NPR: Supreme Court Delays Ruling On Mifepristone Restrictions Until Friday
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday extended until Friday at midnight an administrative stay in an ongoing lower-court fight over the FDA-approved use of the abortion pill mifepristone. The announcement kicks the can down the road on what the high court will do for another few days. (4/19)

AP: Supreme Court Temporarily Extends Access To Abortion Pill To Friday
The justices are scheduled to meet for a private conference Friday, where they could talk about the issue. The additional time could be part of an effort to craft an order that has broad support among the justices. Or one or more justices might be writing a separate opinion, and asked for a couple of extra days. (Sherman, 4/20)

AP: As Courts Weigh Abortion Pill Rules, Patients Ask: What Now? 
All the legal rulings lately on a key drug used in medication abortions may leave many women wondering: What does this mean for me? Various courts have recently ruled on mifepristone, which is used in the most common form of abortion in the U.S. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily extended access to the pill until Friday while justices consider whether to allow some restrictions to take effect. Meanwhile, doctors, clinics and telehealth providers are taking steps to ensure they’ll still be able to offer abortion care in the future. (Ungar, 4/19)

The company that makes generic mifepristone has sued the FDA —

CNBC: Abortion Pill Company GenBioPro Asks U.S. Court To Keep Generic Mifepristone On Market
A pharmaceutical company that distributes the majority of the U.S. supply of the abortion pill mifepristone sued the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday in an effort to keep its generic version of the drug on the market as a chaotic legal battle over the medication plays out in multiple federal courts. GenBioPro asked the U.S. District Court for Maryland to preemptively block the FDA from pulling the company’s 2019 approval to distribute the company’s version of mifepristone. (Pierson, 4/19)

Also —

Reuters: One Drug Medication Abortion With Misoprostol Grows In US
Use of the drug misoprostol on its own to terminate pregnancies is on the rise in the United States as providers seek a preemptive alternative while a ban on abortion pill mifepristone is being considered in court. (Aboulenein and Erman, 4/20)

Stat: FDA's Califf Talks Gene Therapies, Abortion Pill, Alzheimer’s Drugs
Senators grilled FDA Commissioner Robert Califf Wednesday on everything from the agency’s stance on a Texas court’s attempt to ban the abortion pill mifepristone to the uptick in clinical trial holds for cell and gene therapies. Califf has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to discuss President Biden’s budget request for the Food and Drug Administration, and the appearances give lawmakers a chance to buttonhole him on budget items as well as politically explosive issues that have nothing to do with the funding request. (Wilkerson, 4/19)

ABC News: What Does The Science Say About Abortion Pill 'Reversal' Treatment After Ban Is Halted In Colorado?
Earlier this week, a federal judge in Colorado temporarily exempted a Catholic healthcare clinic from having to follow the state's recent ban on abortion pill "reversal" treatment. Gov. Jared Polis signed the ban as part of a series of bills Friday, becoming the first state in the U.S. to ban use of the treatment and furthering enshrining abortion access in Colorado. (Kekatos, 4/20)

Military.com: Effort To Repeal VA Abortion Policy Narrowly Fails In Senate Vote 
An effort by opponents in the Senate to undo the Department of Veterans Affairs' decision last year to begin providing abortions fizzled out Wednesday after a resolution to repeal the policy narrowly failed to overcome a key procedural hurdle. The Senate voted 51-48 against advancing the resolution offered by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., that would have reversed the abortion policy the VA implemented following the Supreme Court's ruling last year that ended nationwide abortion rights. (Kheel, 4/19)

The Hill: Abortion Politics Roils Senate GOP
Abortion politics is emerging as a major headache for Republicans heading into the 2024 election and threatens to derail their chances of winning control of the Senate, as some Republicans think happened in last year’s midterm election. Republicans are all over the map on what role the federal government should play in limiting abortion. (Bolton, 4/19)

The Hill: Democratic Governors Draw Contrast With GOP On Abortion
Democratic governors across the country are pitching their states as “abortion sanctuaries” as they counter a growing number of Republican-led states seeking to tighten abortion restrictions. Governors like J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Jay Inslee of Washington and Jared Polis of Colorado have taken steps to preserve abortion access, like stockpiling mifepristone or signing legislation offering residents outside their home states legal protections while seeking an abortion. (Vakil and Weixel, 4/20)

In abortion news from Kansas, Nevada, and Florida —

AP: 2nd Abortion Regulation Bill Vetoed By Kansas Governor
Kansas’ governor vetoed legislation Wednesday that would require clinics to tell patients that a medication abortion can be stopped using an unproven drug regimen. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s action pushed back state GOP efforts to restrict abortion despite a decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights in August 2022. It was the second time within a week that she vetoed an anti-abortion bill approved by the Legislature, which has Republican supermajorities and conservative leaders. (Hanna, 4/19)

AP: Nevada Senate Advances Bill Preserving Abortion Protections 
The Nevada state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would strengthen existing protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers from outside prosecution and penalties as Democratic leadership vows to make the western swing state a safe haven for abortion patients. A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo indicated that Lombardo could sign the bill as written. (Stern, 4/20)

NPR: Mental Health Not Considered In "Life Of The Mother" Exceptions
Under a new six-week abortion ban signed late Thursday by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, and under the state's active 15-week abortion ban, there are exceptions when the life of the pregnant person is at risk, but not if the danger stems from a psychological condition. That's the case in several states around the country. (McCarthy, 4/19)

In related news about reproductive health in Mississippi —

AP: Mississippi Governor Touts 'Culture Of Life' With New Laws
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said bills he signed Wednesday are designed to improve foster care, speed up adoptions and help private organizations provide aid to pregnant women in the state that brought the U.S. Supreme Court case that upended abortion rights nationwide. “Mississippi has moved to the next phase in our pursuit to build a culture of life,” Republican Reeves said during a signing ceremony. “That phase is the new pro-life agenda. ... This next phase will not be easy, and it will not be free. But it is the right thing to do.” (Pettus, 4/19)

The Washington Post: White House Plans To Nominate Cancer Center Chief To Lead NIH 
The White House plans to nominate Monica M. Bertagnolli, a Boston cancer surgeon who became director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) last fall, to lead the National Institutes of Health, according to people familiar with the situation. The sprawling federal agency has not had a permanent director since December 2021, when Francis S. Collins, the longtime head of NIH — known for his landmark genetics discoveries and ability to cajole funding from Congress — stepped down. Lawrence A. Tabak, an NIH administrator, has been serving as acting director. (McGinley and Diamond, 4/19)

The Wall Street Journal: White House Close To Nominating Monica Bertagnolli For Top NIH Job 
The White House could change its plans. If it goes ahead with the nomination and the Senate confirms Dr. Bertagnolli, she would take the helm of a federal research agency whose cadre of scientists and $47 billion budget give it a powerful role in investigating diseases and exploring new treatments. ... The Biden administration previously had eyed external candidates for the job, but at least two backed out, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Among the factors deterring interest, people familiar with the matter said, were relatively low pay compared with what the private sector offers and the chance a new president could get elected and want to pick a different leader. (Whyte, 4/19)

Politico: Biden Picks Cancer Surgeon To Run NIH 
Bertagnolli, who previously did stints at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, had won internal praise during her short time at the NCI. She also made headlines shortly after taking the job for disclosing her own early-stage breast cancer diagnosis following a routine mammogram. She wrote at the time that “it’s one thing to know about cancer as a physician, but it is another to experience it firsthand as a patient as well. To anyone with cancer today: I am truly in this together with you.” If confirmed, Bertagnolli would be the second woman to head the NIH. (Cancryn, 4/19)

In other cancer research news —

Stat: Study: Black Women Should Start Breast Cancer Screening At Age 42
For many years, there’s been considerable debate about the best age for women to initiate breast cancer screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women start getting screenings around age 50, while groups such as the American Cancer Society recommend screenings begin at an earlier age. Now a large new study suggests that if Black women begin screening for breast cancer at age 42, that could help lower racial disparities in breast cancer deaths. (Castillo, 4/19)

USA Today: Cancer Advances Are Underway In Treatment, Radiation And Tumor Surgery
What if radiation treatments could be given in a handful of seconds rather than weeks of treatments? If surgeons could actually see tumor cells rather than simply hoping they got rid of them all? If scientists could come up with new ways to detect, treat and understand tumors? These were among some of the ideas presented this week in Orlando at the American Association for Cancer Research annual conference, where more than 6,500 scientists shared their work and their hopes for improving the lives of cancer patients. (Weintraub, 4/20)

Stat: Novel Strategy Of Attacking Sugars On Cancer Cells Shows Promise
Many cancer cells shroud themselves in a thicket of complex sugars called glycans that help them suppress immune cells seeking to kill them. But in most of cancer research, these glycans have been ignored because they’ve been exceedingly difficult to study. Stanford biochemist Carolyn Bertozzi had to invent a new field of chemistry, called bioorthogonal chemistry, just to image them — a discovery for which she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022. (Chen, 4/18)

The Washington Post: House GOP Unveils Bill To Cut Spending, Lift Debt Ceiling. Here’s How.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday unveiled a bill to raise the debt ceiling into next year, slash federal spending by roughly $130 billion and unwind some of President Biden’s priorities and recent legislative accomplishments, including his program to cancel college student debt. ... The spending reductions probably would target federal health care, science, education, climate, energy, labor and research programs, while leaving untouched the Pentagon and services for veterans. But the bill does not specify the exact agencies or programs on the chopping block. (Romm, 4/19)

Politico: Biden Rejects McCarthy’s Debt-Limit Plan
President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a sweeping rebuke of House Republicans’ debt limit proposal, calling it a nonstarter that would impose deep cuts to critical programs across the board. “That’s the MAGA economic agenda: spending cuts for working and middle class folks,” Biden said, while speaking from a Maryland union hall. “It’s not about fiscal discipline, it’s about cutting benefits for folks that they don’t seem to care much about.” ... “They say they’re going to default unless I agree to all these wacko notions they have,” Biden said, singling out McCarthy for risking a default that would leave the nation “devastated.” (Cancryn, Scholtes and Ferris, 4/19)

Also —

Stat: PhRMA Slams Medicare's Handling Of Drug Price Bargaining
Executives for the brand drug industry’s biggest lobbying group painted a grim picture for the future of drug development under Medicare price negotiation. But others say the sector is fearmongering. Medicare last month provided details for how it will choose which drugs will be subject to price negotiation, and how it will calculate the government’s opening offers. (Wilkerson, 4/19)

In other health news from Capitol Hill —

Stat: Congress Targets Reducing Hospital Outpatient Payments In New Bills
House Republicans are floating several draft bills that would significantly affect the hospital industry, including some with far-reaching policies that would authorize Medicare to pay hospitals the identical amount for the same service, regardless of where the service was performed. The bills — which are far from clearing Congress and being signed into law — would address a problem that legislators and policymakers have targeted for years. (Herman, 4/19)

Reuters: Pop Star Elton John Urges US Congress To Keep 'Foot On The Accelerator' In AIDS Fight 
British pop star Elton John urged U.S. senators on Wednesday not to ease up on the fight against HIV and AIDS, as Congress faces a September deadline for reauthorizing the multi-billion-dollar U.S. program to fight the disease. "There is no better symbol of American greatness than PEPFAR, and you should all be very proud of your extraordinary efforts," John, whose foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fight AIDS, told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on reauthorizing the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) via videolink. (Zengerle, 4/19)

People: John Fetterman Opens Up About Depression Treatment: Exclusive Interview
Shortly after returning home from a 44-day stay in Walter Reed Medical Center's neuropsychiatry unit, Fetterman graciously welcomes PEOPLE into his Braddock, Pennsylvania, home. It's the first time the freshman senator and his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, are speaking with the media since he was discharged, and one of the first real conversations they are publicly having about his mental health. Feeling in many ways transformed, Fetterman, 53, sits down on the couch in his signature Carhartt hoodie and basketball shorts, leans forward and inhales. He's ready to talk. (Alvord, 4/19)

Military Times: Vet Affairs Agency Looking For Volunteers To Study Gulf War Syndrome
Veterans Affairs officials will launch a new five-year study into Gulf War Syndrome in an effort to better define and explain the symptoms for the mysterious illness. It’s a move that veterans groups say is overdue but also potentially beneficial to tens of thousands of Gulf War veterans. As many as 250,000 individuals who served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the early 1990s have reported a series of problems including joint pain, fatigue, rashes, memory issues and digestive problems, with no clear cause. (Shane III, 4/18)

On mental health care for veterans —

Military.com: Caregivers For Severely Disabled Vets Getting Expanded Mental Health Services As Part Of Biden Order 
An executive order signed Tuesday by President Joe Biden will expand mental health services via telehealth for some caregivers of disabled veterans and suggests that the Department of Veterans Affairs broaden veterans' access to its family caregiver program as well as home health services. Under the order, the VA must develop a new pilot program offering telehealth psychotherapy -- therapy provided over the phone -- for caregivers who are enrolled in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, also known as the Family Caregiver Program. (Kime, 4/19)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘No Sense Of Urgency’: Mental Health Calls To Atlanta VA Go Unanswered
In early 2021, the mental health of one Atlanta veteran was deteriorating. She lay awake every night, unable to sleep or stop herself from crying. Through her tears, she picked up the phone and called the Atlanta VA for help. No one answered. (Landergan, 4/20)

In other military news —

Military.com: Army Secretary Says She Wouldn't Want Her Daughters Living In Some Army Barracks 
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told lawmakers Wednesday that a chunk of the service's barracks are seemingly unlivable as senior leaders grapple with living conditions for the rank and file and a relatively small budget to quickly improve standards. "I've seen some barracks quite frankly I wouldn't want my daughters to live in," Wormuth said at a House hearing on the Army's budget. ... Mold problems have been at the center of the Army's barracks issues. Last month, the service conducted a service-wide inspection, finding 2,100 of its facilities have some degree of mold infestation, mostly concentrated in humid climates such as the South and Hawaii. Many of those barracks were poorly constructed, have shoddy ventilation and have half-century-old air conditioning units that are prone to leaking. (Beynon, 4/19)

Military Times: The Marine Corps Is Making Changes To Its Medical Training Requisites
As the Marine Corps prepares for a major future fight that may see small units dispersed and operating in hard-to-reach places, it’s also making changes to its military medical requirements regarding who gets medical training and what level of training various battlefield medical providers receive. The policy updates have to do with tactical combat casualty care, or TCCC, the combat lifesaving program developed by the Defense Health Agency. The first of a trio of changes, published in a July Marine administrative message, requires all Fleet Marine Force and supporting establishment Marines to receive certification in TCCC-All Service Member, the base level of the program, within 12 months of deploying. (Seck, 4/17)

Military Times: Marine Recruit Dies At Boot Camp During Physical Fitness Test
A Marine recruit died Tuesday while conducting a physical fitness test at boot camp in South Carolina, the Marine Corps said. Pfc. Noah Evans, 21, died at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, said Maj. Philip Kulczewski, a spokesman for the depot, in a statement Wednesday. ... Evans is the fourth recruit to die at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the past two years, as the Hilton Head Island Packet first reported. (Loewenson, 4/19)

Modern Healthcare: Medical Malpractice Premiums On The Rise: American Medical Association
The cost of malpractice insurance is surging in some states, and the increased premiums threaten access to healthcare in areas seeing the biggest bumps, the American Medical Association warned Wednesday. The report marks the fourth year in a row of increased premiums for medical liability insurance, and comes as clinicians also face additional risks in states advancing restrictive laws on abortion or gender-affirming care. (Hartnett, 4/19)

More on health care costs —

Modern Healthcare: Elevance Health Profits Up As Medical Costs Decline 
The company, which operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states, on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings of $2.8 billion, or $8.30 per share, a 16.6% year-over-year increase. Quarterly revenue increased 10.5% to $41.8 billion, driven by membership growth among exchange, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage customers, premium increases and higher pharmacy scripts revenue from CarelonRx, its pharmacy benefit manager business. (Tepper, 4/19)

KFF Health News: 'An Arm and a Leg': A $229,000 Medical Bill Goes To Court 
In 2014, Lisa French had spinal surgery. Before the operation, she was told she would have to pay $1,337 in out-of-pocket costs and that her insurance would cover the rest. However, the hospital ended up sending French a bill for $229,000. When she didn’t pay, it sued her. The case went all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court. In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann finds out how the court ruled and how the decision is reshaping the fine print on hospital bills in ways that could cost patients a lot of money. (4/20)

KFF Health News: Lose Weight, Gain Huge Debt: NY Provider Has Sued More Than 300 Patients Who Had Bariatric Surgery 
Seven months after Lahavah Wallace’s weight loss operation, a New York bariatric surgery practice sued her, accusing her of “intentionally” failing to pay nearly $18,000 of her bill. Long Island Minimally Invasive Surgery, which does business as the New York Bariatric Group, went on to accuse Wallace of “embezzlement,” alleging she kept insurance payments that should have been turned over to the practice. Wallace denies the allegations, which the bariatric practice has leveled against patients in hundreds of debt-collection lawsuits filed over the past four years, court records in New York state show. (Schulte, 4/20)

In other health care industry news —

The Boston Globe: State’s Second-Largest Health Insurer Suffers Cybersecurity Attack
Point32Health, the parent company for Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, said in a memo on its website that it identified a ransomware incident on Monday, affecting the systems it uses to service members, accounts, brokers and providers. A spokesman for the insurer said the outages were mainly affecting members covered under Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s commercial plans and New Hampshire Medicare plans, though it was not impacting those on the Tufts Health Plan. (Bartlett, 4/19)

Modern Healthcare: Instacart CEO Fidji Simo Launches Medical Center For Complex Diseases 
Instacart CEO Fidji Simo is helping launch the Metrodora Institute, a for-profit, AI-enabled medical and research center in Salt Lake City for people with neuroimmune axis disorders. (Perna, 4/19)

Stat: Amazon Partners With 3M To Advance Conversational AI In Medicine
Health care companies are joining forces with big tech players as they race to integrate AI into their tools, drawn by the promise of large language models from OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and others that they can use in medicine without having to train the AI themselves. (Trang, 4/19)

Also —

The Hill: Theranos’s Elizabeth Holmes Appeals ‘Unjust’ Conviction
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has filed an appeal of her “unjust conviction” on four counts of wire fraud in connection with her now-defunct blood-testing company. Holmes in a Monday filing appealed her 2022 conviction, for which she was sentenced last year to more than 11 years in prison. (Mueller, 4/19)

Reuters: People Lost Faith In Childhood Vaccines During COVID Pandemic, UNICEF Says
People all over the world lost confidence in the importance of routine childhood vaccines against killer diseases like measles and polio during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from UNICEF. In 52 of the 55 countries surveyed, the public perception of vaccines for children declined between 2019 and 2021, the UN agency said. (Rigby and Farge, 4/19)

The CDC gives the green light to another covid booster —

Stat: CDC Advisory Panel Backs Changes To Covid Vaccination Policy
An expert panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccination policy informally endorsed a plan Wednesday to offer an additional Covid-19 booster shot to people 65 and older as well as people who are immunocompromised, and to simplify the Covid vaccine schedule. (Branswell, 4/19)

In other covid vaccine updates —

Reuters: Biden's COVID Vaccine Rule For Federal Contractors Was Valid, US Court Rules
President Joe Biden had the power to require employees of federal contractors to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday, throwing out a judge's ruling that had blocked the mandate in Arizona. (Wiessner, 4/19)

CIDRAP: 'Protect Others' May Be More Effective Message For COVID Vaccine Uptake
Public health messages that focus on protecting others are more effective at increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates than messages focused on protecting oneself, according to research published yesterday in PNAS Nexus. US researchers surveyed more than 3,000 Americans on a visual vaccination campaign. Each of three images described promoting COVID-19 vaccination as a way of protecting oneself, one's circle of friends and family, or one's community. A fourth image simply read "get the vaccine." (Soucheray, 4/19)

Reuters: Vaccine Critic Robert Kennedy Jr Launches US Democratic Presidential Bid 
Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of a storied U.S. political dynasty, announced on Wednesday a long-shot bid to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy, 69, faces little chance of success, but his campaign could serve as a platform to advance claims that childhood immunizations pose health risks -- a theory that has been discredited by multiple scientific reviews. (Sullivan, 4/19)

In other pandemic news —

The Atlantic: Long COVID Is Being Erased—Again
Charlie McCone has been struggling with the symptoms of long COVID since he was first infected, in March 2020. Most of the time, he is stuck on his couch or in his bed, unable to stand for more than 10 minutes without fatigue, shortness of breath, and other symptoms flaring up. But when I spoke with him on the phone, he seemed cogent and lively. “I can appear completely fine for two hours a day,” he said. No one sees him in the other 22.  He can leave the house to go to medical appointments, but normally struggles to walk around the block. He can work at his computer for an hour a day. “It’s hell, but I have no choice,” he said. Like many long-haulers, McCone is duct-taping himself together to live a life—and few see the tape. (Yong, 4/19)

Oklahoman: Senate Overrides Governor's Veto Of Health Care Appropriation
A conflict has developed between Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Legislature over $600 million in federal funds originally intended to help the state during the COVID crisis. The money came in 2020 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which waived certain Medicaid requirements and conditions to allow people on Medicaid to continue their health coverage during the pandemic. (Denwalt, 4/19)

NBC News: House Republicans Poised To Pass Transgender Sports Ban For Schools
The House is expected to pass legislation Thursday that would ban transgender women and girls from competing in female school athletics — the latest GOP salvo in the intensifying culture wars over transgender rights in America. The bill, authored by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., would amend Title IX to bar schools that receive federal funding from allowing people “whose sex is male” to participate in sports designated for women or girls. (Wong, 4/20)

On LGBTQ+ health in Florida, North Carolina, Montana, and Iowa —

The Washington Post: Florida Bans Teaching About Gender Identity In All Public Schools
The Florida Board of Education has forbidden the teaching of gender identity and sexuality throughout all grades in K-12 public schools, extending a nearly year-old legislative ban on such lessons from kindergarten through third grade. The board voted Wednesday to adopt a rule that says Florida teachers in grades four through 12 “shall not intentionally provide classroom instruction … on sexual orientation or gender identity” unless this instruction is required by state academic standards — it is not — or the lessons form “part of a reproductive health course” from which a student’s parent can opt out their child. (Natanson, 4/19)

AP: North Carolina House Approves Ban On Transgender Athletes
Transgender girls in North Carolina would be prohibited from joining female sports teams in middle school, high school and college under legislation passed Wednesday by the Republican-controlled House in one of its first actions since attaining a supermajority earlier this month. The House approved legislation 73-39, with three Democrats voting in favor, to separate sports by biological sex, based solely on students’ “reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” Trans girls would not be allowed to play on any sports team that corresponds with their gender identity. Trans boys and cisgender girls could only play on teams designated for male athletes if there was no comparable girls’ team, except for wrestling. (Schoenbaum, 4/19)

The Hill: Montana GOP Caucus Calls For Censure Of Transgender Lawmaker
A group of Republicans in the Montana legislature have called for the immediate censure of Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr — the state’s first and only openly transgender legislator — after she told lawmakers on Tuesday that there will be “blood on your hands” if a bill to ban minors from accessing gender-affirming health care is approved by the state House. “If you are forcing a trans child to go through puberty when they are trans, that is tantamount to torture. This body should be ashamed,” Zephyr said Tuesday during a floor debate over amendments to Montana’s Senate Bill 99, a wide-reaching bill that would prevent medical professionals from administering gender-affirming health care to transgender youths under 18. (Migdon, 4/19)

Des Moines Register: Iowa GOP Bill Would Ban School Books With Sex, Restrict LGBTQ Teaching
Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate say they're nearing a deal on a major education bill that would limit instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, remove school books with sex acts and give parents the fundamental right to make decisions for their child under 18. (Akin, 4/19)

Also —

CNN: Twitter Removes Transgender Protections From Hateful Conduct Policy
Twitter appears to have quietly rolled back a portion of its hateful conduct policy that included specific protections for transgender people. The policy previously stated that Twitter prohibits “targeting others with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category. This includes targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.” But the second line was removed earlier this month, according to archived versions of the page from the WayBack Machine. (Duffy, 4/19)

Stat: FDA’s New Plan To Study Opioids’ Effectiveness Faces Resistance
A planned clinical trial, doctors and researchers argued on Wednesday, would not yield significant new information about whether opioids are effective as long-term treatments for chronic pain. The study, some charged, would be biased in favor of opioids’ efficacy — and by extension, biased in favor of painkiller manufacturers. (Facher, 4/19)

Overdoses are in the spotlight —

The Boston Globe: First State-Regulated Overdose Prevention Center In US Slated To Open In Rhode Island In Early 2024
The nation’s first state-regulated overdose prevention center is slated to open in early 2024 in Providence. The center is expected to be staffed by the street outreach organization Project Weber/RENEW, in partnership with CODAC Behavioral Healthcare. The two organizations, which had submitted a proposal that was eventually selected by the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, have proposed that the center be located on Huntington Avenue in Providence in a building CODAC already owns and operates. (Gagosz, 4/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Drug Crisis: 'Enormous Rise' In 2023 Overdose Deaths
Fatal overdoses in San Francisco killed dozens more people in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year. It is an alarming jump that frustrates hopes that the city’s overdose numbers would decline post-pandemic. Rather, overdose deaths have returned to the highs seen in 2020 during lockdowns. (Leonard, 4/19)

ClickonDetroit.com: Officials: Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Linked To 18 Overdoses In 2-Day Span In West Michigan
Western Michigan health officials say fentanyl-laced cocaine is behind the sudden spike in deadly overdose cases in Kalamazoo County. The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department said between April 12 and April 13, a total of 18 overdose cases were identified. No other cases were reported after April 13. (Haddad, 4/19)

On settlement funds and fentanyl test trips —

NPR: Opioid Settlement Billions Flow To States, As Advocates Worry About Oversight
Early in President Joe Biden's tenure, his administration promised to play a key role in ensuring opioid settlement funds went toward tackling the nation's addiction crisis. During the 2020 campaign, Biden had laid out a plan to appoint an "opioid crisis accountability coordinator" to support states in their lawsuits against companies accused of sparking the overdose epidemic. The following year, the White House convened a meeting about the soon-to-be finalized settlements, noted that the money could support drug policy priorities, and helped create a model law that states could adopt in anticipation of receiving funds. (Pattani, 4/20)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly May Get More Federal Money To Address Opioid Crisis As Alarm Grows Over Xylazine, A Dangerous And Increasingly Common Drug Additive
Nationwide alarm over fentanyl laced with xylazine, an additive that can lead to festering wounds, amputations, and overdoses, could bring new federal funding for enforcement and treatment to Philadelphia. (Laughlin and Whelan, 4/19)

Axios: Why More States Are Decriminalizing Fentanyl Test Strips
More red states are moving to decriminalize test strips used to detect fentanyl in illicit or counterfeit drugs as the substance becomes a leading killer of adults under 50. Why it matters: The paper strips can reduce fatal overdoses, especially in instances when people unknowingly consume fentanyl-laced pills that look like prescription drugs. (Moreno and Chen, 4/20)

Also —

WCAX: Workers Say Opioid Crisis Driving Push To Unionize Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop
A push is underway to unionize the Ben and Jerry’s scoop shop on Church Street in downtown Burlington. The ice cream maker’s flagship shop is the first of the chain to form a union organizing committee. A union organizer said last summer employees found someone unconscious in the bathroom from a suspected overdose. Workers want fair compensation for dealing with the epidemic. “I think it would be nice to have better training for how to deal with situations that come up from the opioid epidemic and just the unhoused community around here. I think sometimes we are just thrown into stressful situations and expected to think on our feet and that can be a little scary,” said Josie Clark, a shift manager at Ben and Jerry’s. (4/17)

AP: Study: Milder Autism Far Outpacing 'Profound' Diagnoses 
As autism diagnoses become increasingly common, health officials have wondered how many U.S. kids have relatively mild symptoms and how many have more serious symptoms, such as very low IQ and inability to speak. A first-of-its-kind study released Wednesday shows the rate of such “profound” autism is rising, though far slower than milder autism cases. (Stobbe, 4/19)

In MS research —

NBC News: Early Intervention Could Slow The Onset Of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms, Study Finds
Preliminary results of a small Phase 3 clinical trial showed a drug called teriflunomide may delay or prevent MS symptoms in people who have what’s known as radiologically isolated syndrome, which causes the same brain and spinal cord lesions seen in people with MS. The findings will be presented next week at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th annual meeting in Boston. (Sullivan, 4/19)

In other health and wellness news —

NBC News: Strep Infection Rates Remain High, Even Relative To Pre-Pandemic Levels
Strep infections have persisted at high levels so far this spring, even compared to pre-pandemic years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said unpublished data from its national surveillance program show that emergency department visits for regular strep infections reached a five-year high in February and March. (Bendix, 4/20)

Stat: STAT-Harris Poll: Most Americans Are Worried About RSV 
Amajority of Americans are concerned about the health threat posed by the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and are particularly worried that their children or older relatives may contract the illness, according to a new survey by STAT and The Harris Poll. (Silverman, 4/19)

South Florida Sun Sentinel: Florida Researchers Can Diagnose Stroke With 83% Accuracy 
In the nation’s emergency rooms, strokes are regularly misdiagnosed, but now Florida International University researchers have created an algorithm to diagnose this medical condition more quickly and accurately. The FIU-created algorithm uses hospital data and social determinants of health data such as age, race and underlying conditions to diagnose a stroke even before the results of laboratory tests or diagnostic images are available. The researchers believe currently used pre-hospital stroke scales miss about 30% of cases. (Krischer Goodman, 4/19)

Axios: Why SUV Crashes Are More Dangerous For Bicyclists
Bicyclists suffer more severe injuries when they're struck by SUVs than when they're hit by cars because the point of impact is higher, a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study shows. (Muller, 4/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Newsom’s CARE Court Plan To Address Mental Illness
The state Supreme Court declined Wednesday to block a law sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom requiring thousands of mentally ill Californians to accept court-ordered treatment, a program that disability-rights groups said would force people into care arbitrarily and violate their privacy and autonomy. (Egelko, 4/19)

On the gun violence epidemic —

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Lawmakers Send 'Red Flag' Law Gun Bill To Whitmer
Michigan Democrats in the state Legislature took the final step to pass gun safety measures Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked for at the start of the year with votes on bills to establish a so-called "red flag" law, empowering courts to temporarily remove guns from those posing a danger to themselves or others. (Hendrickson, 4/19)

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

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Senate Advances Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Extension
The Alaska Senate unanimously voted Wednesday to advance legislation that would extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers as a way to address Alaska’s rising maternal mortality rate. The U.S. has the highest infant and maternal mortality rates of any developed country, and Alaska’s rates are higher still. Maternal mortality rates include deaths during pregnancy, in childbirth and 12 months after delivery. Rates are rising, both in Alaska and across the nation, according to the state Department of Health. (Maguire, 4/19)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Senate OKs Medically Assisted Suicide
Physician-assisted suicide is a step closer to being legal in Nevada after senators voted on a razor-thin margin to pass a resolution Wednesday. Lawmakers voted 11-10 to advance Senate Bill 239, with all Republicans voting against the measure, along with Democratic state Sens. Dina Neal, D-North Las Vegas, and James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas. (Avery, 4/19)

Politico: RJR Uses California As Test Market For Skirting Upcoming National Menthol Cigarette Ban 
Sales of cigarettes that mimic menthol are soaring in California after the state outlawed most flavored tobacco — a sign that the industry is undermining the new law and raising doubts about the Biden administration’s plans to ban menthol cigarettes later this year. R.J. Reynolds launched its “California compliant” cigarettes, which contain an artificial, flavorless cooling chemical, when the state’s ban went into effect in December. By March, sales of the new cigarettes were on pace to replace nearly half of menthol sales compared with last year, according to an expert who tracks cigarette sale trends. (Foley and Bluth, 4/19)

Stat: Discrimination Lawsuit Against HHMI Spotlights Barriers Faced By Scientists With Disabilities
University of Michigan pediatric neurologist Vivian Cheung made a name for herself studying rare genetic diseases, and in 2008 — when she was on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania — was hired as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, an honor for which she received $1 million a year over the next 12 years to further her research. But after Cheung herself developed a genetic condition so rare it doesn’t have an official name, causing her to start losing her vision, HHMI decided to stop funding her. (Métraux, 4/19)

Bangor Daily News: American Lung Association Says Bangor Has 5th Cleanest Air In The Country
Bangor has the fifth-cleanest air of any U.S. city, outranked only by cities in Hawaii, Wyoming and North Carolina, according to the American Lung Association. (Burnham, 4/19)

CIDRAP: Two Drug Combos Show Protection Against Severe COVID-19 
Two new randomized, controlled trials published yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine describe how drug combinations lowered the risk of severe COVID-19, with one detailing use of the antidepressant fluvoxamine plus the corticosteroid budesonide, and the other outlining the monoclonal antibody duo amubarvimab plus romlusevimab. (Van Beusekom, 4/18)

CIDRAP: Early Steroid Use For Severe COVID-19 Tied To Fewer Deaths 
JAMA Network Open has published a new US national cohort study demonstrating that early administration of the steroid dexamethasone was associated with significantly reduced odds of mortality or discharge to hospice in those requiring supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation and/or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. (Soucheray, 4/18)

CIDRAP: Study: COVID Disturbed Sleep Patterns, Leading To Breathlessness Post-Infection
New research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine and presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) suggests the altered sleep patterns in British residents hospitalized with COVID-19 likely contributed to developing breathlessness, or dyspnea following recovery from the initial illness. This is the first known study linking breathlessness and sleep disturbances, two common symptoms noted during and following COVID-19 infection. (Soucheray, 4/17)

CIDRAP: Study: Severely Ill COVID Patients At 16 Times Higher Risk For Abnormally Rapid Heartbeat 
COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation are 16 times more likely than non-severely ill peers to experience ventricular tachycardia, an abnormal heart rhythm, within 6 months, according to a study presented at this week's annual meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) in Barcelona, Spain. Ventricular tachycardia is a potentially fatal arrhythmia that occurs when the heart's ventricle beats too fast to pump enough oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. (Van Beusekom, 4/19)

CIDRAP: COVID Death Rate 5 Times Higher In Dutch Adults With Learning Disabilities In 2020-21
Dutch adults with intellectual disabilities died of COVID-19 at a rate five times higher than the general population in the first 2 years of the pandemic, finds a study published yesterday in The Lancet Public Health. (Van Beusekom, 4/17)

CIDRAP: Preprint COVID-19 Studies Subject To More 'Spin' During Pandemic
Preprint, non–peer-reviewed studies rose in visibility dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, as scientists around the global tried to decipher and describe the novel coronavirus. An analysis yesterday in JAMA shows that preprint study abstracts were more incomplete and more prone to "spin"—or deceptive persuasion—in the preprint stage compared with published study that followed. (Soucheray, 4/19)

Houston Chronicle: On 4/20, Remember Texas Medical Marijuana Law Can Save Lives
At a time when thousands of Texans are dying of drug overdoses and overdose deaths involving fentanyl have ballooned by 399 percent since 2019, having a state-of-the-art medical marijuana program is not just some glorified marketplace for stoners; it’s a potential life-saving necessity. (4/20)

The Star Tribune: Narcan Availability Raises Hope, But There Are Uncertainties
There is hope in the news that the leading version of naloxone, the No. 1 drug used to reverse opioid overdoses, will soon be available without a prescription. Making it easier to obtain the life-saving drug should save lives, but the devil, as they say, may be in the details. (4/19)

The Star Tribune: Don't Curb Opioid Prescriptions Through Telemedicine
The explosion of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic has been transformative for countless patients who might otherwise be unable to access care. But the Drug Enforcement Administration is preparing to roll back telemedicine options for many essential prescriptions. (Kate M. Nicholson and Leo Beletsky, 4/19)

The New York Times: The Abortion Pill Case Could Throw Our Health Care System Into Chaos 
In their zeal to continue upending abortion access after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, legislators, activists and litigants have pushed increasingly extreme measures that disregard medical science, insert government into the exam room and increase the odds of maternal deaths. (Jack Resneck Jr., 4/20)

Houston Chronicle: Mifepristone Is Safe. Our Patients Need It
We very much hope that mifepristone remains available. The Texas ruling not only jeopardizes nationwide access to safe abortion, but it also puts our health care infrastructure as a whole at risk. (4/19)

Chicago Tribune: Did COVID-19 Cause Pediatric Hepatitis? Skepticism Helped Find An Answer
As it has been said of war, first impressions are often wrong. The public may lose interest in the disease if it disappears, but the professionals, knowing the disease may reappear, must be patient in uncovering its origins, even if it takes years. (Cory Franklin and Robert Weinstein, 4/20)

The New York Times: Why Are So Many Girls Suffering From Anorexia?
Freeman, the author of a riveting new memoir, “Good Girls: A Study and Story of Anorexia,” became sick during the 1990s, but over the last few years, the incidence of anorexia, which predominantly affects preteen and teenage girls, seems to have gone up. (Pamela Paul, 4/20)

Dallas Morning News: Screen Time And Suicide: There Is A Connection, And We All Need To Be Concerned
A 2023 study published in Preventive Medicine found that there is a clear correlation between screen time and suicidality among young people. (Yaron Litwin, 4/20)