CBS News: FDA Decision On Experimental Alzheimer's Drug Expected This Week
Lecanemab -- one of the first experimental dementia drugs to appear to slow the progression of cognitive decline -- has shown "potential" as an Alzheimer's disease treatment, according to Phase 3 trial results, but raised safety concerns due to its association with certain serious adverse events, including brain swelling and bleeding. (1/2)

Forbes: With FDA Accelerated Approval Of Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab Likely January 6th, Discussion Turns To Price And Reimbursement
According to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), the beta amyloid-directed monoclonal antibody, lecanemab, must be priced lower than $20,600 a year to be cost-effective. Specifically, ICER’s calculations suggest that the Alzheimer’s Disease drug’s demonstrated benefits in a Phase 3 trial - a modest but statistically significant slowing of cognitive decline - are valued at between $8,500 and $20,600 per year. (Cohen, 1/2)

In developments on Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm —

AP: Probe: Alzheimer's Drug Approval 'Rife With Irregularities'
The Food and Drug Administration’s contentious approval of a questionable Alzheimer’s drug took another hit Thursday as congressional investigators called the process “rife with irregularities.” (12/29)

Boston Globe: As Decision On New Alzheimer’s Drug Nears, Biogen Aims For Redemption
On Thursday, two congressional committees said the Food and Drug Administration’s review and 2021 approval of the earlier drug, Aduhelm, was “rife with irregularities,” including dozens of undisclosed calls and e-mails with Biogen that reflected an “inappropriate” level of coordination between the drugmaker and regulators. The congressional report also said Biogen tried to maximize its potential profit at the expense of patients and taxpayers when it priced the drug at $56,000 a year. (Cross, 1/1)

Reuters: Congressional Report: U.S. FDA Broke Own Protocols In Approving Biogen Alzheimer's Drug
The FDA's interactions with Biogen were "atypical" and did not follow the agency's documentation protocol, according to a staff report on the findings of an 18-month investigation conducted by two House of Representatives committees into the drug's regulatory review, approval, pricing, and marketing. (Aboulenein, 12/30)

Axios: Abortion, Minimum Wage, Drug Sales Among New State Laws For 2023
From minimum wage increases across nearly two dozen states, access to abortion expanded or limited, and the legalization of marijuana and shrooms sales for some, many people will be impacted by a variety of new laws. (Habeshian, 1/1)

CNN: New Laws In 2023: From Increases In Minimum Wage To Recreational Marijuana, Here's What Takes Effect
Five states – Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota – had recreational marijuana on the ballot in the November midterm elections, and voters in Maryland and Missouri approved personal use for those 21 and older. While legalization has taken effect in Missouri with an amendment to the state constitution, the Maryland law goes into effect on July 1. (Iyer, 1/1)

More details on new state laws connected to health care —

The New York Times: Legal Use Of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Begins In Oregon
On Jan. 1, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the adult use of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic that has shown significant promise for treating severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life anxiety among the terminally ill, among other mental health conditions. (Jacobs, 1/3)

The Washington Post: New Laws Take Effect In Virginia, Maryland And D.C.
Another new law in the District will require all health insurance plans issued on or after Jan. 1 to cover certain foods required for some medical conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. (Vozzella and Elwood, 12/31)

WNYT: New NY State Law Bans PFAS In Clothing
The day before the new year, the ban on PFAS in food packaging materials went into effect in New York.New York and California are now the first two states to ban PFAS in clothing. (Tucker, 1/2)

St. Louis Public Radio: New Law Bans Latex Gloves In Illinois Restaurants
Metro East food service providers are now barred from using latex gloves as a new state law takes effect. The Illinois General Assembly passed the Latex Glove Ban Act this year, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in June. The goal of the new law is to protect workers and customers who may be allergic to latex. Starting in 2024, the latex ban will also apply to health care settings — many of which have already made the switch. (Bauer, 1/3)

NBC Chicago: 9 New Illinois Laws That Could Impact Your Medical Bills In 2023
From state requirements for insurance companies to cover a wide range of services and procedures to prohibitions on insurers from imposing copayments on an opioid suppressant, here's a look at the new health-related statutes that can affect your money starting Jan. 1, 2023. (12/28)

AP: Mental Health Reporting Requirements Among New Georgia Laws
Health insurance companies have to begin reporting to the state Insurance Department how they provide mental health coverage for children, adolescents and adults under House Bill 1013, a state effort to make sure insurers follow federal law requiring that they cover mental health care in the same way they pay for physical health care. (Amy, 12/29)

Newsweek: Trump Warns Of 'Doom' For Republicans Over Extreme Abortion Views
Former President Donald Trump advised Republicans that if they want to win elections, they must support three exceptions to abortion bans. According to Trump, Republicans should support abortion in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother. If they don't, he said, they were likely to lose their elections. (Skinner, 12/29)

Newsweek: Anti-Abortion Group Pressures Trump To Embrace Firm Stance
The blaming of the "abortion issue" by former President Donald Trump as the reason Republicans underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections is receiving pushback from at least one conservative anti-abortion group. (Mordowanec, 1/2)

The Hill: Republicans Rethink Abortion Strategy After Bruising Midterms
Republicans are recalibrating their messaging on abortion after Democrats successfully used the issue to galvanize their base and win over swing voters in 2022. (Manchester, 12/29)

In legal developments related to abortion matters —

AP: Court: Abortion Doctors Can’t Be Charged Under Arizona Law
An Arizona court has ruled that abortion doctors cannot be prosecuted under a pre-statehood law that criminalizes nearly all abortions yet was barred from being enforced for decades. (Billeaud, 12/31)

The Hill: Biden Administration Seeks To Rescind Trump-Era ‘Conscience’ Protections For Health Workers
The Biden administration is proposing to largely undo a Trump-era rule that boosted the rights of medical workers to refuse to perform abortions or other services that conflicted with their religious or moral beliefs. (Weixel, 12/29)

Meanwhile, in California —

Bay Area News Group: Demand Rises At California Abortion Clinics Since Roe V. Wade Fell
One woman had never flown on a plane before and was petrified to make the journey from Texas to California. Another drove all night from El Paso to make her appointment because she couldn’t miss work. A third was so worried about getting in trouble that she asked the staff at Planned Parenthood if they could wipe her phone and destroy all evidence of her abortion. (Kendall, 12/2)

The Hill: CDC Warns Of Future Surge In Diabetes Among Young Americans
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday warned a surge of diabetes among young Americans is on the horizon, saying diagnoses for the population are expected to soar in the coming decades. The CDC cited a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care, which models a nearly 700 percent increase of Type 2 diabetes diagnoses in Americans under the age of 20 through 2060, if an expected upward trend continues. (Dress, 12/29)

Stat: Diabetes In Youth Is Set To Skyrocket In Coming Decades
If the recent acceleration of new diagnoses persists, then 220,000 people younger than 20 would have type 2 diabetes in 2060, compared with 28,000 in 2017, the latest year for which data is available, according to projections published this month in Diabetes Care. Even if the rate of new diagnoses stays constant, there would still be a 70% increase in type 2 cases by 2060. (Chen, 12/30)

Bloomberg: US Makes Scant Progress Treating Diabetes Despite Tech Advances 
You might think we’ve gotten better at helping people with diabetes keep their blood sugar in check. After all, over the past 30 years there’s been plenty of  technological advances in the way insulin is given. (Swetlitz, 12/28)

Stat: Covid’s Winter Surge Is Poised To Exceed Summer Peak
The number of people in the United States hospitalized with Covid-19 is about to surpass the figure reached during this summer’s spike, federal data show, as a confluence of factors — from the continued evolution of the coronavirus to holiday gatherings — drives transmission. (Joseph, 1/3)

NBC News: Flu And RSV On The Decline But Covid Hospitalizations Rise
Covid hospitalizations are rising in the United States, even as hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus and the flu continue to fall. (Lovelace Jr, 12/30)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: COVID-19 On Uptick In Missouri, But Flu On Decline
COVID-19 cases are on the uptick in Missouri, even as flu cases appear to be tapering off. Flu activity remains high but is declining in most areas across the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control. So far, flu has caused 20 million illnesses, 21,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths (including 61 children) in one of the worst flu seasons in more than 10 years. (Munz, 12/31)

A new covid variant is causing concern as it spreads rapidly —

CBS News: CDC Tracking Rise Of New XBB.1.5 COVID Variant, Already More Than 40% Of U.S. Cases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it is tracking a new variant of concern dubbed XBB.1.5. According to new figures published Friday, it estimates XBB.1.5 makes up 40.5% of new infections across the country. (Tin, 12/30)

Axios: XBB.1.5 COVID Variant: What We Know About Symptoms, Severe Cases
The XBB.1.5 COVID-19 subvariant — a new version of the Omicron variant — is sweeping through the United States right now amid a chaotic travel season and the early days of winter. Cases tied to the new variant nearly doubled over the last week, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And that's stoked fears that more cases could be on the way nationwide. (Scribner, 12/31)

In news on covid treatments —

Politico: Once-Favored Covid Drugs Ineffective On Omicron May Be Putting Millions At Risk
The lack of specialized Covid-19 treatments for people with weak immune systems has left millions of Americans with limited options if they get sick as the pandemic heads into an uncertain winter. Once heralded as game-changers for Covid patients considered at risk for getting seriously ill — one was used to treat then-President Donald Trump in 2020 — monoclonal antibodies are now largely ineffective against current Covid variants. (Gardner, 1/1)

Politico: Health Care Lobbyists Are Bracing For Chair Bernie Sanders
The Vermont independent is set to take over the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee next month. Leading the panel gives the Medicare-for-All proponent oversight authority over some of his policy priorities — drug pricing, workers’ rights and income inequality, and student and medical debt. (Wilson, 1/3)

On drug pricing —

Politico: ‘The Slippery Slope Is Powerful’: Dems Believe Drug Pricing Law Will Pay Dividends
Democrats staring down a divided Congress in 2023 have an answer for those wondering if the window is closing for significant health care wins: watch and wait. The incoming GOP House majority may block their attempts to enact more federal controls on health costs. But this year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act will empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time, paving the way for more government action over the coming years, argued Peter Welch (D-Vt.). (Miranda Ollstein, 12/29)

Reuters: Exclusive: Drugmakers To Raise Prices On At Least 350 Drugs In U.S. In January
Drugmakers including Pfizer Inc, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N), AstraZeneca PLC and Sanofi SA plan to raise prices in the United States on more than 350 unique drugs in early January, according to data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. (Erman and Steenhuysen, 12/30)

Other political, legal developments relating to health —

Stat: Priorities Pile Up For HHS, FDA, CMS, NIH
The nation’s health agencies already have a long to-do list for 2023. Top officials have promised reforms in the food, drug, and public health departments as frustrations mount over the federal response to Covid-19 and last year’s widespread baby formula shortages. (Owermohle, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA, Concerned About Safety, Explores Regulating CBD In Foods, Supplements
The Food and Drug Administration is studying whether legal cannabis is safe in food or supplements and plans to make recommendations for how to regulate the growing number of cannabis-derived products in the coming months, agency officials said. (Essley Whyte, 12/29)

Politico: ‘I Know Firsthand They Failed’: Parents Decry Lack Of FDA Action On Infant Formula Safety
When Kelly Knight gave birth to her son, Ryker, she was thrilled — and carrying the memory of the two babies she’d previously lost at nearly full term. “He was perfect,” Knight said. “It was kind of like filling that empty spot.” But when four-week-old Ryker started vomiting at home, Knight, who has three older children, immediately sensed something was wrong. (Bottemiller Evich, 12/31)

The New York Times: Justice Dept. Sues AmerisourceBergen Over Role In Opioid Crisis
The suit, filed by the department’s civil division in conjunction with federal prosecutors in New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania and New York, is part of a growing effort by federal agencies to hold drug companies accountable for their role in the nation’s opioid crisis. It accuses AmerisourceBergen and two of its subsidiaries of “at least hundreds of thousands” of violations of the Controlled Substances Act. (Thrush and Albeck-Ripka, 12/29)

Stat: Health Care Sees A Surge In Financing Platforms For Patients
As inflation-weary shoppers try to make ends meet, many are turning to a modern twist on the layaway plan: buy now, pay later. But while platforms like Afterpay and Affirm were originally built to take the sting out of online shopping, these new financing options are beginning to creep into the world of health care. (Palmer, 1/3)

Axios: America's Health Care Focus Shifting In 2023
America appears to be resetting its priorities when it comes to health care as inflation and talk of a recession loom larger on voters' minds. A shrinking percentage of Americans across the ideological spectrum view abortion as a top priority heading into 2023, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Independents are the only group that still views health care reform as a top-five issue. (Reed and Bettelheim, 1/3)

Stat: 3 Trends To Watch In Hospitals And Health Insurance In 2023
For almost three years, hospitals and health insurers have been riding the waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though they can better predict what lies ahead in 2023, there remain several big unknowns. STAT’s business reporters will be paying attention to three trends in particular: the end of the public health emergency, how hospital price hikes will affect people’s paychecks, and Medicare Advantage’s explosive growth. (Herman and Bannow, 1/3)

Modern Healthcare: Group Medicare Advantage Plans Face Challenges Amid Growth
New York City’s struggle to switch more than a quarter-million retired government workers and their dependents from traditional Medicare to private health insurance could set an alarming precedent for employers and insurers banking on the fast-growing group Medicare Advantage program. (Tepper, 1/2)

Fox News: Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Is Not Adequately Covering All Health Services For Many: Report
Many Americans, particularly women, are having difficulty paying for their required health care services — especially dental and mental health care needs — despite having health insurance through their employers. That's according to a recent report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). (Sudhakar, 1/2)

Also, there's still time to get coverage through the public marketplace —

CNBC: There's Still Time To Get Health Insurance Through The Public Exchange
Anyone without health insurance has about two weeks left to get 2023 coverage through the public marketplace — and subsidies could make it affordable. Open enrollment for the federal health care exchange runs through Jan. 15, with coverage taking effect Feb. 1. (If your state has its own exchange, the last day to enroll may be different.) After the sign-up window closes, you’d generally need to experience a qualifying life event — i.e., birth of a child or marriage — to be given a special enrollment period. (O'Brien, 1/2)

AP: NYC Nurses, Hospitals Resume Contract Talks; Some Reach Pact 
A possible strike by thousands of New York City nurses loomed Monday even as nurses at one hospital reached a tentative agreement hours before their contract was set to expire. The pact affecting 4,000 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital awaits ratification. (1/2)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: General Electric Set To Spin Off Health Unit—Putting Focus Back On Power Division
General Electric Co. will start 2023 by splitting off its healthcare unit, completing a key step in the slow-motion breakup of the industrial giant. For the rest of the year it will face questions about the next big step: shedding its power businesses. (Gryta, 1/2)

Reuters: Gilead Buys Out Rights To Cancer Therapy From Jounce For $67 Mln
Gilead Sciences (GILD.O) will buy all the remaining rights for an experimental cancer therapy, GS-1811, from Jounce Therapeutics (JNCE.O) for $67 million, the drugmaker said on Tuesday. The amended licensing deal will bolster Jounce's cash resources in a challenging market for biotech companies. (12/29)

Reuters: Novartis To Pay $245 Mln To End Antitrust Cases Over Exforge Drug Generics
Novartis AG (NOVN.S) said on Wednesday it will pay $245 million to end antitrust litigation accusing the Swiss drugmaker of trying to delay the launch in the United States of generic versions of its Exforge hypertension drug. (Stempel, 12/29)

In health care training news —

Modern Healthcare: Resident Physicians To Train In Metro And Rural Areas
Amid an ongoing shortage of physicians in rural America, one health system and its academic medical partner are putting a new spin on two residency programs. (Berryman, 1/2)

NPR: Youth Ambassadors Train For A Future In Public Health 
Of all the things she could have done on her summer vacation, Bithaniya Fieseha, a senior at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, Va., decided to study chronic disease, mental health and contact tracing. Some of her friends didn't understand the appeal. (Huang, 1/1)

Reuters: Pfizer's Hemophilia B Gene Therapy Succeeds In Late-Stage Study
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) said on Thursday its experimental gene therapy for the treatment of hemophilia B, a rare inherited blood disorder, met its main goal in a late-stage study. Data from the study showed that a single dose of the therapy was superior to the current standard of care in helping reduce the bleeding rate in patients with moderately severe to severe forms of hemophilia B. (12/29)

In other news on health-related research —

CNN: Hydration Linked With Lower Disease Risk, Study Finds
You may know that being adequately hydrated is important for day-to-day bodily functions such as regulating temperature and maintaining skin health. But drinking enough water is also associated with a significantly lower risk of developing chronic diseases, a lower risk of dying early or lower risk of being biologically older than your chronological age, according to a National Institutes of Health study published Monday in the journal eBioMedicine. (Rogers, 1/2)

Fortune: Study Finds Women Are More Empathetic Than Men Worldwide At Any Age
It was already common knowledge that women are better than men at placing themselves in other people’s shoes, but now science backs up that statement. Empathy—the ability to understand, imagine, or share the emotions others may be feeling—is a critical characteristic to have in pretty much every avenue of life, especially business. (Bove, 12/28)

CIDRAP: CDC Describes Mpox Challenges In Trans Community
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), researchers describe American transgender mpox patients, suggesting that more than 70% of patients contracted the virus from sexual intercourse with cisgender men. "These men might be in sexual networks experiencing the highest mpox incidence," the authors explain. (Soucheray, 12/29)

On research connected to covid —

CIDRAP: Increased COVID Vaccination In Nursing Home Staff Cut Cases, Deaths
A study of 15,042 US nursing homes found that before the Omicron variant wave, an increase in staff COVID-19 vaccination with the primary series resulted in fewer cases among residents and staff and fewer deaths in residents. Researchers from the University of Chicago detailed their findings today in JAMA Network Open. (Schnirring, 12/29)

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Messages Led To More Uptake In ED Patients
A cluster-randomized clinical trial finds that educational messaging significantly boosted COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake among 496 unvaccinated patients at US emergency departments (EDs) over 8 months. (Van Beusekom, 12/28)

CIDRAP: Weak Antibody Response To COVID Vaccine Tied To Infections In Cancer Patients
Two studies published late last week discuss COVID-19 infection in cancer patients, with one tying an undetectable SARS-CoV-2 antibody response after vaccination to greater risk of breakthrough infection and hospitalization, and the other finding that vaccination can activate T cells for a more durable immune response in patients with two types of blood cancer. (Van Beusekom, 12/27)

CIDRAP: COVID Booster Prompts Good Immune Response, Except After Recent Infection
A study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases finds that a third COVID-19 vaccine dose triggered a robust immune response, regardless of whether recipients had been infected more than 3 months earlier, but it didn't significantly increase antibody levels in those infected less than 3 months before. (Van Beusekom, 12/29)

NBC News: Reports Of Young Children Accidentally Eating Marijuana Edibles Soar
More young children are getting sick from inadvertently eating marijuana edibles, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics. (Lovelace Jr., 1/3)

CNN: Number Of Young Children Who Accidentally Ate Cannabis Edibles Jumped 1,375% In Five Years, Study Finds
In just five years, the number of small children in the US exposed to cannabis after accidentally eating an edible rose 1,375%, a new study says. There were more than 7,040 exposures to edible cannabis in kids under 6 between 2017 and 2021, according to an analysis of records from the National Poison Data System, a central repository for data from America’s Poison Centers. (Christensen and LaMotte, 1/3)

Also —

AP: Alfalfa Sprout Recall Tied To Salmonella Outbreak Expanded
A Nebraska company on Friday expanded a recall of alfalfa sprouts after more than a dozen cases of salmonella were linked to the food. SunSprouts Enterprises doubled its recall that was first announced Thursday, Nebraska health officials said. (12/30)

The Washington Post: This Doctor Prescribes Ketamine To Thousands Online. It’s All Legal
In the past two years, Scott Smith has become licensed to practice medicine in almost every U.S. state for a singular purpose: treating depressed patients online and prescribing them ketamine. (Gilbert, 12/30)

On new mpox health guidelines —

CIDRAP: WHO's New Mpox Guidance: All Contacts Should Avoid Sex For 21 Days
For the first time since August, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its mpox guidance, recommending that known case contacts avoid sexual contact with others for 21 days, whether symptomatic or not, given that transmission may occur before symptom onset. (Soucheray, 12/27)

In news on the health of Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills —

The New York Times: Damar Hamlin Of Buffalo Bills In Critical Condition After Collapsing During N.F.L. Game
Damar Hamlin, a 24-year-old safety in his second season with the Buffalo Bills, was in critical condition in a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during a Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills said. (Morgan and Belson, 1/2)

The Washington Post: Bills' Damar Hamlin May Have Suffered Heart Arrhythmia, Experts Say
The blow to the chest of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin may have thrown his heart’s pumping mechanism out of rhythm, disrupting blood flow to his brain and causing his on-field collapse, two experts said Monday night. (Bernstein, 1/3)

AP: Amid Surge At UNM Hospital, Feds Send Relief For Staff
The federal government is dispatching a medical team to assist the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital, which has been overwhelmed with patients. The Albuquerque hospital announced a 14-member disaster response team from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will begin seeing children Saturday. (12/30)

AP: State-Run Vaccination Site At Mall Of America Shuts Down
Minnesota health officials have closed their COVID-19 vaccination site at the Mall of America. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that health officials closed the site on Friday evening following a visit from Gov. Tim Walz. The site was the largest vaccination spot in the state. More than 236,000 doses of vaccine were administered there since it opened in February 2021. (12/31)

The Washington Post: In D.C., Concern Over Health Of Council Member Vincent C. Gray Comes Into View
For months, members of the D.C. Council have commiserated privately about a subject that many are reluctant to broach publicly: the health of council member Vincent C. Gray, their oldest and perhaps most prominent colleague, who had a stroke a year ago. (Schwartzman, 1/1)

AP: Hammond Hospital Set To Close ER After Appeals Court Stay
A northwestern Indiana hospital said it will close its emergency room Saturday, a day after an Indiana Court of Appeals judge issued a stay of a lower court ruling that it must operate those services for nine more months. (12/31)

The Hill/Nexstar Media Wire: Myths Surrounding MMR Vaccine May Be Contributing To Ohio Measles Outbreak
A health official in Ohio says declining vaccination rates have likely contributed to a measles outbreak within the state. As of Thursday, Ohio has 82 confirmed cases of measles, 32 of which required hospitalization. (Morse, 12/29)

AP: Appeals Court Upholds Florida High School’s Transgender Bathroom Ban
A federal appeals court has ruled that a Florida school district’s policy of separating school bathrooms based on biological sex is constitutional. (12/31)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Mercy Among First To Offer $949 Blood Test That Can Screen For More Than 50 Types Of Cancer
Jackie Paxton’s mom died of pancreatic cancer 11 years ago. His uncle died of lung cancer before that, and his aunt died of cancer too. Paxton, 72, of Van Buren, Arkansas, passes his annual physicals with flying colors and feels great. But he always felt like the other shoe was about to drop. “In the back of your mind, you always worry about, ‘Well if this many folks in the family passed away of cancer, is there a possibility that I have cancer?’” (Munz, 12/27)

The Boston Globe: 500,000 People Die Of Strep A Every Year. Why Isn’t There A Vaccine? 
More people die of strep A than measles, rotavirus, whooping cough, tetanus, and bacterial meningitis (all vaccine-preventable). Why? There is no vaccine. (Jerome Kim and Andrew Steer, 12/31)

Bloomberg: The Most Important Health Metric Is Now At Your Fingertips
Heart rate variability (HRV) offers insights into recovery from illness, injury or exercise, can track levels of physical and emotional stress, and even act as a predictor of cardiac failure. Advances in technology, including image sensors, now make HRV measurement accessible to anyone with a chest strap or smartphone. (Tim Culpan, 1/2)

Stat: Better Data On Gender Identity Can Improve LGBTQ+ Health
Over the past three years, many Americans learned more about epidemiology than they ever knew before. But professionals and everyday observers alike are running up against one of the most significant problems in the world of health care data science: the available information is rarely complete enough, granular enough, or timely enough to effectively answer the question “What does this actually mean for me?” (Matthew Schabath and C.K. Wang, 1/3)

Bloomberg: Cancer Vaccine Hunt Makes Progress, Finally 
The long-awaited cancer vaccine revolution is getting a little closer to reality. New data from Moderna Inc. and Merck & Co. suggest that after decades of failures, researchers are finally figuring out the right way to design a vaccine that can teach immune cells how to recognize and combat tumors. (Lisa Jarvis, 12/30)

The CT Mirror: Climate Doomism Hurts Young People's Mental Health
We’re doomed. Or at least this is the sentiment surrounding climate change and global warming that infiltrates news and social media outlets — so much so that “doomism” is now a coined term. It describes the belief that we are past the point of no return with respect to addressing the environmental crisis earth finds itself in. (Elizabeth Jadovich, 1/3)

Modern Healthcare: Biomedical, Healthcare Leaders Must Work To Build Diverse Workforces 
Providers and healthcare companies are more aware than ever of the value of having a diverse and inclusive workforce. But they cannot simply post a job opening and hope applicants from underrepresented groups show up at their doorstep, especially at a time when skilled workers are in high demand and in short supply. (Tracie Locklear, Kathryn Dickerson and Kafui Dzirasa, 1/2)

The Washington Post: China’s Covid Explosion Shows Why We Need A Genomic Early Warning Radar 
The U.S. government’s decision to require inbound air passengers from China to show a negative test for the coronavirus starting Jan. 5 might reassure the public, but is probably of limited practical use. (12/31)