The Wall Street Journal: FDA Proposes Overhaul In Wake Of Baby Formula Shortage 
The plan unveiled by FDA Commissioner Robert Califf reorganizes the overlapping food divisions by putting a single deputy commissioner in charge of food policy and regulation within the agency. Putting one official in charge of most food-related issues “unifies and elevates the program while removing redundancies, enabling the agency to oversee human food in a more effective and efficient way,” Dr. Califf said in a statement. Dr. Califf said the FDA would conduct a national search to fill the new position. (Peterson, 1/31)

The Washington Post: Baby Formula Scare Prompts FDA To Create Food Safety, Nutrition Program 
Crucially, though, the FDA’s high-powered Office of Regulatory Affairs — responsible for investigations, inspections, laboratory testing and import controls — will remain independent and serve functions across the FDA, including drugs and medical devices. Some food safety advocates say that keeping regulatory affairs separate, along with the Center for Veterinary Medicine, which works closely with the human foods division, could significantly hinder the efficacy of a new food czar. (Bogage, 1/31)

Politico: FDA Chief: No One Getting Fired Over Baby Formula Crisis 
FDA’s major overhaul of its foods division won’t include reassigning or firing any employees involved in the agency’s delayed response to the baby formula crisis, Commissioner Robert Califf said Tuesday. Califf rolled out his “new, transformative vision” of the main agency tasked with overseeing food safety in the U.S. He didn’t include any specific plans to address internal FDA breakdowns around infant formula, and instead focused on general restructuring to boost food safety efforts. But the FDA chief, asked during a press briefing, said he doesn’t have any plans to fire or reassign any FDA officials involved in the internal agency breakdowns as part of the larger reforms to the FDA’s Human Foods Program. (Hill, 1/31)

AP: FDA Revamping Foods Program To Move Past ‘Constant Turmoil’ 
“This is one of the most important changes in the history of the FDA,” Califf said in an interview. The move merges two existing FDA programs and some regulatory authorities. Tapping a single leader “unifies and elevates the program while removing redundancies, enabling the agency to oversee human food in a more effective and efficient way,” Califf said. (Aleccia, 1/31)

The Hill: Dems Press GOP On Whether Anti-Socialist Bill Could Hit Medicare, Social Security 
House Democrats pushed Republicans to clarify the implications of a new bill that would denounce the “horrors of socialism” and socialist policies, expressing concern that it may include Medicare and Social Security benefits. The House Rules Committee met Tuesday to discuss the resolution, proposed on Jan. 25 by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.). (Yarrow, 1/31)

The Guardian: ‘Seniors Are Getting Ripped Off’: Progressive Congressman Mark Pocan On Overhauling Medicare
Democrats may not control the House of Representatives anymore, but congressman Mark Pocan is not giving up on his legislative agenda. Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat and the former co-chair of the congressional progressive caucus (CPC), instead focuses on playing “the long game” of policymaking. Pocan’s commitment to promoting progressive policies will be on display Wednesday, as he reintroduces the Save Medicare Act. The congressman points to his advocacy for the legislation as just one example of how progressives can keep advancing their ideals in a Republican-controlled House and ensure that Democrats will be ready to act when they regain full control of Congress. (Greve, 2/1)

Also —

Stat: Medicare May Pay Less For Accelerated Approval Drugs
A Medicare official hinted Tuesday that Medicare might test a policy of paying less for drugs that receive so-called accelerated approvals than for drugs that are granted traditional approvals. (Wilkerson, 1/31)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

Military Times: Lawmakers Demand Fixes In VA Health Records Before Any More Rollouts
Veterans Affairs leaders would be blocked from deploying the department’s new electronic health records system at any additional medical centers until significant safeguards are put in place, under legislation introduced Tuesday by House Republicans. “[The system] has crippled the delivery of care, put veteran patient safety at risk, and stressed an already overwhelmed healthcare system,” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., said in a statement accompanying the unveiling of the bill. (Shane III,1/31)

CNN: Why Every American Has A Stake In Biden's Big Meeting With McCarthy 
Because the government typically spends more than it takes in through revenues, it must borrow money to pay for commitments that Congress has already made. So, if lawmakers don’t grant more lending authority by mid-summer, Social Security retirement payments will be on the line. Veterans could stand to lose their vital health and living benefits. Americans whose 401(k) funds are locked into stocks could see their savings plummet in a global market crash. Borrowing costs for consumers would also likely spike, potentially plunging the economy into a recession that could choke job growth and cause widespread misery. (Collinson, 12/1)

Axios: Republicans Break With Another Historical Ally: Doctors
Republicans' historical alliance with the nation's leading physicians' group has deteriorated to the point where several elected doctors are openly critical of the organization and what they refer to as its "woke" policies. (Owens and Knight, 2/1)

The New York Times: Covid Vaccine Makers Kept Prepayments For Canceled Shots For Poor Nations 
As global demand for Covid-19 vaccines dries up, the program responsible for vaccinating the world’s poor has been urgently negotiating to try to get out of its deals with pharmaceutical companies for shots it no longer needs. Drug companies have so far declined to refund $1.4 billion in advance payments for now-canceled doses, according to confidential documents obtained by The New York Times. (Nolen and Robbins, 2/1)

In updates on Pfizer —

Politico: Pfizer Reports Record Revenue, Expects Covid-19 Vaccines To Be Commercialized Later This Year
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer expects billions less in revenue this year as the U.S. government stops buying its Covid-19 vaccine and treatments and fewer people seek shots to combat the disease. The anticipated revenue decline underscores how federal subsidies have bolstered the drug industry during the pandemic. More than half of the company’s record $100.3 billion in 2022 revenue came from Covid-19 vaccines and Paxlovid, its oral antiviral. But in 2023, the company expects to bring in only $13.5 billion in revenue for the vaccine, Comirnaty, and $8 billion for Paxlovid. (Foley, 1/31)

CNN: The Covid Sales Boom Is Over For Pfizer 
Pfizer generated nearly $57 billion in combined sales last year from its Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine and Paxlovid antiviral pill. That works out to almost 60% of the company’s total revenue for 2022. But the boom appears to be over. ... A big part of the problem for Pfizer, as well as vaccine rival Moderna (MRNA), is that public health care agencies already had an ample supply of vaccines and pills to help prevent the spread of Covid and treat those who contract the virus. (La Monica, 1/31)

In other covid vaccine news —

Fox News: West Point Continues To Impose COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Despite Rule's Lift By Pentagon: Report 
The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, plans to continue to impose restrictions on travel for those cadets who are not vaccinated, despite measures taken at the Pentagon to remove COVID-19 vaccine mandates, according to reports. Online news organization Just The News reported that military attorney R. Davis Younts said West Point was reimposing a travel ban on unvaccinated cadets, even though the U.S. military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate was lifted. (Wehner, 1/30)

MedPage Today: Video Of Pfizer Employee Explaining COVID Vaccine Research Debunked
Project Veritas, a conservative activist group known for spreading misinformation, recently published a concealed-camera videoopens in a new tab or window allegedly showing a Pfizer employee describing the company's COVID-19 vaccine research efforts. ... Share on Facebook. Opens in a new tab or window Share on Twitter. Opens in a new tab or window Share on LinkedIn. Opens in a new tab or window email article A photo of the Pfizer World Headquarters in New York City. Project Veritas, a conservative activist group known for spreading misinformation, recently published a concealed-camera videoopens in a new tab or window allegedly showing a Pfizer employee describing the company's COVID-19 vaccine research efforts. As described by Project Veritas, the video features "Jordon Trishton Walker, Pfizer Director of Research and Development - Strategic Operations and mRNA Scientific Planning," sharing details about Pfizer's plans for conducting gain-of-function SARS-CoV-2 research. In the heavily edited clip, the so-called employee can be heard telling the Project Veritas reporter out of the camera frame "don't tell anyone this, by the way" before outlining seemingly theoretical conversations being had at Pfizer. (DePeau-Wilson, 1/31)

Modern Healthcare: What The End Of The COVID Public Health Emergency Means For Healthcare
The COVID-19 pandemic may not be over but—after nearly three-and-a-half years—the federal public health emergency is finally set to end. The healthcare system will have a lot of adapting to do. (Goldman and Devereaux, 1/31)

Politico: Covid Emergency’s End Will Mean New Costs, Hassles
The White House’s announcement that it will end the Covid-19 public health emergency — and a separate Covid national emergency — on May 11 will mean new costs and more hassles for Americans seeking health care. It will also affect those receiving government nutrition assistance and could make it easier for immigrants to request asylum. (Payne, 1/31)

The Washington Post: End Of Covid Emergency Injects Uncertainty Into Telehealth 
After the Biden administration announced an end to the public health emergency for covid-19 on Monday, psychiatrist Adam Pruett posted a message on Reddit for telehealth clients: Make appointments now, while they still can. A federal emergency declaration in January 2020 waived the requirement for health-care providers to meet patients in person before prescribing tightly regulated drugs known as controlled substances, ranging from opioids to benzodiazepines. That enabled Pruett, who is based in Vermont, to build a nationwide telehealth practice prescribing ketamine as a mental health treatment. Once the emergency declaration expires May 11, that practice could be in legal limbo. (Gilbert, 1/31)

AP: How Will Life Change Once The COVID-19 Emergency Ends? 
COVID-19′s arrival rapidly accelerated the use of telehealth, with many providers and hospital systems shifting their delivery of care to a smartphone or computer format. The public health emergency declaration helped hasten that approach because it suspended some of the strict rules that had previously governed telehealth and allowed doctors to bill Medicare for care delivered virtually, encouraging hospital systems to invest more heavily in telehealth systems. Congress has already agreed to extend many of those telehealth flexibilities for Medicare through the end of next year. (Seitz, 1/31)

NBC News: Costs For Covid Tests, Treatments After Emergency Declarations End
Since early 2022, the Biden administration has required private insurers and Medicare to cover up to eight at-home tests a month. But once the public health emergency lifts, most people with private insurance will most likely have to pay out of pocket for those tests — unless the kits come from the dwindling federal supply, said an author of the two reports, Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president at KFF. (Bendix, 2/1)

Reuters: Factbox: What Ending The U.S. COVID Health Emergency Means For Your Pocket 
Bearing the brunt of the PHE expiration will be the more than 27 million uninsured Americans, mostly adults under the age of 65, who will lose access to free COVID tests, vaccines and treatments. The uninsured rate hit an all time low of 8% in early 2022, according to the latest available government data, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that about another 15 million people - one-third of them children - will lose their health coverage by next year. (Aboulenein, 2/1)

In related news —

The Wall Street Journal: House Passes GOP Measures To Curtail Government’s Covid-19 Emergency Powers 
The House passed two pandemic-related bills Tuesday, as Republicans pushed to roll back Covid-19 emergency powers invoked by the federal government over the past three years. The Pandemic Is Over Act, which would terminate the public-health emergency declared for the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020, passed 220-210, along party lines. (Eimil, 1/31)  

The Washington Post: For GOP Base, Battles Over Coronavirus Vaccines, Closures Are Still Fiery
For many Americans, the relentless focus on covid seems largely a thing of the past: Far fewer are wearing masks, businesses and schools are mostly open, and many people have learned to live with the occasional threat of contracting the virus. But among activist Republicans, immense anger and resentment persists at government policies aimed at curbing the pandemic, such as vaccine mandates, school closures and mask requirements. And as that anger bubbles up in the newly Republican-controlled House and among potential GOP presidential contenders, it is shaping up as a significant part of the party’s message. (Abutaleb, Roubein and Arnsdorf, 1/31)

The New York Times: Deer Could Be A Reservoir Of Old Coronavirus Variants, Study Suggests
The Alpha and Gamma variants of the coronavirus continued to circulate and evolve in white-tailed deer, even after they stopped spreading widely among people, a new study suggests. Whether the variants are still circulating in deer remains unknown. “That’s the big question,” said Dr. Diego Diel, a virologist at Cornell University and an author of the study, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday. (Anthes, 1/31)

More on the spread of covid —

CIDRAP: Twice-Weekly Rapid COVID Tests May Be Better Than Infrequent PCR
A study today in BMJ Open involving the Japan Professional Football League suggests that frequent COVID-19 rapid antigen testing (RAT) can better detect positive SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections than infrequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, despite the latter's higher sensitivity. (Van Beusekom, 1/31)

KHN: Watch: Covid Increases Risk Of Heart Problems, New Data Underlines
Céline Gounder, KHN’s editor-at-large for public health, discusses new data showing an excess of deaths in 2020 related to heart disease. The deaths — from heart attack and heart failure — show that the virus can affect the heart and that cardiac problems can show up months after an initial covid-19 infection has apparently resolved. Vaccines reduce the risk both of serious infections and subsequent heart problems. (2/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: Sonoma County Records Its First 2023 Virus Deaths
Sonoma County health officials reported three COVID-19 deaths this week, the first fatalities reported in the region in 2023. The county has now tallied a total of 535 deaths since the start of the pandemic three years ago, but the new January numbers are far lower than the 68 lives lost in January 2021 and 39 in January 2022. Health officials told The Press Democrat that the official death toll for this year may increase as the reporting of COVID-19 deaths often lags by several weeks. (Vaziri, 1/31)

Los Angeles Times: Who Is Still Most Likely To Die Of COVID In L.A. County?
Over the 30-day period ending Jan. 3, which covers the bulk of the post-Thanksgiving coronavirus surge, the death rate among unvaccinated Angelenos was 16.6 per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis by the county Department of Public Health. Among those who had received an updated bivalent booster, the comparable rate was significantly lower: 2.3 deaths per 100,000 residents. (Money and Lin II, 1/31)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Doctor's $25M Lawsuit Against Methodist Hospital Dismissed
A state district judge has dismissed Dr. Mary Talley Bowden’s defamation lawsuit against Houston Methodist Hospital, ending, at least for now, a months-long legal feud over whether the hospital damaged her reputation by publicly denouncing her social media comments about COVID-19 as misinformation. (Gill, 1/31)

Also —

The New York Times: Students Lost One-Third Of A School Year To Pandemic, Study Finds
Children experienced learning deficits during the Covid pandemic that amounted to about one-third of a school year’s worth of knowledge and skills, according to a new global analysis, and had not recovered from those losses more than two years later. Learning delays and regressions were most severe in developing countries and among students from low-income backgrounds, researchers said, worsening existing disparities and threatening to follow children into higher education and the work force. (Baumgaertner, 1/30)

Minnesota Public Radio: Walz Signs Bill Guaranteeing Abortion Access In Minnesota 
Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday signed into law a proposal that guarantees in state law the right to abortion and other reproductive health care options. (Ferguson, 1/31)

AP: Indiana Justices Won't Hear 2nd Abortion Case For Now 
Indiana’s high court said it will not immediately consider a challenge to the state’s abortion ban that is based on the argument that the law violates some people’s religious freedoms, leaving that decision to an appeals court, at least for now. The state Supreme Court issued an order Monday saying the state Court of Appeals will first consider the case, after a lower court judge in December sided with residents who claim the state’s abortion ban infringes on their religious beliefs. (Rodgers, 1/31)

AP: Vermont Lawmakers Mull Bills To Protect Abortion Providers
Vermont lawmakers are taking testimony on a pair of bills that aim to protect health care workers who provide abortions and gender-affirming health care in Vermont from legal and disciplinary action from states that limit or ban those practices. The bills were introduced seven months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and as states have restricted or taken steps to protect access to such care. (Rathke, 1/31)

In related news —

The Colorado Sun: Another Colorado Hospital Stops Letting Women Get Their Tubes Tied
When the only hospital in Durango with a maternity ward decided that it would no longer let women get their tubes tied, there was no public announcement. Mercy Hospital’s website doesn’t spell it out, either. Instead, a read-between-the-lines statement added to the Centura Health hospital’s website in September noted that Mercy is “responsible for conducting itself in a manner consistent with the ethical principles of the Catholic church ministry.” (Brown, 1/31)

The Kansas City Star: Missouri Woman Files Federal Complaint Against Hospitals She Says Denied Emergency Abortion
The National Women’s Law Center on Monday filed a federal civil rights complaint against hospitals in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois for allegedly denying a Joplin woman life-saving abortion care last year after her water broke at 18 weeks of pregnancy. (Bayless, 1/31)

AP: Anti-Abortion Activists Aim To Sway GOP White House Hopefuls
Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the 2024 presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the Republican Party. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the most influential group in the anti-abortion movement, is telling each potential GOP presidential hopeful that to win its backing — or avoid being a target of its opposition — they must support national restrictions on the procedure. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother are acceptable, the activists say, but leaving the question for states to decide is not. (Burnett and Colvin, 2/1)

CNN: Survey Finds Widespread Confusion Around Medication Abortion In Post-Roe US
Nearly half of adults in the United States – including 2 out of 5 women of childbearing age – are unsure whether medication abortion is legal in their state, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey was conducted in mid-January, more than six months after the US Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and revoked the federal right to abortion. (McPhillips, 12/1)

NPR: Humira Loses Monopoly As Copycat From Amgen Comes To Market
After 20 years and $200 billion in revenue, Humira — an injectable treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and several other autoimmune conditions — has lost its monopoly. Early Tuesday morning, California-based biotech firm Amgen released Amjevita, the first close copy of the best selling drug of all time. At least seven more Humira copycats, known as biosimilars, are expected to debut later this year. (Walker and Gorenstein, 1/31)

Bloomberg: Amgen Takes On Blockbuster Drug Humira With Biosimilar As Much As 55% Cheaper
Amgen Inc. is challenging one of the world’s best-selling medications with an unusual strategy: charging two list prices for the same medicine. (Peebles, 1/31)

Stat: Amgen Pricing For Its Humira Biosimilar Will Limit Savings For Patients
Underscoring the opaque and confusing nature of pharmaceutical pricing, Amgen announced long-awaited discounts for its biosimilar version of Humira — the world’s best-selling medicine — and the numbers suggest the biggest winners may be health insurers and others in the supply chain, but not patients. (Silverman, 1/31)

On eye health —

NBC News: CDC: Eyedrops Sold At Walmart, Other Stores Linked To Infections
One person has died and at least three others are left with permanent vision loss because of a bacterial infection possibly linked to a brand of over-the-counter eyedrops, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A majority of those affected reported using preservative-free EzriCare Artificial Tears before becoming ill, the CDC reported in a statement dated Jan. 20. (Edwards, 1/31)

Stat: 6 Things To Know About Apellis’ Eye Drug Ahead Of FDA Decision
The Food and Drug Administration is nearing a decision on the first treatment for geographic atrophy, a progressive eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in older people. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, the drug’s maker, has expressed public confidence in the data supporting approval. Investors are more divided. (Feuerstein, 2/1)

In other developments from the health care industry —

The Boston Globe: Dr. Megan Ranney Named Dean Of Yale’s School Of Public Health
One of Rhode Island’s best-known health experts, Dr. Megan Ranney, will be the new dean of the Yale School of Public Health, Yale University President Peter Salovey announced Tuesday. She’ll begin her new job on July 1. Ranney, an emergency room doctor who is the founding director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health, became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Alphonse, 1/31)

NPR: Obesity Training That Could Help Reduce Stigma Is Missing In Medical School
Tong Yan grew up in a Chinese-American enclave of Los Angeles in a family that revered food, but thought little of those who carried excess weight. "Definitely there was like an implicit fattist kind of perspective, like small comments that are made about people's weight," Yan says. Obesity did not affect him or his family, but a friend — who wasn't even that heavy — became the butt of jokes. "Also implied was that people who are obese are lazy and not motivated," he recalls. (Noguchi, 1/31)

KHN: Podcast: Can They Freaking Do That?!? (2023 Update) 
The “An Arm and a Leg” podcast is back. This season, host Dan Weissmann will tell stories about patients finding creative ways to fight back against outrageous bills. This first episode of Season 9 updates a story from 2019 about a listener who got a $35 bill from a medical testing lab she had never heard of. Soon a follow-up bill arrived demanding $1,300 if she didn’t pay right away. (2/1)

The New York Times: To Prevent Cancer, More Women Should Consider Removing Fallopian Tubes, Experts Say 
There is no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer, so doctors urge women at high genetic risk for the disease to have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed once they are done having children, usually around the age of 40. On Wednesday, a leading research and advocacy organization broadened that recommendation in ways that may surprise many women. (Rabin, 12/1)

In updates on mpox —

The Hill: Public Health Emergency For Mpox Officially Ends 
The public health emergency for the mpox outbreak that began last year is officially ending as of Tuesday, with the number of reported cases continuing to dwindle and advocacy groups declaring the emergency’s conclusion a victory for the LGBTQ community. The Biden administration announced in December that it was not expecting to renew the public health emergency (PHE) for mpox, previously referred to as monkeypox, that was first declared in August 2022. The PHE was renewed once in November. (Choi, 1/31)

In other health and wellness news —

NBC News: Obesity Can Cause Changes In The Brain Similar To Alzheimer's, Study Suggests
Being overweight in midlife has been linked to greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and a new study shows that brain changes in obese people mirror some of those with Alzheimer’s. Scientists at McGill University in Montreal analyzed brain scans of more than 1,300 people in the first research to directly compare the patterns of brain shrinkage in obese people and in Alzheimer’s patients. (Carroll, 1/31)

Stat: Brain MRIs Reveal Impact Of 'Toxic Stress' On Black Children 
Stressful experiences during early childhood — particularly economic strife — appear to act as a toxic stressor that can alter regions of the brain tied to the processing of stress and trauma, according to a new study published Wednesday. The researchers found that Black children were impacted more than white children, largely because of the higher amounts of poverty and adversity they face. (McFarling, 2/1)

Bloomberg: Drinking Bleach Is Deadly. Why Are Some Americans Still Consuming MMS?
Enter the term “Miracle Mineral Solution” into the search bar on Amazon.com, and, sure enough, there’s a wide selection of products that online reviewers say cure everything from asthma to arthritis. The problem is that the cure-all potion commonly known as MMS is, in essence, industrial grade bleach. And selling this toxic and sometimes deadly chemical concoction as medicine is illegal. (Brown, 2/1)

CBS News: Layoff Survivor Guilt Is Real For Workers Who Survive Layoffs
Mass layoffs like those roiling the tech industry affect more than the people who lose their jobs. Laid-off workers face practical challenges, such as staying financially afloat and securing new employment, as well as tough emotions, like feeling rejected. Meanwhile, those who remain after their colleagues are dismissed suffer from "survivor layoff guilt," according to workplace psychologists and layoff survivors themselves. (Cerullo, 2/1)

CBS News: Sausage Recall: Daniele International Recalls 53,000 Pounds Of Charcuterie, Salami, Pepperoni And Sausage Products Over Listeria Concerns
Daniele International, an American maker of prepared meats, is recalling nearly 53,000 pounds of sausage products that could be contaminated with listeria bacteria. The ready-to-eat products under recall were produced between May and November of last year, and were shipped to retailers in December and January. (Cerullo, 1/31)

In environmental health news —

CNN: The Dirtier Your Air, The Higher Your Risk Of Depression Or Anxiety, Study Finds
People who live in a highly polluted area have a much higher risk of depression and anxiety than those who live with cleaner air, a new study says. The study, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found that people who were exposed to higher amounts of multiple air pollutants for a long period – including particle pollution, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxides – had an increased risk of depression and anxiety. (Christensen, 2/1)

USA Today: EPA Proposes Changes To Air Quality Standards For Soot Pollution
Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed bringing the limits down from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to between 9 and 10. The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to review air quality standards every five years – but this proposed revision is the first in a decade to address soot levels. Some groups say the new limit is not enough, particularly for urban communities of color overburdened by pollution, outdoor workers and others who are vulnerable. (Hassanein, 1/31)

AP: Group Makes First Funding Award To Combat Opioid Epidemic 
A Kentucky commission assigned to distribute money from a massive settlement with opioid companies has made its first funding award to help combat the state’s opioid epidemic, Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Tuesday. The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission has awarded $10.5 million in funding to a pilot program, Cameron announced. The program will offer behavioral health treatment options for people struggling with substance use disorder as an alternative to incarceration. (Schreiner, 1/31)

On hunger and nutrition —

AP: West Virginia Looking For Help Feeding Kids During Summer
The state of West Virginia is looking for local government agencies, nonprofit groups and other organizations to help run a summer feeding program for children. The program sponsored by the Department of Education provides free meals to children in lower-income areas at sites such as schools, churches, community centers, pools, parks, libraries, housing complexes and summer camps. (2/1)

Iowa Public Radio: Food Assistance Org Dispute Threatens Funding While Pantries Struggle
There's been ongoing disagreements between the Food Bank of Iowa and the Des Moines Area Religious Council over policy changes that has led the city of Des Moines to consider withdrawing financial support. And it’s causing some pantries to struggle to keep food on the shelves. (Wheeler, 1/30)

North Carolina Health News: Access To Food Benefits May Reduce Rates Of Child Neglect, Abuse
States that expanded access to federal food benefits saw decreases in the rates of cases investigated by child protective services, a new study by researchers from UNC Chapel Hill shows. (Fernandez, 2/1)

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

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Lawmakers Seek To Ease Rules For Physical Therapy
Patients could get help from physical therapists without first seeing a doctor or getting a prescription under legislation debated Tuesday in the Missouri Senate. The GOP-led chamber gave the proposal initial approval in a voice vote. It had bipartisan support. Missouri patients currently need a referral from a doctor or a prescription before they can get physical therapy. (Erickson, 1/31)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Council Moves Toward 6-Month Moratorium On New Vape Shops
The proposal ― sponsored by Alds. Jonathan Brostoff, Marina Dimitrijevic and Mark Borkowski ― calls for a pause on the distribution of occupancy permits to any establishments that sell "electronic cigarettes or electronic cigarette paraphernalia." "We're facing, with the proliferation of these vape shops, a threat to our health, safety and welfare as a city and we don't have the tools in place to properly address that," Brostoff said after the vote. "That's what this legislation is about." (Shastri, 1/31)

KHN: Nursing Home Owners Drained Cash During Pandemic While Residents Deteriorated
After the nursing home where Leann Sample worked was bought by private investors, it started falling apart. Literally. Part of a ceiling collapsed on a nurse, the air conditioning conked out regularly, and a toilet once burst on Sample while she was helping a resident in the bathroom, she recalled in a court deposition. “It’s a disgusting place,” Sample, a nurse aide, testified in 2021. (Rau, 2/1)

Politico: Europe Is Running Out Of Medicines 
When you're feeling under the weather, the last thing you want to do is trek from pharmacy to pharmacy searching for basic medicines like cough syrup and antibiotics. Yet many people across Europe — faced with a particularly harsh winter bug season — are having to do just that. (Martuscelli, 1/29)

CIDRAP: Tainted-Drug Deaths, Weak Regulation Corrode Confidence In Indian Drugs
India, which supplies many drugs and active ingredients to the US market, has come under increasing scrutiny after tainted cough syrup made in that country killed at least 89 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan in 2022. And recently, US regulators have stepped up their foreign inspections after a pandemic pause, unleashing a slew of warning letters on serious manufacturing missteps. (Van Beusekom, 1/27)

CIDRAP: Trial Data Support Antibiotic Audit And Feedback In COVID Patients 
A randomized clinical trial conducted in Canada found that a core strategy of antimicrobial stewardship programs can help safely reduce antibiotic use in patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, researchers reported late last week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 1/30)

VC Star: Ojai Pharmacist Helps Lead Courtroom Battle Against Optum Rx
Mom and pop pharmacies struggling to survive will take another swing Wednesday at a corporate giant they contend is trying to push them out of business. (Tom Kisken, 1/30)

FiercePharma: Pfizer Unveils Mysterious Ibrance Breast Cancer Nod
It’s unusual to have the FDA chase down a pharma company and ask them apply for a new drug indication. But Pfizer went through just that and has now quietly revealed a label expansion for blockbuster breast cancer med Ibrance. (Liu, 1/31)

ScienceDaily: Do Sleep Medications Increase Your Chances Of Dementia? 
A new study shows that sleep medications increase the risk of dementia in whites. But the type and quantity of the medication may be factors in explaining the higher risk. (University of California - San Francisco, 1/31)

Stat: What Gene Therapy Means For Hemophilia Patients
Wiseman, 51, who lives near Sacramento, was diagnosed as an infant with hemophilia, the rare genetic disease that prevents blood from clotting. He tested positive for HIV and hepatitis C when he was 11 after catching the viruses from contaminated blood-clotting products. As a teenager, he spent 45 days hospitalized in a coma from massive gastrointestinal bleeding. (Saltzman, 1/30)

FiercePharma: Aptar Creates Metal-Free Nasal Spray Pump To Boost Recyclability
Aptar Pharma wants to reduce the waste generated by your nasal spray pumps. With the launch of APF Futurity, the drug delivery specialist has made a metal-free, multi-dose nasal spray pump available to meet demand for recyclable products. (Taylor, 1/31)

The Washington Post: PEPFAR Has Made So Much Progress Against AIDS. We Can’t Let Up Now
Over the past two decades, PEPFAR has saved 25 million lives by providing more than $100 billion in funding for AIDS prevention and treatment. (Bill Gates, 1/28)

Stat: Paving The Way For A Watershed Year For Biosimilars 
January 31 is set to mark the start of a watershed year for the biosimilars industry with the release of Amjevita, the first biosimilar for Humira, the world’s best-selling drug. Several more Humira biosimilars will also be released this year. (Juliana M. Reed, 1/31)

Stat: As It Turns 40, The Orphan Drug Act For Rare Diseases Needs A Refresh
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Orphan Drug Act. Since it was signed into law in 1983, the FDA has approved more than 1,100 treatments for rare diseases. (Emil D. Kakkis, 1/30)

Newsweek: Congress Should Address Health Care Monopolies 
A recent Gallup poll found that a whopping 18 million Americans—including 20 percent of Americans who make less than $24,000 annually—cannot afford at least one of their prescriptions. (Renee Ellmers, 1/30)

The Atlantic: The Weight-Loss-Drug Revolution Is A Miracle—And A Menace 
For years, the most popular weight-loss pills had earned their stigma. For example, the drug cocktail known as fen-phen was taken off the market for causing heart disease almost as reliably as it promoted healthy weight loss. (Derek Thompson, 1/27)

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Newsweek: Gov. Noem's Threat To Prosecute Pharmacists Is Showboating 
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's threats to prosecute pharmacists who dispense the abortion pill seems like showboating. (Rakim Brooks, 1/26)

Newsweek: It's Well Within State's Purview To Reject Abortion Pills
If indeed Governor Noem or any other Republican governor says that in their state abortion is illegal, which means abortion drugs are illegal, which means pharmacies cannot dispense them in the state, that is 100% within that state's purview to have that law. (Mark Davis, 1/26)

Stat: Promises — And Pitfalls — Of ChatGPT-Assisted Medicine
Not long after the artificial intelligence company OpenAI released its ChatGPT chatbot, the application went viral. Five days after its release, it had garnered 1 million users. Since then, it has been called world-changing, a tipping point for artificial intelligence, and the beginning of a new technological revolution. (Rushabh H. Doshi and Simar S. Bajaj, 2/1)

The New York Times: We Wanted China’s ‘Zero Covid’ To End, But Not Like This
For three years, China’s people were told that Covid had to be controlled. But the government suddenly reversed course not long after street protests broke out in November over the escalating human and economic costs of that approach. But little was done to prepare us for what came next. (Lucy Meng, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Biden Is Right To End The National Emergency For Covid-19 
More than three years after the first case of covid-19 was diagnosed in the United States, President Biden announced on Monday that the national emergency to combat the coronavirus will end on May 11. (Leana S. Wen, 1/31)

The Tennessean: Why Tennessee's HIV Funding Decision Imperils Lives And Public Health Infrastructure
Tennessee's decision to decline $9 million in federal funding for our state’s HIV program brings attention to an infectious disease against which remarkable scientific advances have been made over the last 40 years. (1/31)

Prison Journalism Project: How I Became Toothless In Prison
The wait for dentures in prison can be months to years long. On the plus side, you get really interesting blended food to eat while you wait. I didn’t put “living in prison” on my bucket list of things I wanted to do before I die, but here I am. (Randy Hansen, 1/31)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: 6.8 Million Americans Will Lose Medicaid Coverage On April 1
Health-care coverage for millions of Americans is barreling toward a cliff. When the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives and the economy, millions of Americans lost their jobs and their health insurance. (Kevin B. Mahoney and Madeline Bell, 2/1)

Stat: MCODE: Learning From Everyone With Cancer 
Locked behind the firewalls of proprietary systems sits a treasure trove of data that could help diagnose heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other conditions faster and more accurately and better treat people with them. But there it sits, largely untapped, because the electronic health record infrastructure was never designed to let organizations easily share data. (Jay J. Schnitzer, 2/1)