Latest KFF Health News Stories
In Romaine Lettuce E-Coli Outbreak, Four More States Report Ilnesses
Florida, Minnesota, North Dakota and Texas are among the 29 states reporting at least one case, but it’s unclear if new illnesses are still occurring because there’s a lag time in the reporting.
The Virus That’s Been Plaguing Humans Since The Bronze Age
Researchers have recovered DNA from the oldest viruses known to have infected humans. The discovery may provide clues to the continuing evolution of hepatitis B, a disease that infects an estimated 257 million people worldwide. In other public health news: breast-feeding, medical devices, pregnancy and labor, assisted suicide, and Ebola.
You Could Be Exposed To Third-Hand Smoke Even In Places That Haven’t Allowed Cigarettes In Decades
Tobacco residue can cling to surfaces and then move around the room. Research on the health effects of third-hand smoke suggests it could be harmful, but data remains scarce and mostly limited to studies involving mice.
Zika Screening Test With $137M Price Tag Only Detected 8 Units Of Infected Donated Blood
The current policy requires the Red Cross and other blood suppliers to test each donation they receive individually, which accounts for the high cost, and the blood system operators would like to be able to dial back that screening.
Gabapentin was involved in more than a third of Kentucky overdose deaths last year. The pills enhance the euphoric effects of heroin and when taken alone in high doses can produce a marijuana-like high. In other news on the crisis: the judge overseeing a massive combined lawsuit against drugmakers plans to hold a brief open-court session; the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved 25 opioid-related bills; and more.
Those who could be affected by the Medicaid cuts include about 19,000 people who live in nursing homes. Meanwhile, a proposed federal bill would allow the government to fine drugmakers for providing incorrect information to Medicaid.
Different Insurers Are Paying Hospitals Widely Varying Prices For The Same Procedures
The findings shine a light on the back-end negotiations and contracts between dominant hospitals and insurers. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Alex Azar promises to make value-based care models easier to sustain, and an alliance is trying to combat the trend of hospitals buying up doctors’ practices.
Gilead Delayed Development Of Safer HIV Drug To Profit Off Monopoly, Lawsuit Claims
The lawsuit says that HIV patients suffered from as many as 10 years of “additional accumulated kidney and bone toxicity” while using the drug tenofovir as the company kept the less-toxic version on a shelf in its lab.
FDA Seeks Court Orders To Stop Firms From Providing Unproven Stem Cell Treatments
The lawsuits target Stem Cell Treatment Center, with two locations in Southern California, and U.S. Stem Cell Clinic of Sunrise, Fla. The clinics remove fat from patients’ bellies by liposuction and then inject an extract of it into various parts of the body like knees or the spinal cord.
Novartis Paid $1.2M To Trump’s Lawyer In Effort To Get Foot Into President’s Inner Circle
According to an insider, though, the pharmaceutical company was disappointed with what Michael Cohen could offer. Cohen’s business activities have been under investigation by both special counsel Robert Mueller and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Trump Expected To Target Foreign Governments’ ‘Free-Loading’ In Speech On Drug Prices
President Donald Trump is also expected to go after pharmacy benefit managers, saying PBMs profit from rebates paid by drug companies but do not share much of the savings with patients. The twice-delayed speech is now scheduled for Friday.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Perspectives: Valeant May Be Ditching Its Name, But It Can’t Outrun Its Past Misdeeds
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets repot on news from Colorado, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, Arizona, Washington and Virginia.
Thousands of University of California workers were joined in sympathy strikes by the California Nurses Association and the University Professional & Technical Employees.
Precision Medicine Could Help Narrow Down Treatment For Depression, But It Will Be Tricky
Researchers want to use precision medicine to try to tackle depression in the way they use it to fight other diseases, but a lot of hurdles remain. “It remains to be shown that depression coalesces into neat subcategories, as opposed to being a fuzzy set,” said Dr. Steven Hyman, of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. In other public health news: crowdfunding scams, artificial intelligence, healthy sperm, back pain, and brain fluid leaks.
Previously, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said that for men aged 55 to 69, the cons outweighed any net benefits of screening. But researchers have found that testing for the prostate-specific antigen can save lives.
Thousands Of Nursing Home Residents Face Eviction Due To Louisiana’s Cuts To Medicaid Funding
In addition, the cuts could force nursing homes to close, leaving more than 25,000 people unemployed. Medicaid news comes out of Illinois, Nevada and Missouri, as well.
