Pharma&Tech 092321

Public Health Experts ‘Flabbergasted’ That Biden Still Hasn’t Picked an FDA Chief
By Rachana Pradhan The Food and Drug Administration has been mired in controversies related to drug approvals and covid vaccines, all without a permanent leader.

Congress Cites KHN Investigation in Probe of National Academies
By Christina Jewett and JoNel Aleccia The House oversight committee is requesting conflict-of-interest disclosure forms from a National Academies committee studying organ transplants. KHN previously reported on apparent conflicts among members of a committee studying drug waste. 

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Much Ado About Drug Prices
Democrats have hit a snag in their effort to compile a $3.5 trillion social-spending bill this fall — moderates are resisting support for Medicare drug price negotiation provisions that would pay for many of the measure’s health benefit improvements. Meanwhile, the new abortion restrictions in Texas have moved the divisive issue back to the political front burner. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interview’s KHN’s Phil Galewitz about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment, about two similar jaw surgeries with very different price tags.

From Uber Rides to Patient Advocates: What It Takes to Increase ER Addiction Treatment
By Aneri Pattani Despite widespread consensus on the importance of addiction treatment in the ER, many hospitals fail to screen for substance use, offer medications to treat opioid use disorder or connect patients to follow-up care. But some are working to change that.

These Governors Push Experimental Antibody Therapy — But Shun Vaccine and Mask Mandates
By JoNel Aleccia Governors in Southern states, amid a surge of delta-variant infections, are rushing to provide an experimental antibody cocktail therapy, even as they oppose measures like mask mandates and vaccine passports that health officials say can prevent infection in the first place.

‘We Sent a Terrible Message’: Scientists Say Biden Jumped the Gun With Vaccine Booster Plan
By Rachana Pradhan Many experts say the evidence doesn’t justify widespread booster shots for adults.

Will ‘Dr. Disinformation’ Ever Face the Music?
By Victoria Knight Some of the top spreaders of spurious covid-19 and vaccine information are physicians with active medical licenses. Are medical oversight boards ready to step up to stop them?

Ask KHN-PolitiFact: Is My Cloth Mask Good Enough to Face the Delta Variant?
By Amanda Michelle Gomez Public health experts increasingly urge people to upgrade to surgical masks, but also maintain that cloth masks still offer protection.

Scientists Examine Kids’ Unique Immune Systems as More Fall Victim to Covid
By Liz Szabo Doctors are trying to figure out why some kids become much sicker than others and, in rare cases, don’t survive.

Covid-Overwhelmed Hospitals Postpone Cancer Care and Other Treatment
By Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio Patients with advanced cancer and heart disease are among those who have had to have surgeries and other treatments delayed and rescheduled as a high number of critically ill, unvaccinated covid patients strain the medical system.

How Fauci and the NIH Got Ahead of the FDA and CDC in Backing Boosters
By Sarah Jane Tribble and Arthur Allen With real-time data streaming in from highly specialized researchers in the U.S. and abroad, NIH scientists became convinced that boosting the covid-19 vaccine was needed to save lives, prompting the president to announce a plan with a Sept. 20 start date. Scientists at the regulatory agencies weren’t yet convinced. A meeting Friday will determine what happens next. Here’s the story from behind the scenes.

Justice Department Targets Data Mining in Medicare Advantage Fraud Case
By Fred Schulte The feds’ civil suit links exaggerated patient bills to “tens of millions” in overcharges.

Why At-Home Rapid Covid Tests Cost So Much, Even After Biden’s Push for Lower Prices
By Hannah Norman Germans pay less than $1 per test. Brits get them free. Why do Americans pay so much more? Because companies can still demand it.

Journalists Explain Ramifications of Theranos Trial and Texas’ New Abortion Law
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

ECMO Life Support Is a Last Resort for Covid, and in Short Supply in South
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio Many more people could benefit from the lifesaving treatment than are receiving it, which has made for messy triaging as the delta variant surges across the South and in rural communities with low covid vaccination rates.

Even in Red States, Colleges Gravitate to Requiring Vaccines and Masks
By Michelle Andrews As students return to campus, schools across the country are taking steps to enforce public health advice to keep people safe from covid. In deeply conservative South Carolina when elected officials tried to stop that, a professor took on the establishment and won.

‘Religious’ Exemptions Add Legal Thorns to Looming Vaccine Mandates
By Mark Kreidler No major religion’s teachings denounce vaccination, but that hasn’t kept individual churches and others from providing religious “cover” for people to avoid submitting to vaccination as a workplace requirement.

Florida Spine Surgeon and Device Company Owner Charged in Kickback Scheme
By Fred Schulte Dr. Kingsley R. Chin and SpineFrontier were the subject of a recent KHN “Spinal Tap” investigation.

Listen: Many Schools Are Buying High-Tech Air Purifiers. What Should Parents Know?
Studies have shown that better ventilation and air circulation can greatly reduce covid-19 transmission. But rather than stocking up on HEPA filters, some school districts are turning to high-tech air purification strategies.

The Pandemic Almost Killed Allie. Her Community’s Vaccination Rate Is 45%.
By Sarah Varney As the delta variant overtakes Mississippi and other undervaccinated parts of the country, one 13-year-old girl’s experience with covid and MIS-C shows a community’s reluctance to embrace public health precautions and continued vulnerability to the pandemic.

V-Safe: How Everyday People Help the CDC Track Covid Vaccine Safety With Their Phones
By Amanda Michelle Gomez V-safe is a new safety monitoring system that lets anyone who has been vaccinated against covid-19 report possible side effects directly to federal health officials. Experts believe the smartphone tool has so far helped demonstrate the vaccines are safe.

Telemedicine Abortions Offer Cheaper Options but May Also Undermine Critical Clinics
By Amy Littlefield A change in FDA rules during the pandemic has let women receive the drugs needed for a medical abortion by mail after a telemedicine appointment. While some abortion rights advocates hail the move, others note that these services, which are often cheaper than going to a clinic, could siphon away patients needed to keep those brick-and-mortar facilities operating.

Lack of a Vaccine Mandate Becomes Competitive Advantage in Hospital Staffing Wars
By Lauren Weber After months of burnout from the pandemic, hospitals are scrambling to fill nursing and other jobs. Some administrators, particularly in rural areas, are afraid to implement vaccine mandates that alienate their short-handed staffs.

Telehealth’s Limits: Battle Over State Lines and Licensing Threatens Patients’ Options
By Julie Appleby Televisits took off during the worst days of the pandemic, but states are now rolling back the temporary rules that facilitated them. That’s adding fuel to debates about states’ authority over medical licensing.