Stat: Novo Nordisk To Lower Insulin Prices By Up To 75% Amid Pressure
Under mounting pressure, Novo Nordisk plans to cut U.S. list prices for several insulin products by up to 75%, the latest big drugmaker to take such a step in response to a years-long outcry over the cost of the diabetes treatments. (Silverman, 3/14)

AP: Novo Nordisk Plans Price Cuts For Several Insulins
The price cuts go into effect Jan. 1. A vial of NovoLog and NovoLog Mix 70/30 will drop 75% to $72.34 from $289.36. FlexPen options will fall to $139.71 from more than $500. Levemir and Novolin vials and FlexPens will drop 65% from their current list prices. (Murphy, 3/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Novo Nordisk To Slash Insulin Prices By Up To 75% 
President Biden said he was pleased by Novo’s price cuts and urged other insulin makers to follow suit. He also said Congress should “cap insulin at $35 for all Americans.” Lilly, Novo and Sanofi SA are the leading sellers of insulins in the U.S. and worldwide. They had substantially raised the prices for their insulin products in the U.S. during the 2010s. The companies have said they didn’t make much from the higher list prices, because they had to pay larger rebates to the companies that manage drug benefits. (Loftus, 3/14)

The Washington Post: Novo Nordisk Becomes Latest Producer To Slash Insulin Prices 
Novo Nordisk declined to make an executive available for an interview. Asked why it is now deciding to lower prices, the company said in a statement that the plans were made months ago, “but due to increased stakeholder interest, we accelerated to announce now.” ... Sanofi, the other major insulin manufacturer, said in a statement Tuesday that it is “continually listening to patients, patient advocates, caregivers and others to better understand additional actions we could take to address access or affordability challenges.” It also provided a list of its programs to help cover costs of its insulin. (Gilbert, 3/14)

Stat: Biden Admin To Fine Drug Makers For Price Hikes
The Biden administration will fine drugmakers who hiked prices faster than the rate of inflation on 27 medications administered in physicians’ offices, the agency said Wednesday. Pfizer had the most drugs on the list of any manufacturer, with five. Seagen’s bladder cancer drug Padcev, which also garnered penalties, will likely soon be in Pfizer’s portfolio, too, after the pharma giant completes its $43 billion acquisition of the Washington state company. (Cohrs, 3/15)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Biden To Talk About Lowering Drug Costs At UNLV Event
President Joe Biden is expected to speak at the UNLV College of Hospitality on Wednesday about his administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug costs for Americans. Biden, who landed in Las Vegas on Tuesday evening and attended a private Democratic National Committee reception and fundraiser, is scheduled to address provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that will help lower costs for people on Medicare, and how his proposed budget will lower prescription drugs costs for all Americans. (Hill, 3/14)

AP: Biden Drawing Contrast To Republicans On Lower Drug Costs
President Joe Biden will highlight the stark differences in how Democrats are tackling skyrocketing drug prices compared to their Republican counterparts as he gears up for an expected reelection announcement. In a speech on Wednesday in Las Vegas that could serve as a preview of the campaign ahead, Biden planned to put the issue of lowering drug costs at the center of his policy and political agenda. (Seitz and Miller, 3/15)

Also —

Stat: PhRMA Chief Dings Health Insurers Over Drug Prices
The head of the brand drug lobby used an in-person health insurance industry conference to blame insurers for making people pay too much for drugs. America’s Health Insurance Plans CEO Matt Eyles, interviewing PhRMA President Stephen Ubl, asked for examples of policies that would benefit both industries. Ubl responded by suggesting that insurers lower cost sharing for drugs. (Wilkerson, 3/14)

AP: EPA To Limit Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' In Drinking Water
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first federal limits on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer. The plan would limit toxic PFAS chemicals to the lowest level that tests can detect. PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, are a group of compounds that are widespread, dangerous and expensive to remove from water. They don’t degrade in the environment and are linked to a broad range of health issues, including low birthweight and kidney cancer. (Phillis and Daly, 3/14)

Reuters: U.S. Proposes Limits For Cancer-Causing Chemicals In Drinking Water 
Under the new standard, the agency will require public water systems to monitor for six PFAS chemicals, inform the public if PFAS levels exceed proposed standards in the drinking water supply, and take action to reduce PFAS levels. Chemical companies sell PFAS for use in products ranging from paper to pans, enabling them to be stain-resistant, water-repellent and grease-proof. They are also used in industrial processes and discharged into waterways. (Volcovici, 3/14)

The Washington Post: EPA Cracks Down On PFAS 'Forever' Chemicals In Drinking Water
The proposal would require water utilities to detect and reduce PFAS contamination at 4 parts per trillion. The agency had warned in June that the compounds pose a greater danger to human health than regulators previously thought, compromising people’s immune and cardiovascular systems at a lifetime exposure of between just 0.004 to 0.02 parts per trillion, depending on the type of compound. (Puko, 3/14)

Stat: EPA Proposes Limits For ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Drinking Water
The uncertainty around how much PFAS should be allowed in drinking water due to economic and technological constraints will likely make the 60-day comment period fraught, as STAT reported late last year. “I worry about the political and cost pressures of setting something that is actually health protective,” Anna Reade, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told STAT at the time. “I do think that the MCLG should be zero and the question is what the MCLs will be set at.” She hoped the MCLs would be set at 2 to 4 nanograms per liter, ranges that would be fairly protective of health but feasible for labs to measure. (Trang, 3/14)

In related news about drinking water —

Capital & Main: Health Officials Delayed Report Linking Fluoride To Brain Harm
Last May, the National Toxicology Program (NTP), a federal research agency, was set to release its eagerly awaited report into the cognitive and neurodevelopmental impacts on humans from fluoride exposure. The report was anticipated for several reasons, including its review of studies linking fluoridated water to cognitive harm in children. Water fluoridation is the long-established public policy of adding fluoride to drinking water to fight tooth decay. The report was also set to play a key role in an ongoing lawsuit, filed by government accountability nonprofit Food & Water Watch, to get the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate water fluoridation because of fluoride’s possible neurotoxic harm. More than two years ago, the judge put the case on hold in expectation of the NTP report’s public release. (Ross, 3/14)

Los Angeles Times: Biden Consoles Monterey Park Over Mass Shooting, Signs Order To Curb Gun Violence
President Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order to curb gun violence and enhance background checks on firearms buyers, spending part of the afternoon consoling a Monterey Park community devastated by a mass shooting on the eve of Lunar New Year in January. “I’m here on behalf of the American people to mourn with you, to pray with you, to let you know you are loved and not alone,” Biden told about 200 people in the gymnasium of a Boys & Girls Club. “I know what it’s like to get that call.... I know what it’s like to lose a loved one so suddenly. It’s like losing a piece of your soul.” (Mehta and Subramanian, 3/14)

Politico: Biden Mourns With Families Of California Shooting Victims And Moves To Close Gun Loophole 
A solemn President Joe Biden signed an executive order to close gun registration loopholes as he delivered what amounted to a eulogy for 11 people shot to death as they celebrated the Lunar New Year in a Southern California suburb. Biden recited names of the mostly immigrant victims, recalling the love of family and community that brought them to the dance hall in January, as well as the pain that will linger with their families and made the small city another in a long line of places made infamous by violence. (Nieves and Ward, 3/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Issues Executive Order To Strengthen Gun Background Checks
Mr. Biden said his executive actions are designed to move the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible without the passage of legislation in Congress, where partisan divides have left most gun-safety legislation stalled. The president, in his Tuesday remarks, said his executive order isn’t a substitute for congressional action. “Enough,” Mr. Biden said, directing his remarks to lawmakers. “Do something. Do something big.” (Siddiqui and Restuccia, 3/14)

The New York Times: Biden Issues Executive Order To Strengthen Background Checks For Guns 
He repeated the assault weapons demand on Tuesday, noting that he had advanced the effort in the Senate in 1993 to pass a ban, which expired amid political disagreement a decade later. ... Mr. Biden’s new executive order is far more modest than that kind of lofty ambition. It directs the attorney general to make sure gun dealers are complying with existing background check laws. It seeks to improve reporting of guns and ammunition that are lost or stolen while in transit. It calls for better transparency about gun dealers who are cited for firearms violations. And it directs agencies to work with the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network to improve the quality of investigations into gun crimes. (Shear, 3/14)

The Washington Post: Biden Announces New Order On Gun Violence, But Options Are Limited 
In addition to the background checks, Biden’s executive order directs his Cabinet to develop a proposal on how the federal government can better assist communities after a mass killing, aiming to mobilize resources for human-caused disasters in the way that Washington already does for natural disasters. Biden is also urging the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report that would analyze how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors. Together, the actions amount to the president’s latest attempt to use his executive authority to crack down on gun violence, efforts that necessarily are narrower in scope than measures urged by gun-control activists that would require congressional approval. (Viser, 3/14)

CNN: What To Watch For At Wednesday's Hearing In Medication Abortion Lawsuit
A federal judge in Texas will consider at a high-stakes hearing on Wednesday whether he should block the US government’s approval of the drug used for medication abortions. The case, brought by anti-abortion doctors and medical associations, is arguably the most significant legal dispute concerning abortion since the Supreme Court ended nationwide abortion protections with its overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer. Depending on how US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk handles the medication abortion lawsuit, access could be cut off nationwide to the most common method of abortion in the United States. (Sneed, 3/15)

The Boston Globe: Four Charts That Show What’s At Stake In The Lawsuit Targeting Medication Abortion
A court ruling out of Texas could have huge implications for abortion care across the country. A federal judge is currently deciding on a lawsuit from anti-abortion groups that targets FDA approval of the drug mifepristone, which is part of a two-medication combination used to end early pregnancies, often at home. (Prignano, 3/14)

The Washington Post: Texas Judge To Question Lawyers In Abortion Pill Mifepristone Case 
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is expected to question lawyers in the case that seeks to restrict access to mifepristone, the medication first approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago. The high-stakes hearing, for which the judge has allotted up to four hours, will be the first time the judge engages directly with lawyers for the Justice Department, representing the FDA; the company that manufactures and distributes the drug; and the antiabortion group challenging the medication. Kacsmaryk could rule at any time following the hearing, potentially disrupting access to the widely used drug, including in states where abortion is legal. (Stein, Kitchener and Marimow, 3/15)

AP: Abortion Pill Access Case: Judge Wants 'Less Advertisement'
A federal judge overseeing a high-stakes case that could threaten access to medication abortion across the nation asked lawyers for the “courtesy” of not publicizing upcoming arguments, according to a court record released Tuesday that reveals new details of a move experts say is outside the norm for the U.S. judicial system. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk — who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and is known for conservative views — told attorneys during a status conference by telephone on Friday that because the case has prompted death threats and protests, “less advertisement of this hearing is better,” according to a transcript of the meeting. (Murphy and Bleiberg, 3/14)

CNN: Matthew Kacsmaryk: The Trump-Appointed Judge Overseeing The Blockbuster Medication Abortion Case
The federal judge overseeing a high-profile challenge to the FDA’s two-decade-old approval of certain drugs used to terminate a pregnancy is a deeply conservative jurist with a proclivity for siding with plaintiffs looking to roll back reproductive and LGBTQ rights or block key Biden administration policies. (Cole, 3/15)

Pharmacies are pressed to explain plans for abortion pills —

Axios: 14 Democratic Governors Ask Pharmacies To Clarify Plans For Abortion Pill
Fourteen Democratic governors asked seven leading pharmacy retailers on Tuesday to clarify their plans for dispensing mifepristone — a pill used in medication abortions. The move comes shortly after Walgreens announced that it would not dispense mifepristone in some Republican-led states where abortion remains legal. (Saric, 3/14)

In other abortion news from Ohio and Arkansas —

AP: Ohio Supreme Court To Review Block Of Near-Ban On Abortion 
The Ohio Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to review a county judge’s order that is blocking enforcement of the state’s near-ban on abortions, and to consider whether the clinics challenging the law have legal standing to do so. In its split decision, the court, however, denied Republican Attorney General Dave Yost’s request to launch its own review of the right to an abortion under the Ohio Constitution, leaving those arguments to play out in lower court. This means abortions remain legal in the state for now, up to 20 weeks’ gestation. (Smyth, 3/14)

AP: Arkansas Lawmakers OK Anti-Abortion Monument At Capitol 
A monument marking the number of abortions performed in Arkansas before Roe v. Wade was struck down would be built near the state Capitol under a bill lawmakers sent to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday. The majority-Republican House approved by a 60-19 vote a proposal allowing the creation of a “monument to the unborn” on the Capitol grounds. The bill, which the Senate approved earlier this month, requires the secretary of state to permit and arrange the placement of the monument. (DeMillo, 3/14)

CNBC: FDA Authorizes Pfizer's Covid Omicron Booster As Fourth Shot For Kids Under 5
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized Pfizer’s omicron booster shot for kids under five years old who were previously vaccinated with three doses of the company’s original vaccine.  Children six months through four years old who completed their three-dose primary series with Pfizer and BioNTech’s original monovalent shots more than two months ago are now eligible to receive a single booster dose of the updated shot. The new shot is bivalent, meaning it targets the original Covid strain as well as omicron BA.4 and BA.5. (Constantino, 3/14)

In other Pfizer news —

Reuters: Pfizer's COVID Drug Data Supports Use In High-Risk Patients - FDA Staff
The U.S. health regulator's staff reviewers said on Tuesday data from Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 drug trials support its use in adults at high risk of progressing to severe disease, bringing the pill closer to a full approval. The Food and Drug Administration made its assessment in briefing documents ahead of a meeting of the agency's external advisers on Thursday to discuss full approval to use Pfizer's oral pill for high-risk COVID-19 patients exhibiting mild to moderate symptoms. (Mandowara and Leo, 3/14)

CNBC: FDA Staff: Pfizer's Covid Treatment Paxlovid Appears Effective To Use In High-Risk Adults
U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff on Tuesday said Pfizer’s clinical trial results on its Covid antiviral pill Paxlovid support the drug’s use in adults at high risk of progressing to severe disease. The FDA staff made the conclusion in briefing documents ahead of a meeting on Thursday, when external advisors on the agency’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee will discuss whether to recommend full approval of Paxlovid for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid in high-risk adults. (Constantino, 3/14)

Axios: FDA: Paxlovid Not Associated With COVID Rebound
Paxlovid isn't associated with COVID rebound, in which patients test positive or have symptoms days after a course of the drug is completed, Food and Drug Administration staff said in briefing documents released Tuesday. (Moreno, 3/14)

In other covid news —

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Care Facility Operators Charged In 14 COVID Deaths
The operators of an upscale Los Angeles care facility for dementia patients were charged Tuesday with felony elder abuse and other criminal counts related to the deaths of an employee and thirteen residents during the early days of the pandemic. Silverado Beverly Place, near the Fairfax district, specializes in caring for elderly residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and was the site of a COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020. (Solis, 3/14)

WMFE: Exploring Long COVID, Part 1: Why Don't We Know More About It? 
More than 1 million Americans have died from COVID-19 since President Donald Trump declared it a national emergency three years ago. That includes 87,000 Floridians. Among the survivors, are those with long-haul COVID, or long COVID, a phenomenon still not fully understood. But what is long COVID? (Pedersen, 3/14)

WMFE: Exploring Long COVID Part 2: What's It Like To Have It?
One year after first testing positive for COVID-19, Mount Dora resident Tanya Balyeat still has weakened lungs and the short-term memory loss phenomenon known as brain fog. They are the lingering symptoms of long COVID, experienced by about 29% of those who test positive for COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Pedersen, 3/15)

CNN: Mortality Rate For Children And Teens In The US Surged In 2020 And 2021, Study Shows 
The mortality rate for children and teens in the United States surged in 2020 and 2021, driven not by deaths from Covid-19 but from fatal injuries from things like firearms, drugs and cars, according to a study published Monday in JAMA. The pandemic years brought a marked shift to the trends in pediatric mortality, which had previously seen a “period of great progress,” according to the study authors. Pediatric deaths had been ticking up, but the latest annual increases – nearly 11% in 2020 and more than 8% in 2021 – were the largest in decades. (McPhillips, 3/14)

The Hill: Increase In Mortality Rate Among Kids, Teens Largest In Decades: Research
Most of the increase came from older children, ages 10 to 19, but the rate also increased among children 1 to 10. Only infants younger than 1 did not have a significant increase in mortality during this time. The researchers found that the increase was not strongly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic but a rise in injuries, which are defined as external causes of death such as transportation, firearms and poisoning. This type of fatality was tracked separately from the noninjury causes of death, which are internal, like diseases. (Gans, 3/14)

On the anniversary of PEPFAR —

USA Today: AIDS Program Saved 25 Million Lives Since 2004, CDC Report Finds
A new report shows a U.S. federal program transformed the AIDS epidemic worldwide and saved an estimated 25 million lives since 2004. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, increased the number of people receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy from just over 66,000 people in 2004 to more than 20 million people in 2022, according to the report published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PEPFAR was launched by former President George W. Bush. (Rodriguez, 3/14)

The New York Times: The U.S. Program That Brought H.I.V. Treatment To 20 Million People 
In the 20 years since its inception, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has delivered lifesaving treatment to more than 20 million people in 54 countries, the most successful global health campaign of its kind, according to a report released on Tuesday. The $7.5 billion program, housed in the State Department, is due for reauthorization by Congress this year. In the past, it has received strong bipartisan support. (Mandavilli, 3/14)

In other health and wellness news —

The Washington Post: Adderall Shortage Comes After Surge In Telehealth Prescriptions 
In the past, people needed to get a prescription in person, but a pandemic-era waiver enabled providers to prescribe the drug after online consultations. Nearly 40 percent of all prescriptions for stimulants, including Adderall, were based on telehealth visits last year, up from less than 2 percent before the pandemic, according to analytics firm Trilliant Health. The rise in Adderall prescriptions was driven by adults between 22 and 44 years old, for whom they increased 58 percent between 2018 and 2022, according to Trilliant’s analysis of insurance claims nationally. There were more adults receiving an Adderall prescription than those who had an ADHD diagnosis, the firm found. (Gilbert and Amenabar, 3/14)

KHN: New CDC Opioid Guidelines: Too Little, Too Late For Chronic Pain Patients? 
Jessica Layman estimates she has called more than 150 doctors in the past few years in her search for someone to prescribe opioids for her chronic pain. “A lot of them are straight-up insulting,” said the 40-year-old, who lives in Dallas. “They say things like ‘We don’t treat drug addicts.’” Layman has tried a host of non-opioid treatments to help with the intense daily pain caused by double scoliosis, a collapsed spinal disc, and facet joint arthritis. But she said nothing worked as well as methadone, an opioid she has taken since 2013. (Whitehead and Miller, 3/15)

Stat: With Climate Change, Some Diseases Are On The Rise. Is U.S. Ready?
In the summer and fall of 2021, West Nile virus spread rapidly through Arizona’s Maricopa County and other areas of the state. The outbreak, with more than 1,700 cases reported and 127 deaths was the largest in the United States since the mosquito-borne virus first emerged in this country in 1999. But with the nation facing a far larger public health crisis with the Covid-19 pandemic, it went almost unnoticed. (Van Note, 3/15)

KHN: Listen To The Latest ‘KHN Health Minute’
The KHN Health Minute this week looks at the risks of a social-media craze, the Brazilian butt lift, and what Eli Lilly’s slashing of insulin prices could mean for folks with diabetes. (3/14)

Skunks and penguins are in the headlines —

CIDRAP: H5N1 Avian Flu Found In Skunk Deaths From Vancouver Area
Animal health officials in British Columbia, Canada, yesterday reported that an investigation into skunks found dead in residential areas of two cities at the end of February have revealed H5N1 avian influenza. (Schnirring, 3/14)

CNN: Singapore Penguins Receive 'World First' Custom Lenses In Successful Cataract Surgery
Three elderly king penguins have been fitted with custom-made eye lenses during surgery to remove cataracts in what is believed to be a world first procedure to improve their sight, according to a Singapore zoo. In a statement Tuesday, vets with the Mandai Wildlife Group said the birds were among six elderly penguins to undergo cataract surgery two months ago and have since made a full recovery. (Chen, 3/15)

Modern Healthcare: Google Search Update Aims To Ease Medicaid Redeterminations
Google is helping people navigate Medicaid redeterminations with the latest update to its search product, the tech giant said Tuesday morning. Google announced several new healthcare initiatives at its annual Check Up event on Tuesday. The updates were related to search, artificial intelligence and interoperability. (Turner, 3/14)

Axios: Google Flexes Its Health Care AI Muscle
Google showed off an array of new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven health care tools on Tuesday, from a souped-up chatbot that can shed light on your medical symptoms to enhanced search features that tell you if a doctor takes Medicaid. (Kingson, 3/15)

Bloomberg: Google To Integrate Artificial Intelligence Into Health-Care Services, Products
Alphabet Inc.’s Google unveiled plans to integrate artificial intelligence into health-related initiatives, including an update on the use of language-generating technology in medical exams and AI-assisted research, ways to help consumers find information faster via internet searches, and tools to help developers build health apps around the world. (Alba and Love, 3/14)

More on AI in health care —

Stat: Researchers Explore How To Audit Health AI Models On Patient Level
As hospitals and companies continue to leverage artificial intelligence in medicine, researchers are also grappling with how to check the AI systems to protect patient safety. “Risk management is a tricky business,” said Gyorgy Simon, scientific co-director for the University of Minnesota’s clinical AI program. “Treatment models are changing, the population is changing. So a model [from] two years ago that was working perfectly may not be working perfectly today for a particular patient.” (Castillo, 3/15)

In other health care industry developments —

AP: Catholic System Pulls Out Of Connecticut Hospital Merger 
A Catholic-run health care system has withdrawn its application to affiliate with Day Kimball Healthcare, an independent, financially struggling hospital and health care system in northeastern Connecticut. Covenant Health’s decision to terminate its agreement with Day Kimball in Putnam comes weeks before the state’s Office of Health Strategy was scheduled to hold a public hearing on the planned merger. ... The proposed merger had raised concerns among residents and Attorney General William Tong about the fate of reproductive health and other services in the mostly rural region of Connecticut that may be at odds with the Ethical and Religious Directives set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, an issue that has come to light in other states as well. (3/15)

Politico: Health + Hospitals Advances New Strategy To House Homeless Patients 
NYC Health + Hospitals plans to hire an outside organization to help its homeless patients find housing, a $14 million investment that officials said would improve health outcomes and slash costly emergency room visits. The municipal health system has proposed contracting with Coordinated Behavioral Care, a not-for-profit consortium of behavioral health organizations, to work with about 600 unhoused patients annually on finding a permanent home. (Kaufman, 3/14)

Crain's Chicago Business: Outcome Health Fraud Trial: Goldman Sachs Investor Testifies
A Goldman Sachs fund manager knew there was going to be trouble when he read a Wall Street Journal story that accused Outcome Health of overbilling drug companies and misleading them about the effectiveness of their advertising on prescription sales. (Pletz, 3/14)

The CT Mirror: AG Tong: Plaintiffs Have Standing In Hartford HealthCare Antitrust Case
On Monday, Attorney General William Tong’s office urged the court to reject the basis of part of Hartford HealthCare’s argument to dismiss an antitrust case filed against the hospital system. The original proposed class-action lawsuit filed in February 2022 alleged the network uses its market dominance to charge higher prices to the state’s commercially insured residents. (Golvala, 3/14)

Bay Area News Group: Bay Area Health Care Worker Stole Patient's Medical Records, Posted About Her STD On Phony Social Media Page, Hospital Says
A healthcare contractor at an East Bay county hospital stole medical records and used them to impersonate the patient on social media, according to records and hospital officials. The hospital contractor working at Martinez’s Contra Costa Regional Medical Center accessed the patient’s records after she tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease, according to a claim letter an attorney representing the patient sent to the county. (Heimann Mercader, 3/14)

KHN and CBS News: FDA Looks Into Dental Device After KHN-CBS News Investigation Of Patient Harm 
In the wake of a joint investigation by KHN and CBS News into a dental appliance that multiple lawsuits allege caused grievous harm to patients, the FDA has begun looking into the product, the Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or AGGA, according to a former agency official. Additionally, KHN and CBS News have learned that the Las Vegas Institute, a training company that previously taught dentists to use the AGGA, now trains dentists to use another device it has described as “almost exactly the same appliance.” That one is called the Anterior Remodeling Appliance, or ARA. (Kelman and Werner, 3/15)

KHN: Two Counties Square Off With California Over Mental Health Duties 
Sacramento and Solano counties are in a standoff with the state over mental health coverage for a portion of Medicaid patients in those counties — a dispute that threatens to disrupt care for nearly 50,000 low-income residents receiving treatment for severe mental illness. The Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, says Sacramento and Solano counties must take over managing and providing specialty mental health care for thousands of Medi-Cal patients enrolled in Kaiser Permanente plans. It insists on shifting the responsibility because California’s remaining 56 counties already operate this way. State officials argue the switch would simplify the state’s disjointed mental health system and is needed to implement a larger transformation of Medi-Cal, an initiative known as CalAIM. (Hart, 3/15)

Also —

Stat: Report: Change Use Of Race, Ethnicity In Genetics Research
Saying genetics researchers inconsistently and inappropriately use racial and ethnic labels that fail to capture the complex patterns of human genetic variation, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a report Tuesday calling for a transformation in how such descriptors are used. (McFarling, 3/14)

AP: Sanders Signs Arkansas Trans Care Malpractice Bill Into Law 
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed legislation making it easier to sue providers of gender-affirming care for children, a move that could effectively reinstate a blocked ban on such care. Sanders on Monday signed the new law, which won’t take effect until this summer. It would allow anyone who received gender-affirming care as a minor to file a malpractice lawsuit against their doctor for up to 15 years after they turn 18. Under current Arkansas law, medical malpractice claims must be filed within two years of an injury. (DeMillo, 3/14)

AP: Georgia House Panel: Make Transgender-Care Doctors Liable
A Georgia House committee on Tuesday sought to make it easier to sue doctors, and possibly charge them criminally, if they violate a proposed law barring some kinds of gender-affirming care in the state for anyone younger than 18. The House Public Health Committee voted 12-10 along party lines to pass Senate Bill 140, with majority Republicans passing the measure. The bill, which advances to the full House for more debate, would ban most gender-confirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies for people under 18. However, unlike laws adopted in some other states, it would still allow doctors to prescribe medicines to block puberty. (Amy, 3/14)

In other news about transgender health care —

AP: GOP Lawmakers Allow Conversion Therapy For LGBTQ Patients
Republicans who control the Wisconsin Assembly voted Tuesday to continue allowing therapists and others to attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The discredited practice is known as conversion therapy, and Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin have been trying to stop it from being banned. (3/14)

News Service of Florida: A Senate Committee Advances A Bill Restricting Gender-Affirming Care In Florida
Judges could consider parents’ objections to medical treatments such as puberty blockers when modifying or deciding custody agreements for children, under a measure approved Monday by a Senate committee. The bill (SB 254) also would make it a felony for doctors or other health care professionals to order puberty blockers, hormone treatment or surgery for minors. (Kam, 3/14)

AP: Former Kentucky Lawmaker Makes Plea On Gender-Affirming Care 
For years, Jerry Miller was a fixture at legislative hearings in Kentucky, but this time was different: the Republican ex-lawmaker opened up about how his young grandchild could be hurt by a bill to ban access to gender-affirming medical care for those under 18. “This bill condemns vulnerable children to an even more difficult life than they’ve already been born into,” Miller told a Senate committee on Tuesday. “Please don’t let a parent’s right to protect their children be collateral damage in the culture wars.” Despite his emotional pleas, the transgender-related bill was approved by the GOP-led committee, sending it to the full Senate. (Schreiner, 3/14)

AP: Nebraska Lawmaker 3 Weeks Into Filibuster Over Trans Bill 
Both state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh and the conservative Omaha lawmaker who introduced the trans bill, state Sen. Kathleen Kauth, said they’re seeking to protect children. Cavanaugh cited a 2021 survey by the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth, that found that 58% of transgender and nonbinary youth in Nebraska seriously considered suicide in the previous year, and more than 1 in 5 reported that they had attempted it. “This is a bill that attacks trans children,” Cavanaugh said. “It is legislating hate. It is legislating meanness. The children of Nebraska deserve to have somebody stand up and fight for them.” (Beck, 3/14)

Also —

The New York Times: At Wellesley College, Students Vote To Admit Trans Men 
Wellesley College proudly proclaims itself as a place for “women who will make a difference in the world.” It boasts a long line of celebrated alumnae, including Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Nora Ephron. On Tuesday, its students supported a referendum that had polarized the campus and went straight to the heart of Wellesley’s identity as a women’s college. The referendum, which was nonbinding, called for opening admission to all nonbinary and transgender applicants, including trans men. Currently, the college allows admission to anyone who lives and consistently identifies as a woman. (Patel, 3/14)

Axios: California Nondiscrimination Law Linked To More Gender-Affirming Surgeries
A 2013 California law barring insurers from discriminating on the basis of a patient's sex or gender identity, was associated with an increase in gender-affirming surgeries in the state, as well as an expansion of sites and providers offering the care, new research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows. (Dreher, 3/15)

AP: Conn. Woman 1st Non-Vermonter Granted Assisted Suicide Right
Lynda Bluestein has terminal cancer and knows she’ll likely die soon, but until Tuesday, she didn’t know if she’d be able to choose how or when and whether her family, friends and dog would be with her when the time comes. The 75-year-old from Bridgeport, Connecticut, reached a settlement with the state of Vermont that will allow her to be the first non-resident to take advantage of its decade-old law that allows people who are terminally ill to end their own lives, provided she complies with other aspects of the law. (Rathke, 3/14)

AP: Medicaid Agreement In North Carolina Closes In On Passage
The details of a deal reached by North Carolina legislative Republicans to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults received overwhelming initial approval from the state Senate on Tuesday. The 43-2 vote on formal legislation comes less than two weeks after House and Senate leaders unveiled an agreement that could cover 600,000 people who make too much to qualify for conventional Medicaid but not enough to obtain highly subsidized private insurance. (Robertson, 3/14)

Billings Gazette: Lawmakers Vote To Add 12 Months Of Postpartum Coverage To Montana Medicaid
Montana lawmakers on Tuesday took an initial vote to provide 12 months of postpartum health care coverage for people covered by Medicaid. The vote came as part of the House Appropriations committee’s opening work on the state’s $13.4 billion dollar budget, also known as House Bill 2. The committee will spend much of the week moving through state agency budgets, putting their own mark on work done previously this legislative session by budget subcommittees. (Michels, 3/14)

The Boston Globe: New Boston Program To Offer Free Postpartum Support To Parents
A new initiative announced by Mayor Michelle Wu’s office will offer free postpartum education and support to 32 women in the Boston area who have recently given birth or are expecting to give birth soon. The 10-week virtual pilot program, announced Monday, will focus on supporting mothers, particularly Black and Brown women, through the pregnancy and postpartum period. (Mohammed, 3/14)

AP: Kentucky Passes Cancer Testing Mandate For Insurers 
Kentucky lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a bill that would require health insurers to cover “ biomarker tests ” that can help determine the best cancer treatment plans for patients. The bipartisan measure won final passage on Monday, and was hailed as a consequential step in a state long plagued by high rates of cancers. (Schreiner, 3/14)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Tries — Carefully — To Lower Hospital Costs
For years now, Democratic lawmakers have hammered a consistent point when it comes to health care prices: Coloradans are not getting their money’s worth. “We pay too much for too little,” Gov. Jared Polis said at a recent news conference. But this effort to reign in the costs of care, especially when it comes to hospitals, has this year hit a barrier. (Ingold, 3/15)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Delaware County Offers To Mail Free Condoms To Residents To Combat Sexually Transmitted Infections
Aiming to curb the spread of diseases spread by sex, Delaware County is offering a free program that will mail up to 10 condoms directly to residents at their request. Called “Doing Delco Safely,” the program allows residents to choose from options including Trojan brand condoms, non-latex and lubricated varieties and female condoms. (Whelan, 3/14)

FiercePharma: Chasing Pfizer, GSK's 5-in-1 Meningococcal Vaccine Delivers Phase 3 Trial Win
Nearly three years after dosing the first patient in a phase 3 trial, GSK has now reported positive results from the trial of its much-anticipated combination meningitis vaccine. (Becker, 3/15)

CIDRAP: 1-Dose Jynneos Vaccine Effectiveness Against Symptomatic Mpox Estimated At 78% 
Estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of a single dose of the Jynneos attenuated smallpox/mpox vaccine against symptomatic mpox infection was 78% at least 14 days later, according to a study published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 3/14)

Reuters: Veru To Proceed With Late-Stage Study Of COVID Pill Despite FDA Snub 
Drug developer Veru Inc. on Tuesday said it plans to proceed with a late-stage trial of its COVID-19 pill, weeks after the U.S. health regulator declined to authorize the oral drug to treat high-risk patients hospitalized with COVID-19. It will, however, stop the development of the drug as a potential treatment for prostate cancer as part of its strategy to cut costs. Veru plans to continue development of the oral drug, sabizabulin, in late-stage studies with high-risk hospitalized influenza patients and COVID-19 patients. (3/14)

CIDRAP: Botulism Outbreak In Europe Linked To Weight Loss Procedure
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported today that 67 cases of botulism linked to a weight loss procedure have been reported in Turkey and three other European countries. The 67 cases of the neuroparalytic illness have all been linked to intragastric injection of the botulism neurotoxin (BoNT), with 53 cases reported in Turkey, 12 in Germany, and 1 each in Austria and Switzerland. (Dall, 3/14)

CIDRAP: Hospital Survey Highlights Challenges For Infection Control, Antibiotic Stewardship Programs 
A survey of healthcare facilities in the United States and seven other countries found that infection prevention and control (IPC) and antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) interventions requiring staff, time, and specialized training were implemented less frequently in 2021, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. (Dall, MA, 3/14)

Stat: The Second Age Of Psychedelic Therapies For Mental Health
Psychedelics like psilocybin and ketamine are being touted as the next generation of treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. There’s no question that a next generation is needed. But it’s not like flipping a switch: These therapies involve a novel administration paradigm, acceptance by regulatory bodies, and public appreciation of their unique medicinal value. (Greg Mayes, 3/13)

Bloomberg: Pfizer-Seagen Deal Is A Bet On The Future Of Cancer Drugs 
After much ado, Seagen Inc. is finally being acquired — by Pfizer Inc. The $43 billion proposed deal should quell investor calls for Pfizer to do something splashier with its Covid cash, and could put Pfizer into a leadership position in oncology. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/14)

Stat: Clearing The Patent Thicket For Faster Generic Drug Approvals 
Revelations that AbbVie, the manufacturer of Humira, made more than $100 billion in extra profits by abusing the patent system to delay generic competition has spurred efforts by the Biden administration and Congress to limit the length of patent monopolies over prescription drugs. (Alfred Engelberg, 3/10)

Newsweek: Drug Czar Should Be A Cabinet-Level Position 
As a member of the Cabinet, the drug czar would have equal standing with the leaders of other federal departments and agencies. They would be free to call the secretary of state about the international scheduling of drugs or the attorney general about prosecuting drug cartels. (Kevin Sabet and Patrick Kennedy, 3/10)

Dallas Morning News: Our Kids Need All Of Us To Help Protect Against Fentanyl
The photograph will be forever seared into my memory: A teen girl, her T-shirt mottled with blood, lying prone on her bathroom rug. On the child’s dresser just a few feet away, a single crushed-up pill. It’s one thing to hear about a juvenile fentanyl overdose. It’s another to see the aftermath. (Leigha Simonton, 3/9)

The Star Tribune: Drug Price Controls Would Cost Plenty
When it comes to policy debates, any claim that you can have your cake and eat it too should be taken with an extra helping of skepticism. So it is with Rep. Zack Stephenson's and Sen. Kelly Morrison's claim that their bill to impose price controls on prescription drugs "won't reduce patient access to new or existing drugs". (Peter Nelson, 3/13)

Stat: A Biopharma Business Model For Biology's Century 
The productivity of new-drug research and development is poor and getting worse. Many others have noticed this. It’s an important, possibly existential, issue for the biopharma industry. (Brian Finrow, Aleks Engel and Srinivas Akkaraju, 3/15)

Bloomberg: The Worst Covid Strategy Was Not Picking One
Three years after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 to be a pandemic, we finally have reason to celebrate: Global deaths from the virus have dipped below 1,000 people per day for the first time since March 2020. But with almost 7 million dead, we must figure out a way to do better next time. And there will be a next time. (3/15)

USA Today: COVID 3 Years Later: How The Pandemic Turned The World Upside Down
Three years later, with uneven distribution of tests, vaccines and treatments, the world has recorded about 677 million cases of COVID-19 and nearly 7 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. (3/15)

The Star Tribune: I Considered A COVID Lab Leak Plausible, But …
Recent reports that Department of Energy and FBI officials think the COVID-19 pandemic originated with a so-called lab leak appear to have provided all the "evidence" many require. As a scientist who has led or contributed to several peer-reviewed studies that tell a very different story, I've looked on with amazement at the growing divide between what the science shows and what much of the public — and a minority of the intelligence community — believe. (Michael Worobey, 3/14)

Also —

CNN: An Often Overlooked Solution To Prevent Accidental Gun Deaths
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday seeking to increase the number of background checks for gun purchasers. The measure does something else that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: It would promote the secure storage of firearms. (Jamie Gold, 3/14)

Kansas City Star: Kansas, US Can’t Stop Fight Against Alzheimer’s
One in 3 seniors in the U.S. will develop Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. This horrific disease is rapidly claiming the minds and lives of millions and requiring thousands of family members to serve as caregivers for their loved ones. The good news is that finding a cure for Alzheimer’s is achievable, and it must be a national priority. (Jerry Moran, 3/15)

Stat: Chatbots In Health Care Need Help From Humans 
Chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT can hold fun conversations across many topics. But when it comes to providing people with accurate health information, they need help from humans. (Smisha Agarwal and Rose Weeks, 3/15)