine and rainbows," said Kaliko Kaauamo, 37. "Sometimes having aloha is screaming and crying and being there to hold people in their grief.” (Jarvie, 10/19)

The Washington Post: A Trans Woman Joined A Wyoming Sorority. Then Her New Sisters Sued
A transgender woman joined Kappa Kappa Gamma for support. But she became the target of conservatives and a lawsuit by some sorority sisters to kick her out. (Wan, 10/14)

Scientific American: A New Way To Inspire People To Get A COVID Vaccine 
Here we go again: respiratory virus season. For the first time this year, though, we have vaccines against our big three threats: flu, RSV and COVID. But vaccines in vials do not equal vaccinations in arms. Only 17 percent of Americans got last fall’s COVID vaccine. (Benjamin Rosenberg, Jason Siegel and Katelyn Jetelina, 10/19)

New England Journal of Medicine: Yellow Jack’s Potential Return To The American South 
Environmental and socioeconomic conditions in the U.S. South may permit sharp increases in the incidence of serious arbovirus infections, and yellow fever is of particular concern. (Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., and Angelle Desiree LaBeaud, M.D., 10/19)

Bloomberg: Ozempic, Wegovy Are Spoiling The Food Industry’s Bottomless Brunch
Jimmy Kimmel propelled weight-loss drugs into our popular consciousness in March, when he quipped at the Oscars: “Everybody looks so great. When I look around this room I can’t help but wonder: Is Ozempic right for me?” (Andrea Felsted and Leticia Miranda, 10/20)

Stat: The Explosion Of Genetic Testing Requires A New Approach 
New technology has a history of overwhelming existing systems that try to manage it, and that’s proving to be the case with genetic testing and health care. It’s been only 20 years since the completion of the Human Genome Project opened the door for genetic testing and its promise for more lifesaving screenings and precise, personalized medicine. There are now 175,000 genetic tests on the clinical market, and 10 new tests are introduced every day. (Jason Bush, 10/19)

The Washington Post: Confused About Paxlovid? Here’s Some Clarification
After my recent column addressing common reasons why Paxlovid continues to be under-prescribed, many readers wrote in with questions about the coronavirus antiviral treatment. This issue of The Checkup is dedicated to answering them. (Leana S. Wen, 10/19)

Seattle Times: Listen To Nurses, The Lifeblood Of The Hospital 
I graduated from nursing school three years ago, but I feel like I’m in Whoville. I work at Virginia Mason Medical Center, which was recently purchased by CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit hospital chain that operates 140 hospitals in 21 states. Now it feels like no one can hear me or my fellow nurses. (Allison Wortman, 10/13)