The Washington Post: Drug Overdose Antidote Narcan Goes Over-The-Counter
Narcan, the lifesaving nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, has been approved for purchase without a prescription, the Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday. The long-awaited decision could dramatically broaden the availability of Narcan, a spray version of naloxone, which requires no special training to administer, and has already been credited with saving thousands of lives from opioid overdoses. The approval came on the same day Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified to a Senate panel that the record number of Americans dying of fentanyl overdoses is the “single greatest challenge we face as a country.” (Ovalle, 3/29)

NPR: Narcan, Overdose-Reversing Drug, Is Approved For OTC Sales By The FDA
Emergent BioSolutions, the drug company that produces Narcan, said on Wednesday that it hoped to make the nasal spray available on store shelves and at online retailers by late summer. It did not immediately say how much it would cost. "Today's landmark FDA OTC approval for Narcan Nasal Spray marks a historic milestone as we have delivered on our commitment to make this important emergency treatment widely accessible, given the alarming rates of opioid overdoses occurring across the country," Emergent BioSolutions CEO Robert G. Kramer said in a statement. (Hernandez, 3/29)

Bay Area News Group: FDA Approves Narcan, But Many Barriers Remain As California Considers New Laws
“The cost barrier is still very real,” said Rachel Sussman, who practices primary care and addiction medicine at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose. “How many families are going to be able to afford this is a real problem. But I think the fact that it is now possible (to get it over-the-counter) does start to shift the conversation about who should have naloxone available, who can have it, and how easy it is to get.” (Nickerson, 3/29)

CNN: FDA Approves First Over-The-Counter Version Of Opioid Overdose Antidote Narcan 
The White House drug czar said businesses, such as restaurants and banks, and schools will be encouraged to purchase over-the-counter naloxone. “We will encourage businesses, restaurants, banks, construction sites, schools, others to think about this – think about it as a smoke alarm or a defibrillator, to make it as easily accessible, because it’s not just you. It could be your neighbor, it could be your family, your friend, a person at work or school who might need it, ” Dr. Rahul Gupta said. The nasal spray will come in a package of two 4-milligram doses, in case the person overdosing does not respond to the first dose. However, the drug’s maker, Emergent BioSolutions, says most overdoses can be reversed with a single dose. The product could be given to anyone, even children and babies. (Kounang, Christensen and McPhillips, 3/29)

The Boston Globe: Advocates Cheer OTC Approval For Narcan, But Questions Remain About Price And Insurance
Traci C. Green, professor and director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandies University, was thrilled by the news. “It’s about time,” said Green. “This is the best news you could possibly hear. It wasn’t all that long ago, naloxone wasn’t even covered [by insurance]. It took a lot of advocacy to shift that.” Green envisions naloxone being sold at restaurants, highway rest stops, even vending machines. (Freyer and Mohammed, 3/29)

The New York Times: 10 Questions About Narcan
Think of Narcan or any naloxone nasal spray as a fire extinguisher, said Corey Davis, director of the Harm Reduction Legal Project at the Network for Public Health Law. “Hopefully you’ll never need it,” he said. “But at some point maybe the kitchen’s going to catch on fire and you won’t have time to run to the fire extinguisher store.” Here is some guidance for using Narcan correctly. (Hoffman, 3/29)

Axios: Congress Eyes Making "Zombie Drug" Xylazine A Controlled Substance
Congress is moving to designate an animal tranquilizer that's infiltrating the illegal drug trade as a controlled substance, to better allow authorities to track it and prosecute traffickers. ... Bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reflects the growing alarm over the proliferation of xylazine, a sedative known as "tranq" or "zombie drug" that's often mixed with fentanyl, resists common overdose reversal treatments like naloxone and causes skin-rotting wounds. (Moreno, 3/29)

CNN: Congress Moves To Make Xylazine A Controlled Substance
The bill would require manufacturers to send reports on production and distribution to the DEA so the agency can ensure that it is not being diverted to the black market. “Our bipartisan bill would take important steps to combat the abuse of xylazine by giving law enforcement more authority to crack down on the illicit distribution of this drug, including by putting stiffer penalties on criminals who are spreading this drug to our communities,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H, a cosponsor of the bill, said in the statement. “My colleagues on both sides of the aisle are seeing the impact of this deadly drug in their states, and we will continue working together to move this critical bill forward.” (Chavez, 3/29)

Also —

The Washington Post: Fentanyl Is ‘Single Greatest Challenge’ U.S. Faces, DHS Secretary Says 
The record number of Americans dying of fentanyl overdoses is now the “single greatest challenge we face as a country,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told a Senate panel Wednesday. The statement appeared to be the first time Mayorkas or any other Cabinet-level member of the Biden administration has described the deadly synthetic opioid in those terms. Appearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Mayorkas cited the deaths of more than 70,000 Americans in 2021 tied to fentanyl overdoses. (Miroff, 3/29)

More on the opioid crisis —

Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho Lawmakers Vote To Limit Who Can Access Fentanyl Overdose Treatment Through Grant 
A bill heading to Idaho Gov. Brad Little is necessary to keep Idaho’s psychiatric hospitals and behavioral health centers in operation, authorizing nearly $150 million in spending for Idaho’s behavioral health division. But one sentence written into the legislation could have far-reaching consequences. (Dutton, 3/28)

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Fentanyl Test Strips Could Become Legal In TX. But What About Tests For Other Substances?
Currently, using a test strip to detect either fentanyl or xylazine is illegal in Texas. That could change during the legislative session: Gov. Greg Abbott said he supports legalizing fentanyl test strips, which can detect the presence of fentanyl in a drug sample. Multiple bills being considered by lawmakers this session would explicitly legalize the use of fentanyl test strips. One of the bills, House Bill 362, has passed out of committee. But the bills being considered by lawmakers would only legalize test strips that could detect fentanyl, and wouldn’t decriminalize ones that could detect the newer xylazine, which is on its way to become the latest threat infiltrating Texas’ drug supply. (McCarthy, 3/30)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Testing Strips For Xylazine, The Animal Tranquilizer Contaminating Philly’s Drug Supply, Could Be Coming To The City Soon
People in addiction commonly use testing strips to identify the presence of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid involved in Philadelphia’s soaring rate of overdose deaths. Now, a Canadian company is manufacturing xylazine testing strips, which research from Philadelphia’s health department and a local lab has found to be effective in detecting the tranquilizer on the street. (Whelan, 3/29)

Los Angeles Times: Fentanyl Addiction, Homelessness Haunt This New Mexico Town
The caretaker at the hillside cemetery braced against the cold and walked among the graves. Crosses cast shadows on bunched flowers. A strand of tinsel gleamed from a bare tree. He looked over the rows and shut the gate, his face red, his hands small and coarse. “I’ve got to come back and pick up the garbage,” the caretaker said. “People leave it.” He glanced at a visitor, anticipating the question. “We had a few kids who overdosed,” he said, nodding toward the graves. “But none for a little while.” (Fleishman, 3/29)

CNN: The US Sanctioned Chinese Companies To Fight Illicit Fentanyl. But The Drug’s Ingredients Keep Coming
The seller, who went by the name Linda Wang, was curt when asked if she sold a chemical often used to create fentanyl. “That’s banned,” Wang replied, before quickly providing an alternative: “CAS79099 powder is best. U can have a try.” After more than a week of back and forth, she seemed impatient. “Ok. 79099 powder in USA warehouse now…if you need. Pls order asap,” she wrote in a text message exchange. (John, Xiong, Culver, Rappard and Joseph, 3/30)

Neuroscience News: Fibromyalgia May Worsen Opioid Addiction
There is new evidence that fibromyalgia, and the chronic pain associated with it, could worsen opioid use disorder. Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, College of Medicine and University of Michigan report their findings in Pain. (3/29)

On state opioid settlements —

KHN: $50 Billion In Opioid Settlement Cash Is On The Way. We’re Tracking How It’s Spent. 
More than $50 billion in settlement funds is being delivered to thousands of state and local governments from companies accused of flooding their communities with opioid painkillers that have left millions addicted or dead. That’s an enormous amount of money — double NASA’s budget and five times the revenue of an NBA season. But how that massive windfall is being deployed and how future dollars will be spent seem to be shrouded in mystery. Reporting requirements are scant, and documents filed so far are often so vague as to be useless. (Pattani, 3/30)

KHN: Localize This: Public Reporting Of Opioid Settlement Cash
State and local governments will, over the next nearly two decades, receive billions of dollars from companies accused of sparking the opioid epidemic. KHN recently published an investigation showing these jurisdictions have promised little to no public reporting on how that money is spent. The investigation is based on a detailed analysis of hundreds of written plans, statutes, executive orders, and public statements, first conducted by Christine Minhee of OpioidSettlementTracker.com and bolstered by KHN’s reporting. The information has been compiled into an interactive map and a detailed spreadsheet that we hope can help others investigate opioid settlement stories in their communities. (Pattani, 3/30)

NPR: 74 People Have Been Killed Or Injured By Guns At American Schools This Year
On Monday, three children and three staff members were fatally shot at the Covenant School in Nashville, which one expert describes as part of an "astronomical increase" in violence on school campuses in recent years. There is no universal definition of a school shooting, explains Jillian Peterson, an associate professor of criminology and the president of the Violence Project, a non-profit research center. (López Restrepo, 3/29)

CNN: Guns Lead As Most Common Cause Of Death For Children And Teens In The US
Guns are the leading cause of death for US children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020. Firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (ages 1-18) in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database. Nearly 3,600 children died in gun-related incidents that year. That’s about five children lost for every 100,000 children in the United States. In no other comparable country are firearms within the top four causes of mortality among children, according to a KFF analysis. (Choi, 3/29)

Emotions flare on Capitol Hill, but no action being taken to prevent deaths —

The New York Times: Shooting Prompts a Shrug in Washington, as G.O.P. Rejects Pleas to Act
The mass shooting at a Christian elementary school in Nashville this week has generated a broad shrugging of the shoulders in Washington, from President Biden to Republicans in Congress, who seemed to agree on little other than that there was nothing left for them to do to counter the continuing toll of gun violence across the country. But while President Biden’s stark admission on Tuesday that he could do no more on his own to tackle the issue was a statement of fact that aimed to put the burden on Congress to send him legislation, like the ban on assault weapons he has repeatedly championed, Republicans’ expressions of helplessness reflected an unwillingness, rather than an inability, to act. (Karni, 3/29)

The Washington Post: In Congress, Little Urgency To Address Gun Violence With Legislation 
After a shooter killed three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville, lawmakers on Capitol Hill once again indicated there was little support for addressing gun violence through legislation. ... “I’m a realist,” said Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the chair of the Judiciary Committee, about the possibility of moving gun legislation through his committee without enough Republican support to overcome the 60-vote filibuster. “I know what’s going to happen on the floor.” (Sotomayor and Goodwin, 3/29)

ABC News: Opposing Lawmakers Get Into Verbal Altercation At Capitol Over Guns And Gun Violence
A Democratic lawmaker who was screaming about Republicans' approach to gun violence just off the House floor on Wednesday soon got into a tense altercation with one of his conservative colleagues. An animated Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a former principal, came off the floor and began telling reporters to continue to press GOP members on their views on the issue of guns and shootings. (Ibssa, 3/30)

The Hill: Florida Democrat Slams Greene On School Shootings, Book Bans: ‘Dead Kids Can’t Read’ 
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) slammed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) over Republican efforts to ban certain books in schools but not enact gun control legislation following the shooting at the Nashville, Tenn., school, saying “dead kids can’t read.” “You guys are worried about banning books — dead kids can’t read,” Moskowitz said at a House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday. ... Greene argued that the shooting was stopped because Hale was killed by a “good guy with a gun.” “Did the good guys with a gun stop six people from getting murdered? No,” Moskowitz said. (Gans, 3/29)

Several states making it easier to have guns —

The New York Times: After Mass Shootings, Republicans Expand Access To Guns 
After a mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas last year prompted calls for new gun restrictions, Republican-led states around the country moved in the other direction. One of them was Tennessee, where the governor insisted that tighter firearms laws would never deter wrongdoers. “We can’t control what they do,” Gov. Bill Lee said. Tennessee lawmakers have instead moved to make firearms even more accessible, proposing bills this year to arm more teachers and allow college students to carry weapons on campus, among other measures. (Baker, Kovaleski and Thrush, 3/29)

The Hill: North Carolina Legislature Overrides Veto And Repeals Permit Requirement For Handgun Purchase
North Carolina’s state legislature has voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto and repeal the state’s requirement for a resident to obtain a permit from a local sheriff before legally purchasing a handgun. Senate Bill 41 passed in the state’s House of Representatives in a 71 to 46 vote on Wednesday. The state Senate previously voted 30 to 19 on Tuesday in approval of the measure. ... The enacted bill would also allow guns on some school properties where religious services are held. In a statement, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D) said that the state legislature’s moves to override the requirement is a mistake and will eventually put citizens at risk. (Oshin, 3/29)

AP: Idaho Law Could Criminalize Helping Minors Get Abortions 
Idaho lawmakers are considering making it illegal for an adult to help a minor procure an abortion without parental consent. The measure would create a new crime of “abortion trafficking,” barring adults from obtaining abortion pills for a minor and “recruiting, harboring, or transporting the pregnant minor.” To sidestep violating a constitutional right to travel between states, the state law would make illegal only the portion of a trip to an out-of-state abortion provider that takes place in Idaho. People convicted of breaking the law would face two to five years in prison. (Mulvihill and Hanna, 3/29)

In abortion news from Florida —

WESH 2: Florida's 6-Week Abortion Ban Inches Closer To Becoming Law
The proposed ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in Florida is moving closer to becoming law today. The full state Senate is scheduled to begin debate on the bill and could hold a vote. Senate Bill 300, titled the Pregnancy and Parenting Support bill, includes a shorter time frame for an abortion but allows exemptions in the cases of rape and incest. Women would have to provide documentation from police, court, or medical records to prove they are victims. (Hazen, 3/30)

Yahoo News: Doctor Holds Up Tic-Tac To Demonstrate How Few Cells A 6-Week Abortion Ban Is Protecting
A Florida Senate committee advanced a bill that will ban abortions at six weeks and give $25 million to anti-abortion centers on Tuesday, following five hours of fervent testimony from the public. One anesthesiologist’s testimony included holding up a single Tic Tac to illustrate the actual size of the clump of cells the committee would privilege over breathing patients in its “near total abortion ban.” (Cruz, 3/28)

Other abortion updates from across the U.S. —

WITN: Bill Prohibiting Abortion After Conception Filed In NC House
Three Republican members of the North Carolina House of Representatives filed a bill Wednesday that they say is aimed at protecting the sanctity of human life. Representative Keith Kidwell who represents Beaufort County joined representatives Ben Moss and Ed Goodwin to file house bill 533. If passed, the bill, which is called the Human Life Protection Act of 2023, would prohibit abortion after conception except in cases where it is necessary to preserve the mother’s life. (3/29)

AP: North Dakota Aims At School Curriculum To Deter Abortions 
North Dakota schools would be required to show students high-quality video of how a human fetus develops in each week of pregnancy under a bill Senate lawmakers approved during a vote Wednesday. The 37-9 vote comes on the heels of the North Dakota Supreme Court’s ruling this month that a state abortion ban will remain blocked while a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds. (Ahmed, 3/29)

CNBC: Abortion Pill: Dueling Court Cases May Decide Legality Of Mifepristone
Two federal judges are poised to issue rulings soon in dueling cases that could dramatically affect access to the abortion pill mifepristone. In Washington state, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice is weighing whether to scrap federal regulations on mifepristone that complicate access even where abortion is legal. He is also considering whether to issue an order that would block the Food and Drug Administration from taking any action to pull the pill from the market or reduce its availability. In Texas, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is considering whether to order the FDA to pull the mifepristone from the U.S. market. (Kiimball, 3/29)

ProPublica: How Abortion Bans Are Impacting Pregnant Patients Across the Country
Nine months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of federal protection of abortion rights, the impact of the landmark ruling known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization continues to ripple across the nation. In Dobbs, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. The ruling essentially divided the nation into two territories: states where people have access to abortion care and states where most or all people are unable to obtain an abortion, even if their lives are at risk. (Branstetter, 3/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: Antiabortion Activists Must Face Criminal Trial: Top California Court
Two antiabortion activists who posed as fetal researchers in order to enter national meetings of abortion providers and secretly record conversations will go to trial on criminal charges in San Francisco after the state Supreme Court rejected their latest appeal Wednesday. (Egelko, 3/29)

In other news about reproductive health —

AP: Anti-Abortion Wisconsin Lawmakers Now Eye Medicaid Expansion
Low-income Wisconsin mothers could stay on Medicaid longer after giving birth and with less paperwork under a bill that has gained bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Nearly half of the state’s lawmakers have co-sponsored the bill that came before the Senate insurance committee for a hearing on Wednesday. Currently, Wisconsinites can enroll in the state-supported and federally-funded healthcare program if they are pregnant and qualify as low-income, but have to recertify for the program 60 days after giving birth. Under the proposal, they could keep coverage for a year, even if their household income increases. (Venhuizen, 3/29)

Roll Call: Senate Votes To Overturn COVID-19 National Emergency Order
The Senate voted Wednesday to terminate a COVID-19 pandemic ​national emergency order implemented by former President Donald Trump in 2020 that was due to be terminated in May anyway. The 68-23 vote on the measure came after the House voted 229-197 in February, with 11 Democrats joining 218 Republicans in support. (McIntire and Lesniewski, 3/29)

The New York Times: AstraZeneca’s Covid Vaccine May Have Posed A Higher Heart Risk For Young Women, Study Shows
Young women who received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine made by AstraZeneca might have been more likely to die of a heart problem in the 12 weeks after their vaccination, according to an analysis of immunization and death records in Britain released on Monday. Those findings carry a big caveat: Britain withdrew AstraZeneca’s vaccine use for young people under 30 in April 2021, citing the risk of rare but dangerous blood clots. By that time, the young women who were immunized would have been mainly health care workers or those who were medically vulnerable, because people at high risk of Covid from their age, health or employment were vaccinated first. So the results of the study may not apply to the general population. (Mandavilli, 3/29)

USA Today: Misinformation Is Bad For Your Health, Doctors Say In New Poll
Almost three-quarters of doctors say misinformation made it harder to treat patients for COVID-19 and made patient outcomes worse, according to a new poll. Nearly as many flagged a problematic misinformation about weight loss, supplements, mental health and other vaccines. (Weintraub, 3/29)

The Washington Post: How To Know Whether You Have Allergies Or A Virus
Spring is in full bloom, setting off an orchestra of coughing, sneezing and wheezing. The symptoms are all too familiar for chronic allergy sufferers. But amid a persistent coronavirus pandemic and the tail end of influenza season, how do you know whether that congestion is simply allergies or something more? And what should you do about it? The Washington Post spoke to allergists and immunologists for answers. Here’s what they said. (Bever and Chiu, 3/29)

In news about the flu —

CIDRAP: Study Bolsters Evidence Of Heightened Heart Attack Risk After Flu 
People who are sick with flu are six times more likely to experience a heart attack the week after they test positive compared to the year before or the year after, researchers from the Netherlands will report at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) meeting in Copenhagen between Apr 15 and Apr 18. (Schnirring, 3/29)

NPR: A New Flu Is Spilling Over From Cows In The U.S. How Worried Should We Be?
In 2011, a farmer in Oklahoma had a bunch of sick pigs. The animals had what looked like the flu."Just like a person with respiratory disease, the pigs had labored breathing, maybe a runny nose, cough and potentially a fever," says virologist Benjamin Hause. (Doucleff, 3/29)

Reuters: Chile Detects First Case Of Bird Flu In A Human
Chile detected the first case of bird flu in a human, the country's health ministry reported on Wednesday. he case was detected in a 53-year-old man who presented severe influenza symptoms, according to a statement issued by the ministry, but they noted the patient was in stable condition. (3/29)

Modern Healthcare: Prior Authorization Revamped By Cigna, UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealthcare will eliminate nearly 20% of existing prior authorizations beginning in the third quarter for its commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members, the insurer announced Wednesday. Next year, UnitedHealth will implement a "gold card" program through which qualifying providers will simply notify the insurer about pending care rather than request prior authorization. This will eliminate the need for prior authorization in most cases, according to the company. (Tepper, 3/29)

In other health care industry news —

Stateline: As 988 Crisis Line Sees More Use, States Debate How To Pay For It
Almost everyone agrees that putting money behind the national suicide and crisis hotline is a good thing. But not everyone thinks a new phone tax is the best way to pay for it. Since the crisis line’s easy-to-remember 988 number launched last July, its use has increased significantly. The lifeline had 404,194 calls, chats and texts in February alone, an increase of 161,678 contacts over February 2022. (Straub, 3/29)

The Boston Globe: Understaffing A Major Reason Why A Fifth More Nurses Could Leave The Field
Nearly a fifth of nurses in Massachusetts plan to leave the field in two years or less, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The departures are likely to further strain already stressed hospitals, which spent $1.5 billion last year on temporary labor, 610 percent more than in the fiscal year that ended in September 2019. (Bartlett, 3/29)

Reuters: Michigan Health System To Pay $69 Mln Over Claims Of Illegal Referrals 
Covenant Health System, which operates more than 20 healthcare facilities in Michigan, and two doctors have agreed to pay more than $69 million to settle claims by federal and state authorities that doctors provided referrals to Covenant in exchange for kickbacks. The settlements, announced on Wednesday by Eastern District of Michigan U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison, stem from a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2012 by Stacy Goldsholl, a doctor who worked at Covenant for five years. Goldsholl will receive about $12.4 million from the settlements, according to Ison's office. (Pierson, 3/29)

Axios: CVS Health Expands To The Home With $8B Signify Health Deal
With its $8 billion acquisition of medical services provider Signify Health in the books, CVS Health is expanding its footprint into home health, CEO Karen Lynch said Wednesday at Axios' What's Next Summit. Why it matters: CVS is among the retail giants in an arms race to add capabilities like primary care or telehealth across the health care continuum. It's vying with Amazon, Walmart, Dollar General and Walgreens, among others. (Reed, 3/29)

Modern Healthcare: ViVE 2023: SVB Collapse Making Digital Health Leaders Cautious 
The aftermath of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure is a trending topic among digital health executives and investors this week at the ViVE 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. The gathering of digital health companies, investors and provider executives is the first large, industry-specific conference since the bank failed on March 10. The event has around 7,500 attendees, according to organizers. (Perna, 3/29)

Bloomberg: J&J Exits RSV Race After Competing Shots Advance Toward Approval
Johnson & Johnson halted development of a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus infections in adults, leaving a $10 billion market to competitors who are ahead in their efforts. (Muller and Cattan, 3/29)

More pharmaceutical developments —

NBC News: 'We Have Arrived In The Post-Antibiotic Era': WHO Warns Of Too Few New Drugs For Deadly Superbugs
Late last year, one of Dr. Vance Fowler’s patients — a man in his 60s who’d returned to North Carolina from visiting his family in Nepal — died of a bacterial infection. He’d been treated at a top U.S. hospital with access to the strongest antibiotics. But the infection, a drug-resistant strain of E. coli, surged on. (Hopkins, 3/29)

Stat: Monkey Shortage Imperils Early-Stage Drug Development Timelines
A growing shortage of monkeys used for early-stage pharmaceutical research is causing concern that many companies will soon face costly delays starting clinical trials — leading to a slowdown in drug development. In recent weeks, the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service began denying company requests to import long-tailed macaques from Cambodia in the wake of a federal investigation into a smuggling ring. Meanwhile, the cost of these monkeys, when they can be obtained, has jumped to more than $25,000 each, compared with $10,000 or less three years ago. (Silverman and Garde, 3/29)

Reuters: Novo Nordisk Says Stopping Obesity Drug May Cause Full Weight Regain In 5 Years 
Patients discontinuing the use of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy risk regaining their original body weight in about five years, a Novo Nordisk official said on Wednesday. Based on individual profile, patients could gain back about half of the original body weight in two to three years if they stop the treatment, the Danish drugmaker's head of global drug discovery, Karin Conde-Knape, told a health conference organized by CNBC. (3/30)

Bloomberg: Somerville-Based Bluebird Bio Expects Delay On FDA Sickle Cell Drug Application
Bluebird Bio expects to fall short of its goal to seek regulatory approval for its sickle cell gene therapy by the end of March, the latest setback for the struggling biotechnology company. The company may be able to file the application in a few weeks, depending on when the US Food and Drug Administration provides feedback about Bluebird’s drug manufacturing process, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Obenshain said in an interview. He still expects to launch the drug, lovo-cel, next year. (Peebles, 3/29)

Reuters: GSK Licenses Companies To Make Cheap Copies Of HIV Prevention Drug
British drugmaker GSK has signed deals with three companies allowing them to make inexpensive generic versions of its long-acting HIV preventive medicine for use in lower-income countries, where the majority of new HIV cases occur. The injected drug cabotegravir was approved by regulators in the United States in late 2021. Last July, GSK announced a program with the United Nations-backed healthcare organization, the Medicines Patent Pool, aiming to get poor countries access to new HIV therapies far earlier than they did for previous HIV medicines. (Fick, 3/30)

The Boston Globe: Waltham Biotech’s Vision Loss Drug Helps Slow A Form Of Macular Degeneration
“The rate of slowing is modest, but it’s real,” said Dr. Jeffrey Heier, director of retina research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston who led one of the clinical studies of Syfovre. “Patients aren’t going to see visual improvement with this treatment,” he added. “They’re still going to notice vision loss, but hopefully at a much slower rate.” (Cross, 3/29)

KHN: States Try To Obscure Execution Details As Drugmakers Hinder Lethal Injection 
In 2011, Jeffrey Motts was executed in South Carolina. More than a decade later, the state hasn’t carried out another execution because officials have struggled to obtain the drugs needed for lethal injection. Now, to resume executions, lawmakers are debating a bill that would further shroud the state’s lethal injection protocols from public scrutiny by shielding the identities of the drug suppliers. (Rayasam, 3/30)

Also —

Stat: Medical Device Makers Must Now Prove Cybersecurity To FDA
Hidden in this year’s federal spending bill, among major changes to Medicare payments to doctors and post-pandemic Medicaid, lies a little-noticed change with big implications: a mandate to protect medical devices connected to the internet from hacks or ransomware attacks. The law, which goes into effect Wednesday, explicitly states that companies cannot sell their connected medical devices without first showing the Food and Drug Administration a solid cybersecurity plan. It also gives the FDA $5 million to see a higher security standard through. Historically, the agency has lacked the resources to keep up with rapidly-evolving security threats, or the authority to force device makers to comply with its draft guidelines. (Lawrence, 3/29)

AP: GOP Lawmakers Override Veto Of Transgender Bill In Kentucky
Republican lawmakers in Kentucky on Wednesday swept aside the Democratic governor’s veto of a bill regulating some of the most personal aspects of life for transgender young people — from banning access to gender-affirming health care to restricting the bathrooms they can use. The votes to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto were lopsided in both legislative chambers — where the GOP wields supermajorities — and came on the next-to-last day of this year’s legislative session. The Senate voted 29-8 to override Beshear’s veto. A short time later, the House completed the override on a vote of 76-23. (Schreiner, 3/30)

USA Today: Anti-Trans Bill Among Nation's Toughest, Becomes Law In Kentucky
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ youths and their allies, young and old, protested in a last-ditch attempt to convince Kentucky’s Republican-dominated Legislature to let one of the nation's toughest anti-trans bills die. Their efforts were to no avail. (Krauth, 3/29)

In related news about transgender health care —

AP: West Virginia Governor Signs Ban On Gender-Affirming Care 
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday signed a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, joining at least 10 other states that have enacted laws restricting or outlawing medically supported treatments for transgender youth. The bill outlaws those under 18 from being prescribed hormone therapy and fully reversible puberty blockers. It also bans minors from receiving gender-affirming surgery, something physicians say doesn’t even happen in West Virginia. (Willingham, 3/30)

AP: Montana Bill To Deny Care For Transgender Minors Passes
A Montana bill to deny gender-affirming medical care to young transgender residents passed a final vote in the state Senate on Wednesday, which sends the measure to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte for his consideration. Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Montana have said they will take legal action if the bill becomes law. (Hanson, 3/29)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Senate OKs Ban On Treatment For Transgender Youth, Exempts Current Patients
The Texas Senate on Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that would ban certain medical treatments for transgender youth, but only after exempting anyone already receiving such care. (McGaughy, 3/29)

AP: SC Senators Advance Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors 
About five dozen advocates for transgender youth rallied outside the South Carolina State House as Republican senators joined their conservative counterparts nationwide in advancing a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors. A South Carolina bill to ban gender-transition surgeries, hormone therapy and puberty blockers for people under the age of 18 passed a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday. (Pollard, 3/30)

Also —

Los Angeles Times: Democratic Leader Wants California To Repeal Ban On Government Travel To Anti-LGBTQ States
In a state Capitol dominated by Democrats, where expanding LGBTQ rights is a pillar of the agenda, an announcement Wednesday from one of the most powerful lawmakers came as something of a shock: Senate leader Toni Atkins — a San Diego Democrat who has blazed trails as a lesbian lawmaker and the first woman to lead both houses of the Legislature — said she wants California to repeal its ban on government-funded travel to states with anti-LGBTQ laws. (Rosenhall, 3/29)

AP: Remembrances, Calls For Reform At Irvo Otieno's Funeral 
Family, friends and other mourners gathered Wednesday at a Virginia church to remember Irvo Otieno at a funeral service, celebrating his life and calling for mental health care and policing reforms after the 28-year-old Black man’s death earlier this month while in custody at a state psychiatric hospital. “He had an illness. He should have been doctored to, not treated with brutality,” said civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered the eulogy. (Rankin, 3/29)

CNN: At Irvo Otieno’s Funeral, Calls For Reform On Treating Those With Mental Illness
Seven sheriff’s deputies and three hospital employees are accused of second-degree murder in the March 6 death of the aspiring musician, 28, who prosecutors say was smothered during what the family said was a mental health crisis. “What kind of sickness would make men pile on a man that’s already handcuffed and shackled?” Rev. Al Sharpton said during the eulogy. (Remen and Gast, 3/30)

In other mental health news —

The Washington Post: Fetterman Expected To Return To Senate Next Month After Depression Treatment 
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) will return to the Senate during the week of April 17 after being hospitalized for clinical depression, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked for anonymity to speak candidly about the senator’s condition. (Goodwin, 3/29)

AP: West Virginia Bans Marriage For Children Age 15 Or Younger
West Virginia will no longer allow children under 16 to marry, after the governor signed a compromise bill Wednesday. The law signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice continues allowing children ages 16 and 17 to get married with restrictions. Under the new law, those minors must get parental consent and can’t marry someone more than four years older than them. Existing legal marriages, and those done in other states, are unaffected. Previously, anyone younger than 16 could have gotten married with a judge’s waiver. (Raby, 3/29)

More health news from across the U.S. —

The Washington Post: Minnesota Train Carrying Ethanol Derailed, Caught Fire; Evacuations Ordered
A train carrying ethanol derailed and sparked a fire in Raymond, Minn., authorities said Thursday, urging nearby residents to evacuate. People within a half-mile of the incident were told to evacuate after emergency responders found “numerous rail cars” on a BNSF train had derailed on the edge of the city and caught fire, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement overnight. (Francis, 3/30)

Columbus Dispatch: Feds Seek Data From Lifeline Of Ohio, Lifebanc Over Pancreas Numbers
A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers is investigating 10 organ procurement organizations, including two from Ohio, on suspicion they may be padding their pancreas collection numbers in order to keep government contracts. (Shuda, 3/28)

Billings Gazette: Two Bills To Stabilize Montana Nursing Homes Get First Hearing
While arguing for a bill that would provide emergency one-time funding for nursing homes, Rep. Jennifer Carlson referenced "A Modest Proposal," a satirical essay published in 1729 that offers a brutal proposition for managing a vast population of vulnerable citizens. (Schabacker, 3/29)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Workers Could Sue Over Bad-Faith Insurance Denials
Reno Police Department Detective Janira Varty was injured in 2019 during a car accident when she slid on black ice while on duty. Afterward, her entire body was in pain, and she was unable to lift things or raise her arms above her shoulders. (Hill, 3/29)

North Carolina Health News: Bringing Oral Health Care To Those In Need
Few would fault Bill Milner if he decided it was time to slip out of his scrubs and retire from dentistry, then go off and travel the world. At age 73, he has been tending to teeth in North Carolina for nearly half a century. He has been honored by his peers. In January, the American Dental Association Board of Trustees bestowed upon him the 2023 ADA Humanitarian Award. (Blythe, 3/30)

The Hill: American IQs Rose 30 Points In The Last Century. Now, They May Be Falling.
A new study of human intelligence posits a narrative that may surprise the general public: American IQs rose dramatically over the past century, and now they seem to be falling. Cognitive abilities declined between 2006 and 2018 across three of four broad domains of intelligence, the study found. Researchers tracked falling scores in logic, vocabulary, visual and mathematical problem-solving and analogies, the latter category familiar to anyone who took the old SAT.  (De Vise, 3/29)

In other health and wellness news —

Fox News: New Breast Cancer Gene Can Predict Likelihood Of Hereditary Disease, Study Finds 
Some risk factors for breast cancer — such as diet, exercise or hormone medications — are preventable. But others, like certain genetic mutations, can’t be changed. It’s already known that some genes can predict the likelihood of breast cancer. Women with a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, for example, have a 70% risk of developing the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. (Rudy, 3/29)

The Washington Post: Living With Cats Or Dogs May Lower Children’s Risk Of Food Allergies 
Newborns who live in a home with cats or dogs appear to be less likely to develop food allergies, according to the findings of a large study. The benefit holds even if the exposure is during fetal development, when a pregnant mother lives with pets. The effect in the study was modest but statistically significant: Exposure to dogs or cats during fetal development or the first few months of life lowered the odds of a later food allergy by about 14 percent. The benefit was strongest when the dogs were kept indoors and when the exposure was during both fetal development and infancy. (Hurley, 3/29)

The Press Association: Honey Bees Could Help Track Microorganisms In Cities, Scientists Say
Bees play an important role in the ecosystem as pollinators but scientists believe they may be helpful in other ways - such as providing insight into the health of people living in cities. Scientists have been investigating urban honey bees to see if they can provide clues on the types of microorganisms that exist in cities - collectively known as the microbiome. (Marshall, 3/30)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Elkhorn Valley Beef Recalled In Pennsylvania And New Jersey
The meat came from a Kansas company, Elkhorn Valley Packing, and is sold in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as Maryland, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Indiana, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported. Buyers included distributors, restaurants, hotels, institutions, and retail businesses. The agency hasn’t received reports of illnesses caused by contaminated meat. (Laughlin, 3/29)

Also —

The Washington Post: Damar Hamlin Visits Capitol Hill To Support Bill Promoting Access To AEDs
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, whose life was saved by swift-acting medical personnel and a portable defibrillator when he suffered sudden cardiac arrest during an NFL game in January, came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to raise awareness for legislation that would improve students’ access to the type of care that saved him. Hamlin, with his 8-year-old brother and 10- and 11-year-old cousins by his side, spoke briefly at a press event advocating for the Access to AEDs Act, which was introduced on Wednesday in the House of Representatives and calls for schools to receive grants for the implementation of AED and CPR programs. (Boren, 3/29)

AP: Vatican: Pope Has Good Night In Hospital Despite Infection 
Pope Francis spent a good first night in the hospital after being admitted for a respiratory infection, a Vatican official said Thursday. Further medical updates were expected later in the day. Francis was taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital for tests on Wednesday afternoon after experiencing difficulty breathing in recent days. The 86-year-old pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, does not have COVID-19 but will remain in the hospital for several days of treatment, the Vatican said. His audiences were canceled through Friday. (Winfield, 3/30)

ABC News: Sperm Donor In The Netherlands Fathers More Than 500 Children, Foundation Says
A 41-year-old man allegedly fathered more than 500 children in the Netherlands, according to the Donorkind Foundation, an organization that helps children born via sperm donations who are looking for their origins. Donorkind, which is based in Den Haag, Netherlands, confirmed in a statement that a generous "serial donor" would have given his sperm nationally and internationally. (El Hammar Castano, 3/29)

CIDRAP: COVID Widened Excess Death Gap Between US And European Countries 
The United States has had substantially higher death rates than similar high-income countries in Europe in all but the oldest age groups, but the gap widened even more during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study revealed today. Earlier studies had documented a widening mortality gap between the United States and five European countries between 2000 and 2017. The five countries include England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. A comparison of the latest excess death trends between the two regions from 2017 through 2021 appears today in PLoS One. (Schnirring, 3/29)

ScienceDaily: Time Of Day Matters When It Comes To Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment 
Researchers discuss the role of circadian rhythms in tumor progression and spread and describe how we could better time when patients are tested for cancer and when they receive therapies to improve diagnostic accuracy and improve treatment success. (Cell Press, 3/24)

NBC News: Migraines And Cluster Headaches Are Linked To The Body's Internal Clock, Science Shows
Cluster headaches are a rare type of headache that cause bursts of intense pain around the eye. Each burst lasts about 15 minutes, but an attack can last between one and three hours. The condition is more common in males than in females. The opposite is true for migraines, a severe headache condition that is three times more prevalent in females than in males. (Sullivan, 3/29)

ScienceDaily: A Higher Dose Of Magnesium Each Day Keeps Dementia At Bay 
More magnesium in our daily diet leads to better brain health as we age, according to scientists from the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at The Australian National University (ANU). (Australian National University, 3/23)

New England Journal of Medicine: Acute Effects Of Coffee Consumption On Health Among Ambulatory Adults 
We conducted a prospective, randomized, case-crossover trial to examine the effects of caffeinated coffee on cardiac ectopy and arrhythmias, daily step counts, sleep minutes, and serum glucose levels. (Marcus, M.D., et al, 3/23)

Bloomberg: CDC’s Top Post-Covid Priority Has To Be Rebuilding Public Trust
Now, the New York Times has reported that staffers at the disease intelligence service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were pressured by the Donald Trump administration to keep silent about what they knew: that Covid was being spread quietly by asymptomatic carriers. (Faye Flam, 3/29)

The Washington Post: Expanding Medicaid Is A Good Deal. So Why Are Some States Holding Out?
When the Democratic-led Congress passed the ACA in 2010, it assumed that every state would broaden its Medicaid program to cover people who lacked coverage and were too poor to qualify for subsidies that the law provides to help households earning between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level. (Karen Tumulty, 3/29)

The New York Times: As A Doctor, I Know Being Ready To Die Is An Illusion 
Reconsidering what we think acceptance means — and whether it will come to pass — requires loosening our expectations of those who are dying. To become better at talking to one another honestly about death and to truly prepare for it, we must first understand why we expect the dying to demonstrate readiness in the first place. (Sunita Puri, 3/29)

The Washington Post: A Conversation With Dr. Wen: Should Everyone Buy Narcan Now? 
The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that Narcan, the nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose, will be available over the counter. The decision was years in the making and should have happened long ago. (Leana S. Wen and Robert Gebelhoff, 3/29)

The Boston Globe: Supreme Court’s New Target: The Americans With Disabilities Act 
As we await rulings this term that could gut the already battered Voting Rights Act, weaken laws protecting the LGBTQ community, and eviscerate affirmative action in college admissions, the court teed up a new target for next term: the Americans with Disabilities Act. (Kimberly Atkins Stohr, 3/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: No, Deporting Undocumented Immigrants Won’t Solve The Fentanyl Crisis
In recent months, Republicans in Congress have been pushing the narrative that unauthorized immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border is responsible for fentanyl-related overdoses across the country. But there’s one glaring problem with their pitch: It’s not true. (Laura Guzman, Carlos Martinez and Jorge Zepeda, 3/29)