General
Scientists Designed a Drug for Just One Patient. Her Name Is Mila.
Gina Kolata, The New York Times
A new drug, created to treat just one patient, has pushed the bounds of personalized medicine and has raised unexplored regulatory and ethical questions, scientists reported on Wednesday.
New York City sues online e-cigarette retailers over age verification
Brendan Pierson, Reuters
New York City has sued more nearly two dozen online e-cigarette retailers, accusing them of selling their products to underage New Yorkers, the city announced Wednesday.
Drugs, depression, discipline problems plague schools where deadly shootings occurred
Nicole Gaudiano, Politico
In the aftermath, Parkland and Santa Fe students abuse drugs, get into fights, cut class and do worse on tests.
Americans now spend twice as much on health care as they did in the 1980s
Megan Leonhardt, CNBC
The average American household spent almost $5,000 per person on health care last year. That’s a 101% increase from the roughly $2,500 per person that Americans spent about 34 years ago in 1984, according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditures Survey by data company Clever.
U.S. Army Is Treating Two Soldiers for Vaping-Related Lung Illness
Ben Kesling and Jennifer Maloney, The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. Army is treating two active-duty soldiers in its medical facilities for vaping-related lung illness, officials said days after most of the military banned e-cigarette sales at base exchanges.
CBS News investigates the THC vaping industry’s booming black market
CBS News
To find out how dangerous and potentially deadly THC vaping products end up on the streets, CBS News took hidden cameras to a warehouse 75 miles east of Los Angeles, where the marijuana black market feels more like a house party.
How Vaping Nicotine Can Affect A Teenage Brain
Jon Hamilton, NPR News
The link between vaping and severe lung problems is getting a lot of attention. But scientists say they’re also worried about vaping’s effect on teenage brains.
Stocks Whipsawed Before Trade Talks; Dollar Slumps: Markets Wrap
Yakob Peterseil, Bloomberg
U.S. equity futures and European stocks fluctuated as a long-anticipated meeting on trade between America and China approached, and after contrasting reports on the talks spurred volatile trading in Asia. Treasuries were steady, while the dollar slumped.
Payers
The Mad Rush to Sell Private Medicare Plans to Seniors
John Tozzi, Bloomberg
Trump backs expanding health-care program that some Democrats would abolish.
Kaiser pledges $2.75 million to research childhood trauma
Steven Ross Johnson, Modern Healthcare
Kaiser Permanente on Wednesday said it will invest $2.75 million to research how to help prevent and mitigate the health effects of adverse childhood experiences.
Providers
California hospital chain going to court over high prices
Jocelyn Gecker, The Associated Press
One of California’s largest hospital systems is facing a trial over accusations that it has used its market dominance to snuff out competition and overcharge patients for medical bills.
HHS carves out Stark law exception for cybersecurity tech
Jessica Kim Cohen, Modern Healthcare
A proposed exception to enforcement of HHS’ anti-kickback laws would allow hospitals to give free cybersecurity software to local providers they work with frequently, as part of an effort to facilitate more coordinated patient care.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
Opioid makers’ latest legal woe: West Virginia handyman
The Associated Press
The handymen at Al Marino Inc. filed the federal class-action suit last week in U.S. District Court against Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and a host of other companies.
After a bespoke therapy rescues a young girl, the FDA considers advance of individualized treatments
Meghana Keshavan, Stat News
Back in 2016, a 6-year-old named Mila was diagnosed with Batten disease, a progressive and incurable genetic syndrome that would brutally strip away her sight and her ability to walk, and would cause dozens of seizures each day. The condition is fatal.
Gene testing firm gets 25-year ban in $42.6 million kickback settlement
Jonathan Stempel, Reuters
A New Orleans-based genetics testing company and its three principals will pay $42.6 million to resolve charges they defrauded the federal government by paying kickbacks for referrals and billing for medically unnecessary tests, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday.
Acting FDA chief inspects two international mail facilities for illicit vaping and opioid products
Berkeley Lovelace Jr., CNBC
The acting head of the Food and Drug Administration inspected two international mail centers this week to examine U.S. efforts to seize foreign shipments of illicit vaping products, fentanyl and other drugs, the agency said Tuesday.
Alaska doctor, nurse charged with vast opioid distribution
The Associated Press
An Alaska doctor and nurse practitioner face federal charges of illegally distributing millions of opioid doses to patients that resulted in addiction, overdoses and deaths, officials said.
After A Life Of Painful Sickle Cell Disease, A Patient Hopes Gene-Editing Can Help
Rob Stein, NPR News
Gray, who has sickle cell disease, is the first patient with a genetic disorder who doctors in the United States have tried to treat using the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR.
Not only who but what: NIH funding disparity between black and white scientists partly driven by research topic
Shraddha Chakradhar, Stat News
Ever since a landmark 2011 study supported the long-held notion that African American scientists were significantly less likely than white researchers to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health, researchers have sought to better understand what’s behind the gap.
Health IT
1.5 million patients’ data exposed in September-reported healthcare breaches
Jessica Kim Cohen, Modern Healthcare
Nearly 1.5 million people had data exposed in healthcare breaches reported to the federal government last month.
A Message From Better Medicare Alliance:
Congress: Co-sponsor H.R. 1398 and S. 172 and talk to leadership to stop the Health Insurance Tax on seniors. In previous years, Congress has recognized the serious consequences of reinstating the Health Insurance Tax and has suspended it from going into effect. Allowing the tax to return would impact seniors who rely on Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage keeps costs low, provides additional benefits and protects seniors. Click here to learn more.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
A Rare Win for Patients and the System: Addressing America’s Bone Health Crisis
Elizabeth Thompson, Morning Consult
There is a daily debate in Washington about how to lower U.S. health care costs that often pits increasing patient access against lowering costs to our health care system.
Research Reports
Medicines in Development for Mental Illness 2019 Report
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Biopharmaceutical research companies are developing 138 medicines to treat mental illness.
Value-Based and Outcomes-Based Healthcare: Transitioning to the Future of Care
Stephen Majors, DuckerFrontier
‘Value-based care’ has become a prominent focus in the US healthcare system – and indeed across many countries. Value-based care now accounts for about 50% of all healthcare payments in the US, but value-based contracting that involves pharmaceuticals and medical technology is just a fraction of that.
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