Pharma and Tech: June 29, 2023

The DEA Relaxed Online Prescribing Rules During Covid. Now It Wants to Rein Them In.
By Arielle Zionts Supporters say the proposed rules would balance the goals of increasing access to health care and helping prevent medication misuse. Opponents say the rules would make it difficult for some patients — especially those in rural areas — to get care.

Drugmakers Are Abandoning Cheap Generics, and Now US Cancer Patients Can’t Get Meds
By Arthur Allen A quality-control crisis at an Indian pharmaceutical factory has left doctors and their patients with impossible choices as cheap, effective, generic cancer drugs go out of stock.

Tech Luminaries Give RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Message a Boost
By Darius Tahir The views of the leader of a broad anti-vaccine movement who is now running for president are unchallenged in public forums run by several prominent Silicon Valley figures.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact
The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. government’s borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance program’s new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.

How the Mixed Messaging of Vaccine Skeptics Sows Seeds of Doubt
By Darius Tahir Some GOP members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have two-stepped around vaccine skepticism, proclaiming themselves to be pro-vaccine while also validating the beliefs of people who oppose vaccine mandates. The result could have serious public health consequences.

California Confronts the Threat of ‘Tranq’ as Overdose Crisis Rages
By Brian Rinker California officials are stepping up efforts to combat the spread of xylazine, a powerful animal sedative that’s increasingly being used by people, often with devastating results. It’s mostly been an East Coast phenomenon, but ‘tranq,’ as it is known, is beginning to appear in the Golden State.

Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There’s No One-and-Done Solution.
By Bernard J. Wolfson Drug use has become a major public health crisis, but effective treatment remains hard to find. It does exist though. Columnist Bernard J. Wolfson offers advice on finding help and says not to expect a quick solution.

What One Hospital’s Slow Recovery From a Cyberattack Means for Patients
By Farah Yousry, Side Effects Public Media U.S. hospitals have seen a record number of cyberattacks over the past few years. Getting hacked can cost a hospital millions of dollars, expose patient data, and even jeopardize patient care.

Opioid Settlement Payouts to Localities Made Public for First Time
By Aneri Pattani KFF Health News obtained documents showing the exact dollar amounts — down to the cent — that local governments have been allocated in 2022 and 2023 to battle the ongoing opioid crisis.

Localize This: Public Reporting of Opioid Settlement Cash
By Aneri Pattani KFF Health News’ recent investigation offers a great opportunity for reporters to investigate an important issue of government accountability from a state or local angle.

Find Out How Much Opioid Settlement Cash Your Locality Received
By Aneri Pattani You can use documents obtained by KFF Health News to see the exact dollar amounts that local governments in your state have been allocated in 2022 and 2023.

Doctor Lands in the Doghouse After Giving Covid Vaccine Waivers Too Freely
By Brett Kelman Richard Coble issued vaccine waivers to patients in at least three states without examining them. He was exposed by a Nashville TV station that bought a waiver for a Labrador retriever named Charlie.

What You Need to Know About the Opioid Settlement Funds
By Aneri Pattani and Hannah Norman and Oona Zenda States and localities are receiving more than $54 billion over nearly two decades.

E-Cigs Are Still Flooding the US, Addicting Teens With Higher Nicotine Doses
By Liz Szabo The FDA, Justice Department, and White House have failed to act as vapes with kid-friendly flavors like cotton candy or gummy bears proliferate.