AP: COVID-19, Overdoses Pushed US To Highest Death Total Ever
2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and new data and research are offering more insights into how it got that bad. The main reason for the increase in deaths? COVID-19, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on death statistics. The agency this month quietly updated its provisional death tally. It showed there were 3.465 million deaths last year, or about 80,000 more than 2020′s record-setting total. (Stobbe, 4/12)

Axios: U.S. Saw Highest Death Total Ever In 2021 Largely Due To COVID-19
There were more than 3.465 million deaths in 2021 — about 80,000 more than 2020′s record-setting total, AP reports. There were more than 415,000 deaths from COVID in 2021, up from 351,000 the year prior. The crude death rate for cancer increased modestly, in addition to increases in deaths from diabetes, chronic liver disease and stroke. Between the lines: Deaths from drug overdoses also contributed to the record-breaking death total in 2021, per AP. (Doherty, 4/12)

In related news about covid deaths —

The Boston Globe: UMass Model Was Most Accurate At Predicting COVID-19 Deaths, Study Finds
A University of Massachusetts model that combines dozens of other models to provide short-term forecasts of COVID-19 deaths in the United States performed better than the individual models, according to a new study. The ensemble model, which synthesizes model forecasts collected by researchers at UMass Amherst, “provided a reliable and comparatively accurate means of forecasting deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic that exceeded the performance of all of the models that contributed to it,” researchers said in a study published last week in the journal PNAS. “Synthesizing multiple models removes the risk of overreliance on any single approach for accuracy or stability,” the study said. It said ensemble approaches have previously demonstrated “superior performance” in forecasting flu, Ebola, and dengue fever. (Finucane, 4/12)

AP: A Million Empty Spaces: Chronicling COVID's Cruel US Toll
On the deadliest day of a horrific week in April 2020, COVID took the lives of 816 people in New York City alone. Lost in the blizzard of pandemic data that’s been swirling ever since is the fact that 43-year-old Fernando Morales was one of them. Two years and nearly 1 million deaths later, his brother, Adam Almonte, fingers the bass guitar Morales left behind and visualizes him playing tunes, a treasured blue bucket hat pulled low over his eyes. Walking through a park overlooking the Hudson River, he recalls long-ago days tossing a baseball with Morales and sharing tuna sandwiches. He replays old messages just to hear Morales’ voice. (Geller, Johnson and Hollingsworth, 4/13)

The New York Times: The World Surpasses Half A Billion Known Coronavirus Cases, Amid Concerns About Testing.
The coronavirus is continuing to stalk the world at an astonishing clip, racing past a grim succession of pandemic milestones in 2022: totals of 300 million known cases around the world by early January, 400 million by early February and, as of Tuesday, half a billion. There have almost certainly been far more infections than that among the global population of 7.9 billion, with many going undetected or unreported, and the reporting gap may only grow wider as some countries, including the United States, scale back official testing. (Hassan, 4/13)

Axios: World COVID Cases Surpass 500 Million
There's been an issue throughout the pandemic with lower-income countries having limited public health resources and a lack of coronavirus vaccine access — particularly in Africa, where 21 countries had vaccinated less than 10% of their populations as of February, according to the World Health Organization. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stressed that the world is still in the grip of the virus' acute phase. But this could end by the middle of 2022 if 70% of the world is vaccinated, he said. (Falconer, 4/13)

CIDRAP: Estimate: Less Than Half The World Has Had COVID-19, With No Indication Of Herd Immunity 
From March 2020 to the emergence of the Omicron variant in late 2021, about 3.8 billion COVID-19 infections and reinfections occurred, with nearly 44% of the world's population infected at least once but with wide regional variations, estimates a statistical analysis of 190 countries and territories published late last week in The Lancet. ... Of all infections and reinfections, 1.3 billion occurred in South Asia, the highest count of all regions, but the highest infection rate (79.3%) was in sub-Saharan Africa. High-income countries had the fewest cases, at 239 million, while Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania had the lowest infection rate (13.0%). The rate in the United States and Canada was 30.9%, while the rate in Western Europe was 48.9% (Van Beusekom, 4/12)

And more on the spread of covid —

NPR: The New White House Coronavirus Czar Calls For Calm As BA.2 COVID Cases Rise
The U.S. should use this moment when coronavirus cases are relatively low to prepare for a "likely" surge in the future, according to an assessment from the new White House coronavirus response coordinator. Monday was Dr. Ashish Jha's first official day in the role and he takes on the job at an important time in the pandemic. Congress has yet to approve funding that would cover the cost of testing, vaccines and lifesaving treatment, and there is concern that the delay could hamper access to all three. COVID cases have also risen slightly across the U.S. in the past week, particularly in the Northeast, after mostly trending downwards since a peak in January, with the BA.2 variant now the dominant strain. (Levitt and Estrin, 4/12)

The Hill: Omicron Subvariant Now Almost 90 Percent Of US COVID Cases: CDC
Nearly 90 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the United States are now a more transmissible subvariant of omicron known as BA.2, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The data, for the week ending April 9, shows that 86 percent of cases were the BA.2 variant, showing how the variant has risen in the United States to now make up almost all new cases.  (Sullivan, 4/12)

Fox News: WHO Tracking New Omicron Sub-Variants Amid US BA.2 Surge
Only a few dozen cases have been reported to the GISAID database. The U.K. Health Security Agency said last week that work was underway to "precisely define the phylogeny" of the variants. In an April 8 update, the organization wrote that BA.4 had been found in South Africa, Denmark, Botswana, England and Scotland. All BA.5 cases were in South Africa, but Botswana's ministry of health reportedly said it had identified four cases of both BA.4 and BA.5 among individuals aged 30 to 50 years old who were fully vaccinated and experiencing mild symptoms. (Musto, 4/12)

The Boston Globe: Levels Of Coronavirus Continue To Climb In Waste Water In Eastern Mass.
The levels of coronavirus in Eastern Massachusetts waste water continued to climb through the weekend, suggesting more COVID-19 case increases may be ahead. The levels fell precipitously from heights reached early this year as the Omicron wave peaked. Then they bottomed out around the beginning of March. They have been rising gradually since, although they are still just a fraction of their peak, according to data from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. (Finucane and Huddle, 4/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: A Bay Area School Group Went To D.C. Fifty Kids Came Back With COVID
Marin County eighth-graders got to visit Washington, D.C., last week, renewing a favorite spring break tradition that had been on a two-year pandemic hiatus. But dozens of them returned with more than souvenirs: Over the past two days, about 50 students have tested positive for the coronavirus, swept up in an East Coast swell in COVID cases that has hit high-ranking policymakers and the D.C. elite. “By and large they’re having mild symptoms,” Dr. Matt Willis, the Marin County health officer, said of the infected students. He said about 90% of eighth-graders in the county are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and half have received booster shots as well. (Allday, 4/12)

Also —

The Washington Post: Should U.S. Lift Its Entry Covid Test Rule? 5 Health Experts Weigh In. 
One of the biggest logistical headaches for international travelers — the requirement to test negative for the coronavirus within a day of flying into the United States — appears to be sticking around. Here’s what five health experts say about whether the testing rule is still needed. (Sampson, 4/12)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Inflammation—Not SARS-CoV-2—May Be Behind Loss Of Smell
Local COVID-related inflammation, rather than the virus itself, may cause the common early symptom of loss of smell, according to a postmortem study published yesterday in JAMA Neurology. The researchers used light and electron microscopy to look for any SARS-CoV-2 genetic material and assess cell structures and characteristics and the blood vessels and neurons within them. They also measured the number of axons in the neurons, which inform sensory perception and movement. Information about sense of smell and taste was derived from the medical records of three patients and from family interviews for the remainder. (4/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Johns Hopkins Researchers Probe Senseless COVID Mystery: Loss Of Smell 
One of the more curious, as well as annoying and even life-altering, symptoms of COVID-19 has been the widespread loss of smell. A team led by Johns Hopkins researchers took an extra-deep dive into some noses to find out why. It’s not something that happens with other respiratory diseases, said Dr. Cheng-Ying Ho, a neuropathologist and associate professor of pathology in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who joined researchers from several institutions, including the University of Maryland, and the state’s medical examiners office for the study. (Cohn, 4/13)

In other covid research —

AP: Type 2 Diabetes On The Rise Among Wisconsin Children 
New data shows a sharp increase in Type 2 diabetes among children in Wisconsin and doctors think COVID-19 could be a factor. Figures from UW Health Kids shows a nearly 200% increase in the number of cases over the last several years. (4/12)

KHN: When Symptoms Linger For Weeks, Is It Long Covid? 
Many Americans are discovering that recovering from covid-19 may take weeks or even months longer than expected, leaving them with lingering symptoms like intense fatigue or a racing pulse. But does that mean they have what’s known as long covid? Though such cases may not always amount to debilitating long covid, which can leave people bedridden or unable to perform daily functions, it is common to take weeks to fully recover. (Feldman, 4/13)

And Moderna turns its attention to its mRNA flu vaccine —

Boston Herald: Moderna Sets Sights On Flu Vaccine, Starts Giving Shots To Trial Participants
The Cambridge-based biotech giant that created one of the earliest and most effective COVID-19 vaccines is now looking to develop a flu shot. Moderna on Monday announced that the first trial participants have been dosed in the Phase 1/2 study of the company’s seasonal influenza vaccine candidates. The biotech is applying its messenger RNA (mRNA) platform to the flu vax. This Phase 1/2 randomized study will evaluate the safety and immune response of a single dose of mRNA-1020 or mRNA-1030 in healthy adults 18-plus in the U.S. The company intends to enroll about 560 participants in the study. (Sobey, 4/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccines Carry Low Risk Of Heart Conditions, Studies Find 
The risk of developing inflammatory heart conditions after Covid-19 vaccination is relatively low, two large studies found, especially when compared with the heart-related risks from Covid-19 disease itself and from vaccines against other diseases. One study, an analysis of 22 previous studies, found that the risk of the conditions including myocarditis in people who received a Covid-19 vaccine wasn’t significantly different from that for non-Covid-19 vaccines such as those against flu, polio and measles. And the heart risk associated with Covid-19 shots was lower than the risk after smallpox vaccination. The results of the analysis, which included data on the effects of more than 400 million doses of various vaccines, were published online Monday by The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. (Loftus and Onque, 4/11)

The Guardian: Heart Inflammation After Covid Vaccine ‘No More Common Than After Other Jabs’ 
Heart inflammation after a Covid jab is not only rare but no more common than after other types of vaccinations, researchers have found. As Covid vaccination programs began around the world it emerged that some people – particularly young men – subsequently developed myocarditis, a type of inflammation of the heart muscle, or pericarditis, inflammation of the outer lining of the heart. (Davis, 4/11)

In related news about myocarditis —

CIDRAP: Study Shows COVID-19–Induced Myocarditis Rare, Linked To Severe Cases
Approximately 2.4 out of every 1,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that typically follows viral infections, according to an international study published yesterday in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Circulation. When including possible myocarditis cases, the rate increases to 4.1 per 1,000 hospitalized patients. (4/12)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

Stat: Researchers Developing Covid Vaccine For Immunocompromised People
A couple months before the pandemic started, Joseph Ford started experiencing a rash of pinpoint polka dots around his lips, ankles, and lower legs. They were itchy, inflamed, painful, and, for him, the first signs of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “Petechiae,” he explained. Just as he was starting to deal with that, Covid-19 changed the world. “Go home and stay there,” Ford, a 77-year-old retired librarian in Tumwater, Wash., recalled a physician telling him as Covid hollowed out society. “You won’t survive a Covid infection.” That advice has largely remained unchanged over the last two years for the millions who, like Ford, are immunocompromised and haven’t produced adequate — or any — antibodies from the Covid-19 vaccines. (Chen, 4/12)

Daily Beast: Tucker Carlson Brags To Megachurch That He Is Totally Unvaccinated
For more than a year now, Fox News star Tucker Carlson has gone out of his way to avoid confirming whether or not he’s vaccinated. This month, however, he bragged about having not gotten a single jab. While speaking at Awaken Church earlier this month, the primetime star heaped praise on the San Diego megachurch for defying COVID-19 restrictions throughout the pandemic before mocking the need for additional booster shots. “I skipped the first three, I’m not getting that one either,” Carlson said, to rapturous applause from the crowd, Voice of San Diego first reported. (Baragona and Cartwright, 4/11)

PolitiFact: No, The COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not Contain ‘HIV Lipid Wrappers’
Since the first COVID-19 vaccines became available to the public in late 2020, people have falsely claimed that all sorts of nefarious things are in them, including aluminum, graphene oxide and microchips. Here’s a new one. "There are HIV lipid wrappers in the jabs you shoved in your arms and the arms of your children. Does that at all upset (you)?" said an April 10 post shared on Facebook. This isn’t accurate. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines that use lipids do not contain any live viruses. The ingredients for all the approved vaccines are published and none include any HIV material. (Putterman, 4/12)

In related news —

Crain's Chicago Business: Loretto Hospital CEO George Miller Jr. Is Out
Loretto Hospital CEO George Miller Jr. has left the West Side community medical center after the hospital was investigated by the FBI for improperly distributing COVID-19 vaccines last year. Miller, who had served as CEO for five years, left the hospital today, spokeswoman Bonni Pear confirmed. She declined to provide details around the reasons for his departure and would not say if he resigned or was fired. (Davis, 4/12)

New Hampshire Public Radio: As COVID Infrastructure Winds Down, N.H. Public Health Leaders Worry About Missed Opportunity For Investment 
Over the past month, New Hampshire’s state-managed COVID vaccination sites, testing centers, and some mobile vaccine teams have been decommissioned. The wind down of this COVID infrastructure is part of a long-standing plan to shift the pandemic response away from state government and into the private sector healthcare system of pharmacies, community health centers and hospitals. But public health experts say the nature of the pandemic, which comes in waves of hard to predict magnitude, makes it difficult to determine how prepared New Hampshire is for future surges, especially with legislative efforts in the State House to curtail some key public health tools. And as public health leaders look ahead, they worry New Hampshire is missing a critical opportunity to build on the infrastructure developed over the course of the pandemic, to prepare for future public health crises. (Fam, 4/12)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban
Oklahoma is poised to outlaw most abortions come August after Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday signed a bill to classify performing the procedure as a felony. In a signing ceremony, Stitt approved Senate Bill 612 that will punish medical providers who perform abortions with up to 10 years in prison or fines of up to $100,000. A reproductive rights group already plans to sue the state over the new law. (Forman, 4/12)

The New York Times: What’s Happening To Abortion Legislation In States Across The U.S.
Near-total abortion bans have been introduced in 30 states this year, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Bans have passed at least one legislative chamber in seven states: Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia. They have been enacted in four of those states: Oklahoma, Arizona, Idaho and Wyoming. (Kasakove, 4/12)

In abortion updates from Florida and Louisiana —

Tampa Bay Times: Judge Signs Off On 24-Hour Waiting Period For Abortions In Florida
After nearly seven years of legal battling, a Leon County circuit judge has approved a 24-hour waiting period for abortions in Florida. Judge Angela Dempsey issued a ruling Friday that upheld the constitutionality of a 2015 law that called for women to wait 24 hours after initial visits with physicians before having abortions. Dempsey indicated during a hearing last month that she would uphold the law but did not issue the ruling until Friday. (4/12)

Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana Lawmakers Seek To Restrict Women's Access To Abortion Drugs
A bill to make it more difficult for women to secure the medicine needed for a drug-induced abortion during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and potentially criminalize providers and patients advanced Tuesday in the Louisiana Legislature. Senate Bill 388 by Slidell Republican Sen. Sharon Hewitt would make it illegal for companies to provide the two drugs — mifepristone and misoprostol — through the mail with criminal penalties as consequences. (Hilburn, 4/12)

In other abortion news from Idaho, Texas, Wisconsin, and elsewhere —

KTVB: Catholic Church Asks To Intervene In Idaho's Abortion Lawsuit 
The Roman Catholic Church in Idaho is asking the state's Supreme Court to let it intervene in a lawsuit over a new law banning nearly all abortions. The Diocese of Boise filed the request in support of the abortion ban on Monday. Idaho last month became the first state to enact legislation modeled after the Texas statute banning abortions after about six weeks. The law would allow potential relatives of the embryo or fetus to each sue an abortion provider for a minimum of $20,000 in damages. (4/12)

The Washington Post: A Call, A Text, An Apology: How An Abortion Arrest And A Since-Dropped Murder Charge Shook Up A Texas Town
Calixtro Villarreal’s phone rang Saturday afternoon, about 48 hours after his client, Lizelle Herrera, was arrested and charged with murder — over what local authorities alleged was a “self-induced abortion. ”It was Gocha Ramirez, the district attorney in Starr County, Tex., a remote area on the border with Mexico. Herrera should never have been charged, Ramirez told the lawyer, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private interactions. (Kitchener, Reinhard and Crites, 4/13)

Wisconsin State Journal: Republicans Laud New 'Anti-Abortion' Measure, But Experts Say It Has Little-To-No Effect 
Republicans are applauding Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for signing an anti-abortion provision into law, but genetic counselors are saying the measure to prohibit them from encouraging patients to obtain abortions has no practical effect. That’s because genetic counselors — who interpret genetic testing results and tell families how, for example, a condition like Down syndrome could affect them — say they do not try to persuade expectant parents to receive abortions. (Shur, 4/13)

FiveThirtyEight: What Americans Can Expect If Abortion Pills Become Their Only Safe Option 
The things Desireé Luckey remembers most about finding out she was pregnant for the first time are how fast the little test strip turned positive — and how irritated it made her feel. It was one more hassle in a summer that already felt overwhelming. Within the span of a few weeks in 2012, Luckey had graduated college, ended an emotionally unsafe relationship and started a new — but frustratingly unpaid — job with former President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. From her dorm bathroom, she immediately began figuring out what she’d need to do to get an abortion.  (Koerty ande Thomson-DeVeaux, 4/12)

Where can you travel to get an abortion? —

WBUR: Abortion Rights Advocates Create Guide To Clinics That Do And Do Not Offer Abortions 
An abortion advocacy group has created a new online resource guide to abortion care, clinics and financial assistance across New England. Advocates say it will help distinguish between clinics that offer abortions and those that oppose them.The website, created by Reproductive Equity Now, was released Tuesday as groups that support and oppose abortion restrictions gear up for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade. (Bebinger, 4/12)

Maine Public: New Online Tool Connects Women With Abortion Care Providers In New England 
A first-of-its-kind online tool to find abortion care in New England is being rolled out on Tuesday by Massachusetts-based Reproductive Equity Now. Executive Director Rebecca Hart Holder says the organization wanted to create a centralized place where people can search by zip code to find unbiased information about abortion care. She says there's urgency because the U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating a case that could roll back abortion protections enshrined under Roe v. Wade. (Wight, 4/12)

Missouri Independent: With Abortion Bills Stretching Past State Lines, Missouri Is Already Headed To A 'Post-Roe World' 
As restrictions on accessing an abortion in Missouri have steadily tightened, nearly 9,800 Missourians traveled to Kansas and Illinois to receive abortions in 2020, compared to only 167 procedures that occurred within state lines that year. That number could drop even further if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion — causing a Missouri law to kick in that would ban the procedure except in medical emergencies. And after years of limiting access to abortion in Missouri, lawmakers are now eyeing policy for a world in which the constitutional protections for the procedure are no more. “Nationally, everybody is looking to a post-Roe world,” said Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold. “In Missouri, we’re almost already there.” (Weinberg, 4/12)

Also —

Bloomberg: Yelp Joins Citi, Apple to Offer Workers Abortion Travel Benefits
In the wake of increasingly restrictive abortion laws sweeping the U.S., Yelp Inc. is the latest company to cover travel costs for employees who need to leave their home states to get reproductive care. The company has nearly 4,000 workers in the U.S. and just over 200 in Texas, where a bill has banned abortions after six weeks. Yelp will offer its benefit through the company’s insurance provider starting next month, according to a person familiar with the matter. It will also extend coverage to dependents. “As a remote-first company with a distributed workforce, this new benefit allows our U.S. employees and their dependents to have equitable access to reproductive care, regardless of where they live,” Miriam Warren, the company’s chief diversity officer, said in an emailed statement. (Butler, 4/12)

The Washington Post: Syphilis, Gonorrhea Cases Increased In 2020 As STD Rates Remain High
The number of cases of some sexually transmitted diseases increased during the first year of the pandemic, officials said Tuesday, continuing a rise seen over the last decade. Syphilis and gonorrhea cases increased in 2020, as screening clinics closed and people put off regular doctor visits, according to an annual report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. Fewer chlamydia cases were recorded than in past years, but experts say that decrease was due to reduced testing rather than a true decline in the disease’s prevalence. (Shepherd, 4/12)

Axios: STDs Continued To Surge During The Pandemic: CDC
Although cases of chlamydia declined, this was likely due to decreased STD screenings during the pandemic causing an underdiagnosis of the ailment. Disparities in STDS persisted, with 53% of reported cases in 2020 occurring among young people aged 15–24 years old, with additional disparities among certain minorities, per a CDC national overview, which noted the differences reflect unequal access to sexual health care. (Saric, 4/12)

KHN: Babies Die As Congenital Syphilis Continues A Decade-Long Surge Across The US 
For a decade, the number of babies born with syphilis in the U.S. has surged, undeterred. Data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows just how dire the outbreak has become. In 2012, 332 babies were born infected with the disease. In 2021, that number had climbed nearly sevenfold, to at least 2,268, according to preliminary estimates. And 166 of those babies died. (Barry-Jester, 4/12)

Also —

Politico: STDs Are Surging. The Funding To Fight Them Is Not
The latest figures — part of an ongoing upward trend — follow Congress’ decision last month to provide far less funding to sexual health clinics that provide free and subsidized testing for sexually transmitted diseases, education, contraception and other services than providers say is needed to reverse the current course. (Ollstein, 4/12)

In related news about HPV and syphilis —

The Washington Post: Pandemic Led To Fewer Adolescents Vaccinated Against HPV, CDC Says 
Since the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was introduced in 2006, the prevalence of the disease — a precursor to a variety of cancers — has plummeted. Despite being the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States, it has fallen by an order of magnitude. But that progress could be in jeopardy at the clinics where vaccination takes place, a new CDC study warns. The culprit? The coronavirus, which has upended nearly all aspects of health care. (Blakemore, 4/12)

Stat: Fatal Teen Overdoses Doubled In 2020, Driven By Fentanyl 
After staying flat for a decade, the overdose death rate among U.S. adolescents nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020 — an alarming climb that continued into 2021, a study released Tuesday showed. The reasons do not include a surge of children in this group — ages 14 to 18 — using drugs, researchers said. If anything, survey data indicate that fewer teens experimented with drugs during the pandemic. Rather, a main factor is that the supply of increasingly deadly drugs, which has driven overall overdose deaths to more than 100,000 per year, has trickled into what adolescents are using. What teens may think is an opioid painkiller or Xanax diverted from the legal supply is now more likely to be a counterfeit tablet containing fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids. (Joseph, 4/12)

NPR: Teen Drug Overdose Deaths Rose Sharply In 2020, Driven By Fentanyl-Laced Pills
For the first time in a decade, overdose deaths among teens in the United States rose dramatically in 2020 and kept rising through 2021 as well. That's according to the results of a new study published Tuesday in JAMA. "This is very alarming because what we've seen in other parts of the population is that when overdose death rates start to rise, they tend to continue to do so for quite some time," says Joe Friedman, a public health researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the lead author of the new study. "We're still really in the early days in terms of teen overdose. And that makes this an especially important time to intervene," he adds. (Chatterjee, 4/12)

In related news about teens and opioids —

The Washington Post: Number Of Adolescents Prescribed Opioids After Surgery Has Declined 
Routinely prescribing opioids for pain after surgery appears to be on the decline for American youths. Nearly half — 48 percent — of adolescents get a post-surgical opioid prescription, representing a drop from more than three-fourths (78 percent) given opioids in such situations five years earlier, according to research published in the journal Pediatrics. It found even greater percentage drops among younger children. Opioid prescriptions fell from 54 percent to 26 percent among those 5-to-10-years-old. For children younger than 5, those being prescribed opioids declined from 30 percent to 12 percent. Overall, hydrocodone and oxycodone were the most commonly prescribed opioids. (Searing, 4/12)

And more on the opioid crisis —

AP: Epidemiologist: Drug Supply Fueled WVa Crisis Over Poverty 
The influx of prescription opioids into West Virginia communities was the main driver of the state’s drug crisis — more than poverty, job loss and other economic stressors, an epidemiologist testified Tuesday at the ongoing trial against three major pharmaceutical companies. “The economic conditions were the kindling, but the opioid suppliers were the gasoline that was poured directly on that kindling,” said Dr. Katherine Keyes, director of Columbia University’s Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program. (Willingham, 4/12)

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska’s Fatal Overdoses Surged Last Year, A Spike Driven By Fentanyl
Alaska reported 245 overdose deaths in 2021, a staggering 68% increase over a single year, according to preliminary mortality data the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services released last week. There were 146 fatal overdoses reported in 2020. Fentanyl’s lethal mark on Alaskans has prompted state health officials to start giving out free test strips that can help detect the substance as part of a new strategy that is somewhat controversial — the strips are illegal in some states under drug paraphernalia laws. Nationally and in Alaska, the use of fentanyl has skyrocketed in recent years. (Berman, 4/12)

The Washington Post: Fatal Fentanyl Overdoses: Police Say 10 People Died In Northeast D.C. 
Ten people in two neighborhoods in Northeast Washington have now died from a lethal batch of fentanyl, police said Tuesday, the second mass-casualty incident involving the deadly opioid in the District this year. Police said at least 17 people overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl in Trinidad and Ivy City from Saturday morning through Monday evening, and seven of them survived. (Hermann, 4/12)

And in this case about the use of painkilling drugs --

AP: Jury Deliberations Underway In Ohio Doctor's Murder Trial
A jury on Tuesday began deliberating in the trial of an Ohio doctor charged in multiple hospital deaths, a day after a prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments that regardless of how close a patient is to death, it’s illegal to speed up the process. An attorney for Dr. William Husel told jurors the state hadn’t provided evidence to prove murder allegations. (Welsh-Huggins, 4/12)

AP: Influential Panel Raises Doubts On Youth Suicide Screening 
An influential U.S. group is raising doubts about routine suicide screening for children and teens even as others call for urgent attention to youth mental health. In draft guidance posted Tuesday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said there’s not enough evidence to recommend routinely screening kids who show no obvious signs of being suicidal. The document is open for public comment until May 9, and opposing voices are already weighing in. (Tanner, 4/12)

Reuters: Screening For Anxiety Should Begin At Age 8, U.S. Panel Says 
Children as young as 8 years old should be screened for anxiety and those ages 12 and over for depression, according to new recommendations by the government-backed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The guidance for healthcare providers, still in draft form, applies to children and teens who are not showing signs or symptoms of these conditions. (Lapid, 4/12)

In related mental health news —

NPR: Study: Nearly A Third Of Children With Disabilities Have Experienced Violence
A new study suggests that nearly a third of children and adolescents with disabilities has experienced violence – defined as physical, emotional or sexual abuse as well as neglect. It's everything from being struck or verbally attacked by a family member to cyberbullying. And they're reportedly twice as likely to experience violence as young people without disabilities. A tremendous number of kids are affected. An estimated 291 million children and adolescents — slightly more than 1 in 10 — have disabilities such as hearing or vision loss, epilepsy or intellectual disabilities. The review, published in the medical journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, reaffirms the discouraging conclusions of a World Health Organization-backed review published in The Lancet a decade ago, focusing on high-income countries. (Kritz, 4/12)

Axios: How Your Gut Controls Your Mental And Physical Health
The foundation of your health and well-being isn't your heart, your lungs or your brain. It’s your gut. 70% of your immune system sits in your belly. You are what you eat. And a healthy gut keeps your body — and mind — from getting sick. A healthy gut is chock-full of immune cells and good bacteria that fight off viruses, fungi and bad bacteria. And an unhealthy gut can lead to infections — and even hinder your body's ability to fight cancer. (Pandey, 4/12)

CNN: Your Personality Can Protect Or Age Your Brain, Study Finds 
Certain personality traits may be a key factor in whether people develop mild cognitive impairment later in life, a new study found. Being more conscientious and extroverted keeps mild cognitive impairment at bay longer, while having higher levels of neuroticism increases the chances of cognitive decline, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "Personality traits reflect relatively enduring patterns of thinking and behaving, which may cumulatively affect engagement in healthy and unhealthy behaviors and thought patterns across the lifespan," lead author Tomiko Yoneda, a psychology postdoctoral student at the University of Victoria in Canada, said in a statement. (LaMotte, 4/11)

Kansas City Star: What Is Mild Cognitive Impairment? Causes Include Alzheimer’s 
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Robert Perry has long prided himself on his thinking, having had the kind of sharp and nimble mind that, when he was a young combat pilot, allowed him to fly F-111 jets at more than 1,500 miles per hour. Perry spent 22 years in the military, 20 more making decisions with the Johnson County Airport Commission until his 2012 retirement. But more recently he noticed his memory slipping — and he worried. His dad died of Parkinson’s disease, although doctors say he has no real signs of that. His mother lived to 89. She developed dementia toward the end. Perry, 74, of Overland Park, said it was his wife Nancy who noticed his short-term memory was “fading a little.” (Adler, 4/13)

In other public health news —

NBC News: Comedian Gilbert Gottfried Died Of Rare, Often Overlooked Disease
Gilbert Gottfried, the beloved brash comedian, died Tuesday after having battled a disease that his publicist identified as a rare genetic muscle disorder. Gottfried, 67, had type II myotonic dystrophy, a kind of muscular dystrophy, said his longtime friend and publicist, Glenn Schwartz. It isn't clear when Gottfried was diagnosed with the disease, which has no cure or treatment and typically appears when people are in their 20s and 30s. (Bendix and Stelloh, 4/12)

Salt Lake Tribune: Salmonella Found In Ground Beef At A Midvale Market
Utah government inspectors shut down the meat department at a Midvale grocery store, after finding salmonella in samples of ground beef sold there. The contamination was found during a routine inspection in late March at the International Marketplace, 125 W. 7200 South, Midvale, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food reported. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the store’s beef. “This happened on a routine inspection of the Marketplace,” said Bailie Woolstenhulme, public information officer for UDAF. “So hopefully we caught it before anybody actually consumed the product.” (Russell, 4/12)

The 19th: Inflation Rates Leave Women Facing More Food Insecurity In Grocery Stores
The price sticker startled Tammy Ferrell. She looked at the variety pack of FritoLay chips again and again. Her forehead wrinkled. Surely, she must have misunderstood — the chips used to be $12, but the sticker read $17. Around her, everything else had new stickers, too — the dairy, the produce, the meat. She left Costco without the turkey wings her family loved, without meat at all. She thought of how she would explain it to her grandsons. As the weeks went on and prices continued to rise, Ferrell’s family began eating noodles instead of meat. They stretched what was in their pantry, walking to the store instead of driving to avoid paying skyrocketing gas prices. It was turning into a nightmare, she said. (Carrazana, 4/12)

The CT Mirror: Union Warns Five Nursing Homes Of Plans To Strike On April 22
Gov. Ned Lamont and the General Assembly thought they eliminated the threat of a major nursing home strike last spring when they pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into an industry battered by the coronavirus pandemic. But the risk of Connecticut’s first nursing home strike since 2012 — albeit a small one — reared its head Tuesday when the state’s largest health care workers union put five homes on notice for a work stoppage on April 22. SEIU District 1199 New England served notices to three facilities owned by National Health Care Associates: Bloomfield Health Care Center, Hebrew Center for Health & Rehabilitation in West Hartford and Maple View Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rocky Hill. It also notified two independent facilities, Windsor Health and Rehabilitation Center and Avery Heights Senior Living in Hartford. (Phaneuf, 4/12)

In other news about health workers —

Crain's Detroit Business: BHSH, Grand Valley State University Partner To Tackle Nursing Shortage
BHSH, the new merger of Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health, is partnering with Grand Valley State University to create a nursing program to tackle the shortage in Michigan and provide a path to employment at affiliated hospitals. The BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program has a goal of increasing the nursing talent pipeline by taking away financial barriers to college. After all approvals and accreditation, the program should be in place by January. (4/12)

Axios: Turf Wars Heat Up After Pandemic Blurred Provider Treatment Lines
Nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and pharmacists are pressing for more autonomy to diagnose patients, recommend treatments and write prescriptions, and doctors' aren't pleased. So-called scope of practice fights have been going on for decades. But certain emergency powers granted during the pandemic allowed advanced practice providers who were not doctors to provide more services than ever before and reignited the battle in many states. (Reed, 4/13)

Modern Healthcare: Providence To Pay $22.7M Over Alleged Spine Surgery Fraud
The Renton, Wash.-based health system employed two neurosurgeons who allegedly falsified or exaggerated patient diagnoses and overperformed procedures that were not medically appropriate or medically necessary between 2013 and 2017 at St. Mary's Medical Center in Walla Walla. Providence received employee complaints about the two surgeons and placed both on administrative leave. The surgeons both eventually resigned. But the system did not report either doctor to the National Practitioner Data Bank, as required by federal law. The database collects information on medical malpractice payments and professional competence or conduct and makes information available to other systems and healthcare entities. It also did not report either doctor to the Washington State Department of Health, according to the settlement. (Gillespie, 4/12)

And more health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Hartford HealthCare, Yale New Haven Health To Build Connecticut's First Proton Center
Yale New Haven Health System and Hartford HealthCare plan to construct the first proton therapy center in Connecticut and administer an advanced form of radiation treatment to cancer patients. The center, planned in Wallingford, received its final state approval and is expected to open in 2025, the companies said Tuesday. Proton therapy is a targeted type of radiation that uses high energy beams of proton particles, rather than X-rays, to treat cancerous growth. With this method, the radiation is more finely controlled at a higher dose to avoid affecting healthy tissue when attacking solid cancer tumors. (Devereaux, 4/12)

Modern Healthcare: DOJ Joins Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Kickback Lawsuit
The federal government intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare paid independent physicians more than $400 million for referrals. Memphis-based Methodist purchased substantially all the outpatient locations of the largest oncology practice in the area, West Clinic. The lawsuit alleges the "joint partnership" was formed to allow West's patients to be treated at Methodist locations by West-employed physicians, untapping a new market for Methodist and funneling Medicare reimbursement to the health system for cancer care. Methodist also allegedly siphoned inpatient referrals away from its competitors, including Baptist Memorial Hospital. (Kacik, 4/12)

KHN: Biden Administration Announces Boost For Rural Health Care In Midterm Election Push
As the midterm election season ramps up, the Biden administration wants rural Americans to know it’ll be spending a lot of money to improve health care in rural areas. It has tasked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack with delivering the message that the covid-19 pandemic exposed long-standing problems with health care infrastructure in remote parts of the country and pushed many rural health providers to the brink. (Houghton, 4/13)

KHN: Private Equity Ownership Of Nursing Homes Triggers Capitol Hill Questions — And A GAO Probe
In his State of the Union address last month, President Joe Biden focused attention on how private equity ownership of nursing homes can affect residents’ health. “As Wall Street firms take over more nursing homes, quality in those homes has gone down and costs have gone up. That ends on my watch,” Biden said. Those comments dovetail with growing interest from Congress. (Knight, 4/13)

Houston Chronicle: More Texans Received Help To Pay ACA Premiums Than Ever Before, But Those Benefits Won't Last Long
A record number of Texans enrolled in Affordable Care Act health insurance in 2022 largely because of federal financial assistance provided as part of pandemic relief initiatives, according to an analysis released Tuesday. More than 1.8 million Texans signed up for ACA marketplace health insurance in 2022, up 42 percent from 2021, according to the analysis by Episcopal Health Foundation, a Houston nonprofit that studies health and health care. That means more than 500,000 additional Texans have marketplace health insurance coverage compared to last year. (Carballo, 4/12)

And Texas food banks are struggling —

The Texas Tribune: Texas Food Banks Struggle To Meet Demand As Inflation Persists 
Ever since Juan Escalante was let go from his job at a distribution center, he and his wife, Emily, have done everything they can think of to provide for their family of five. They cobble together what they can from odd jobs and construction work while she drives for Uber when time allows. To keep meals on the table, they’ve turned to food stamps and a government assistance program for women, infants and young children. But as inflation continues pushing up the cost of food, they’ve found themselves trying to shore up an ever-growing budgetary gap. “What would be $100 in groceries is not roughly what was $100 maybe a few months ago,” Juan Escalante said. (Cobb, 4/13)

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

Miami Herald: Florida Urges Vaccine Amid Meningococcal Disease Outbreak 
So far this year Florida has confirmed 21 cases of meningococcal disease, far outpacing annual averages, said state health officials, who are encouraging high-risk groups — including gay and bisexual men, people with HIV and college students — to get vaccinated against the often severe and sometimes deadly illness. An outbreak advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Florida has a “large, ongoing outbreak of meningococcal disease,” primarily among gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men, including those living with HIV. (Chang, 4/12)

Dallas Morning News: Tinslee Lewis Discharged From Fort Worth Hospital Amid Legal Battle To Keep Her Alive
Tinslee Lewis, a Fort Worth toddler who has been on a respirator most of her life, was sent home last week following a court battle to keep her alive at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Tinslee was born prematurely in 2019 with a rare heart condition. When she was about 9 months old and set to be taken off life support, her mother, Trinity Lewis, began a legal battle with the hospital and keep her daughter alive. “I’m sorry but I can’t hold it in any longer,” Lewis said in a Facebook post Thursday, “today my baby came home and I’m filled with joy and emotions right now.” The post did not go into detail about whether Tinslee was still on a respirator, but her mother said she was doing well. Trinity Lewis thanked Cook Children’s for its efforts to keep Tinslee alive, and she also expressed gratitude for her family and Texas Right to Life, an anti-abortion political organization that has publicized the case. (Keomoungkhoun, 4/12)

Bay Area News Group: As Homeless Deaths Spike, Alameda County Ramps Up Tracking Efforts
The number of homeless people dying in Alameda County is increasing at an alarming rate, and for the first time, officials are tracking, analyzing and hoping to learn from those lives lost. More than 800 unhoused people died in Alameda County between 2018 and 2020, according to the county’s first “homeless mortality report,” which was released this week. In an effort to reduce preventable deaths, the county plans to follow its initial effort with regular updated reports, and to create a new “community homeless mortality task force.” “While the numbers are shocking, this data will help to better inform the county as to what we can do to lessen homeless mortality and provide more supportive housing options and more accessible health care for our unhoused residents,” Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson wrote in an emailed statement. (Kendall, 4/12)

AP: Atlantic City Casino Workers Feel Smoking Ban Is In Reach
On the 16th anniversary of a New Jersey law that banned indoor smoking in most public places — except in casinos — hundreds of Atlantic City casino workers called on state lawmakers Tuesday to ban smoking in the gambling halls. The push comes at a crucial time for the Atlantic City casino industry as it tries mightily to regain lost business from the coronavirus pandemic, and braces for the opening of one or more additional casinos in New York City, which will compete for many of Atlantic City’s customers. (Parry, 4/12)

Kansas City Star: KC Career Fair Has Resources For Students With Disabilities 
A lot of kids in Kansas City are approaching the end of their time in high school. Anxiety and fear about what comes next are slowly creeping into their minds as this chapter comes to a close. The next step after high school looks different for a lot of students aiming to find the path that is the best fit for them. Kim Riley had a high school senior facing this next step while also dealing with a disability. She knew that support would be important for students with disabilities navigating this next chapter, so she put together a career and college fair designed to do just that. (Hernandez, 4/13)

KHN: Who Doesn’t Text In 2022? Most State Medicaid Programs 
West Virginia will use the U.S. Postal Service and an online account this summer to connect with Medicaid enrollees about the expected end of the covid public health emergency, which will put many recipients at risk of losing their coverage. What West Virginia won’t do is use a form of communication that’s ubiquitous worldwide: text messaging. “West Virginia isn’t set up to text its members,” Allison Adler, the state’s Medicaid spokesperson, wrote to KHN in an email. (Galewitz, 4/13)

The Hill: Coronavirus Pandemic Pushed 77M Into ‘Extreme Poverty’: UN
The coronavirus pandemic pushed 77 million people into extreme poverty last year, according to a new report from the United Nations (U.N.) released on Tuesday. The 208-page report from the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs also says 1 in 5 developing countries will not see a gross domestic product return to 2019 levels within the next year. (Dress, 4/12)

In global covid news —

AP: UK's Johnson Says He Paid A Police Fine For Lockdown Parties
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday he paid a fine from police for attending a lockdown-breaching birthday party in his official residence, making him the first British leader to be sanctioned for breaking the law while in office. The fines for Johnson, his wife, Carrie, and Treasury chief Rishi Sunak brought a simmering crisis for the prime minister back to full boil, with opposition politicians immediately calling for his resignation. (Hui and Lawless, 4/12)

The New York Times: How One German State Beat The Odds On Covid Vaccinations
This northern port city, combined with neighboring Bremerhaven, makes up the smallest and by many measures the poorest state in Germany’s federal system. In state comparisons of education or addressing child poverty, it consistently ranks dead last. But when it comes to vaccines, Bremen is No. 1, with more than 90 percent of its population fully vaccinated. It has achieved its success in a country that has managed to vaccinate only slightly more than three-quarters of its people, and that voted last week against a bill that would have made vaccinations mandatory for people 60 and over. (Schuetze, 4/12)

In other developments from around the world —

CIDRAP: WHO Group Endorses 'Game-Changer' 1-Dose HPV Vaccination 
The World Health Organization's (WHO's) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) late last week said one dose of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine—not the standard three-dose regimen—offered good protection against cervical cancer, a move the WHO is calling a "game-changer." (Soucheray, 4/12)

Stat: Pharma Vows Faster Drug Launches In Europe To Avoid Stricter Regulations
In a bid to thwart stricter regulation, the European pharmaceutical industry trade group pledged to make faster product launches in all European Union countries, a reflection of growing concern that the European Commission will overhaul the approach to access to medicines. The commitment was one of several proposals made by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations in the face of a new, overarching strategy that the European Commission is devising toward pharmaceuticals. Besides access and affordability, the effort has also been looking at innovation, competitiveness, changes in technology, and preparing for crises. (Silverman, 4/12)

Stat: U.K. Readies A Subscription Payment Model For Badly Needed Antibiotics
Amid rising concern over antimicrobial resistance, the U.K. has taken a major step toward becoming the first country to launch an experimental payment model for antibiotics, a move designed to usher in a new era of drug development and reimbursement. The government completed a long-awaited cost-effectiveness review of two new antibiotics as part of a pilot program that would pay for the medicines using a so-called subscription model. The idea is to pay companies upfront fees based on the estimated value of benefits to patients and the country’s National Health Service, rather than payments based on volumes used. (Silverman, 4/12)

AP: EU: Salmonella Outbreak In Chocolate Eggs Due To Bad Milk 
European health officials investigating an outbreak of salmonella linked to chocolate Easter eggs that has sickened at least 150 children across the continent said Tuesday they suspect it is due to bad buttermilk in a Belgian factory. (4/12)

Reuters: FDA Lifts Partial Clinical Hold On Gilead's Blood Cancer Drug Trials 
Gilead Sciences Inc. said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had lifted the partial clinical hold placed on its trials testing a blood cancer drug combination. The FDA removed the hold after a review of the safety data from each trial, the company said. (4/11)

Stat: Trying A Three-Drug Combo To Help Engineered T Cells Fight Cancer 
For years, Kristin Anderson has been trying to push immunotherapy to work in ovarian cancer, only to see immune tool after tool fail to crack the tumors. But now, Anderson has new data from a preliminary approach that some experts called both thought-provoking and a little controversial: a combination of three immune checkpoint inhibitors and a batch of engineered T cells. The work started off with a simple question, said Anderson, a postdoctoral scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Is it possible to engineer T cells to attack ovarian tumors? Anderson started by modifying T cells to carry a receptor that would recognize mesothelin — a protein common in several cancer types including ovarian. That way, these modified immune cells would be more likely to infiltrate the tumors and, hopefully, start cleaning up the cancer. (Chen, 4/13)

In antibiotics research —

CIDRAP: Study: Medicare Outpatients Frequently Received Antibiotics For COVID-19
A review of data on Medicare beneficiaries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic found that nearly a third of outpatient COVID-19 visits were linked to an antibiotic prescription, mainly for azithromycin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers reported late last week in JAMA. (4/11)

CIDRAP: Study Finds Antibiotic Use In Iowa Hospitals Wasn't Affected By COVID-19
A study of hospitals in Iowa that employ three different antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) models found that core stewardship activities were maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology. The study, conducted at 12 hospitals that are part of an integrated health system, examined trends in antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 days present in medical-surgical and intensive care units from Jan 1, 2019, to Feb 28, 2021. (4/8)

CIDRAP: Stewardship Linked To Drop In Fluoroquinolones For Urinary Tract Infections
A multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship intervention at a community health system dramatically reduced fluoroquinolone prescribing for urinary tract infections (UTIs), researchers reported today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. ... Comparison of prescribing data from the 6-month post-intervention period (September 2019 to February 2020) with the pre-intervention period (September 2018 to February 2019) showed that the percentage of fluoroquinolone prescribing for UTIs fell from 17.6% pre-intervention to 3.0% post-intervention in the four urgent care clinics, and from 23.8% to 6.8% in the 19 primary care clinics. Percentages of any primary care clinic visits at which a fluoroquinolone was prescribed fell from 1.3% to 0.5%. (4/11)

CIDRAP: 'Time-Honored' Technique Could Guide Choice Of Pneumonia Antibiotics
The results of a randomized clinical trial conducted in Japan indicate that Gram stain–guided antibiotic therapy could help safely reduce the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in patients who have ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).  The results, published last week in JAMA Network Open, showed that Gram stain–guided antibiotic treatment in VAP patients yielded non-inferior clinical responses to guideline-based treatment, while significantly reducing the use of antipseudomonal and anti-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) antibiotics. (Dall, 4/11)

ScienceDaily: How A Narrow-Spectrum Antibiotic Takes Aim At C. Diff
Most antibiotics are double-edged swords. Besides killing the pathogen they are prescribed for, they also decimate beneficial bacteria and change the composition of the gut microbiome. As a result, patients become more prone to reinfection, and drug-resistant strains are more likely to emerge. (Rockefeller University, 4/6)

In pharmaceutical industry news —

FiercePharma: High-Flying Pfizer May Disappoint On Comirnaty And Paxlovid Sales In Q1, Analyst Warns 
Pfizer’s BioNTech-partnered COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and its antiviral pill Paxlovid are destined to reap many billions in 2022, but the company’s first-quarter pandemic haul may come in lighter than previously thought, one group of analysts predicts. Louise Chen’s team at Cantor Fitzgerald has dialed back its first-quarter sales estimate for Pfizer while keeping its full-year predictions for the company “intact,” the analysts said in a note to clients Monday. The team's updated forecast assumes Comirnaty and Paxlovid revenues for the first three months of the year will come in lower-than-expected. (Kansteiner, 4/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Halozyme Therapeutics Nears Deal To Buy Antares Pharma
Halozyme Therapeutics Inc. HALO 0.58% is close to a nearly $1 billion deal to buy specialty pharmaceutical company Antares Pharma Inc., ATRS -0.27% according to people familiar with the matter, in a move that would deepen its focus on drug delivery. Halozyme would pay $5.60 a share in cash in a deal that could be announced Wednesday and value Antares at roughly $960 million, the people said. (Cooper, 4/13)

FiercePharma: Despite TV Ads, Most Asthma Patients Don't Recognize New Biologic Brands, But They're Willing To Try Them, A Survey Finds
There’s no shortage of TV commercials extolling new biologics for asthma, but most patients who could benefit still don’t recognize the brands, a new survey from Phreesia Life Sciences found. Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent led the pack when it came to brand recall among these drugs, according to the survey. That part’s not too surprising given the $288 million the drugmakers shelled out on TV ads for the brand in 2021 (the biggest pharma TV ad spend last year). (Missakian, 4/8)

Stat: Underprescribing Opioids Can Also Cause Harm 
A reporter recently asked me about what harm I may have caused as a pain management physician who prescribes opioids. As I reflected on my last 10 years in this field, my response was that the harms I may have caused were because I underprescribed these drugs, not overprescribed them. (Antje M. Barreveld, 4/12)

Also —

The Washington Post: Medicare Coverage For Costly, But Controversial, New Alzheimers Drug Will Go Only To People Enrolled In Approved Clinical Trials 
The federal government on Thursday affirmed its plan to limit coverage for a costly new medication for Alzheimer’s disease, restricting it to Medicare patients enrolled in clinical trials. Despite the Food and Drug Administration’s accelerated approval of the drug, Aduhelm, last June, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it would limit payments for the drug to people in carefully controlled tests of the medication’s effectiveness for the progressive neurological disease. (Lenny Bernstein and Rachel Roubein, 4/7)

Bloomberg: Medicare Is Cleaning Up The FDA’s Mess On Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug 
edicare has decided once and for all not to pay for Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm unless patients are enrolled in a clinical study. The agency’s final call was unsurprising, but blessedly rational. It corrects the Food and Drug Administration’s mistake in letting Aduhelm onto the market. At the same time, it leaves room for future Alzheimer’s drugs to be covered — as long as studies show they are safe and effective. (Lisa Jarvis, 4/10)

Stat: CMS Made The Wrong Decision On Aduhelm 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued on Thursday its hotly debated final decision on whether to cover aducanumab (Aduhelm), the first FDA-approved treatment for Alzheimer’s that slows the disease’s biological progression rather than just temporarily easing its symptoms. We believe it made the wrong choice. (Dennis J. Selkoe and Jeffrey Cummings, 4/9)

Stat: Medicare Made The Right Decision To Limit Coverage Of Aduhelm
In a clash of two American health care giants, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had locked horns over Aduhelm, a controversial Alzheimer’s drug. Medicare gained the upper hand on Thursday when it released its final decision to limit coverage of the FDA-approved drug. (John N. Mafi and Catherine Sarkisian, 4/8)

The Washington Post: Medicare Was Right To Limit Coverage For Pricey New Alzheimer’s Drug 
The decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to decline to pay for an expensive new Alzheimer’s drug unless people who take it are part of a clinical trial was taken as a defeat by some advocates for Alzheimer’s patients. In fact, the decision represents a triumph for the scientific process. That process held firm, despite intense lobbying efforts both by the drug’s maker and by many of those advocates (who are understandably desperate for any new treatment). (Arthur L. Caplan, 4/10)

The New York Times: Why Experts Can’t Seem To Agree On Boosters 
Should you get another Covid booster shot? It seems like a straightforward question, but experts continue to butt heads over its answer. The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized a second booster for everyone age 50 or older and for those with compromised immune systems. Early research from Israel — a country that has tended to run a few months ahead of the United States in terms of both infections and the rollout of countermeasures — indicates that a second booster is safe and may provide some additional protections against severe illness. (Markham Heid, 4/13)

Chicago Tribune: Is A Second Booster For COVID-19 The Right Choice For You?
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently authorized a second booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for those age 50 and older. The recommendation follows a study out of Israel recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The Israel study reports a modest relative risk reduction in COVID-19 infections for those receiving a second booster compared to those who have gotten one booster, on the order of 1.5 times lower, with this benefit waning over the length of the study period, or around two months. (Sheldon Jacobson, 4/12)

East Bay Times: Anti-Vaxxers And Their Scary, Increasingly Violent Threats
Last December, we reported on the threatening behavior of a group of anti-vaccine activists toward Kristina Lawson, the president of the Medical Board of California. As Lawson recounted then, they surveilled her house, watched her children leave for school, then physically intimidated her at the garage of her business office. That was all because she headed an agency tasked with keeping doctors from spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. (Michael A. Hiltzik, 4/12)

Los Angeles Times: Millions Are Locked Down In Shanghai Because Of 'Zero COVID' Protocols. Something Needs To Change 
In January 2020, as the normally joyous Chinese Lunar New Year arrived, things looked bleak in Shanghai. COVID-19, then a complete unknown, was spreading. The government had shut down all but essential businesses, grocery store shelves were empty and the city’s streets were deserted. But China’s response — prolonged self-isolation, mask wearing, infrared temperature checks and location-tracking smartphone QR codes — actually worked. It won the authorities time to study the virus, develop treatments and eventually create and administer a safe vaccine. Some three months later, as much of the rest of the world locked down, it felt as if our COVID battle had ended in victory. (Liam Gowing, 4/12)

The Washington Post: Other Cities Should Not Follow Philadelphia On Reinstating Mask Mandates 
The city of Philadelphia reinstated its indoor mask mandate on Monday, citing an increase in daily covid-19 cases driven by the highly contagious BA.2 omicron subvariant. Though the uptick in cases is important to keep an eye on, I believe it was premature for the local government to reimpose a mask requirement. Other cities should not follow suit. (Leana S. Wen, 4/12)

Also —

Stat: Needed: Novel Incentives To Repurpose Generic Drugs For New Uses 
The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, better known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, which enabled the regulatory process for generic drugs, has been remarkably successful. Generic drugs now represent about 90% of prescriptions, bringing substantial cost savings to the health care system. The inventory of drug targets known to be modulated by generics has more than doubled over the past 20 years and is expected to reach somewhere between 250 and 450 drug classes (depending on precise target definition) by 2030, according to an analysis we conducted using PharmaProject and DrugBank databases. (Marc Herant and Jason Brauner, 4/13)

Columbus Dispatch: What Is The Problem With The 340B Drug Pricing Program?
Ohio has proven its commitment to the health of our citizens. Our state legislature passed reforms to protect patients from predatory pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices. More recently, Ohio has taken steps to make vaccination easier for those with limited transportation. Our elected leaders have historically been proactive about taking meaningful steps to protect the health of those who can’t always effectively protect themselves. (Brian Nyquist, 4/13)

Chicago Tribune: Antibiotic Development Crucial To Stopping Superbugs 
We don’t know when the next pandemic will strike. But we have a good idea of where it’ll start — in hospitals. Bacteria and fungi are constantly evolving and growing more and more resilient to the antibiotics we use to treat them. These “superbugs” will eventually mutate to resist even our last-line-of-defense treatments. (Nicolos Joseph, 4/12)

Miami Herald: Texas Woman Is Arrested For Self-Induced Abortion 
Last week, Texas gave us a glimpse of the future. It was not pretty. It seems that on Thursday, a 26-year-old woman was arrested and charged with murder. Specifically, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department in tiny Starr County on the Mexican border, Lizelle Herrera “intentionally and knowingly” caused “the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.” Thankfully, her ordeal was not long-lived. On Monday, the district attorney asked a judge to dismiss the charge. Although Texas is among the states that have imposed harsh limits on a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy, it has no statute covering what Herrera is alleged to have done. In fact, Texas law specifically prohibits criminal prosecution of a woman who has an abortion. (Leonard Pitts Jr., 4/12)

NBC News: Moderna Developing A Herpes Vaccine Is A Game Changer For People Like Me
I’ve had herpes for as long as I can remember, likely contracting the virus as a grabbing toddler reaching for my mother’s face. Over the decades, I have spent a considerable amount of time agonizing over how to skip work, school and social events. When hiding from the world, I have tried every home remedy, topical cream and ointment and antiviral drug available. Sadly, there is no cure for herpes, only options to limit or prevent outbreaks. But a new vaccine on the horizon could prove to be a game changer. (Deidre Olsen, 4/12)

Also —

Stat: Amid The Nation's Mental Health Crisis, We Need More Psychiatrists Now
Every day, people call my office looking for help: A loved one has not left their bed in a week. A father is experiencing panic symptoms while preparing his children for school. A young woman is using substances in a way that feels dangerous to her. These are not the worried well. They are people in crisis. Their conditions are complex and acute, and require the expertise of a psychiatrist who can talk with them, assess possible medical causes for their problems, manage withdrawal, prescribe medications when needed, and connect with other providers. (Christin Drake, 4/12)

Lewiston Sun Journal: Mental Health Is Not Addressed Behind Bars 
Throughout the course of the pandemic, the importance of mental health awareness and treatment has been drawn to the forefront of state and national attention. However, as the need has arisen, the availability of services has dwindled to the point that officers are often thrust into the role of primary mental health responders. (Hannah Longley And Eric Samson, 4/11)

Miami Herald: First Responders Are Human. We Must Take Care Of Their Mental Health And Well-Being 
Not many people can understand or empathize with the things first responders encounter during an emergency — or even on a daily basis. Public safety service comes with great personal sacrifice, and many first responders silently carry the burden. The trauma many of them experienced at the site of the Surfside condo collapse or in the wake of devastating hurricanes can be difficult to discuss. First responders are dedicated to protecting others and, too often, put themselves at the bottom of the priority list. (Anna Courie, 4/12)