• U.S. states say they are owed $2.2 trillion from Purdue Pharma LP for its alleged role in marketing prescription painkillers such as OxyContin to doctors and patients while downplaying the drugs’ risks of abuse and overdose that contributed to thousands of deaths, according to filings in the drugmaker’s bankruptcy filings. California’s and New York’s claims total more than $192 billion and $165 billion, respectively, and Purdue said in response to state claims that it continues to work toward resolving litigation and that it is common for claims to be “filed in amounts substantially larger than what is ultimately allowed by the court.” (Reuters)

• The states are also seeking a settlement with Johnson & Johnson and drug distributors McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc. to the tune of $26.4 billion for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis, according to people familiar with the matter. Talks concerning settlements with the four companies have been ongoing for a year but have halted during the coronavirus pandemic. (The Wall Street Journal)

• U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block halted the Health and Human Services Department’s rollback of Obama-era anti-discrimination protections for transgender patients a day before the change was scheduled to take effect. Block based his decision on a Supreme Court ruling in June that upheld civil rights protections for employees based on gender identity and sexual orientation, and he questioned the department’s intent to continue pursuing its rollback following the ruling. (Politico)

• The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about Thermo Fisher Scientific’s TaqPath COVID-19 test, stating that potential accuracy issues linked to laboratory equipment and software used to run the test could result in false results for patients. A Thermo Fisher spokeswoman said the company is working with the agency to make sure that laboratory staff “understand the need for strict adherence to the instructions for use.” (The Associated Press)

Workplace coronavirus outbreaks disproportionately affecting nonwhite workers: CDC
Jessie Hellmann, The Hill

Outbreaks of COVID-19 in workplaces are disproportionately impacting Hispanic and Latino workers, especially those employed in the manufacturing, wholesale trade and construction industries, according to an analysis released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

What if ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Closer Than Scientists Thought?
Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times

To achieve so-called herd immunity — the point at which the virus can no longer spread widely because there are not enough vulnerable humans — scientists have suggested that perhaps 70 percent of a given population must be immune, through vaccination or because they survived the infection. Now some researchers are wrestling with a hopeful possibility.

Mink at two Utah farms test positive for COVID-19
Trisha Roy, Reuters

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Monday that mink at two farms in Utah tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the first such confirmed cases in the animal in the country. People who had contact with the animals have also tested positive for the virus, which causes COVID-19 in humans, the agency said.

A Novel Way to Combat Covid-19 in Nursing Homes: Strike Teams
Hannah Critchfield, The New York Times

Covid strike teams apply an emergency response model traditionally used in natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires to combating outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Composed of about eight to 10 members from local emergency management departments, health departments, nonprofit organizations, private businesses — and at times, the National Guard — the teams are designed to bring more resources and personnel to a disaster scene.

‘Are you doing OK?’: On the ground with NYC contact tracers
Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press

Comparing U.S. state and city contact tracing programs is difficult because they vary widely in what they release, but some public health scholars say the numbers that New York reports are promising. Still, some outside experts suggest New York should get more from the initiative.

Insurers see pooled COVID-19 test samples as a potential coverage loophole
Rachel Cohrs, Modern Healthcare

Trump administration officials have hailed pooling COVID-19 testing samples as a way to increase testing capacity while conserving supplies, but at least one insurer tried to exempt themselves from paying for any sort of pooled testing under a standard set in guidance from the Trump administration.

AHA bounces back in 2019 after loss in 2018
Tara Bannow, Modern Healthcare

The American Hospital Association regained its financial footing in 2019 after an expensive retirement plan change and investment slump resulted in a loss the previous year.

Study: Black newborns more likely to survive when cared for by Black doctors
Justine Coleman, The Hill

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that Black babies were three times more likely to die in the hospital than white newborns when cared for by white doctors. When Black doctors cared for Black babies, the mortality rate was cut in half.

Coronavirus Doctors Battle Another Scourge: Misinformation
Adam Satariano, The New York Times

An emergency room doctor in Illinois was accused in April of profiting from naming coronavirus as the cause of a patient’s death, a rumor spreading online. An internist in New York treated a vomiting patient in May who drank a bleach mixture as part of a fake virus cure found on YouTube.

U.S. court upholds patent for Novartis MS drug Gilenya
Silke Koltrowitz, Reuters

A U.S. district court upheld the validity of a patent for Swiss drugmaker Novartis’ top-selling multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Gilenya, helping Novartis protect its blockbuster MS treatment from U.S. competition.

Walgreens Braces for Record Flu-Shot Season as Covid Amps Demand
Angelica LaVito, Bloomberg

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. is bracing for a surge in demand for flu shots this season as pharmacies and health officials urge people to get vaccinated amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Federal Study of Covid Treatments Enters a New Phase
Gina Kolata, The New York Times

A large federal study that found an antiviral drug, remdesivir, can hasten the recovery in hospitalized Covid-19 patients, has begun a new phase of investigation. Now it will examine whether adding another drug, beta interferon — which mainly kills viruses but can also tame inflammation — would improve remdesivir’s effects and speed recovery even more.

Opioid prescriptions written for Medicare Part D beneficiaries continues to drop
Ed Silverman, Stat News

Amid an ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S., a new federal government report finds that efforts to revise prescribing practices and provide treatments for people who have abused opioids continue to make progress, but also warned serious concerns remain and Covid-19 may complicate the picture.

Unity Biotechnology fails early test, raising doubts its ability to develop drugs to reverse aging symptoms
Adam Feuerstein, Stat News

Unity Biotechnology said Monday that its experimental treatment for osteoarthritis failed to improve knee pain compared to a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial.

How Teladoc won: The inside story of how well-timed bets propelled it ahead of the competition
Rebecca Robbins and Erin Brodwin, Stat News

The unquestioned leader in a virtual care sector that has surged in the Covid-19 era, Teladoc has a relationship with more than one-fifth of the U.S. population. The telemedicine provider’s planned acquisition of diabetes coaching company Livongo is poised to make it even more of a juggernaut: The two companies had a combined market capitalization of nearly $30 billion as of the end of the day on Monday.

‘Rebate Rule 2.0’ Rejects New Ideas to Lower Drug Costs in Favor of Failed Reruns
Allyson Y. Schwartz, Morning Consult

As drug costs increase, health care stakeholders in other sectors are seeking ways to contain expenditures. Top of mind are Medicare Advantage plans that work hard to get discounts from drug manufacturers and then pass along the savings in the form of lower premiums for Medicare Advantage Part D (MA-PD) coverage – which covers all benefits, including drugs – to consumers.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities Among COVID-19 Cases in Workplace Outbreaks by Industry Sector — Utah, March 6–June 5, 2020
David P. Bui et al., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

During March 6–June 5, 2020, workplace outbreaks occurred in 15 Utah industry sectors; 58% of workplace outbreak-associated COVID-19 cases were in three sectors: Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade, and Construction. Despite representing 24% of Utah workers in all affected sectors, Hispanic and nonwhite workers accounted for 73% of workplace outbreak-associated COVID-19 cases.

Physician–patient racial concordance and disparities in birthing mortality for newborns
Brad N. Greenwood et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Findings suggest that when Black newborns are cared for by Black physicians, the mortality penalty they suffer, as compared with White infants, is halved. Strikingly, these effects appear to manifest more strongly in more complicated cases, and when hospitals deliver more Black newborns.

HHS Chief Information Officer Arrieta resigns
Michael Brady, Modern Healthcare

HHS Chief Information Officer José Arrieta resigned Friday after 16 months on the job, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his children.