Stat: White House Launches Permanent Pandemic Office 
The White House on Friday launched its pandemic preparedness office, half a year after Congress instructed the administration to set up a new arm in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy is a now-permanent installment in Washington and will first be led by retired Major General Paul Friedrichs, a longtime biosecurity official. It comes roughly two months after the Covid-19 public health emergency ended and weeks after Covid-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha stepped down, reflecting an overall wind-down of the administration’s coronavirus efforts. (Owermohle, 7/21)

Reuters: White House Launches New Pandemic Office To Be Led By Retired General
The White House had been expected to cut down its COVID response team after the U.S. government in May ended its COVID Public Health Emergency. Biden said in September last year he believed the coronavirus pandemic was over in the United States. In June, the White House announced the departure of Ashish Jha, the last of the Biden administration's rotating COVID response coordinators. (Singh, 7/21)

On how the next global pandemic could start in the US —

USA Today: Deadly, COVID-Style Pandemic Could Easily Start In US, Report Finds
The next global pandemic could come from the United States. That's the sobering message of a report from Harvard Law School and New York University, examining how humans, livestock and wild animals interact here. (Weintraub, 7/22)

On worries over future pathogens —

Stat: FDA Official Pushes For Dedicated Emerging Pathogens Team
A top Food and Drug Administration official wants Congress to dedicate full-time staff to emerging pathogens, after the FDA scrambled to find people for Covid-19 priorities like Operation Warp Speed. “Vaccines were a pretty heavy duty lift during the pandemic,” said Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, at a Thursday Politico event. “Rather than having to essentially reassign whole groups of people and disrupt things, the idea is to have a group of people who are constantly working on this.” (Bajaj, 7/21)

Meanwhile, covid's not done yet —

CIDRAP: Early US Indicators Show Ongoing Slight Rise In COVID-19 Activity
Though the nation's COVID-19 activity is still at very low levels, for the second week in a row early indicators such as emergency department (ED) visits and test-positivity rates show small rises, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest data updates. Also today, the CDC updated its Omicron variant projections, showing more rises in newer versions such as EG.5 and XBB.1.16.6. And in another US development, the Biden administration today announced its pick to lead the new White House pandemic preparedness and response office. (Schnirring, 7/21)

Los Angeles Times: What To Do If Scammers Charge For COVID-19 Tests You Didn't Order
Unsolicited COVID-19 tests are being sent to people with Medicare as part of a national scam. What should you do next and what resources are available? (Medina, 7/24)

NBC News: CDC Prepares For Possible RSV, Covid And Flu Winter ‘Tripledemic’
Even as the nation is faced with blistering heat waves this summer, Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is already thinking ahead to cold and flu season this winter. “We’re going to have three bugs out there, three viruses: Covid, of course, flu and RSV,” Cohen said in an interview. “We need to make sure the American people understand all three and what they can do to protect themselves.” (Edwards, 7/22)

Axios: FTC Rescinds Policy Statements Backing PBMs
The Federal Trade Commission sent another shot across the bow of the pharmacy benefit managers on Thursday, warning the companies against relying on "outdated" agency statements and studies that opposed more regulatory oversight and transparency of PBMs. The move signals the FTC's growing interest in challenging what commissioners characterized as "competitively troubling changes in the PBM market" and its efforts to remove hurdles to state efforts to address concerns with the drug chain middlemen. (Reed, 7/21)

The New York Times: Drugmakers Throw ‘Kitchen Sink’ To Halt Medicare Price Negotiations 
The pharmaceutical industry, which suffered a stinging defeat last year when President Biden signed a law authorizing Medicare to negotiate the price of some prescription medicines, is now waging a broad-based assault on the measure — just as the negotiations are about to begin. The law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is a signature legislative achievement for Mr. Biden, who has boasted that he took on the drug industry and won. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for older and disabled people; the provisions allowing it to negotiate prices are expected to save the government an estimated $98.5 billion over a decade while lowering insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for many older Americans. (Gay Stolberg and Robbins, 7/23)

The Hill: Key Drug-Pricing Bill Capping Insulin Costs Faces Hurdles In Congress
Major drug-pricing legislation to cap the cost of insulin is in danger of slipping to the fall, where it risks getting lost amid fights over appropriations bills, abortion and a potential government shutdown. The legislation is a priority for Democrats, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said earlier this month that he was hoping to combine the insulin bill and legislation reforming the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry into a package that could get bipartisan support and a vote before the end of summer. (Weixel, 7/23)

Politico: Health Policy Wars Consume Appropriations Bills, Risking Shutdown
House Republicans’ Food and Agriculture spending bill would ban mail delivery of abortion pills and deregulate the tobacco industry. Their Foreign Operations bill would defund the World Health Organization. And multiple bills would bar access to gender-affirming care. Republicans, in coordination with outside conservative groups such as Susan B. Anthony List and the America First Policy Institute, are using must-pass appropriations bills to make their mark on a wide range of health policies, injecting culture wars into the already fraught debate over government spending and raising the chances of a government shutdown. (Miranda Ollstein, 7/23)

Stat: Companies Spend Less On Lobbying After Leaving PhRMA
The three companies that recently left PhRMA all spent less on lobbying following their departures, according to newly released federal disclosures. PhRMA, the brand-drug industry trade group, lost three members over a span of five months following the passage of Democrats’ drug pricing reform law last year. How large members navigate their exits could be instructive to other firms making decisions about their continued membership in the future. Much of PhRMA’s revenue comes from company dues, so exits hurt the group’s bottom line. (Cohrs, 7/24)

In other developments from the Biden administration —

Axios: Dems Press Biden Officials On Medicaid Disenrollments
Congressional Democrats are prodding the Biden administration to do more to prevent Medicaid coverage losses due to the end of the pandemic's continuous coverage provisions. Over 3 million people have been dropped from Medicaid rolls so far, according to KFF, and experts have been alarmed that more than half have lost coverage for "procedural" reasons — meaning a lack of proper paperwork. (Sullivan, 7/21)

Axios: New Merger Guidance Could Stretch Timing Of Health Care Deals
Newly proposed merger guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission could chill dealmaking in the health care sector, as well as increase the costs and time it takes to get transactions to close, experts say. The FTC this month withdrew two antitrust policy statements and with the Department of Justice issued updated guidance for merger reviews, committing to review deals and conduct on a case-by-case basis. (Dreher, 7/24)

ProPublica: Hospices In Four States To Receive Extra Scrutiny Over Concerns Of Fraud, Waste And Abuse
Last week, regulators rolled out enhanced oversight for new hospices in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which pays for most of American hospice care, announced that this change was spurred by “numerous reports of hospice fraud, waste, and abuse” and “serious concerns about market oversaturation.” (Kofman, 7/21)

Stat: NIH’s Translational Research Arm Gets A New Lobbyist
Christopher Austin was the first director of a then-tiny National Institutes of Health department with an opaque name, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Now, a few years out of the job, he’s got a new task: Make sure Congress doesn’t forget about it. (Owermohle, 7/24)

Politico: The VA’s New Medical Records System Has Gone Haywire. Congress Is Alarmed
The Veterans Affairs Department’s fumbling effort to replace its decadesold electronic health records system has strained its relationship with Congress to the breaking point. Anger about the project — billions over budget, tied to at least four veterans’ deaths, and now, on pause — is responsible for a spate of bill introductions, some aiming to shut the project down, others to boost oversight and accountability. The problems also led Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley to hold up a confirmation vote on President Joe Biden's nominee for one of the VA's top posts. (Leonard, 7/21)

In news on the FDA —

KFF Health News: FDA Head Robert Califf Battles Misinformation — Sometimes With Fuzzy Facts
Robert Califf, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, doesn’t seem to be having fun on the job. “I would describe this year as hand-to-hand combat. Really, every day,” he said at an academic conference at Stanford in April. It’s a sentiment the FDA commissioner has expressed often. (Tahir, 7/24)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Denies Petition On Chemicals Used In Food Packaging
The U.S. health regulator on Friday denied a petition urging the agency to reconsider its initial denial on a petition seeking a ban of some chemicals used in plastic for food packaging in May last year. The citizen petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sought a ban on the use of eight ortho-phthalates and revocation of the prior sanctioned uses for five ortho-phthalates in food based on alleged safety concerns. (7/21)

Also —

KFF Health News: Everything Old Is New Again? The Latest Round Of Health Policy Proposals Reprises Existing Ideas
Forget “repeal and replace,” an oft-repeated Republican rallying cry against the Affordable Care Act. House Republicans have advanced a package of bills that could reduce health insurance costs for certain businesses and consumers, partly by rolling back some consumer protections. Rather than outright repeal, however, the subtler effort could allow more employers to bypass the landmark health insurance overhaul’s basic benefits requirements and most state standards. (Appleby, 7/24)

Stat: Most Tornado Damage At Pfizer Plant Hit Warehouse, Some Drugs Impacted
Pfizer says a tornado that ripped through a key manufacturing plant in North Carolina does not appear to have caused “any major damage” to areas that produce medicines. The company reported most damage from the storm occurred at a warehouse that stores raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished medicines awaiting release by quality assurance personnel. As a result, it remains unclear about the extent to which destruction at the facility — which produces nearly 8% of all sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals — will exacerbate a growing shortage of prescription drugs across the country. (Silverman, 7/21)

AP: Tornado Damage To Pfizer Plant Unlikely To Cause Major Drug Supply Shortages, FDA Says
Most of the destruction from a tornado that tore through eastern North Carolina Wednesday and struck a large Pfizer pharmaceutical plant affected its storage facility, rather than its medicine production areas, the company said Friday. The drugmaker’s ability to salvage production equipment and other essential materials could mitigate what experts feared would be a major blow to an already strained system as the United States grapples with existing drug shortages. (Schoenbaum, 7/22)

Reuters: Tornado Damage At Pfizer's North Carolina Plant Was Mostly At Warehouse, CEO Says
"We are moving full speed to bring this manufacturing plant into action again," Bourla said, noting that crews were working to restore power to the plant. In the meantime, the company is trying to identify alternative manufacturing locations in the U.S. The Rocky Mount plant is one of the largest factories for sterile injectable medicines in the world. Its products include anesthesia, painkillers and anti-infective medicines for use in hospitals. (Erman and Ljunggren, 7/22)

Meanwhile, the destruction of the plant puts the drug supply chain in focus —

Modern Healthcare: Pfizer Tornado Damage Highlights Supply Chain Vulnerability
Prior to the catastrophe at the Pfizer plant, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists already identified shortages of several sterile injectable products. Among them is sterile water, which drugmaker American Regent stopped manufacturing in 2021, and other companies have struggled to keep up with the increased demand since then. Other products, including certain sodium chloride bags and injections, have been in shortage since 2017, according to the ASHP. (Devereaux, 7/21)

Houston Chronicle: Maternal Mortality Rate In Texas Is Highest In U.S., Report Says
In Texas, rates went from 10.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1999 to 21.9 deaths in 2019, according to a report by news website Axios. The study looked at pregnant individuals between the ages of 10 to 54 years old. (Holmes-Brown, 7/21)

The Boston Globe: Births Among Those 30 And Older Declines For First Time In Decade
The number of people 30 and older who gave birth decreased for the first time in 10 years during 2020, according to new data published by the Department of Public Health. The drop of 1.8 percent in that age group comes as overall births in Massachusetts in 2020 — 66,442 ― declined by 3.9 percent. The peak of births in the state came in 1990 with 92,461, according to DPH’s 2020 birth data annual report. (Kuznitz, 7/21)

On gun violence and deaths —

ABC News: US Surpasses 400 Mass Shootings So Far In 2023: National Gun Violence Website 
A shooting that erupted in a Houston park over the weekend that left a pregnant woman dead and four other people injured marked the 400th mass shooting in the United States in 2023, according to a national website that tracks firearm deaths and injuries. The Houston incident was among six mass shootings that occurred on Saturday and early Sunday in cities across the nation, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as a single event with four or more victims either injured or killed. (Hutchinson, 7/23)

AP: New Report Points To Homicide Rate Declines In US Cities After Pandemic-Era Spike
Homicides are declining in a cross-section of American cities, though their numbers remain higher than before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, according to a new report analyzing data from 30 U.S. cities. Homicides on average dropped 9.4% during the first half of 2023 as compared to the same period last year, the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice found in a report released this week. (Whitehurst, 7/21)

The Washington Post: Children Were Safer Around Guns After Watching A 1-Minute Video
Could a short video save lives? That’s the implication of a new analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics, which observed children’s behaviors after they watched a brief gun-safety video. In the study, researchers at Ohio State University investigated whether safety videos could decrease children’s unsafe behaviors around guns — a timely topic given that firearms are the leading cause of death among U.S. children ages 1 through 17. They had 226 8-to-12-year-olds watch either a randomly assigned, minute-long gun-safety or car-safety video at home. (Blakemore, 7/23)

On worrisome social media trends —

The Wall Street Journal: Schools Sue Social-Media Platforms Over Alleged Harms To Students
Plaintiffs’ lawyers are pitching school boards throughout the country to file lawsuits against social-media companies on allegations that their apps cause classroom disciplinary problems and mental-health issues, diverting resources from education. (Randazzo and Tracy, 7/23)

Fox News: ‘Girl Dinners’ Social Media Trend Sparks Concern Among Experts: ‘Unhealthy Obsession’
"Girl dinners," a TikTok trend sweeping social media this summer, might sound like a fun night out with friends — but it’s actually a potentially dangerous food practice that’s sparking concern among doctors and nutritionists. Using the hashtag #GirlDinners, some Gen Z women are sharing photos of what they’re having for dinner, with many of the "meals" coming up drastically short in terms of calorie count or nutritional benefit. (Rudy, 7/23)

NBC News: Drinking Borax Is Latest TikTok Trend Medical Experts Are Debunking
At least twice a month, Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor finds herself debunking a viral social media trend that could jeopardize people’s health. This week it's borax. The powdery substance is found in laundry detergent and sold on its own as a cleaning product. Boric acid, a different formulation of the same compound — boron — is also used to kill ants and cockroaches. (Bendix and Yang, 7/22)

In other public health news —

CBS News: Public Health Alert Issued For Never Any! Ready-To-Eat Ham And Cheese Lunch Kits
A public health alert has been issued for ready-to-eat ham and cheese lunch kits because the chocolate chip cookies inside the kit might contain peanut. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services issued this alert to ensure customers with peanut allergies know not to eat this product. (Powers, 7/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Tick And Lyme Disease Risk: Did Rainy Winter Make It Worse?
“In terms of rain, the data aren’t really telling us a clear picture yet,” said Andrea Swei, an associate professor at San Francisco State University’s biology department who studies tick-borne illnesses including Lyme disease. “The takeaway is it’s likely affecting the ticks, but in what way we’re still trying to figure out.” Because ticks have a three-year life cycle, it may take a while for the effects of environmental changes in one year, like last winter’s rains, to play out, Swei said. (Ho, 7/22)

CNN: What You Need To Know About Ticks
Maybe you spotted one crawling up your leg after a hike through tall grass or felt one on your dog’s back as you ran your hand through its fur. If you’re unlucky, maybe you found one already burrowing into your skin, engorged with your blood. Ticks are parasitic bloodsuckers, capable of spreading deadly disease, and they’re becoming increasingly common. Here’s what you need to know about them. (Golembiewski, 7/22)

USA Today: Doctors Amputated A Texas Man's Arms And Feet After He Was Bitten By A Flea
A single flea bite has caused a Texas man to lose several limbs over the past month. There are more than 2,500 different flea species found around the world, but only four are known to severely affect your health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those 2,500 flea species, only about 300 are found in the U.S. (Encinas, 7/21)

The Boston Globe: West Nile Virus Detected In Boston For First Time This Summer
The West Nile virus was detected in a mosquito pool in South Boston, the first time this summer the mosquito-borne illness has been found in the city, according to the Boston Public Health Commission. The commission said there are no confirmed cases of West Nile virus in Boston and the “risk of transmission remains low.” Mosquitoes transfer the virus to humans through bites. (Ellement, 7/21)

AP: Drinking Water In South Dakota's 3rd Largest City Has An Increased Risk Of Disease, Officials Say
Officials in South Dakota’s third most populous city, Aberdeen, are warning residents that their drinking water contains an elevated risk of disease. The Aberdeen Water Works Treatment Plant experienced mechanical malfunctions in two filters used to clean water and make it drinkable for residents, resulting in “an increased chance of disease-causing organisms in the drinking water,” according to a public notice from the city, The Argus Leader reported Thursday. (7/21)

AP: Cupkin Children's Cups Sold On Amazon Recalled Over Newly-Detected Lead Levels
More than 345,000 children’s cups are being recalled due to lead levels that exceed the federal content ban, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. Soojimus is recalling 8-ounce and 12-ounce models of its Cupkin Double-Walled Stainless Steel Children’s Cups — sold in various colors on Amazon and the Cupkin website from 2018 through earlier this year. (7/21)

Obituaries —

The New York Times: Cheri Pies, Author Of “Considering Parenthood,” Dies At 73
Cheri Pies, a professor of public health who broke barriers with her landmark 1985 book, “Considering Parenthood: A Workbook for Lesbians,” a bible of the “gayby boom” of the 1980s and beyond, died on July 4 at her home in Berkeley, Calif. She was 73. The cause was cancer, said her wife, Melina Linder. Later in life, Dr. Pies (her first name was pronounced “Sherry”) became a pioneering researcher and professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, investigating the effects of economic and racial inequality in matters like infant mortality and health over generations. (Williams, 7/23)

Axios: First In Axios: VA Hospital Goes Fully 5G
The Palo Alto VA Medical Center is set to become the first completely 5G-enabled hospital in the U.S. this week, officials told Axios first. 5G is expected to be a game changer when it comes to enabling smart technology in and around hospitals. But setting up that infrastructure to move massive amounts of data around a facility like a large health system is no small undertaking. (Reed, 7/24)

Also —

The Boston Globe: Rise In Cancer Among Younger People Worries And Puzzles Doctors
An array of cancers — colorectal chief among them — are striking people younger than 50 at higher rates than in previous decades, prompting new screening guidelines, new research, and growing concern. Why is this happening? That’s “the very hard question that none of us really know the answer to,” said Timothy Rebbeck, professor of cancer prevention at the Harvard T.H. Chan School Of Public Health. Theories abound, although none has firm data behind it. (Freyer, 7/22)

Stat: Statins Reduce Cardiovascular Risk In People Living With HIV
A statin a day reduces the risk of heart disease in younger people living with HIV, according to a new study published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine. “What the study is saying is if you add a statin treatment to antiretroviral therapy … that will now prevent to a large degree, the excess cardiovascular risk associated with HIV,” said Steven Grinspoon, lead author of the study, and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. (Balthazar, 7/23)

Fox News: Alzheimer’s Disease May Be Detected By A Finger Prick Blood Test For Earlier Diagnosis And Treatment 
A simple finger prick blood test may help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, according to research revealed this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Amsterdam. The blood test is similar to the glucose testing method used by people with diabetes. Instead of sugar, however, it measures Alzheimer’s-related proteins in the brain, according to a news release from the Alzheimer’s Association. (McGorry, 7/23)

ABC News: Watching TV As A Kid Linked To High Blood Pressure And Obesity As An Adult: Study
The amount of time that young people spend watching screens -- instead of physical activity like sports, hikes or gardening -- could be linked to health issues in adulthood, according to a new study. Children and teenagers who spent more time watching television had less efficient oxygen use during exercise, higher blood pressure, and higher rates of obesity in mid-adulthood, even when accounting for sex, childhood body mass index and the family's economic situation, the study published in Pediatrics says. (Hwang, 7/24)

CIDRAP: Exposure To Resistant Aspergillus Is Widespread Across UK, Study Finds
A study by scientists in the United Kingdom suggests at least 40% of antifungal-resistant Aspergillus infections in UK patients are linked to environmental exposure, according to findings published today in Science Advances. (Dall, 7/21)

On research into covid —

CIDRAP: Study: 1 In 6 Kids Have Persistent COVID Symptoms For 3 Months After Infection
A systematic review today in Pediatrics of 31 studies published through December 2022 reveals that persistent symptoms 3 months after confirmed COVID-19 infections, or "long COVID," affect 16% of children and adolescents. The 31 studies included 15,000 children, and researchers recorded more than 20 persistent symptoms. For the first months of the pandemic, there was a dearth of research and understanding on how and if children could suffer from long COVID. (Soucheray, 7/21)

Fortune: COVID In Your House? Isolating From Sick Family Members May Not Do Much Good, According To A New Study
Avoiding your spouse, kids, and other household members for days on end when you’re sick with COVID—it might not do much good, according to a new study published this week in the journal eLife. For the record, not all experts agree. (Prater, 7/21)

CIDRAP: Low Levels Of Resistance To Paxlovid Seen In SARS-CoV-2 Isolates
A study today in JAMA Network Open offers reassurance that resistance to one of the most effective COVID-19 therapeutics is rare. The study was based on SARS-CoV-2 isolates collected from March 2020 to January 2023 in Ontario, and it demonstrates very low levels of resistance to Paxlovid, the antiviral drug most commonly used to limit the duration and severity of COVID-19 infections. (Soucheray, 7/21)

On news relating to AI —

Fox News: AI Heart Scan Aims To Catch Blockages Years Before Symptoms: ‘Unbelievable Breakthrough’
Nearly half of all heart attacks are "silent," which means the person experiences no symptoms at all before the cardiac event, studies have shown. Now a medical technology company aims to catch those pre-symptomatic heart conditions using the power of artificial intelligence. Fountain Life, a health technology company, offers an AI coronary artery scan that purports to detect heart attack risk three, five or even 10 years before symptoms begin. (Rudy, 7/24)

CBS News: AI Could Revolutionize Dentistry. Here's How
New forms of artificial intelligence are already changing how we write, communicate with our doctors and even create art. But the rapidly evolving technology could soon have a permanent fixture in a more sensitive environment: our mouths. Hundreds of dental offices across the U.S. are now using AI-powered X-ray imaging technology from Boston-based VideaHealth. The software helps dentists deal with routine procedures, such as identifying cavities, as well as spot more serious conditions, including periodontal disease, or bone loss within the mouth often linked with diseases like diabetes or Alzheimer's. (Bangalore, 7/21)

The Wall Street Journal: At Startup That Says Its AI Writes Medical Records, Humans Do A Lot Of The Work
Hundreds of doctors across the U.S. have entrusted recordings of their private talks with patients to a startup promising to turn the conversations into usable medical records through artificial intelligence. (Walker, 7/23)

The New York Times: How Gilead Profited By Slow-Walking A Promising H.I.V. Therapy
In 2004, Gilead Sciences decided to stop pursuing a new H.I.V. drug. The public explanation was that it wasn’t sufficiently different from an existing treatment to warrant further development. In private, though, something else was at play. Gilead had devised a plan to delay the new drug’s release to maximize profits, even though executives had reason to believe it might turn out to be safer for patients, according to a trove of internal documents made public in litigation against the company. (Robbins and Gay Stolberg, 7/22)

Reuters: GSK's HIV Prevention Drug Gets European Marketing Nod
GSK Plc (GSK.L) said on Monday that its HIV-focused unit ViiV Healthcare's cabotegravir injected drug and tablets got marketing authorisation from the European Medicines Agency. Cabotegravir is recommended in combination with safer sex practices for pre-exposure prophylaxis to reduce the risk of sexually-acquired HIV-1 infection in high-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilogrammes, the company said. (7/24)

In other industry news —

Axios: Cosmetics Companies Take A Page From Precision Medicine's Playbook
The power of genomics is already being harnessed to develop therapies customized to a patient's biological makeup. Now, it's being applied to cosmetics. L'Oreal is teaming up with Google life sciences spinout Verily to create a 10,000-person study to understand the biological, social, and environmental factors behind skin and hair health. (Reed, 7/24)

Modern Healthcare: AI, Women’s Health Startups Get Funding Deals
The nonprofit Peterson Center for Healthcare launched a $50 million digital health venture on Tuesday. The Peterson Health Technology Institute will provide independent analyses of digital health technologies that consider factors such as clinical benefits, economic impacts, privacy, equity and security. The institute will publish reports on tech ranging from artificial intelligence to provider enablement tools, but will not evaluate direct-to-consumer products, Peterson Center on Healthcare Executive Director Caroline Pearson told Crain’s New York Business. The organization's work will help health insurers, providers and investors assess potential purchases, she said. (Perna and Turner, 7/21)

Fortune: Ozempic Manufacturer Novo Nordisk Spent $11 Million Last Year 'Wining And Dining' Doctors. Experts Slam The Move As A Breach Of Doctor-Patient Trust
Experts are sounding the alarm after a report that popular weight-loss injectable manufacturer Novo Nordisk spent $11 million last year on meals and travel for thousands of prescribing doctors. The company purchased more than 457,000 meals—at a total price of more than $9 million—to educate prescribers about Wegovy and other similar drugs it sells, known as GLP-1 agonists, according to a July 5 STAT report. (Prater, 7/21)

Reuters: Verrica's Drug Gets US Nod As First Treatment For A Type Of Skin Infection
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc's treatment of a viral skin infection in adults and children aged 2 years and above, the company said on Friday. The green light for Verrica's drug, Ycanth, makes it the first approved treatment for viral skin disease molluscum contagiosum in the United States. (Roy and Mandowara, 7/21)

Reuters: Roche Enters Partnership With Alnylam For Hypertension Therapy
Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche said on Monday it had entered into a partnership with U.S. biopharmaceutical company Alnylam to co-develop and co-commercialise zilebesiran, a therapy to treat hypertension in patients with high cardiovascular risk. Under terms of agreement, which provides Roche with exclusive commercialisation rights outside of the United States and joint commercialisation rights within the country, Alnylam would receive an upfront payment of $310 million, Roche said. (7/24)

Reuters: Bavarian Nordic Ends RSV Vaccine Programme After Poor Trial Results 
Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic said on Saturday it was ending its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine programme as its Phase 3 clinical trial did not meet all the primary goals of preventing lower respiratory tract disease. RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can also lead to serious illness and hospitalisation. The market for RSV vaccines could exceed $10 billion by 2030, according to analysts. (7/22)

Reuters: Pfizer To End License Deal With Syros For Blood Disorder Therapies
Syros Pharmaceuticals said on Friday Pfizer will terminate a license deal between the companies related to the development of novel therapies for two blood disorders. Shares of Syros were down 5.7% in trading after the bell. The termination will end the company's more than three-year long collaboration with sickle cell disease drugmaker Global Blood Therapeutics that Pfizer bought in a $5.4 billion deal last August. (7/21)

Also —

NPR: Messaging Your Doctor Through A Patient Portal Might Cost You
If you wanted to talk with your doctor before the pandemic, you generally had to schedule an in-person appointment. But the sudden, rapid expansion of telehealth means patients generally can now text or email their health care providers. "When you wanted to get a Zoom visit or an audio visit, you needed to sign up for the patient portal, and I think a lot of people became aware that they could message for the first time" during the pandemic, says A Jay Holmgren, a researcher in health care information technology at the University of California San Francisco. (Noguchi, 7/21)

Stat: Providers Still Hesitate To Prescribe Buprenorphine, Study Finds
Significant challenges remain before most American clinicians feel comfortable treating patients with buprenorphine, according to a new study. While the federal government’s recent moves to deregulate buprenorphine have led to a bump in new prescribers, it didn’t lead to a significant bump in overall prescribing volume. Many health care providers still see prescribing buprenorphine as difficult, or simply have little interest in using the medication, according to the study. (Facher, 7/21)

Stat: Pharma Companies Call On Suppliers To Reduce Carbon Footprints
As anxiety mounts over climate change, seven of the world’s largest drugmakers urged dozens of their suppliers to outline targets they expect them to reach over the next few years in order to reduce carbon footprints. In explaining their action, the companies — GSK, Sanofi, Roche, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Samsung Biologics, and Merck KGaA — noted that the health care sector contributes approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with around half of this coming from healthcare supply chains. (Silverman, 7/21)

CNN: Medical Professionals React A Year After The Roe V. Wade Reversal
CNN spoke with doctors and medical professionals who responded to a request for stories about how people’s lives have changed in the wake of the ruling. Those who responded all shared stories of their professional lives being disrupted by abortion bans and severe restrictions — including in Idaho and Arizona. Some no longer want to practice in states with limitations on the procedure. Others worry about the safety of their patients as more bans loom in the future. (Chowdhury, 7/23)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Schools Embrace Quality, Safety Education Initiatives
With hospitals experiencing an increase in adverse events and patient harm in recent years, nursing schools are introducing their students to concepts of safety and care quality as key aspects of their learning. Educators should make competency in such areas a top priority for physicians and nurses, especially because health systems are still dealing with the detrimental effects of widespread staffing shortages and training disruptions, said Patricia McGaffigan, vice president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (Devereaux, 7/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Listeria Outbreak In Washington State Kills Three, Sickens Two
Three people died and two others were hospitalized in Washington state after contracting listeria infections in recent months, health officials said. (Adams Otis, 7/23)

The New York Times: 3 Dead After Listeria Outbreak In Washington State
Health officials in Washington State said on Friday that three people had died and two had been hospitalized in the Puget Sound area after contracting food-borne listeria infections in what appeared to be an outbreak. Testing indicated that all five patients, three men and two women, became ill between Feb. 27 and June 30 and probably had the same source of infection, officials said, though an investigation had not yet identified a common food source. (Mayorquin, 7/22)

NBC News: 3 Dead In Washington State Listeria Cluster
Though genetic fingerprinting known as genome sequencing helped health professionals conclude the infections most likely had the same origin, the department had yet to trace the outbreak to a common food source, the department said. The bacteria can be found on food preparation surfaces, fresh, unpasteurized cheese, leafy greens, and cold cuts, as well as in raw milk. (Romero, 7/23)

Kansas City Star: Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills 2-Year-Old Nevada Boy: Family 
A brain-eating amoeba killed a Nevada child possibly exposed during a visit to a hot spring, state health officials reported. The child died following a trip to Ash Springs, a natural hot spring on federal land in Lincoln County, the state Division of Public and Behavioral Health said in a July 20 news release. Testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Naegleria fowleri, commonly called a brain-eating amoeba, as the cause of death, officials said. (Sweeney, 7/23)

USA Today: Nevada Two-Year-Old Dies From Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba, Naegleria Fowleri
A Las Vegas toddler passed away from a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) said in a statement. Woodrow Bundy, 2, died Wednesday morning after being treated at Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, KTLA reported. (Louallen, 7/21)

Meanwhile, in Texas —

Houston Chronicle: Harris Health Patient Information Exposed In Cyberattack
The attack, which came to light last month, involved a Russian ransomware group that gained access to the file transfer software MOVEit. The compromised information at Harris Health varied by patient but may have included Social Security numbers, immigration status and information related to treatment, such as procedure information, treatment cost and diagnosis. The information did not involve Harris Health medical records or patient financial information, Friday's release said. (Gill, 7/21)

The Texas Tribune: Medicaid Removal In Texas Brings Stress As 500,000 People Dropped
For seven years, Maricela Delcid has guided Texans through the Medicaid application minefield, working past language barriers and documentation issues out of a community center in Houston. But her clients have never been more confused or frustrated than now, since the state began booting people from the program after a years-long period of continuous coverage. (Bohra, 7/21)

In other news from across the country —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: North Vista Hospital Sued For Alleged Medical Malpractice
A 65-year-old woman was abandoned on the side of the road in sweltering heat after being discharged from a North Las Vegas hospital last summer, according to a new medical malpractice lawsuit. Nancy Mando was released from North Vista Hospital around 1:40 p.m. on July 12, 2022, and put into a vehicle for transport to a recovery facility. Her family was not told about the transfer, according to a complaint filed this month in District Court. (Wilson, 7/23)

Bloomberg: Heat-Related Illnesses Spike As 100F Temperatures Scorch US South
The proportion of emergency-room visits linked to heat skyrocketed in Texas and surrounding states starting in June, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, with some weeks surpassing levels seen last year. Rates soared in other parts of the country, including the Southwest, in late June and July. Doctors in Arizona and Texas said it’s the worst summer they’ve experienced, with a higher number of patients coming in and some needing treatment for severe conditions like heat stroke, when high body temperatures can damage vital organs and sometimes lead to death. (Griffin, 7/21)

AP: Democratic Governor Pushes Back Against Transgender-Related Attacks By GOP In Kentucky Campaign
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is pushing back hard against Republican efforts to cast him as an advocate of gender reassignment surgery for minors, saying his detractors have misrepresented his position and invoking his Christian faith and support for parental rights to explain why he vetoed a measure that banned gender-affirming care for children. Beshear, a Democrat seeking a second term in a race that could test the political potency of Republican messaging on transgender issues, said in an interview that he has always opposed gender reassignment surgery for children. (Schreiner, 7/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Martinez Refinery Releases Toxic Dust For 3rd Time Since November
The Martinez refinery spewed toxic coke dust into the air Saturday evening for the third time since November, but Contra Costa County health officials found no threat to the surrounding community. “CCH has been notified of a release of coke dust from Martinez Refining Company this evening. A hazardous materials team is responding to determine if the release is affecting nearby neighborhoods,” a tweet from health officials stated. (Parker, 7/22)

AP: Democrats Eye Wisconsin High Court's New Liberal Majority To Win Abortion And Redistricting Rulings
Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to elect a liberal majority to the court for the first time in 15 years. The Democratic Party spent $8 million to tilt the court’s 4-3 conservative majority by one seat with the election of Janet Protasiewicz, who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Republican-drawn map in a campaign. Her April victory broke national spending records for a state Supreme Court race. (Bauer, 7/23)

AP: Judge Orders Montana Health Clinic To Pay Nearly $6 Million Over False Asbestos Claims
A health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination must pay the government almost $6 million in penalties and damages after it submitted hundreds of false asbestos claims, a judge ruled. The 337 false claims made patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldn’t have received. The federally funded clinic has been at the forefront of the medical response to deadly pollution from mining near Libby, Montana. (Brown, 7/23)

AP: Minneapolis Backs Off Arrests For Psychedelic Plant Use
Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize buying psychedelic plants or using them in private. Mayor Jacob Frey on Friday ordered police to stop using taxpayer dollars to enforce most laws against hallucinogenic plants. Minneapolis still prioritizes enforcing laws against selling psychedelic plants, bringing them to schools or using them while driving. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara in a statement said he stands by the mayor’s decision. (7/24)

NBC News: Top Arkansas Psychiatrist Accused Of Falsely Imprisoning Patients And Medicaid Fraud
William VanWhy says he was feeling emotionally overwhelmed when he checked himself into the mental health unit at Northwest Medical Center in Arkansas last year. Four days later, he was still in the locked unit but desperate to leave. “I was not receiving any medical care at all,” VanWhy, 32, said. (Strickler and Gosk, 7/23)

Philadelphia Inquirer: CDC Budget Cuts Could Take Money Away From Philly Health Department
When parents bring their children to get vaccinated at Ala Stanford’s health clinic in Swampoodle, it’s crucial for the pediatric surgeon to know which shots they’ve already received. She relies in part on databases like PhilaVax, a federally funded system that helps local physicians track their patients’ vaccine records and recommend which shots they should get next. (Whelan, 7/21)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Would Not Ban Abortion Pill “Reversal” Under Draft Rule
Under a draft rule released last week, Colorado’s regulatory board for doctors would not automatically consider so-called medication abortion “reversal” to be unprofessional conduct, a blow to Democrats in the legislature who hoped the state would become the first in the nation to ban the practice. (Ingold and Paul, 7/21)

WUSF Public Media: Johns Hopkins All Children's Facility In Tampa Evacuated After Hazmat Call
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Outpatient Center in Tampa remained closed Friday following a hazmat incident. According to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, about 80 people were evacuated Thursday after employees called 911 when they smelled an odor coming from the MRI room. When emergency personnel arrived, they found 30 lithium-ion batteries — weighing about 100 pounds each — were swelling and releasing gas, according to a release. Two of those batteries had ruptured, fire officials said later Thursday. (Lisciandrello, 7/21)

Columbia Missourian: Missouri's Fentanyl Epidemic Hits Record Number Of Overdoses
The fentanyl epidemic is getting worse in Missouri, with record numbers of overdoses in the last four years and 2023 on course to be another record year. Data points to a nearly 75% increase in overdoses in Missouri since 2019, and last year was the second consecutive year that fentanyl accounted for over two-thirds of overdoses in Missouri. Trends in Missouri match what the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration describes as a “nationwide overdose epidemic” fueled by the spread of fentanyl. (Vickers and Abovyan, 7/21)

The Boston Globe: Want To Fix Health Care Burnout? Improve Work Conditions For Doctors And Nurses
Burnout is a major problem among workers in health care, leading to retirements and quitting. The problem feeds off itself since the more workers leave, the more work falls on remaining employees, as employers struggle to fill vacant positions. While burnout was a problem pre-COVID-19, pandemic-related factors exacerbated it. (7/24)

Bloomberg: Better, Cheaper Prescription Drugs Are On The Horizon
One 800-square-foot laboratory at Rutgers University in central New Jersey is equipped to make more than 1 billion prescription pills a year. Its manufacturing process is faster, cheaper and more precise than traditional methods, potentially reducing reliance on factories abroad. The technology also can be used to make drugs currently in shortage, including cancer treatments. Why, then, isn’t this major manufacturing innovation more widespread? (7/21)

The New York Times: Rising Heat Deaths Are Not Just About The Temperature
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports around 700 deaths and about 9,000 hospitalizations each year related to heat. But studies have shown that the actual toll of heat is likely to be much higher, possibly contributing to tens of thousands of deaths. Researchers in Britain predict that heat-related deaths will rise 257 percent by 2050 due to climate change. (Tish Harrison Warren, 7/23)

Scientific American: C-Section Rates Are Way Too High. We Need To Hold Doctors And Hospitals Accountable
A study of 194 World Health Organization member states from 2005 through 2014 indicates that C-section rates beyond 19 percent do not improve maternal or infant outcomes. With the U.S. rate stuck at around 32 percent for the last 15 years, the difference amounts to about half a million unnecessary surgeries every year. (Ann Ledbetter, 7/21)

The Boston Globe: To Save Mothers' Lives, Reduce Racism In Obstetrical Care
Nneka Hall gave birth on her 37th birthday. But instead of looking forward to years of shared celebrations, Hall mourned the loss of her stillborn daughter. Hall says she raised concerns with her obstetrician during pregnancy, but her doctor did not take her seriously. Since then, Hall has made a career out of advocating for improved maternal health care for Black women. “I wouldn’t be doing this work if my daughter hadn’t died,” Hall said. (7/23)

Stat: How Doctors’ Personal Politics Affect Patients 
“Honey, I forgot to duck,” Ronald Reagan said to his wife as he was wheeled to the operating room of George Washington University Hospital on March 30, 1981. He had just been shot and was bleeding into his left chest. He would require emergent surgery, and a team of surgeons was headed with him to the OR. Treating gunshot wounds is, sadly, a routine part of trauma care. But operating on the president — with a handful of Secret Service agents observing in the operating room — was atypical, to say the least. Shortly before being placed under anesthesia, President Reagan sensed some tension in the room. “Please tell me you’re all Republicans,” he said to the OR team. They laughed. (Anupam B. Jena and Christopher M. Worsham, 7/24)