Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
California Eyes Prison Heat Protections That Fall Short of Workplace Standards
California is crafting weaker heat protections for prisons than other workplaces, citing billions in costs to cool aging institutions as climate and health risks increase. It’s a second-class standard, health and safety advocates say, and would leave correctional workers more susceptible to heat illness.
3 Common Drugs Older Adults Might Be Overusing
Not all older people need benzodiazepines, antibiotics, or daily aspirin — and taking them can carry increased risks.
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Here's today's health policy haiku:
THE SYSTEM NEEDS FIXING
Mark, we know our costs,
— Anonymous
and our 'Care and 'Caid losses.
The shift grows each year.
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Opinions expressed in haikus are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Summaries Of The News:
Vaccines
Surgeon General Nominee Touts Vaccines' Laurels To Senate Panel, But Doesn't Openly Rebut RFK Jr.
Roll Call: Surgeon General Nominee Won’t Renounce RFK Jr. Vaccine Decisions
Surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier, seeking to be confirmed as the nation’s top health educator and spokesperson, on Wednesday declined to fully distance herself from the Trump administration’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule when pressed by a prominent Republican. (Cohen, 9/16)
CNN: What A Social Media Influencer Turned Surgeon General Could Mean For Public Health In The US
Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing wasn’t the first time much of the American public met Dr. Nicole Saphier and heard her perspective; President Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general is a health and wellness influencer who has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers through her podcast and social media platforms. (McPhillips, 9/16)
Stat: HHS Nominee Chris Klomp Faces Scrutiny At Senate Hearings
Over two days, senators on two key committees focused on the authority Chris Klomp already wields, and how he would use this power should he be confirmed as second-in-command to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Cirruzzo, 9/16)
Related news about measles, covid, and more —
The Washington Post: Sen. Cassidy Says Measles Surge Will Be Administration’s ‘Terrible Legacy’
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) on Wednesday said the nation’s worst measles outbreak in the United States in 35 years is “going to be a terrible legacy for this administration,” citing recent deaths in Pennsylvania. “Misinformation and misguided policies are leaving children and adults unprotected against disease that we know how to prevent,” Cassidy, a physician and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said at the outset of a hearing for three key administration nominees. (Roubein, 9/16)
The Washington Examiner: Shapiro Says He'll Spurn Federal Measles Aid Until CDC Confirms Four Deaths
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) said Wednesday he would refuse any federal aid for Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms the four measles deaths reported in the state. ... Shapiro accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of diminishing the severity of measles and recounted a phone call they had last month. “Look, he doesn’t believe that measles is an issue. When I spoke to him over the phone, he wanted to lecture me about natural measles, and, in many ways, making excuses. He blamed Joe Biden for all of this. I mean, he is someone who is not, I think, connected or grounded in reality," Shapiro said Wednesday. (Carter, 9/16)
NBC News: Kennedy To Give Speech To Anti-Vaccine Group He Founded
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will have a homecoming of sorts Thursday when he delivers the keynote address at a conference hosted by an anti-vaccine group he co-founded a decade ago. (Bendix, 9/16)
The New York Times: Covid Vaccines Delayed For Half Of U.S. Children
Nearly three weeks after the Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid vaccines, about half of American children still cannot receive them, because the federal government has not made the doses available through the Vaccines for Children program. (Astor, 9/16)
CIDRAP: Vaccine Integrity Project Turns Its Eye To Meningococcal And Pneumococcal Vaccines
Today, the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP), based at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), announced it will examine existing scientific evidence on meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines for children and young adults for its next independent review. CIDRAP publishes CIDRAP News. (Soucheray, 9/16)
Medicare
GOP Advances Bill To Consider Alternative Data For Medicare Advantage Spending
Stat: GOP Aims To Change Medicare Adviser’s Math So It’s More Favorable To Health Insurers
Normally, discussions about how congressional advisers study Medicare spending are quite dry. Not so at the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday. In a party line vote, committee Republicans pushed forward a bill that seeks to change how the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission studies Medicare Advantage spending. In particular, this bill would direct the nonpartisan agency to study the topic of overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans in a manner that’s more favorable to insurers. (Wilkerson, 9/16)
Bloomberg: Walmart And Insurer Scan Health To Sell Medicare Advantage Plan
Walmart Inc. and nonprofit insurer Scan Health Plan are partnering to sell Medicare Advantage plans to seniors, betting that they can use the big-box retailer’s data to push down the cost of healthcare. Prices for medical care have risen steeply in recent years, making it more difficult for health insurers to profit by selling Medicare Advantage plans, which are a private version of Medicare. Insurers have been pulling back and closing some plans, forcing millions of people to find other coverage. Scan hopes their plan may help fill some of that gap. (Swetlitz, 9/16)
CIDRAP: Meant To Cut US Prescription Drug Prices, Proposed Medicare Policies May Do The Opposite—With Global Implications
The Trump administration’s proposed Medicare “Most-Favored Nation” pricing policies could drive up prescription drug prices and slow drug launches around the world, a modeling study published this week in The Lancet concludes. The policies are aimed at lowering the prices of drugs in the United States, which are an estimated three to five times higher than in European countries. But manufacturers’ ability to strike confidential deals with the Trump administration and challenges in implementing the policies could cancel out any savings, the study authors say. (Van Beusekom, 9/16)
Healthcare Dive: More Health Plans Score 5 Stars On NCQA Ratings, But For-Profits Underperform
Health plans are generally performing better on quality and performance ratings, though nonprofit insurers continue to surge past their for-profit peers. The National Committee for Quality Assurance released its 2026 ratings on Tuesday, which score commercial, Medicare and Medicaid plans across a range of measures of clinical quality, patient experience and health outcomes. Eighteen plans nabbed the standards organization’s highest 5-star rating, up from 11 last year. All of them are nonprofits. (Parduhn, 9/16)
More healthcare industry updates —
Valley News: Dartmouth Health Lays Off 124 Employees, Cuts 303 Positions
Dartmouth Health has laid off 124 employees and eliminated 303 open positions across Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Southern Region. (Ebrahimi, 9/16)
Modern Healthcare: How Hospitals Are Leaning On Philanthropy As Pressures Mount
Hospitals and health systems are doubling down on seeking philanthropy partners as they navigate growing financial challenges. A worsening payer mix, a rise in uncompensated care and higher labor and supply costs are threatening margins and requiring hospitals to look to their foundations to help fund clinical operations. The successful organizations are investing in their philanthropy teams and looking to clinical leaders to more effectively sell their story to potential donors. (DeSilva, 9/16)
Modern Healthcare: Medtech Mergers And Acquisitions Rose 36% In Q2 2026: PMCF
Medtech mergers and acquisitions are on the rise. Deals rose 36% in the second quarter from the previous quarter, as buyers gained confidence amid improving financing conditions, according to a recent report by investment bank PMCF. The uptick reflects continued interest in medtech companies and contract development and manufacturing organizations, and pent-up demand for deals that were held back in 2025, said Mike Brooks, a director at PMCF. (Dubinsky, 9/16)
In news about health care personnel —
Modern Healthcare: AAMC CEO David Skorton To Retire
Dr. David Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, plans to retire by next June, the trade group announced Tuesday. Skorton, a cardiologist, joined the AAMC in 2019. The association has tapped consulting firm Spencer Stuart to assist in recruiting a successor, it said in a news release. (DeSilva, 9/15)
MedPage Today: Aging Doctors Face A Patchwork Of Cognitive Screening Policies, Study Shows
Policies addressing cognitive decline in aging physicians were uncommon in the U.S. and similar countries, a comparative policy analysis showed. Unlike safety-critical fields in other industries, healthcare has historically relied on self-regulation and peer review rather than proactive cognitive screening, though some hospital systems screen physicians independently, reported Nathan Stall, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto, and co-authors. (George, 9/16)
Healthcare Dive: 70% Of Gen Z Healthcare Workers Say They’re Going To Quit Within The Next Year
Nearly three-quarters of Gen Z healthcare workers intend to find a new role in the next year, according to a new poll of more than 1,500 U.S. healthcare employees. The survey, commissioned by the Harris Poll found that less than half of Gen Z healthcare workers feel very loyal to their current employer, in part because professional development and career advancement feel out of reach. (Health, 9/16)
The Baltimore Sun: Nurse Who Diverted Pain Meds From Child Patient Sentenced
A former University of Maryland Medical Center nurse was sentenced to 30 days in jail for diverting morphine intended for a 10-year-old patient, the Maryland attorney general’s office said Wednesday. (Byrne, 9/16)
WUSF: After Selling 2,900 Fake Nursing School Diplomas, She Gets A 7-Year Prison Sentence
The former owner of a Broward County nursing school who helped run a scheme that sold thousands of fraudulent nursing diplomas has been sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison. (Mayer, 9/17)
Medical Xpress: Caregivers Worldwide Often Sacrifice Their Own Well-Being, 20 Years Of Research Further Confirms
Caregivers of people with cancer, heart problems and other long-term illnesses report needing more psychological support but often stop short of accessing it. While that statement may not be surprising to people who have been in the position of caring for a loved one, it is a stark conclusion that follows a comprehensive review of 20 years of research involving more than 80,000 people. The findings are published today by experts at the Australian institutions the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland in the journal Psychology & Health. (9/16)
Administration News
FDA Is On A Hiring Spree, But Onboarding Red Tape Is Holding Up Hires, Employees Say
Stat: FDA Rehiring Efforts After DOGE Are Delayed By Original DOGE Cuts
To hear Food and Drug Administration leaders tell it, everything is going swimmingly — a far cry from the dark days of April 2025, when Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service took a chainsaw to the agency, slashing 3,500 workers and triggering a broader staff exodus. (Manto, 9/17)
Stat: Researchers Sue NIH For Violating First Amendment Rights
A group of researchers are suing the National Institutes of Health for allegedly infringing on their freedom of speech by screening grants for certain words and phrases when making funding decisions. (Oza, 9/16)
Also —
Bloomberg: HHS Launches SPECTRA Initiative To Advance Autism Research With AI Tools
The US Department of Health and Human Services plans to launch a new research initiative related to autism, using AI and other technology to map how the condition develops and identify opportunities for early intervention. The initiative, called SPECTRA, will analyze available data and then fill in the gaps on “the missing biology needed to treat earlier and prevent avoidable illness,” according to a draft document reviewed by Bloomberg News. The program will operate under the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, a division of HHS that funds potential breakthroughs in biomedical research at an accelerated pace. (Cohrs Zhang and Ambaye, 9/16)
Healthcare Dive: HHS Adds New IDR Entity As Surprise Billing Disputes Surge
The Trump administration has certified a new arbiter to decide out-of-network payment disputes between providers and insurers through the process set up by the No Surprises Act. Physio Solutions, which does business as Medlitix, is an independent review organization that provides medical and peer reviews, as well as dispute resolution services to health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, third-party administrators and over 40 government programs. (LaPointe, 9/15)
MedPage Today: Health, Defense Secretaries Pave Way For Ketamine Drug
At first, the Federal Register notice set off alarm bells: The secretaries of health and defense were collaborating on emergency use of medical countermeasures for U.S. military forces -- but they didn't specify why. In July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth determined there was a military emergency -- or significant potential for one -- involving a higher risk of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack on U.S. forces. (Fiore, 9/16)
Axios: Top Trump Adviser Susie Wiles Says She's Cancer Free
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles announced Wednesday she is cancer free. Wiles, President Trump's most trusted adviser, announced in March that she had early stage breast cancer, but planned to stay on the job as she sought treatment. (Scribner, 9/16)
Pharma and Tech
Arkansas Pharmacies Sue Express Scripts, Accuse It Of Underpaying Reimbursements
Healthcare Dive: Express Scripts Targeted By Arkansas Pharmacies In First-Of-Its-Kind Lawsuit
A group of independent pharmacies in Arkansas are suing Express Scripts, one of the largest pharmaceutical middlemen in the U.S., for allegedly underpaying for tens of thousands of prescriptions. The lawsuit filed Tuesday, which seeks hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, is the first filed under a state law passed last year giving Arkansas pharmacies the ability to go after PBMs for reimbursing them below the acquisition cost of drugs, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs. (Parduhn, 9/16)
In other pharmaceutical news —
MedPage Today: Contaminated Glutathione Injections Sicken Dozens In U.S.
More than 25 people across four states became sick after getting glutathione injections, and at least three were hospitalized, according to the CDC. All three had received intravenous glutathione, and one had to be admitted to the intensive care unit to be treated for shock and abnormal blood clotting. The main problem appears to be that all of the injections were made by compounding pharmacies that used glutathione ingredients that were intended for use only in dietary supplements. (Fiore, 9/16)
MedPage Today: FDA Warns Of Serious Risks Tied To Misuse Of Double-Chin Fat Dissolver
Unapproved use of deoxycholic acid injection (Kybella) outside of the submental fat region may carry a risk of neuromuscular and other potentially serious adverse events, according to an FDA labeling update. A review of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) revealed 129 cases of adverse events associated with use of deoxycholic acid in unapproved areas since the product was approved in 2015, the agency stated in a safety communication. The reports included some serious adverse events, such as blurred or reduced vision with periorbital use of deoxycholic acid injection and muscle or nerve injury, including facial paresis and paresthesia. (Bankhead, 9/16)
The Washington Post: Funding Cuts Could Threaten New Cancer Breakthroughs, Experts Warn
Cancer science achieved several landmark breakthroughs in the past year, but the field is at an “inflection point” amid threats to research funding, the American Association for Cancer Research said in its annual progress report Wednesday. The report touted 11 new treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration since July 2025 and a steady decline in the cancer mortality rate, which fell by 35 percent between 1991 and 2024. (Wu, 9/16)
San Francisco Chronicle: Psychedelic Research Has A Problem: Everyone Knows Who Got High
Psychedelic research has blown up in medicine over the past decade, with scientists exploring magic mushrooms, acid and other mind-altering drugs to treat a host of conditions, from depression and anxiety to intractable post-traumatic stress disorder. But as the first potential therapies hurtle toward U.S. federal approval, some scientists say the field is skipping a critical step in studying these drugs: double-blinding. (Allday, 9/16)
MedShadow Foundation: What Americans Really Want From Drug Ads
Results from a new national poll show broad support for fewer prescription drug ads, and tighter rules governing how they’re regulated. (Jaycox, 9/15)
KFF Health News: 3 Common Drugs Older Adults Might Be Overusing
The scenario often unfolds like this: Medical researchers investigate a frequently used drug and report that it’s less effective for older patients than previously thought, or that its risks outweigh its benefits in older adults. More studies follow, confirming those findings. After a few years, medical associations revise their guidelines, warning that the drug in question should be avoided or at least prescribed more selectively. It might be added to the Beers Criteria, an influential list of potentially inappropriate medications for older patients, published by the American Geriatrics Society. (Span, 9/17)
On the use of AI in healthcare and beyond —
The New York Times: OpenAI Discloses Six New Incidents Of ‘Concerning' A.I. Behavior
OpenAI on Wednesday disclosed six new instances in which artificial intelligence systems hid mistakes, made up data and moved files onto the open internet without permission, amid an ongoing industrywide debate about A.I. safety. The San Francisco company revealed what it said was the “unexpected or concerning” behavior of its A.I. models as part of a new framework for reporting “misalignment,” which is when the goals or actions of A.I. systems diverge from human intentions and values. (Martin, 9/16)
Bloomberg: Headspace Meditation App Being Acquired By AI Startup Sword For $300 Million
Headspace, a popular meditation and mental health support app, is being acquired by Sword Health, an artificial intelligence startup focused on healthcare. The Headspace acquisition, announced Wednesday, is expected to close by the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2026, the companies said in an interview. The all-cash deal is valued near $300 million, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, who declined to be identified discussing private details of the transaction. (Kelly, 9/16)
Axios: AI Is Not Yet Driving Drug Development
Curing disease is one of AI's most tantalizing use cases, fetching billions of VC dollars, but thus far it's generated more excitement than evidence. That's the thrust of a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, which calls the clinical impact of AI "disappointingly limited." (Primack and Rychlewski, 9/16)
MPR News: Allina Health's Doctors Strike Takes On AI Diagnoses
Unionized doctors at Allina Health are concerned about a growing interest in creating diagnoses with the help of artificial intelligence. (Wurzer, Levin and Zurek, 9/16)
State Watch
Family Of Texan Who Was Denied An Abortion Sues State Over Restrictive Ban
The New York Times: Family of Woman Who Died While Pregnant Sues Texas Over Abortion Ban
Other lawsuits by women who say they were denied abortions despite grave risks to their lives or their fetuses have been dismissed or blocked by state courts. This lawsuit claims that state officials created a climate of fear that kept doctors from ending Tierra Walker’s pregnancy before she died. (Sandoval, 9/16)
More reproductive health news —
The Hill: Major Abortion Rights Group Sets Sights On Arizona, Michigan, Nevada For Midterm Push
A major abortion rights group is expanding its outreach efforts in key battleground House districts ahead of November’s midterm elections. Reproductive Freedom for All (RFFA) said it is investing about $1 million into a direct voter contact campaign across three priority districts in Arizona, Michigan and Nevada. (Weixel, 9/16)
New Hampshire Public Radio: NH Nonprofit Expands To Make Reproductive, Gender-Affirming Care Accessible To More
A New Hampshire organization that has been helping people access reproductive health care since 2021 and gender-affirming care since 2023 has changed its name in an effort to better reflect its mission and reflect that transgender care is a part of it. Previously known as the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire, the Live Free Autonomy Collective says the rebrand coincides with an effort to serve more people and expand their offerings. (Richardson, 9/16)
The Hill: Josh Hawley Pushes Republicans To Sign Anti-Abortion 'Declaration For Life'
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is working with Christian groups to push Republican officeholders and candidates to sign a “Declaration for Life” pledge to fight for legislation to restrict abortion. Hawley announced the pledge after hosting the first Missouri Prayer Breakfast with dozens of pastors in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building. (Bolton, 9/16)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
Zach Dyer reads the week’s news: The high cost of fertility treatment is making some Americans look abroad for help getting pregnant. Plus, a nonprofit in Austin, Texas, is trying to keep its city’s music scenes going by helping artists pay for health insurance. (9/17)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
The CT Mirror: Four Rural CT Hospitals Receive $46 Million In Federal Health Grants
Four rural Connecticut hospitals are getting millions in federal grant dollars that will be used to expand and upgrade imaging, telehealth and transport services, among other initiatives. (Allen, 9/16)
The CT Mirror: CT Announces AI Regulations For State Employee Health Plans
Amid a surge in the national debate about the dangers of artificial intelligence, Comptroller Sean Scanlon on Wednesday announced regulations governing the use of AI technology by health insurance companies that administer benefits for the state employee health plan — rules he wants lawmakers to extend more broadly in 2027. (Golvala, 9/16)
Cardinal News: About 120,000 Fewer Virginians Have SNAP, While Food Prices Rise And Food Pantries Race To Keep Up With Demand
Christopher Fields has more mouths to feed now, so he didn’t know what to expect when he took his first trip to a food pantry on a recent Thursday morning. Loading his truck with juices and peanut butter, he knew the extra food would help fill the bellies of the children, ages 3 and 5, he recently gained custody of, and that they would be especially happy about the watermelon. (Malinak, 9/17)
Spotlight on Maryland: Maryland Fails To Process Hundreds Of Disability Appeals, Violating Federal Rules
Hundreds of Marylanders have filed appeals amid budget cuts and denials of disability services over the past two years. In more than two hundred cases, the state has failed to process those appeals, violating federal rules. (Conrad, 9/17)
ProPublica: Oregon Lawmakers Seek To End Secrecy Around Housing Subsidies
Two Oregon lawmakers want to end an unusual exemption in the state’s records law that has kept the public from learning how hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money is spent on subsidized housing — and the effort has already landed key industry support. Rep. Pam Marsh, chair of Oregon’s House Committee on Housing and Homelessness, told ProPublica that she plans to introduce legislation next year to eliminate a law that shields key details of state spending on low-income housing. (Davis, 9/17)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Indictment: Threats, Violence Used To Keep Immigrant Farmworkers In Line
Federal investigators say they’ve uncovered a new conspiracy to exploit migrant farmworkers in Georgia, further cementing the state’s role as a site of recurring labor violations in agriculture. In an indictment unsealed on Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, authorities described a ploy to profit off Mexican farmworkers by fraudulently using a seasonal visa program to bring them to South Georgia — and then relying on intimidation, threats and violence to keep workers from leaving. (Grinspan, 9/17)
ABC News: NC Teen Who Died From Brain-Eating Amoeba Likely Infected From Community Center Water Feature: Officials
The North Carolina teenager who died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri was likely infected from a water feature at a community center, according to state and local officials. Naegleria fowleri, also known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis or PAM, has been found in warm freshwater, including ponds, lakes and rivers, and it grows best in hotter water, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (Arancio and Shapiro, 9/16)
NPR: This Arizona Medical Examiner Is Tracking Heat-Related Deaths
Greg Hess deals with death day in, day out. Hess is the medical examiner for Pima County, Ariz., a region along the United States-Mexico border. His office handles some 3,000 deaths each year — quiet deaths, overdoses, gruesome deaths, tragic ones. From April through October every year, Hess is confronted with an increasingly obvious and dramatic problem: His morgue drawers fill with people who died sooner than they should have because of Arizona's suffocating heat. (Borunda, 9/16)
KFF Health News: California Eyes Prison Heat Protections That Fall Short Of Workplace Standards
As Californians have weathered relentless heat waves, state workplace safety regulators have repeatedly reminded employers to protect employees from heat illness by providing water, shade, cooldown areas, and additional rest breaks when temperatures climb. But there’s a notable exception in the state’s heat safety rules: Not covered are the nurses, guards, staff, and tens of thousands of incarcerated people who work in California’s aging correctional facilities, which are largely not air-conditioned. (Rode, 9/17)
Global Watch
US Embassies Stopped Monitoring Air Quality, Then Worldwide Air Pollution Spiked: Study
NPR: Air Pollution Spiked After The Trump Administration Stopped Embassy Monitoring
Growing up in Shanghai in the early 1990s, Eric Zou remembers the air. "I lived a couple of miles next to a chemical plant and it was just really bad, really foggy," he says. "It's the middle of the day, but you can't see the sun." Intensive industrial activity blanketed many cities in China during the 1990s and 2000s with extremely hazardous air. But Zou, now an environmental economist at the University of Michigan, says that many people didn't really understand this smog as air pollution, or something that could harm them. (Lambert, 9/15)
Newsweek: Air Pollution Linked To Eye Condition Affecting Millions, Scientists Warn
Air pollution may be affecting more than just heart and lungs. A new analysis of existing research suggests that exposure to polluted air, particularly fine particulate matter known as PM₂.₅, is associated with a higher risk of serious eye diseases, including glaucoma and cataracts. Researchers carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether air pollution could be linked to common eye conditions, an area that has received far less attention than the well-established effects of pollution on cardiovascular and respiratory health. (Azzurra Volpe, 9/16)
MedPage Today: Air Pollution May Influence Suicide Risk, Meta-Analysis Suggests
Exposure to air pollution showed positive associations with risks for death by suicide, attempted suicide, and suicidal ideation, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. (Monaco, 9/16)
The Washington Post: Rivers Are Delivering A Staggering Amount Of Microplastics Into The Ocean, Study Finds
Up to a quarter of all plastic flowing from rivers into the ocean are microplastics — delivering more than 260,000 metric tons in 2022, according to a new study published last week in Science. The staggering amount suggested there was more plastic pollution carried by rivers than previously estimated, researchers said. Almost all — 96 percent — of the pollution was from rivers in developing countries, with more than half it coming from Southeast and East Asia, according to the study. (Goitia-Doran, 9/17)
The New York Times: Mexico City Has A Toxic ‘Sacrifice Zone’ Where Cancer Is Surging
For decades, the Mexican authorities have sacrificed a rural valley to flush away the capital’s waste and power the economy. Now, local communities are paying for that decision — often with peoples’ lives. (Mega, 9/17)
More health news from around the world —
The New York Times: Trump’s Economic Vise Leaves Cubans Desperate for Food and Medicine
The U.S. says its sanctions are not aimed at depriving Cuba of essential goods. Thousands of stranded shipping containers tell a different story. (Augustin and Robles, 9/17)
The New York Times: Fiji Declares A National Emergency As H.I.V. Cases Skyrocket
Fiji has declared a national crisis amid an extraordinary rise of H.I.V. cases, with health officials raising the alarm about an epidemic that has emerged alongside an increase in injectable drug use. ... UNAIDS, a United Nations program, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was “one of the sharpest increases in new H.I.V. infections globally.” Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS, added that Fiji’s epidemic was “a stark reminder to the world that AIDS is not over.” (Irwin, 9/16)
The New York Times: Age Limits For Social Media Outlined By European Union
The European Union outlined plans on Wednesday to restrict social media use for children under 15, an aggressive step to curtail access to apps like TikTok and Instagram across the 27-nation bloc. (Satariano and Smialek, 9/16)
Bloomberg: A Life-Extending Breast Cancer Drug Finally Comes To England
Women with an aggressive form of breast cancer in England will finally get access to a drug from AstraZeneca Plc and Daiichi Sankyo Co. on the National Health Service, after an agreement was reached with the regulator. About 1,000 women a year will be eligible for Enhertu, which is approved to be used on patients whose cancer cells have lower levels of a protein called HER2. Many patients have died since the medicine was first rejected by the drug price regulator in 2024, according to campaign group Breast Cancer Now. (Furlong, 9/17)
AP: The Number Of Japanese Centenarians Tops 100,000 For The First Time
The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan surpassed a record 100,000 this year, the latest government figures show, underscoring the country’s rapidly aging and declining population. The Health and Welfare Ministry statistics released Tuesday show Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7,914 from the previous year and exceeding the 100,000 mark for the first time. Nearly 88% of them are women. (Yamaguchi, 9/16)
Health Policy Research
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
The Guardian: Scientists Create Mice With Part-Human Brains
Researchers hope to shed light on conditions such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and rare forms of dementia. (Sample, 9/16)
Medical Xpress: Blood Test Shows Promise For Detecting Pancreatic Cancer At Its Earliest Stages
A large international study, published in Nature Medicine today, found that a liquid biopsy, called PANXEON, was highly sensitive in detecting stage 1 and 2 pancreatic cancer and had a low rate of false positives. (9/16)
Medical Xpress: Gut Microbiome Features Predict Devastating Disease Affecting Preemies
In a discovery that challenges long-standing assumptions about necrotizing enterocolitis, a sudden and often fatal intestinal illness that affects premature infants, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified previously unknown predictors for the disease. (9/16)
Medical Xpress: Epstein-Barr Virus Activity May Foreshadow Multiple Sclerosis Attacks
In a study of blood samples from more than 100 participants with MS, Mass General Brigham researchers detected increased EBV lytic activity in immune cells up to three months before MS relapse and discovered that these cells also showed elevated expression of genes linked to MS risk. (9/16)
Medical Xpress: Gut Supplement Shows Promise Against Opioid-Related Damage In Rat Pups
New UNSW research published in Translational Psychiatry shows a gut supplement can repair opioid-related damage in rat pups, raising hopes for a future treatment for babies exposed to opioids in the womb. (9/16)
MedPage Today: Real-World U.S. Data Back Azithromycin After Unscheduled C-Sections
Use of adjunctive azithromycin increased among women undergoing unscheduled cesarean deliveries and postpartum infection rates fell after a landmark trial showed the antibiotic's benefits in this setting, according to a difference-in-differences analysis. (Rudd, 9/14)
FiercePharma: GSK Prepares Frontline FDA Bid For Jideytro, Its First Lung Cancer Drug
GSK is advancing its inaugural lung cancer asset, Jideytro, toward a landmark first-line FDA approval, aided by an unprecedented complete response rate. (Liu, 9/13)
Stat: Definium’s LSD Therapy Shows Positive Effect On Anxiety In Trial
Definium Therapeutics said Monday that its LSD therapy helped patients with anxiety in a second late-stage trial, setting up the company to seek the first approval of a psychedelic drug for anxiety. (Chen, 9/14)
Stat: Vera Kidney Drug Trutakna Shows Strong Final Results In Phase 3 Trial
Vera Therapeutics said Tuesday that its recently approved drug Trutakna stabilized kidney function and reduced the risk of kidney-related death and other complications in patients with a chronic autoimmune kidney disease, according to final, two-year results from a Phase 3 clinical trial. (Feuerstein, 9/15)
Editorials And Opinions
Viewpoints: Pros And Cons Of Dr. TikTok; Is An Early Cancer Detection Test Worth The Price Tag?
Tallahassee Democrat: Is TikTok Becoming Your New Doctor? What To Know
Medical student Isabella Gray explores how TikTok is changing healthcare for young adults and the risks involved. (Isabella Gray, 9/17)
Times Herald: Feeling The Cost Of Early Cancer Detection In Michigan
Lindsay Kalter examines a promising new cancer-screening test and asks how Michigan should weigh the costs of early detection against lives saved. (Lindsay Kalter, 9/17)
Stat: The Quiet Disappearance Of An Oppositional Defiant Disorder Diagnosis
“Can you check my child for PDA?” the mother asked me on the telephone about two years ago. Though I had been a behavioral/developmental pediatrician for more than four decades, the only PDA acronym I could recall came from my days as a general pediatrician: patent ductus arteriosus (a persistence of embryonic circulation around the heart). (Lawrence Diller, 9/17)
The New York Times: How Sexism Helps Put Women On Death Row
We need a legal standard that would prohibit sexism and gender bias in criminal trials. (Rachel Louise Snyder, 9/17)
The New York Times: Before My Dad Died By Suicide, He Recorded 694 Videos To Help Me Understand Why
After his death, his daughter, Brittany Wagner, discovered 694 private videos he had recorded over the years, documenting his struggle to navigate workers’ compensation, disability benefits and the health care system. (Brittany Wagner, 9/17)