• The United States’ lack of disaster preparedness and effective coordination exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic and revealed a “collective national incompetence in governance,” according to a report from a coalition of crisis experts and federal advisers called the COVID Crisis Group. The group, which is not federally established but mirrors the 9/11 Commission, praised efforts including Operation Warp Speed, but pointed to inefficiencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s lack of authority over public health systems across the country, preventing the agency from performing tasks like collecting data without signed agreements with local jurisdictions. (Axios)
• Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Select Coronavirus Pandemic Subcommittee, asked Qin Gang, China’s U.S. ambassador, for the Chinese government to make scientists and military officials available to testify during the committee’s investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized China’s embassy for interfering with the investigation, according to a letter obtained by The Hill. (The Hill) Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee launched an investigation into the National Institutes of Health for spending nearly $1 billion over the past five years on public relations contracts, including $300 million on a COVID-19 public health campaign. (Bloomberg Law)
• Centene Corp.’s first-quarter revenue grew by about $1.7 billion year over year to $38.9 billion, and profits rose by roughly $250 million to $1.1 billion compared to the year-ago period, fueled by membership growth for both individual marketplace plans and Medicaid. (Fierce Healthcare) Meanwhile, Novartis AG’s first-quarter group sales grew by 3% year over year to $12.95 billion, beating analyst expectations. (Reuters)
• North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed into law a near-total ban on abortion with minimal exceptions in instances of rape, incest or medical emergency for up to six weeks of pregnancy, one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. Burgum said in a statement that the bill “reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state.” (The Associated Press)

Worth watching today:

• Tenet Healthcare Corp. reports its first-quarter earnings results.

A Proposed Public Option Plan to Increase Competition and Lower Health Insurance Premiums in California

The Commonwealth Fund

Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong

David Wallace-Wells, The New York Times Magazine

It was, perhaps, an impossible job. Make one man the face of public health amid an unprecedented pandemic, in a country as fractious as the United States, and there were bound to be disappointments and frustrations, and they were bound to get personal.

 

Florida surgeon general altered key findings in study on Covid-19 vaccine safety

Arek Sarkissian, Politico

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo personally altered a state-driven study about Covid-19 vaccines last year to suggest that some doses pose a significantly higher health risk for young men than had been established by the broader medical community, according to a newly obtained document.

 

Biden administration organizes first Nationwide Vaccination Day targeting Black communities

Joseph Choi, The Hill

The event was part of the White House’s broader “We Can Do This” COVID-19 Vaccine Public Education Campaign. Community organizations like the Black Nurse Collaborative, Top Ladies of Distinction, and 100 Black Men of America partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide free vaccinations to community members.

Abortion policies could make the Republican Party’s ‘suburban women problem’ worse

Ashley Lopez, NPR News

With the Supreme Court weighing in on abortion — again — voters are once again contending with which party best represents their views on the issue.

 

Pence says ending abortion ‘more important than politics’

Lauren Sforza, The Hill

Pence has been outspoken about his anti-abortion views for years and has voiced his opposition to the abortion pill, mifepristone, saying on Sunday that “I’d like to see this medication off the market to protect the unborn.”

 

Lawyers suggest a way around abortion pill restrictions but doctors may be afraid to try it

Alice Mirand Ollstein, Politico

Some legal experts have argued that doctors can circumvent a key piece of the restrictions lower courts may impose by prescribing the pill off label. But physicians say it’s not that simple, and focusing on that technicality misses the larger peril facing doctors who help patients have an abortion.

 

WHO fires doctor after findings of sexual misconduct

Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press

The World Health Organization says it has fired one of its doctors who faced allegations, first reported by The Associated Press, that he had repeatedly engaged in sexual misconduct.

 

Bill to combat youth fentanyl crisis to be introduced after multiple teens overdose in a Texas school district

Daniella Silva, NBC News

The Substance Use Disorder Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Act will be proposed by Sen. John Cornyn after a rash of youth overdoses in Carrollton, Texas.

 

Lyme disease vaccine could be coming soon

Tina Reed, Axios

More than two decades after a promising vaccine for Lyme disease was pulled from the market, more tools to protect against the tick-borne illness —including a new shot — are on the horizon.

 

WHO, Gates Foundation seek to reverse falling childhood vaccination rates

Nandhini Srinivasan and Sriparna Roy, Reuters

The World Health Organization is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other not-for profit organizations and agencies to reverse a pandemic-driven decline in routine childhood vaccinations.

 

‘There’s a huge fatphobia problem in the eating disorder world’: Even in treatment, weight stigma fails patients

Theresa Gaffney, Stat News

People with larger bodies who struggle with eating disorders frequently face bias from the people who are supposed to help them, according to experts.

 

Can Africa Get Close to Vaccine Independence? Here’s What It Will Take.

Stephanie Nolen, The New York Times

Leaders on the continent have vowed that if there is another pandemic, they won’t be shut out of the vaccine market.

Depressed? Anxious? Air Pollution May Be a Factor

Jim Robbins, KFF Health News

A growing body of research is finding links between air quality and mental health, as therapists report seeing patients with symptoms linked to pollution.

 

Did a Military Lab Spill Anthrax Into Public Waterways? New Book Reveals Details of a US Leak

Alison Young, KFF Health News

“Pandora’s Gamble” describes how 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of wastewater potentially containing anthrax, Ebola, and other deadly pathogens spilled from an Army facility in Frederick, Maryland, in 2018.

 

Idaho Abortion Travel Advice Ban Letter Draws Judge’s Skepticism

Mary Anne Pazanowski, Bloomberg Law

Abortion providers and Idaho’s top attorney squared off in federal court Monday over an opinion letter that says the state can prosecute doctors who provide travel advice or assistance to patients.

 

ACLU sues to block Missouri rule on transgender health care

Heather Hollingsworth and Summer Ballentine, The Associated Press

The Missouri ACLU on Monday sued to block new state restrictions on both adults and children seeking gender-affirming health care, which are set to kick in Thursday.

 

Maryland pushes first-of-its-kind bill to promote alternatives to animals in biomedical research

Ed Silverman, Stat News

Earlier this month, the legislature passed a bill that does not prohibit the use of animals such as monkeys or dogs in research, but would require universities and companies that do so in the state to contribute to a new fund. A state agency would then issue grants from that fund for alternate forms of research, such as cell-based assays, organs-on-a-chip, and computer models.

 

New Washington law makes medically assisted death easier to access

Melissa Santos, Axios

A measure Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law earlier this month will cut down the wait time between when patients first ask for life-ending medication and when they can receive it.

Health spending rebounded in 2021 after pandemic-driven declines: HCCI

Paige Minemyer, Fierce Healthcare

The group released its annual look at cost and utilization trends last week, which found the average health spending for people with employer-sponsored coverage reached $6,457, up 15% from the 2020 average of $5,630. Spending declined by 4% in 2020 as utilization decreased, the researchers said.

 

AHIP ad campaign: Big Pharma continues ‘deceive and divert attention’ on drug prices

Paige Minemyer, Fierce Healthcare

The insurance lobbying group kicked off a new ad campaign, which will “broadcast, social media, and direct placements in targeted outlets in Washington, D.C.” The group said the goal is to expose pharmaceutical companies’ role in high drug costs, saying they deflect blame for their role onto other areas of the health system.

 

Home care industry touts bipartisan bill to expand Medicare in-home benefits, reimbursement

Dave Muoio, Fierce Healthcare

Healthcare providers and tech companies with a stake in home health have coalesced around bipartisan legislation introduced last week that would shift care away from the hospital to patients’ living rooms and bedrooms.

Hospitals, Doctors Face Off Over FTC’s Proposed Noncompete Ban

Dan Papscun, Bloomberg Law

Hospitals and physicians crowded the FTC’s inbox with calls for the agency to consider the industry’s unique features and doctor-patient relationships as it looks to potentially ban employer-imposed noncompete agreements.

 

State Department cap on EB-3 visas limits international relief for nursing shortage

Dave Muoio, Fierce Healthcare

International nurses hoping to apply for a green card to work in the U.S. will likely have to wait until 2025 before they can make the move due to a recently imposed cap on new EB-3 visa petition filings, advocates and immigration law experts warn.

 

A California Physician Training Program Adds Diversity, but Where Do Graduates End Up?

Stephanie Stephens, KFF Health News

Researchers found that, while a University of California medical training program has diversified the system’s pool of medical students, there’s not enough long-term data to know whether graduates return to practice where they’re needed most.

 

“This really hit hard”: Pennsylvania hospital shutdown strains health care delivery, first responders say

Jonathan Lapook et al., CBS News

Pennsylvania’s Health Department shut down the hospital after learning the facility was inadequately staffed by its owner, Prospect Medical Holdings. The Los Angeles-based company has been one focus of an ongoing CBS News investigation into the role played by private equity in the collapse of hospitals serving some of America’s most vulnerable residents.

Cancer victims urge US judge to dismiss J&J talc unit second bankruptcy

Dietrich Knauth, Reuters

Cancer victims on Monday urged a U.S. judge to dismiss a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary’s second bankruptcy filing, saying the company is abusing the bankruptcy system in its renewed attempt to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that J&J’s baby powder and other talc products caused cancer.

 

After delay, Bluebird submits sickle cell gene therapy for FDA approval

Christopher Newman, BioPharma Dive

The Massachusetts-based drugmaker missed its goal to submit an application by the end of March, allowing Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics to jump ahead with an approval application for a competing therapy.

 

Johnson & Johnson to price shares of consumer spinoff Kenvue at $20 to $23 in IPO

Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC

Johnson & Johnson will price shares of its consumer-health spinoff Kenvue at $20 to $23 in an initial public offering later this year, the company said in a regulatory filing Monday.

 

A ‘blistering’ start to M&A in 2023 stokes hopes of a market rebound, as insiders predict a surge in deals

Andrew Dunn, Endpoints News

Big drugmakers have started 2023 with their checkbooks out, signing several multibillion-dollar takeovers in what some industry insiders see as the start of an M&A surge focused on snagging blockbuster drugs.

 

Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease — and treatments remain underfunded

Karissa Waddick, PharmaVoice

Two decades after the Human Genome Project, scientists are on the brink of uncovering its full potential for drug development.

 

European pharma overhaul draft is coming Wednesday: Here’s what’s expected

Zachary Brennan, Endpoints News

The European Commission on Wednesday is expected to release a draft version of its legislative overhaul for the pharma industry, with key new proposals around compulsory licensing and reduced patent protection that industry groups warn could further erode R&D investments on the continent.

 

Ionis, AstraZeneca’s polyneuropathy med improved patients’ quality of life in phase 3, teeing up battle with Alnylam

Max Bayer, Fierce Biotech

Ionis and AstraZeneca are finally cracking open the hood to phase 3 data of eplontersen, a burgeoning competitor to Alnylam’s ATTR polyneuropathy franchise.

 

Philips says revenue rises 6%, sees €575M in recall-related legal costs

Susan Kelly, MedTech Dive

CEO Roy Jakobs expressed confidence in the company’s outlook for the year ahead and said setting aside the funds to resolve a U.S. class action lawsuit was “an important step in addressing the litigation related to the recall.”

AppliedVR’s latest partnership expands covered access to VR therapeutics for veterans, active military

Heather Landi, Fierce Healthcare

AppliedVR is partnering with a government services provider to expand covered access to its virtual reality-based therapy through federal healthcare systems including the Veterans Health Administration and Indian Health Services.