The Associated Press: Plan To Boost 'Red Flag' Gun Laws Gains Momentum In Congress
Despite frequent mass shootings, Congress has proven unable to pass substantial gun violence legislation, in large part because of resistance from Republicans. But a bipartisan proposal by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is gaining momentum following weekend mass shootings in Texas and Ohio. The still-emerging plan would create a federal grant program to encourage states to adopt "red flag" laws to take guns away from people believed to be a danger to themselves or others. (Daly, 8/6)

The New York Times: ‘Red Flag’ Gun Control Bills Pick Up Momentum With G.O.P. In Congress
Such “red flag” laws might not be as momentous — or controversial — as the now-expired assault weapons ban or the instant background check system, both of which were enacted in 1994 as part of President Bill Clinton’s sprawling crime bill. The House, under Democratic control, passed far more ambitious bills in February that would require background checks for all gun purchasers, including those on the internet or at gun shows, and extend waiting limits for would-be gun buyers flagged by the instant check system. But those bills have run into a blockade that Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, has erected for House bills he opposes. (Stolberg, 8/6)

Politico: Dems Pressure Congressional Leaders To Act On Gun Control And White Supremacy
House Democrats are demanding Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell immediately return to Washington so the Senate can vote on gun control legislation in the wake of two deadly mass shootings over the weekend that left at least 31 people dead. The move comes as a separate group of Democrats, led by Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas.), urged Congress to work on legislation to combat domestic terrorism — and suggested in a letter that Speaker Nancy Pelosi also cut recess short for House members. (Caygle and Ferris, 8/6)

Politico: Emotional Rob Portman Decries White Supremacy And Urges Support For Red Flag Laws
A shaken Sen. Rob Portman on Tuesday spoke out against white nationalism and expressed support for red flag laws, after horrific mass shootings over the weekend in Texas and his home state of Ohio. The Republican's endorsement of limited gun control comes one day after President Donald Trump called for such laws, which allow police and family members to block access to firearms for people who are an imminent threat to others or themselves. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Monday he would introduce legislation to encourage more states to adopt red flag laws. (Levine, 8/60)

The Washington Post: GOP Rep. Michael R. Turner Of Dayton Backs Assault-Weapon Ban, Magazine Limits
Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), whose congressional district includes Dayton, where nine people were killed in a mass shooting over the weekend, endorsed a ban on military-style weapons Tuesday, going further than many of his GOP colleagues on stricter gun laws. The mass shooting, which came some 13 hours after the deadly shooting in El Paso, was personal for Turner, not only because it occurred in his district, but also because his daughter and a family friend were at a bar across the street from where the shooting began. (Itkowitz, 8/6)

The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, Reps. Chris Stewart And John Curtis Support A Federal ‘Red Flag’ Law After Mass Shootings
Rep. Chris Stewart says he always has been and always will be a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and a person’s “fundamental constitutional” right to legally own a firearm. But, in a video posted Monday to the Utah Republican’s Facebook page, Stewart said he felt heartbroken and angry over the evil displayed last weekend in the form of mass shootings in Texas and Ohio that left more than 30 people dead and dozens injured. (Wood, 8/6)

NPR: Signs Of Republican Movement To Support Gun Bills With New Restrictions
The real test for any significant action on gun laws is in the GOP-controlled Senate, where McConnell has acted as a one-man blockade against the House-passed background-check bill. He is, however, open to some other proposals. McConnell hasn't spoken publicly since the shootings, but he released a statement noting that he talked with three key committee chairs about pursuing items that Trump mentioned. "Only serious, bipartisan, bicameral efforts will enable us to continue this important work and produce further legislation that can pass the Senate, pass the House, and earn the president's signature," McConnell said. (Walsh, 8/7)

CNN: Mitch McConnell In Kentucky: Pressure Over Gun Control Follows Him Home
Not just in Washington, but back home in Kentucky, McConnell is facing the kind of pressure that were it on any other member, might shift momentum even incrementally. At a vigil outside his office Tuesday night, more than 100 protesters gathered. They chanted "do your job" and carried signs urging McConnell to "let Congress vote." "Work for all the people, not just your party," one sign said. (Fox and Killough, 8/7)

The New York Times: What Are ‘Red Flag’ Gun Laws, And How Do They Work?
With one mass shooting after another in recent years, political leaders have debated how to take preventive action without trampling on constitutional rights. Some states have tried, and more have debated, enacting measures called red flag laws, which are intended to restrict potentially dangerous people rather than dangerous weapons. That approach is seen as more likely to attract bipartisan support than many other gun control proposals. Here is what you need to know about those laws. (Williams, 8/6)

NBC News: Gun-Seizure Laws Often Have Bipartisan Support. But Do They Stop Mass Shootings?
Such measures, known as red flag laws, have been passed in more than a dozen states in recent years, often in the aftermath of a gun massacre and often with bipartisan support. But while researchers say the laws hold promise, particularly in preventing suicides, there isn’t enough research being done to understand their effect on homicides ─ let alone mass shootings. “Every time there is a question about preventing mass shootings, the answer always boils down to how to separate a potentially dangerous person from a firearm,” said Aaron Kivisto, a clinical psychologist at the University of Indianapolis who studies gun violence prevention. “Red flag laws are one important tool, but I don’t think you’ll find a single researcher who will claim that they are the panacea of gun violence. They’re not.” (Schuppe, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Even With ‘Red Flags’ In Their Youth, Mass Shooters Often Slip Through The Cracks
Connor Betts, 24, who shot and killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, before police killed him, was a deeply troubled young man. He had a history of violence against girlfriends and fantasized about murder, keeping a “hit list” of people he wanted to target. High school classmates said that school officials were aware of his behavior years ago, and that as a freshman, he was missing from school for months after police one day took him from a school bus. (Sullivan, Strauss and Davies, 8/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Portrait Of Dayton Shooter: ‘Uncontrollable Urges’ And Violent Talk Couched As Jokes
Caitlyn Johnson dated Connor Betts for several months until she broke up with him in May because she found his interest in mass shooting and other behaviors disturbing, she said. “I started to get uneasy when he called me drunk and was talking about wanting to hurt people,” the 24-year-old college student said, adding that she urged him to get help but could only do so much. Early Sunday morning, Betts killed nine people including his own 22-year-old sister, and injured more than two dozen others in a 30-second burst of gunfire before he was killed by police. (Maher, 8/6)

The New York Times: A Long, Frustrated Push For Background Checks On Gun Sales
More than a half-century ago, the assassinations of a president, a senator and the nation’s foremost civil rights leader led to the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, a landmark measure that restricted some gun sales. But President Lyndon B. Johnson was not happy. He had wanted to require a registry for all guns and licenses for gun owners. (Hakim and McIntire, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Renewed Calls For Gun Control After Dual Massacres Test A Deeply Divided NRA
Fresh calls for gun control following massacres in two U.S. cities over the weekend are testing the resilience of the National Rifle Association at a time when the nation’s largest gun lobby is riven by leadership clashes and allegations of reckless spending. The NRA, which has blocked proposed restrictions after past mass shootings, including at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., has lost key veterans in recent months, including lobbyist Christopher Cox, who back-channeled with the White House and lawmakers during previous political crises. (Reinhard, 8/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Ohio Governor Proposes Gun Reform Package
In a press conference Tuesday at the state capitol, Mr. DeWine, a Republican, introduced more than a dozen proposals addressing gun violence and mental-health issues as the nation grapples with the aftermath of two back-to-back mass shootings in Ohio and Texas that killed 31 people in total. Along with background checks on nearly all firearm sales, Mr. DeWine proposed court-ordered firearm removal from potentially dangerous individuals and increased penalties for gun-related felonies and illegal firearm purchases. He also proposed more mental-health resources for school districts and plans to expand an existing school-safety tip line to report risks of violence. His package also includes plans for Ohio’s department of public safety to monitor potential threats on social media. (Calfas, 8/6)

Dayton Daily News: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Proposes Changes To Target Gun Violence
DeWine called for stronger background checks across Ohio. He said checks should be performed for any gun purchase in the state, with the exception of gifts for a family member and other instances which he did not detail. DeWine also wants to strengthen “soft targets” like the Oregon District, houses of worship and nonprofits. The operating budget provides nearly $9 million to help “harden” those soft targets. (Filby and Kreemer, 8/6)

The Hill: Ohio's Republican Governor Pushes For Background Check Laws After Mass Shooting
“We can come together to do these things to save lives,” DeWine said. He also said during the press conference that he spoke with lawmakers and thinks his proposals can pass. (Frazin, 8/6)

The Associated Press: Ohio Republicans Again Faced With Calls To Enact Gun Reforms
Yet members of DeWine's own party have repeatedly blocked gun-control measures in the Legislature, leaving the fate of his proposals uncertain. Even the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and the school massacre in Parkland, Florida, could not move Ohio Republicans to act on most elements of a gun-control package proposed last year by then-Gov. John Kasich, also a Republican. Republican lawmakers sought to expand gun-owner protections in a bill Kasich ultimately vetoed. (Carr Smyth, 8/6)

NPR: Ohio Governor Proposes New Gun Control Laws, Marking Shift From Past GOP Leadership
Since 2011, Republicans have controlled the Ohio House, Ohio Senate and Ohio governor's office, with little to no interest in passing strong gun regulations. The exception is former Gov. John Kasich's late-term change of heart to pass gun regulations during his last year in office. This has been met with great frustration by State Sen. Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati, and other Democrats who have spent years introducing bills that reflect what DeWine is calling for now. "Republicans [need] to step up; they've got to do some self-evaluation of their values. You know people are dying, people are suffering from all of this," says Thomas. (Chow, 8/6)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Shooting: Gov. DeWine Pitches 'Red Flag' Law, Background Checks
DeWine's variation on the idea was crafted to satisfy concerns from gun-rights advocates: guns could not be removed before a court "safety protection order" is granted, which must happen within three days of the initial complaint. The National Rifle Association has supported emergency risk protection orders – if they protect gun owners' due process rights not to have their property seized without a valid legal reason. DeWine also wants background checks on all gun sales, except sales between family members and a few other scenarios. That wouldn't be new ground for DeWine, who voted for background checks on all sales at gun shows while in Congress. (Balmert, 8/6)

Columbus Dispatch: Here Is DeWine's Multi-Pronged Plan To Address Gun Violence
The 16 actions outlined Tuesday by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine as part of his proposal to address gun violence. (Ludlow, 8/6)

Meanwhile, in other states —

Tampa Bay Times: ’Nothing’s Off The Table,’ Florida Senator Says On Potential Gun Reforms
The Florida state senator tasked with responding to the latest spate of mass shootings said Tuesday that “nothing’s off the table” for the upcoming legislative session. That means mental health. White nationalism. And, yes, guns. (Mower, 8/6)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Republicans Show No Signs Of Tackling Gun Violence After Massacres In Texas And Ohio
For the second day in a row, Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature offered no plans to prevent mass shootings. They agreed to meet with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on the issue next week but made clear they remain cool to popular proposals on guns that they have long rejected. (Marley, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Democrats Take On Guns In Emotional Terms
The Democratic presidential candidates are increasingly speaking of gun violence in highly personal terms, recounting how shootings have stolen their own relatives and friends and providing an emotional underpinning to new gun-control proposals that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has been talking about how his 11-year-old nephew was shot by a 10-year-old schoolmate. Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper has recalled personally dealing with a massacre that killed 12 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Former congressman Beto O’Rourke, who carries a photo of a shooting victim in his wallet, unleashed an expletive-laced response to a question about President Trump’s responsibility for the tragedy in El Paso, his hometown. (Sullivan, 8/6)

The Washington Post: After A Weekend Of Mass Shootings, Democrats Are Cursing Inaction On Guns — Literally
As President Trump addressed the nation after a weekend of mass shootings, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) was watching. Reading from a teleprompter, Trump condemned the “barbaric slaughters” but did not blame lax gun laws for the 31 deaths in El Paso and Dayton. In his closing, Trump asked God to “bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo,” naming the wrong Ohio city. Shortly thereafter, Ryan, who rushed to Dayton after the tragedy, took to Twitter. (Wang, 8/6)

Reuters: Factbox: Presidential Candidates Back Gun Restrictions In Wake Of Mass Shootings
Democratic presidential candidates have demanded action on proposals to curtail gun violence in the aftermath of two mass shootings that killed 31 people in Texas and Ohio over the weekend. Republican President Donald Trump - accused by Democrats and civil rights groups of stoking racial tensions with his rhetoric - also said he was open to "bipartisan solutions" to address violence but refrained from offering any new gun-control measures. Trump has insisted he is not a racist. (Whitesides and Gibson, 8/7)

Meanwhile, although President Donald Trump touts his efforts on gun control, his actions speak differently —

The Associated Press Fact Check: Trump Distorting His Record On Gun Control
President Donald Trump is distorting his record when it comes to gun control. Speaking out this week against two mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, Trump asserted that his accomplishments in stemming gun violence stand out compared with previous presidents. He also suggested an unwavering commitment to improving mental health treatment. (Pane and Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/6)

Politico: Trump Quietly Used Regulations To Expand Gun Access
President Donald Trump this week said his administration has done “much more than most” to help curb mass shootings in the United States. While Trump boasts of action on firearms, his administration has actually eased gun restrictions over the past two and a half years. Federal agencies have implemented more than half a dozen policy changes — primarily through little-noticed regulatory moves — that expand access to guns by lifting firearms bans in certain locations and limiting the names on the national database designed to keep firearms away from dangerous people. (Kumar, 8/7)

Reuters: After Shootings, Trump Reins In His Attacks-For Now
After back-to-back mass shootings in two states over the weekend spurred widespread condemnation of his rhetoric and style, President Donald Trump chose to suppress his instinct to attack his rivals - at least for now. Trump has spent a large part of the summer engaged in attacks on four minority congresswomen and an African-American lawmaker from Baltimore. He has long railed against illegal immigrants, characterizing a surge of asylum seekers from Central America as an "invasion." (Rampton and Mason, 8/6)

The New York Times: ‘It Feels Like Being Hunted’: Latinos Across U.S. In Fear After El Paso Massacre
After 22 people were shot to death at a Walmart in El Paso over the weekend, a Florida retiree found herself imagining how her grandchildren could be killed. A daughter of Ecuadorean immigrants cried alone in her car. A Texas lawyer bought a gun to defend his family. For a number of Latinos across the United States, the shooting attack in El Paso felt like a turning point, calling into question everything they thought they knew about their place in American society. (Romero, Dickerson, Jordan and Mazzei, 8/6)

CNN: Shaken By The El Paso Shooting, Latinos Across The US Fear They'll Be Targeted Next
It was something far more terrifying: an ambush, carried out by a gunman who made no secret of his hatred of Latinos. "We're all feeling it. We're all shaken about it," said Vicki Gaubeca, who lives in Tucson, Arizona, and is the executive director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition. "Rhetoric is enabling racists and white supremacists and people who hate the other. It has emboldened them to act out in ways that are extraordinarily violent and hurtful to our communities." (Chavez and Shoichet, 8/6)

NPR: Mass Shootings Can Be Contagious, Research Shows
There were three high-profile shootings across the country in one week: The shooting in Gilroy, Calif., on July 28, and then the back-to-back shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, this past weekend. That's no surprise, say scientists who study mass shootings. Research shows that these incidents usually occur in clusters and tend to be contagious. Intensive media coverage seems to drive the contagion, the researchers say. (Chatterjee, 8/6)

The Washington Post: University Medical Center Of El Paso Treats 15 Of The Most Critically Injured Patients
The first victim was conscious and described the carnage at the El Paso Walmart to doctors. Within moments, though, the emergency room at University Medical Center of El Paso devolved into controlled chaos: “EMS called two, three, four, five, six” patients en route, emergency medicine doctor Nancy Weber recalled. “At that point, we knew that, yes, this was a mass casualty incident — yes, we were going to be getting a lot of patients.” Suddenly, four operating rooms at the hospital were in use as teams of surgeons raced to save people at risk of bleeding to death from multiple gunshot wounds. (Abutaleb, 8/6)

USA Today: Donald Trump Visits Dayton, El Paso Amid Grief Over Mass Shootings
 President Donald Trump will travel to Texas and Ohio on Wednesday to meet with the victims of back-to-back shootings that have reopened a pointed debate over whether his own campaign trail rhetoric has contributed to the violence. The shootings in El Paso and Dayton, in which at least 31 people were killed, will once again thrust Trump into the increasingly familiar role of consoling communities reeling from the brutality of the killings while navigating the tricky politics of gun control. (Fritze and Jackson, 8/7)

The Associated Press: El Paso Opens Healing Center As It Prepares For Trump Visit
El Paso opened a grief center on Tuesday to help people cope with last weekend's mass shooting at a Walmart, in which 22 people, nearly all with Latino last names, were killed and many others were wounded. The center opened a day before President Donald Trump was due to visit the border city, much to the chagrin of some Democrats and other residents who say his fiery rhetoric has fostered the kind of anti-immigrant hatred that may have motivated Saturday's attack. A protest rally was planned for Trump's arrival Wednesday that organizers said would confront white supremacy and demand gun control. (Galvan and Weber, 8/6)

NPR: After Mass Shootings, Other Nations Issue Caution About 'Gun Society' In U.S.
Japan's foreign ministry is cautioning its citizens residing in the United States to be alert to "the potential for gunfire incidents" after a spate of mass shootings in recent days. The concern came as at least two other nations – Uruguay and Venezuela — issued travel warnings for the U.S. in the wake of shootings in Gilroy, Calif., Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, where at least 22 people were killed and some two dozen others wounded in an incident that authorities have said was a targeted attack on immigrants. (Neuman, 8/7)

The Associated Press: Death Penalty Questionable As A Deterrent To Mass Killing
President Donald Trump is calling for new death penalty legislation as an answer to hate crimes and mass killings. But whether that would deter shooters is questionable — especially since most don't live to face trial. More than half the perpetrators of mass shootings since 2006 have ended up dead at the scene of their crimes, either killed by others or dying by suicide, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. (Long, 8/6)

PBS NewsHour: What We Know About The El Paso And Dayton Shooters’ Guns
In two mass shootings over the weekend, gunmen used what police described as semi-automatic, assault-style weapons — carrying enough ammunition to kill dozens in a matter of minutes. Both the guns and the high-volume magazines are controversial. The PBS NewsHour looked at what guns were used in the attacks, and how they might be regulated. (Santhanam, 8/6)

Los Angeles Times: Gilroy Shooter's 'Target List' Spurs Domestic Terrorism Probe
Federal authorities on Tuesday said they had launched a domestic terrorism investigation into the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival after officials discovered the gunman had a list of other potential targets. Among the targets were religious organizations, courthouses, federal buildings and political institutions involving both the Republican and Democratic parties, FBI special agent in charge John F. Bennett said during a news conference. (Fry and Winton, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Photos From Dayton And El Paso Illustrate The Grim Routine Of Mass Shootings
El Paso and Dayton, more than 1,500 miles apart, were nearly indistinguishable in the aftermath of two mass shootings. (8/6)

The Associated Press: FDA Says Novartis Withheld Data Problem Before Drug Approval
U.S. regulators want to know why Novartis didn't disclose a problem with testing data until after the Swiss drugmaker's $2.1 million gene therapy was approved. The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday the manipulated data involved testing in animals, not patients, and it's confident that the drug, called Zolgensma, should remain on the market. The agency said it's investigating and will consider criminal or civil penalties if appropriate. (Johnson, 8/6)

The New York Times: Novartis Hid Manipulated Data While Seeking Approval For $2.1 Million Treatment
Officials said the inaccurate data, which involved testing in mice of two different strengths of the treatment, did not affect the safety or efficacy of the therapy, Zolgensma, used to treat a rare, often fatal genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy. Approved in May, the treatment’s price — set at $2.1 million — stoked concerns about the astronomical costs of potential cures for rare diseases and upset parents who initially could not get insurance coverage for the breakthrough treatment. The F.D.A. said patients were not at risk, and that the treatment could still be sold. (Thomas, 8/6)

The Washington Post: FDA Says Data Manipulated In Testing Of Novartis’ $2 Million Gene Therapy
Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the inaccurate information involved mouse data and was a “small amount of the totality” that was submitted. The faulty data didn’t raise concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the treatment, he said. But he added the agency takes data integrity issues seriously and is continuing to investigate the situation. He said the FDA “will use its full authorities to take action, if appropriate, which may include civil or criminal penalties” against the manufacturer, AveXis Inc., a subsidiary of Novartis. (McGinley, 8/6)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Says Data Manipulated For Novartis Gene Therapy Drug
“At no time during the investigation did the findings indicate issues with product safety, efficacy or quality,” the company said, adding that it “is committed to taking appropriate action to prevent future incidents across its portfolio of development programs.” The company in the past has defended the lofty price by comparing it to another treatment that Novartis said would cost twice as much over a 10-year period. (Burton, 8/6)

USA Today: Novartis Used Faulty Data For World's Most Expensive Drug Zolgensma
But officials warned that AveXis, the gene therapy subsidiary of Swiss giant Novartis, could face penalties. "We rely on truthful scientific data to make regulatory decisions, and we take the issue of data integrity very seriously," FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said on Twitter.  "In this case, the agency will use its full authorities to take action, if appropriate, which may include civil or criminal penalties." (Alltucker, 8/6)

Stat: Novartis Faces A New Crisis. For CEO Vas Narasimhan, This Time Is Different
Narasimhan, 43, took the reins at Novartis with the stated goal of changing the culture at a drug company that traces its roots back to 1859. In more recent years, Novartis has faced a string of allegations of bribery, charges of data falsification, and accusations of illegal marketing. Narasimhan promised to transform the company and make such scandals a thing of the past. (Garde, 8/7)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Says Some Data Testing Novartis' $2 Million Gene Therapy Was Manipulated
Novartis acquired the therapy’s maker in 2018, and the drugmaker was aware of the manipulation as early as March - more than two months before the treatment’s approval, the FDA said. (Erman, 8/6)

Reuters: U.S. Judge Expresses Support For Novel Opioid Settlement Talks Framework
A federal judge on Tuesday expressed support for a novel plan by lawyers representing cities and counties suing drug companies over the U.S. opioid epidemic that would bring every community nationally into their settlement talks despite objections from most states. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster during a hearing in Cleveland, Ohio said that while the idea was unprecedented, it could allow companies accused of fueling the epidemic in nearly 2,000 lawsuits before him an ability to obtain "global peace." (8/7)

The Wall Street Journal: In The Opioid Litigation, It’s Now States V. Cities
When tobacco companies agreed to pay states $206 billion two decades ago to settle litigation over the public-health costs of smoking, cities and counties eagerly awaited their share of the money. For the most part, it never came. Now, in similar litigation seeking to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the opioid crisis, local municipalities aren’t waiting around. Hundreds of cities, counties and Native American tribes have filed lawsuits directly, many suing before state attorneys general went to the courthouse to file their own actions. (Randazzo, 8/6)

Bloomberg: Opioid Distributors Propose $10 Billion To End State Claims 
McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp. have proposed paying $10 billion to settle claims they helped to fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic -- the first sign of progress in resolving state lawsuits against the drug distributors, according to people familiar with negotiations. The companies, which deliver the majority of prescription medications to U.S. pharmacies, made the verbal proposal as part of talks with a group of state attorneys general, said three people familiar with the offer who asked that their names not be used because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. (Feeley, 8/6)

Columbus Dispatch: Cardinal Health, 2 Other Drug Distributors Offer $10 Billion To Settle Opioid Suits
Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, along with other distributors, shipped a total of 76 billion pain pills over a six-year period starting in 2006, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The companies deny the governments’ allegations and have advanced dozens of legal and factual defenses, saying they complied with all state and federal laws. (Bloomberg, 8/6)

CQ: States Voice Concerns About Drug Crisis Funding Restrictions
Advocates, grantees and state officials say they need more flexibility to use opioid-related grants to help people with other forms of substance use disorder, such as methamphetamine addiction. Congress cleared bipartisan legislation (PL 115-271) last year to expand opioid use treatment, prevention and enforcement efforts. The federal government spent a record $11 billion over two years on the issue in fiscal 2017 and 2018, according to a Bipartisan Policy Center analysis, and is on track this year to spend around $7.4 billion. (Raman, 8/7)

The Associated Press: Boom In Overdose-Reversing Drug Is Tied To Fewer Drug Deaths
Prescriptions of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone are soaring, and experts say that could be a reason overdose deaths have stopped rising for the first time in nearly three decades. The number of naloxone prescriptions dispensed by U.S. retail pharmacies doubled from 2017 to last year, rising from 271,000 to 557,000, health officials reported Tuesday. (8/6)

Los Angeles Times: Decline In Opioid Deaths Tied To Growing Use Naloxone, CDC Says
“One could only hope that this extraordinary increase in prescribing of naloxone is contributing to that stabilization or even decline of the crisis,” said Katherine Keyes, a drug abuse expert at Columbia University. (Stobbe, 8/6)

Stat: In U.S., 1 Naloxone Dispensed For Every 69 High-Dose Opioid Prescriptions
Prescriptions for naloxone have surged in recent years, as communities struggling with opioid addiction have embraced the overdose-reversing medication. But a new federal report indicates uptake of the antidote is still lagging in much of the country. While the number of naloxone prescriptions doubled from 2017 to 2018, there was still only one dispensed for every 69 high-dose opioid prescriptions, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was based on retail pharmacy data. (Joseph, 8/6)

The New York Times: As Scotland’s ‘Trainspotting’ Generation Ages, The Dead Pile Up
Older, long-term opioid users account for much of the problem. Things are expected to only get worse. “We’re seeing diseases that you would associate with old age in a lot of these middle-aged men with a long history of drug use,” said Dr. Carole Hunter, the lead pharmacist for Glasgow Addiction Services. “What your body tolerates at 18 it doesn’t tolerate at 38 or 48.” Drug deaths aren’t new in Scotland. More than two decades ago, the grueling life of addiction in Edinburgh was the subject of the novel-turned-film “Trainspotting.” (McCann, 8/7)

WBUR: Mass. Sheriff Touts Success Of Involuntary Treatment Program Amid Scrutiny Of Section 35
A western Massachusetts sheriff announced Monday he's mounting a fight against efforts to eliminate the involuntary addiction treatment program he runs in his jail. With legislative and legal battles looming over forced addiction treatment in Massachusetts, Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi gathered supporters Monday to mark one year since his program at the Ludlow jail began. (Becker, 8/6)

The Associated Press: Federal Judge Continues Blocking 3 Arkansas Abortion Laws
A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that three Arkansas abortion restrictions she temporarily blocked will remain on hold while she considers a lawsuit challenging them. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker granted a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the restrictions, which include a measure prohibiting abortion 18 weeks into pregnancy. (8/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Judge Temporarily Blocks Arkansas Laws Banning Abortion
U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday, two weeks after she granted a temporary restraining order and a few hours before the legislation was slated to take effect. The Arkansas laws are part of a wave of antiabortion legislation passed by states around the country this year. One of the Arkansas laws would have mandated physicians performing abortions be board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology—a requirement that would have led to the closure of the state’s last surgical abortion clinic. (Calfas, 8/6)

CNN: Federal Judge Blocks 18-Week Arkansas Abortion Ban
Baker specifically addressed the 18-week ban, implying that she would ultimately rule in favor of the abortion rights advocates on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling, legalized abortion prior to viability, which can occur at about 24 weeks of pregnancy, nationwide. "The Court concludes that, at this stage of the proceedings and on the record evidence currently before the Court, plaintiffs are likely to prevail on their argument that (the ban) unconstitutionally restricts pre-viability abortions and, therefore, is facially unconstitutional," Baker wrote. (Kelly, 8/6)

The Associated Press: Alabama 'Regrettably' Expects Injunction On Its Abortion Ban
Alabama said in a court filing Monday that U.S. Supreme Court precedent "regrettably requires" a federal judge to block the state's near-total ban on abortions from taking effect while a legal challenge plays out. Attorney General Steve Marshall's office gave that response after abortion clinics asked a judge for a preliminary injunction against the law, which would make performing an abortion a felony in almost all cases. One of the most stringent abortion laws in the nation, the ban is set to take effect in November unless blocked by the courts. (8/6)

Chicago Tribune: South Bend At Center Of Abortion Debate As Unlicensed Clinic Supported By Mayor Pete Buttigieg Is Allowed To Open Via Court Injunction
A young woman exited the back door of the clinic clutching a fistful of crumpled tissues in one hand and some paperwork in the other as she made her way to the parking lot. A trio of volunteers in bright pink vests labeled Pro-Choice Clinic Escort walked beside her until the patient reached her SUV. As she drove off the property, the escorts each deployed a rainbow-hued umbrella, hoisting them over their shoulders to form a colorful barrier between the vehicle and several protesters out front. Some were praying, others bore signs declaring “Abortion takes a human life” and “It’s a child, not a choice.” (Leventis Lourgos, 8/6)

ProPublica/The Dallas Morning News: Are Trump’s Top Medicaid Regulators Ignoring Major Problems? Insurance Giant’s Tense Meeting With A Senator Adds To Growing Concern.
The ranking member of the Senate health committee has complained for months about the Trump administration’s failure to look into Medicaid contractors that have reaped big profits while sometimes failing to provide crucial patient services. So last week, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., called in the top boss of Centene, the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care company. He wanted to question the company about reports that its Texas subsidiary denied life-sustaining care to sick and disabled children — in one case, leaving a baby in foster care to suffer a catastrophic brain injury. (McSwane and Benning, 8/6)

Stateline: Trump Shift, Backed By States, Fuels Fear Of Too Few Medicaid Docs 
The Trump administration wants to drop an Obama-era rule designed to ensure that there are enough doctors to care for Medicaid patients. State health officials say the rule, which requires states to monitor whether Medicaid reimbursement rates are high enough to keep doctors in the program, forces them to spend a lot of time collecting and analyzing data with little benefit. Health care advocates, though, fear that dropping the regulation would enable states to set those payments at a level that would cause some of the 72 million Americans who rely on Medicaid to scramble for health care. Research shows that when reimbursement rates drop, fewer providers agree to accept low-income Medicaid patients. (Ollove, 8/7)

In other Medicaid news —

KCUR: Kansas Officials Put Aetna On Deadline: You're Failing On Medicaid Contract 
State officials have told one of the key players in Kansas’ privatized Medicaid system that it stands in danger of getting fired for not living up to its contract. Aetna Better Health has until Wednesday to tell state officials how it is addressing chronic complaints about delayed payments to hospitals and other problems. A formal letter from the state to Aetna says failure to fix the problems so far means the company’s contract “is in jeopardy of being terminated for cause.” (Llopis-Jepsen, 8/6)

Kansas City Star: Kansas Tells Aetna It May Lose Its KanCare Medicaid Contract
Aetna took over for Amerigroup this year as one of the administrators of Kansas’ privatized Medicaid system, joining existing KanCare companies Sunflower State Health Plan and United Healthcare. The transition has been rocky, and after six months of complaints from medical providers, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment told Aetna officials they have 10 days to figure out how to get their act together. (Marso and Shorman, 8/6)

The Advocate: Louisiana Health Department Suspends Automatic Closure Of Thousands Of Medicaid Enrollees 
The Louisiana Department of Health has temporarily suspended a feature of its new eligibility system that automatically kicked people off the Medicaid rolls if they did not respond to requests for annual renewal information, a move that will keep 75,000 people from losing coverage immediately. Jen Steele, LDH Medicaid director, confirmed Tuesday the agency is suspending the auto-closure feature amid a heightened workload for staffers processing calls and information from Medicaid enrollees. (Karlin, 8/6)

Kaiser Health News: Doctors Argue Plans To Remedy Surprise Medical Bills Will ‘Shred’ The Safety Net
Chances are, you or someone you know has gotten a surprise medical bill. One in six Americans have received these unexpected and often high charges after getting medical care from a doctor or hospital that isn’t in their insurance network. It’s become a hot-button issue in Congress, and high-profile legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate to make the medical providers and insurers address the billing question and take the consumers out of the dispute. That means doctor specialty groups, hospitals and insurers are among the stakeholders that could be financially affected by the outcome. (Bluth, 8/7)

The Washington Post: Lead Poisoning In Immigrant Families: How Ethnic Spices And Products Can Poison American Children
The homemade powder, called kumkum, that Venkat Rachakulla and Lakshmi Ginnela applied on their daughter’s forehead was meant to enhance her intuition. The yellow turmeric, which the couple bought from a local Indian grocer and sprinkled regularly into her food, was supposed to keep her healthy. And the tiny gold bangles were a gift from the baby’s grandparents in Hyderabad, India — a way for them to send good fortune. These items were meant to keep 1-year-old Vaishnavi safe. (Tan, 8/6)

Stat: Sabin Institute Gets Rights To Develop Vaccines For Ebola, Marburg Viruses
The nonprofit Sabin Vaccine Institute is taking over development of vaccines to protect against two species of Ebola and a related virus, Marburg, acquiring the rights from GSK, the two entities announced Tuesday. The transfer of the rights for the vaccines will put back into development a vaccine that GSK had shelved after the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016. No money is changing hands; GSK is giving the rights to the institute. (Branswell, 8/6)

The New York Times: After Two Deaths Days Apart, Boxing Examines Its Risks
Pat English, a lawyer with long and influential ties to boxing, was delivering a history lesson on various federal guidelines for the sport when he flashed a black-and-white photograph of a young fighter. The boxer’s name was Stephan Johnson, a junior middleweight who had fought three times (and most likely sustained at least one brain injury) in the seven months leading up to his United States Boxing Association title fight against Paul Vaden in November 1999. (Cacciola, 8/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Medical Schools Are Pushed To Train Doctors For Climate Change
More doctors, health organizations and students are pushing for medical education to include climate change, saying that physicians and other health-care workers need to prepare for the risks associated with rising global temperatures. The movement, recently backed by the American Medical Association, is showing emerging signs of impact. At the University of Minnesota, medical, nursing and pharmacy schools, among others, have added content or tweaked existing classes to incorporate climate-related topics. (Abbott, 8/7)

The New York Times: Exercise During Pregnancy May Have Lasting Benefits For Babies
Newborns whose mothers exercise during pregnancy may become physically coordinated a little earlier than other babies, according to a captivating new study of gestation, jogging and the varying ability of tiny infants to make a fist. The study’s findings add to growing evidence that physical activity during pregnancy can strengthen not just the mother but also her unborn children and might influence how well and willingly those children later move on their own. (Reynolds, 8/7)

Georgia Health News: Georgia Has Among Highest Hospital Prices, New Review Suggests
A recently published analysis of hospital prices shows Georgia in the top third among 25 states studied. The Rand Corp. data uses prices paid by health insurers under employer-based coverage, and compares that spending to what Medicare pays at the same facilities. (Miller, 8/6)

KCUR: Every Year, Half Of Missouri's Workers Who Care For The Developmentally Disabled Quit 
Missouri workers providing care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities make less than a Walmart or Target worker, even after a pay increase that went into effect last month. The low pay is the main reason about half of Missouri workers quit each year, according to Missouri Developmental Disabilities Division Director Val Huhn. Starting wages now range between $9.50 and $10.50 an hour thanks to Missouri state lawmakers appropriating $20 million more in general revenue to providers. (Okeson-Haberman, 8/7)

Boston Globe: Three Hospitals Team Up On $3M Plan To Help Low-Income Families Pay The Rent
Three big Boston teaching hospitals are launching an initiative to help families facing eviction, collectively acknowledging the strong connection between stable housing and good health. Together, Boston Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital plan to spend about $3 million over three years to fund housing programs through grants to community organizations. (Dayal McCluskey, 8/6)

The Associated Press: Official: 1 Death Linked To Legionnaires' Disease In Atlanta
The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed one death linked to a Legionnaires' outbreak at an Atlanta hotel. News outlets report 49-year-old Cameo Garrett died July 9 of coronary artery disease aggravated by Legionella. DeKalb County Medical Examiner Pat Bailey said Tuesday that Garrett had Legionnaires' disease when she died. (8/6)

The Hill: New Mexico Says EPA Abandoned State In Fight Against Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' 
New Mexico’s Democratic governor is pushing back against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to help the state fight contamination from “forever chemicals” spread by a military base. In a Friday letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the lack of help from the EPA “is inconsistent with its mission to protect public health and the environment” and is an example of “EPA’s failure to uphold compliance with federal environmental laws.” (Beitsch, 8/6)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Governor Directs State Agencies To Identify Cuts
Georgia’s economy is still growing, but state agencies will have to look for ways to cut their budgets under a directive the Kemp administration sent out Tuesday. It is the first time budget cut proposals have been requested from agencies since the state was hammered by the after-effects of the Great Recession nearly a decade ago. (Salzer, 8/6)

The CT Mirror: Opponents Decry Rollback Of Federal Health Care Protections For Transgender People
Connecticut is the latest state to join an alliance opposing a Trump administration proposal to repeal and replace an Obama-era regulation prohibiting health care providers from discriminating against transgender people. The new rule would eliminate an expanded definition of sex which recognized gender identity as an avenue for sex discrimination. (Moore, 8/6)

Modern Healthcare: Alliance For Better Health, Insurer To Address Social Risks
Alliance for Better Health, a convener of providers and community groups, and managed-care organization MVP Health Care have partnered to invest $800,000 over two years in not-for-profit community organizations around Albany, N.Y. The new partnership, announced Tuesday, is called Healthy Alliance Independent Practice Association. Unlike other IPAs in the U.S., it doesn't involve physicians. Rather, the partnership focuses solely on helping community-based organizations provide services that address social determinants of health, said Dr. Jacob Reider, CEO of the Alliance for Better Health. (Castellucci, 8/6)

Houston Chronicle: Program To Connect Women-Led Startups With Large Health Care Organizations
The Ignite Healthcare Network has selected 13 women-led startups to participate in a program that connects entrepreneurs with potential clients for mentorship and a business pitch competition. Each entrepreneur is connected with a large organization, including health care systems such as Houston Methodist and Memorial Hermann, insurance company Humana, Next Level Urgent Care, University of Houston College of Medicine and psychiatric care provider the Menninger Clinic. (Leinfelder, 8/6)

Kaiser Health News: The New West: Smoke In The Sky, A Purifier At Home
When the Camp Fire began to rage in Paradise, Calif., last November, the owners of the family-run Collier Hardware store in nearby Chico faced a situation unlike any they’d seen. A business that might welcome 200 customers on an average day, Collier was suddenly dealing with five times that number — “and they all wanted the same thing,” co-owner Steve Lucena said. (Kreidler, 8/7)

Austin American-Statesman: 63% Of Medics Assaulted On Job In Past Two Years, EMS Survey Finds
About three out of five Austin-Travis County EMS medics say they have been physically assaulted more than once on the job in the past two years, a new survey by the department says. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services conducted an internal survey earlier this year after noticing a worldwide increase in violence against medics, EMS Capt. Darren Noak said Tuesday. (Bradshaw, 8/6)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bublr Rolls Out Adaptive Bike Program For People Of All Abilities
Seventeen adaptive bikes will be distributed across the city in the coming days as part of a pilot program. There will be seven upright tricycles, seven two-person side-by-side tricycles and three handcycles. Deb Falk-Palec, chair of the Milwaukee County Commission for Persons with Disabilities, said often things done to help people with disabilities also help the general public, and that's true in this case, too. (Dirr, 8/6)

The Star Tribune: HealthPartners Will Add Allina In Medicare Health Plans
HealthPartners said Tuesday it will add Allina Health System next year to the network of doctors and hospitals in its Medicare Advantage health plans. It's another sign of how the state's Medicare market continues to be in flux following the elimination of Medicare Cost health plans across much of Minnesota at the start of the year. ...For 2019, more than 300,000 people with Cost plans in Minnesota had to switch coverage due to a federal law that enacted a long-delayed change to save money by eliminating Cost plans in counties where there's significant competition from Advantage plans. (Snowbeck, 8/6)

Miami Herald: Florida Pediatrician With Substance Abuse Issues Disciplined
Despite admitting to mental health and substance abuse problems, the Florida Department of Health says, 69-year-old Lehigh Acres pediatrician Enrique Luks has avoided retirement. So, the Department of Health restricted Luks’ license last month after another doctor diagnosed Luks with “severe” alcohol use disorder, “moderate-to-severe” cocaine use disorder, neurocognitive disorder and cannabis-use disorder. (Neal, 8/7)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: For Louisiana Patients With Few Options, Marijuana Gives Hope — Even If Science Is Still Catching Up 
Louisiana joins more than 30 other states in dispensing marijuana. But even as patients with debilitating diseases line up to get the drug, experts say the public approval for marijuana has outpaced the evidence that it’s the best treatment available to some patients.  ...The drug has been approved since 1978, but the Louisiana bill was not enacted until 2015, leaving many patients to take treatment and dosage into their own hands. (Woodruff, 8/6)

The Washington Post: He Lost His Insurance And Turned To A Cheaper Form Of Insulin. It Was A Fatal Decision.
Josh Wilkerson was alone, in sleeping quarters above the Northern Virginia dog kennel where he worked, when he suffered a series of strokes that would prove fatal. He had aged out of his stepfather’s health insurance plan on his 26th birthday and eventually switched to over-the-counter insulin. Like many other diabetics his age, he could not afford the prescription brand he needed. A few hours after taking another dose of the lower-grade medication that June day in Leesburg, Wilkerson was in the throes of a diabetic coma — his blood sugar level 17 times higher than what is considered normal. (Olivo, 8/3)

The Hill: Conservatives Buck Trump Over Worries Of 'Socialist' Drug Pricing 
Conservatives are growing increasingly uneasy with the Trump administration's new drug pricing policy. President Trump is desperately seeking an elusive political win in his efforts to lower prescription drug costs, but he faces a hard sell to conservative groups and GOP lawmakers as he touts ideas traditionally favored by Democrats and presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). (Weixel, 8/7)

Roll Call: Senate Bill’s Drug Pricing Provision Raises Industry Alarms
A little-noticed provision of the Senate Finance Committee drug price bill is alarming some doctors, with at least one group warning it could harm patients with fragile medical conditions. The Community Oncology Alliance, an advocacy group for cancer doctors, is raising red flags about a provision it says could prompt drugmakers to cut patient assistance for pricey chemotherapy drugs, or shortchange doctors who buy them. (Clason, 8/5)

Vox: The New Bipartisan Senate Bill Aimed At Making Big Pharma Lower Drug Prices, Explained
When it comes to government funding for drug research, an interesting paradox currently exists. While many pharmaceutical companies benefit from federal funding for research, this doesn’t necessarily translate to lower prices for patients who ultimately buy the drugs that are developed. In other words, the government is effectively subsidizing companies’ ability to develop drugs and then charge exorbitant prices for them. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rick Scott (R-FL) want to change that. (Zhou, 7/31)

CNBC: 2020 Election Creates Perfect Storm For Drug Price Reform By Year-End
Congress is likely to pass a “middle-of-the-road” drug pricing reform package by the end of the year as both President Donald Trump and Democrats seek a policy “win” heading into the 2020 presidential election, according to RBC Capital Markets. “Dynamics into election look to be [a] perfect storm,” RBC analyst Brian Abrahams said in a note sent to investors Monday. “While GOP leaders do not see drug pricing reform as a top priority, both [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and Trump are very committed to having policy change. ” (Lovelace, 8/5)

Modern Healthcare: Senate Drug-Pricing Reforms Haven't Hurt Pharma Outlook
Congress' ideas to reform the pharmaceutical industry and U.S. drug pricing haven't worried investors about manufacturers' long-term profits, even as short-term investors are betting on the side of public angst. With the Trump administration floating big ideas like drug importation and an international reference pricing model, short-term investors are betting almost $1 trillion against the pharma sector. But the story playing out on Wall Street shows two sides of Washington's drug policy debate: public outcry versus the reality of politics. (Luthi, 8/6)

Stat: Help How? Patient Charities Favor The Insured And More Expensive Brand-Name Drugs
Amid rising scrutiny of the ties between patient charities and drug makers, a new study finds that nearly all of the programs run by the six largest organizations failed to provide assistance to people without insurance and were also more likely to cover expensive brand-name medicines than generics. The study found that of 274 different disease-specific programs run by the charities in 2018, 267 programs — or a whopping 97% — required insurance coverage for eligibility. (Silverman, 8/6)

Stat: As CAR-T Changes Lives, Medicare’s Top Official Explains Why It’S Proving So Hard To Pay For It
It’s not every day that high-ranking government officials admit they’re struggling, but Seema Verma is owning her failures — at least when it comes to figuring out how to pay for CAR-T. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator spoke with STAT about the promising new cures that recruit a patient’s own immune cells to attack cancer — but that also cost at least $300,000 and often far more. Her agency has been grappling with how to afford the costly treatments for years, after the Food and Drug Administration approved Novartis’ Kymriah and Gilead’s Yescarta in 2017. (Florko, 8/6)

The Star Tribune: Medica To Cap Monthly Out-Of-Pocket Insulin Costs At $25 Beginning Jan. 1 
Amid concern over rising insulin costs, the Minnetonka-based health plan Medica announced a new program Monday that will limit the monthly out-of-pocket bill for an insulin prescription to $25 for thousands of Minnesotans next year. Starting Jan. 1, people who buy Medica insurance coverage through the MNsure exchange, and those who have fully insured Medica coverage through an employer, will see their out of pocket cost for a 30-day prescription for insulin on the plan formulary capped at $25. (Carlson, 8/5)

Pioneer Press: Minnesota Insurer Medica To Cap Insulin Costs At $25 A Month
Health insurance provider Medica is putting a $25 a month cap on the cost of insulin for Minnesota patients. The cap goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020, and will affect 6,500 diabetics with Medica insurance that are fully insured through employers headquartered in Minnesota as well as those who purchased individual insurance plans. Not all of those patients require daily insulin and there are currently no plans to expand the cap to other states, a Medica spokesman said. The change should not impact premiums already submitted to the state for 2020. (Magan, 8/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Amazon Mail-Order Pharmacy Faces Pushback
Amazon.com Inc.s foray into the pharmacy business is causing the company to clash with entrenched industry incumbents that are putting roadblocks in front of the company’s growth plans. Last week, Surescripts LLC, a provider of the technology widely used to route electronic prescriptions, accused Amazon’s mail-order pharmacy subsidiary PillPack of receiving patient data that it had fraudulently obtained through a third party. Surescripts went public with the allegations in a news release. (Walker, 8/6)

Modern Healthcare: Cancer Center Heads Received $4.4 Million From Drug, Devicemakers In 2017
Twenty-six of the country's physician cancer center directors took in a combined $4.4 million in payments from pharmaceutical and medical device companies in 2017, a new report found. Authors of the paper, published online Monday by JAMA Internal Medicine, wrote that their findings raise the question of whether such payments serve the public interest and urged policymakers and the public to consider whether such payments should be allowed, limited or eliminated altogether. The report focused on National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, 70 of which received $330 million in core public funding in fiscal 2018. (Bannow, 8/5)

Stat: Compounder Loses Battle With The FDA Over Using Bulk Substances
A federal judge ruled the Food and Drug Administration correctly prevented a company from using an ingredient to make a compounded version of a medicine that is widely used by hospitals, a notable victory for drug makers that have been battling compounding pharmacies. At issue was a dispute over whether a compounded form of vasopressin, which is used to increase blood pressure in patients with vasodilatory shock, filled a legitimate clinical need and, therefore, should be allowed to remain available alongside a brand-name version. (Silverman, 8/2)

Kaiser Health News: Drugmakers Now ‘Masters’ At Rolling Out Their Own Generics To Stifle Competition
When PDL BioPharma’s $40 million blood-pressure medicine faced the threat of a generic rival this year, the company pulled out a little-known strategy that critics say helps keep drugs expensive and competition weak. It launched its own generic version of Tekturna, a pill taken daily by thousands. PDL’s “authorized” copycat hit the market in March, stealing momentum from the new rival and protecting sales even though Tekturna’s patent ran out last year. (Hancock and Lupkin, 7/5)

Los Angeles Times: A Smarter Way To Curb Drug Prices Through Imports
The Trump administration last week announced steps that could lead to the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, where prices are lower. It is a goal supported by President Trump, but long opposed by many Republicans. This latest initiative would allow states, pharmacies and drugmakers to seek federal approval for demonstration projects to import drugs that are similar or identical to drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Henry I. Miller and John J. Cohrssen, 8/5)

Al.Com: There’s A Program To Address High Drug Prices – And It Is Working, Says Major Hospital Company
Each day, Alabamians and Americans across the country see the impact of rising drug prices. More than a quarter of Americans admit to not taking their medicines as prescribed at some point in the past year, primarily citing the cost. For many, these high prices lead to difficult decisions between adherence to medication or paying for other necessities, like food or housing. (Brian Massey, 8/6)

The CT Mirror: Pass The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act
For decades, Big Pharma has raised drug prices with impunity. Here in Connecticut, the average annual cost of brand name prescription drug treatment increased 58 percent between 2012 and 2017, while the annual income for residents of the Constitution State increased only 12 percent. Prescription drugs do not work if patients cannot afford them. That is why the U.S. Senate needs to pass the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act when they return from August recess. We urge Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy to back this vital legislation, which passed the Senate Finance Committee in July with strong bipartisan support, and to support allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. (Nora Duncan, 8/7)

Modern Healthcare: Patients Suffer Because Of Drug-Pricing Games
Choice is a politicized buzzword, but its significance does not diminish with use. In many ways, we have more choices today than we ever have. Whether it’s the shows we watch, the coffee we drink, or how we get to our destinations—we have never had so many choices. But there is one area where our expectations have not been met: healthcare. For too long, patients have lacked the information and options needed to exercise meaningful choice and force competition on price. However, for the most expensive drugs, biologics, we are starting to see lower-cost alternatives. They’re called “biosimilars” and patients should be free to choose them. (Kathy Oubre, 8/3)

The Hill: Trump's Drug-Pricing Plan Is Focused On Patients, Not Profits
If you look at all the players in the ecosystem determining what U.S. patients ultimately pay for their prescriptions, the answer is clear: The Trump administration is targeting every spot where value is extracted from the consumer and taking action to ensure that their interests, instead of those of the corporate classes involved, are put first. (Corey R. Lewandowski, 8/1)

The Washington Post: What Happened In El Paso Is Not About Mental Health. It’s About Evil. 
Whenever there is a mass shooting, far too many people (cough, Republicans) ignore the proliferation of weapons of war on American streets that slaughter innocents and shred communities in a matter of seconds. Instead, they amble over to their bookshelf, pull out the Book of Talking Points, and mutter on and on about other things they think drove someone to commit mass murder. They mewl about violent video games or the mental health of the murderer. Not to diminish the absolute necessity to take mental health seriously or to address it, but the way Republicans and the National Rifle Association talk about it is as predictable as it is tiresome. But here’s the question I keep asking myself: Can’t someone just be plain evil? Can’t someone hear the words from those they admire and act on the implicit or explicit messages delivered? (Jonathan Capehart, 8/6)

Los Angeles Times: As The El Paso Massacre Showed Once Again, White Supremacy Is The Poison In Our Well
Most people know that racism and white supremacy have been part of America since even before we became a nation. There’s no need to recount the slavery system on which this country’s early wealth was built, from Southern plantations to New England-owned slave ships to the rise of Wall Street banks that financed both the cotton and slave trades. Most of us also know about the Jim Crow system, the bouts of xenophobia, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II. (8/6)

The Wall Street Journal: A Yellow Light For Red-Flag Laws 
President Trump’s proposal to “red flag” potential mass shooters is well-intentioned. If we could prevent even one mass killing by identifying and disarming the potential perpetrator beforehand, it would be worthwhile. But do we have the tools to do it, and at what cost to our constitutional rights?I have studied, taught and written for half a century about the difficulties of predicting violence. (Alan M. Dershowitz, 8/6)

Fox News: To Stop More Shootings, Stop Erasing Criminal Records Of Juveniles Prone To Violence
The time has come to change the way we deal with the records of troubled juveniles once they legally become adults. No longer should we simply expunge information symptomatic of violence that may be yet to come. (Jason Chaffetz, 8/7)

Bloomberg: El Paso, Dayton Shootings: Channel Anger Into Gun Law Reform
Two mass shootings in 24 hours have left at least 31 people murdered and many dozens more wounded. This, just a few days after a shooter at a festival in California killed three and wounded a dozen — with shooting sprees in Brooklyn, Chicago and Mississippi that also left people dead, dozens wounded and communities shaken. (Michael R. Bloomberg, 8/5)

The Wall Street Journal: Flagging Future Killers 
The Dayton and El Paso shootings have spurred familiar calls for more gun control, and by all means let’s have a debate. But the focus should be on denying weapons to the potential killers rather than on gun laws that may be politically satisfying but won’t make much difference. Start with the calls for more “background checks,” which implies none now exist. Yet nearly all gun purchasers today have their backgrounds checked on the spot via the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Most mass shooters obtained their guns through licensed dealers after checks, or from family members. The Dayton and El Paso killers, and the Gilroy, Calif., shooter of late July obtained their firearms legally. (8/6)

The New York Times: Trump’s Biggest And Most Dangerous Lie 
When a president orders up a special script, summons the national media and sends a message to all Americans that the “sinister ideologies” of “racism, bigotry and white supremacy” have no place here, the normal response is to cheer. But these aren’t normal times. Donald Trump isn’t a normal president. And those words, which he spoke on Monday, made me feel sick, because they were just cheap and hollow sops to convention. He doesn’t believe them. Or rather, he doesn’t care. (Frank Bruni, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Moms Demand Action After El Paso And Dayton: These Women Are Ready To Fight Gun Violence After More Mass Shootings
Yes, she did cry. “I did. A little bit,” said Abbey Clements, dabbing under her eyes as she left the back room of the tattoo parlor, into a cheering crowd of middle-aged women in the lobby. “But not because it hurt. Because, well, because of everything. All of it, it’s like this is my battle scar.” Because, as an artist was piercing her 50-year-old skin for the first time with an ink needle to write “One Tough Mother” on her back, Clements remembered the sound of 20 first-graders being slaughtered across the hall while she sang Christmas carols to her second-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary nearly seven years ago. (Petula Dvorak, 8/5)

The Washington Post: Flu Season Is Coming. The Trump Administration Isn’t Ready To Protect Migrant Children From Disease.
You might think, given the widespread condemnation of the abhorrent conditions at U.S. detention centers, that the Trump administration would do everything possible to minimize future scandals. And you might think, given the six migrant children who died in U.S. custody, that the government would be taking extraordinary steps to protect the most vulnerable detainees. You would be wrong. As a group of doctors from Harvard and Johns Hopkins recently highlighted in a letter to Congress, government facilities are still putting migrant children at high health risk, placing them in facilities where influenza threatens to proliferate. And the government is making no concerted effort to protect the children in its custody against flu by making sure they have access to the appropriate vaccines. (Robert Gebelhoff, 8/6)

The New York Times: Evolution Gave Us Heart Disease. We’re Not Stuck With It.
For much of history, there were three great threats to human survival: infections, injuries and starvation. By striking early and often, all three prevented us from fulfilling the most important reason for our existence: reproduction. Humans, therefore, evolved mechanisms to stave off these life-limiters. These days most of us die of heart disease. The reason our species finds itself in the ever-constricting clutches of atherosclerosis — the insidious buildup of cholesterol-filled plaques in blood vessels leading to heart attacks and stroke — might be that human evolution inadvertently led us into its labyrinthine lair. If that is true, is it possible for us find our way out? (Haider Warraich, 8/6)

Bloomberg: Chronic Lyme Disease Shows Limits Of Modern Medicine
Lyme disease exposes how overrated medicine is. People have come to expect modern science to be able to detect and cure bacterial infections, at the very least – and yet for Lyme, a bacterial disease transmitted by ticks, the tests are shockingly inaccurate, and antibiotic treatment doesn’t always take away the often debilitating symptoms like joint pain, fatigue, brain fog and headaches. Some doctors admit they aren’t sure of the answer. (Faye Flam, 8/6)

Stat: Toy Magnets Are Harming Kids. They Need To Be Banned For Good 
Over the course of little more than a month, we removed 54 tiny toy magnets from the digestive systems of four children. They were lucky: Despite invasive procedures and operations to repair holes in their intestines, their injuries were treated in time and they will make full recoveries. In the past, others across the nation have not been so fortunate. These tiny magnets have been linked to many serious injuries and at least one death. If urgent measures aren’t taken to prevent access to these dangerous toys, we fear that history may soon repeat itself. (Amy Garcia and Sanjay Krishaswami, 8/6)

Bloomberg: Mallinckrodt Opioid Risks Can’t Be Engineered Away With Spinoff 
There’s no quick fix to the opioid crisis, and there’s no easy way out for the companies who allegedly helped spur it. Mallinckrodt Plc announced on Tuesday that it’s suspending a planned spinoff of its generic and opioid drug unit. The move could have helped shield its branded drug business from legal risk. The culprit for the delay? “Current market conditions and developments, including increased uncertainties created by the opioid litigation,” according to a statement. The update overshadowed second-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street expectations, and Mallinckrodt shares slumped as much as 20%. (Max Nisen, 8/6)

The Hill: Misleading Information On E-Cigarettes Risks Lives
As the popularity of e-cigarettes has surged in recent years, so has the public’s confusion over the health risks these products pose. Last year, more than 10 million American adults used e-cigarettes, or “vaped,” and e-cigarette use has rapidly grown among teens. Meanwhile, some surveys indicate that the majority of Americans believe e-cigarettes are as harmful as combustible cigarettes, with an additional 10 percent believing e-cigarettes are more dangerous than combustible cigarettes. In addition, the share of Americans with these beliefs has grown sharply in recent years. (Liam Sigaud, 8/5)

Los Angeles Times: California Leaders Downplay Danger Of Sprawl In Wildfires
The devastating and deadly wildfires that swept across California were supposed to be a wake-up call that would finally force local governments to rethink new housing development in high-fire-risk areas. (8/7)

Louisville Courier-Journal: Kentucky's Drug Addiction Treatment System Is Broken And Must Be Fixed
When it comes to treating substance use disorder, I’ve noticed a concerning trend. The treatment has become too much of a competition between different modalities, often leading to poor access and results for those suffering from this burdensome disease. While 10.7% of Kentucky’s annual budget goes toward programs for substance use disorder treatment, we have to consider whether our resources are going to the right places and if we are truly acting in the best interests of people struggling with addiction when you realize our annual rate of opioid-related fatalities remains one of the highest nationwide. (Chris Harlow, 8/3)

Lexington Herald Leader: Some KY Babies Born To Mothers With Substance Use Disorder Are Becoming Special Education Students
Letcher County Special Education Director Regina Brown said her district has more pre-school students this year with special education needs than without — a sharp and unprecedented uptick that’s reflected across the state, and many, including Brown, surmise early opioid exposure is to blame. “We do have students that are enrolling in our school system, and so do every other school system across the state, that have kids ... with significant developmental delays,” Brown, who has taught for 31 years, said this week. (Alex Acquisto and Valerie Spears, 8/5)

Austin American-Statesman: Austin Must Rescind The Homeless Camping Ordinance Now
Austinites are compassionate about our homeless population, and this is complicated problem. But enacting a policy that destroys downtown, jeopardizes public safety, risks public health, and harms tourism is not the answer. Why would Austin emulate Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle or Honolulu by allowing homeless people to set up tents in public areas? (Mackowiak, 8/6)