First Edition: August 16, 2018
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Energy-Hog Hospitals: When They Start Thinking Green, They See Green
Hospitals are energy hogs. With their 24/7 lighting, heating and water needs, they use up to five times more energy than a fancy hotel. Executives at some systems view their facilities like hotel managers, adding amenities, upscale new lobbies and larger parking garages in an effort to attract patients and increase revenue. But some hospitals are revamping with a different goal in mind: becoming more energy-efficient, which can also boost the bottom line. (Appleby, 8/16)
Kaiser Health News:
Financial Ties That Bind: Studies Often Fall Short On Conflict-Of-Interest Disclosures
Papers in medical journals go through rigorous peer review and meticulous data analysis. Yet many of these articles are missing a key piece of information: the financial ties of the authors. Nearly two-thirds of the 100 physicians who rake in the most money from 10 device manufacturers failed to disclose a conflict of interest in their academic writing in 2016, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Surgery. (Bluth, 8/15)
California Healthline:
Voters To Settle Dispute Over Ambulance Employee Break Times
If private-ambulance workers take a break from work, even for 10 minutes, it can mean the difference between life and death. So, they routinely accept emergency calls during their meal and rest breaks — just as firefighters, policemen and other public emergency workers do. But labor laws guarantee most California workers uninterrupted breaks, and multiple lawsuits are challenging whether private ambulance companies have the right to interrupt their employees’ breaks. (Matthews, 8/15)
The Associated Press:
Senate Study Faults Government Care Of Migrant Children
The government has made only incremental improvements to its troubled efforts to care for thousands of migrant children detained entering the U.S. without their parents, perpetuating a problem the Trump administration has aggravated with its “zero tolerance” immigration crackdown, a bipartisan Senate report said Wednesday. The 52-page study said no federal agency takes responsibility for making sure children aren’t abused or used in human trafficking once the government places them with sponsors, who sometimes aren’t their parents or close relatives. (Fram, 8/15)
The Hill:
Senate Dems Demand Immediate Reunification Of Remaining Separated Children
A group of Senate Democrats is demanding that the Trump administration immediately work to reunify the more than 500 immigrant children in federal custody who were separated from their parents after crossing the southern border. The 17 Democrats, led by Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen calling for immediate action to reunite the families of 539 immigrant children still in government custody because of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. (Weixel, 8/15)
NPR:
A Lack Of Interpreters Can Mean Subpar Care For Immigrants
Long before he began studying for a career in health care, Marlon Munoz performed one of the most sensitive roles in the field: delivering diagnoses to patients. As an informal interpreter between English-speaking doctors and his Spanish-speaking family and friends, Munoz knew well the burden that comes with the job. He still becomes emotional when he remembers having to tell his wife, Aibi Perez, she had breast cancer. (Eldred, 8/15)
The Hill:
Arkansas Medicaid Work Requirements Could Cost Thousands Coverage, Data Show
New data released by the state of Arkansas on Wednesday show Medicaid enrollees are struggling to comply with the state's new work requirements, putting thousands at risk of losing health care. The requirements — which mandate that some Medicaid beneficiaries work or complete similar activities to retain benefits — went into effect in June after being approved by the Trump administration. (Hellmann, 8/15)
The New York Times:
Bleak New Estimates In Drug Epidemic: A Record 72,000 Overdose Deaths In 2017
Drug overdoses killed about 72,000 Americans last year, a record number that reflects a rise of around 10 percent, according to new preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control. The death toll is higher than the peak yearly death totals from H.I.V., car crashes or gun deaths.
Analysts pointed to two major reasons for the increase: A growing number of Americans are using opioids, and drugs are becoming more deadly. It is the second factor that most likely explains the bulk of the increased number of overdoses last year. (Sanger-Katz, 8/15)
The Washington Post:
Fentanyl Use Drove Drug Overdose Deaths To A Record High In 2017, CDC Estimates
The increase was driven primarily by a continued surge in deaths involving synthetic opioids, a category that includes fentanyl. There were nearly 30,000 deaths involving those drugs in 2017, according to the preliminary data, an increase of more than 9,000 over the prior year. Deaths involving cocaine also shot up significantly, putting the stimulant on par with drugs such as heroin and the category of natural opiates that includes painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. One potential spot of good news is that deaths involving those latter two drug categories appear to have flattened out, suggesting the possibility that opiate mortality may be at or nearing its peak. (Ingraham, 8/15)
The Associated Press:
Officials Remove Special Rules For Gene Therapy Experiments
U.S. health officials are eliminating special regulations for gene therapy experiments, saying that what was once exotic science is quickly becoming an established form of medical care with no extraordinary risks. A special National Institutes of Health oversight panel will no longer review all gene therapy applications and will instead take on a broader advisory role, according to changes proposed Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration will vet gene therapy experiments and products as it does with other treatments and drugs. (Marchione, 8/15)
Reuters:
Express Scripts Staking Out Million Dollar Gene Therapies
Express Scripts Holding Co built a multi-billion enterprise pressuring drug companies to lower their prices for U.S. patients. Now it is quietly building a side business: getting paid to help drug companies dispense a new generation of high-priced drugs. Express Scripts is in talks with biotechnology companies Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc, Spark Therapeutics Inc and Bluebird Bio Inc to have its specialty pharmaceutical business exclusively distribute their new gene therapies when they are expected to become available in 2019 and 2020, Chief Medical Officer Steve Miller told Reuters in an interview. (Humer and Beasley, 8/15)
Reuters:
Pfizer Bets On Biotech Flu Vaccine In $425 Million BioNTech Alliance
Pfizer has agreed to pay German biotech firm BioNTech up to $425 million (£334.33 million) in an alliance to develop more effective influenza jabs, the latest among several major pharma companies to bank on a promising new genetic approach. Privately-held BioNTech will receive $120 million upfront plus up to $305 million depending on certain development achievements as well as tiered royalties on futures sales in the double-digit percentage range, the two companies said in a statement on Thursday. (Burger, 8/16)
Stat:
As Gilead Plans A C-Suite Succession, Departures Continue
Now that the top Gilead Sciences (GILD) executives are leaving, will a full-blown exodus occur at the biotech? The thought arises after the company announced on Wednesday that Dr. Andrew Cheng, the chief medical officer and a 19-year Gilead veteran, is suddenly departing. His resignation follows by just three weeks the unexpected news that chief executive John Milligan will leave at the end of the year, after just two years in that role, and that chairman John Martin will follow suit. (Silverman, 8/15)
Stat:
A Women’s Health Firm Sought Backing For A Much-Needed Drug. Men Didn’t Get It
The startup’s pitch seems compelling, even commonsensical: About 500,000 women in the U.S. need surgery every year for precancerous cervical lesions caused by the human papillomavirus. The surgery can lead to devastating reproductive consequences. Antiva Biosciences, a 6-year-old drug maker, is working on a first-in-class treatment that, if successful, could make that surgery unnecessary. But when it comes to making that case to investors and doctors — particularly the men who dominate those professions — it has often been an uphill battle. Male OB-GYNs have questioned the need for a drug, saying they think surgery is adequate; male VCs have been skeptical, too. (Robbins, 8/16)
NPR:
Improved CAR-T Therapy For Cancer Now In Human Tests
Aaron Reid is lying in a hospital bed at the National Institutes of Health when doctors arrive to make sure he's ready for his experimental treatment. "How's your night? Any issues?" asks Dr. Katherine Barnett, a pediatric oncologist, as they begin to examine Reid. Reid, 20, of Lucedale, Miss., has been fighting leukemia ever since he was nine years old. He's been through chemotherapy and radiation twice, a bone marrow transplant and two other treatments. (Stein, 8/16)
The Associated Press:
Best Buy To Buy A Provider Of Health Devices For The Aging
Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy is pushing more into the health field, acquiring a company that provides emergency response devices for the aging. Best Buy said Wednesday it's paying $800 million for GreatCall. The San Diego, California-based company, which has more than 900,000 paying subscribers, offers services like an easy connection to operators who can connect users to caregivers, answer questions, and more. (8/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Best Buy To Acquire Jitterbug Parent GreatCall For $800 Million
Best Buy on Wednesday said the deal would be neutral to its adjusted earnings in fiscal 2019 and 2020 and boost them by 2021. The electronics retailer said the deal is part of its Best Buy 2020 strategy, which aims to use technology to address key human needs, specifically among the U.S.’s aging population. Last year, Best Buy introduced Assured Living, a service that helps adult children remotely check in on the health and safety of their parents. That service is now available in 21 markets, Best Buy said Wednesday. (Barba, 8/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health Insurer Shuns Amniotic-Tissue Product From MiMedx
United Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest insurance companies, has determined that amniotic tissue products made by MiMedx Group Inc. and other manufacturers are “unproven and/or not medically necessary for any indication,” and won’t reimburse patients for their use, according to the insurer’s most recent medical policy update bulletin. (Morgenson, 8/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Rules Look To Make Insurance Contracts More Transparent For Investors
Investors should see clearer and more up-to-date numbers about the financial health of U.S. life insurers under a long-planned set of changes to insurance accounting unveiled Wednesday, rule makers say. The changes, which take effect in 2021, will affect the way companies value their long-term insurance contracts like life insurance, long-term care policies and annuities. They are intended to provide “increased transparency and better understanding of the economics,” said James Kroeker, vice chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the panel that sets accounting rules for U.S. companies. (Rapoport, 8/15)
The New York Times:
Report Finds Traces Of A Controversial Herbicide In Cheerios And Quaker Oats
An environmental research and advocacy group has found traces of a controversial herbicide in Cheerios, Quaker Oats and other breakfast foods that it says could increase cancer risk for children. The report comes amid longstanding debate about the safety of the chemical glyphosate, which federal regulators maintain is not likely to cause cancer. (Zaveri, 8/15)
The Hill:
Group Finds Weed-Killing Chemical In Dozens Of Breakfast Foods
Out of those products, 31 had levels above what the EWG’s scientists consider safe for children, which is .01 milligrams per day. Some of the products affected included Cheerios, Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, Quaker Dinosaur Egg Instant Oats and Back to Nature Classic Granola, according to CBS News. (Anapol, 8/15)
The New York Times:
‘Let Us Have A Childhood’: On The Road With The Parkland Activists
Six months and a day after a gunman massacred 17 of their classmates and staff, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School woke up Wednesday and began a new year. For the past two months, a busload of them have traveled the country in pursuit of stricter gun laws, connecting with local activists, holding rallies, debating counterprotesters and, above all, registering voters. (Astor, 8/15)
The New York Times:
Why Sitting May Be Bad For Your Brain
Sitting for hours without moving can slow the flow of blood to our brains, according to a cautionary new study of office workers, a finding that could have implications for long-term brain health. But getting up and strolling for just two minutes every half-hour seems to stave off this decline in brain blood flow and may even increase it. Delivering blood to our brains is one of those automatic internal processes that most of us seldom consider, although it is essential for life and cognition. Brain cells need the oxygen and nutrients that blood contains, and several large arteries constantly shuttle blood up to our skulls. (Reynolds, 8/15)
Politico:
U.S. Limits Diplomatic Tours In Cuba Following Mysterious Illnesses
The Trump administration is slashing the amount of time U.S. diplomats are posted in Cuba to one year, an unusually short time frame typically applied to war-torn or otherwise dangerous nations. The change to the “standard tour of duty” puts Cuba in league with countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and South Sudan. It follows a series of mysterious, seemingly sound-related injuries that have injured at least two dozen Americans who spent time in the country. (Toosi, 8/15)
The Washington Post:
Children Can Be Swayed By Robot Peer Pressure, Study Says
When the robot revolution arrives, we all know the plot: Smarter machines will supersede human intelligence and outwit us, enslave us and destroy us. But what if it's not artificial intelligence we have to fear, but artificial stupidity? What if it isn't robot overlords that pose the greatest risk but our willingness to trust robots, even when they are clearly wrong? As huggable social robots tricked out with humanlike facial expressions and personalities have begun to infiltrate our homes, experts are beginning to worry about how these machines will influence human behavior — particularly in children and the elderly. (Johnson, 8/15)
The New York Times:
Any Weight Loss Can Be Healthful, But More Can Be Much Better
When it comes to losing weight, more can be better. A lot better, according to a new study. Researchers studied 7,670 overweight or obese people who wanted to lose weight. Using data on current weight, weight a year ago and maximum lifetime weight, they tested the association of long-term weight loss with lowering the risk for metabolic syndrome — a constellation of unhealthy conditions that includes high blood pressure, insulin resistance, excess fat around the waist, high triglycerides and low HDL, or “good,” cholesterol. (Bakalar, 8/15)
The Associated Press:
Study: Smokers Better Off Quitting, Even With Weight Gain
If you quit smoking and gain weight, it may seem like you're trading one set of health problems for another. But a new U.S. study finds you're still better off in the long run. Compared with smokers, even the quitters who gained the most weight had at least a 50 percent lower risk of dying prematurely from heart disease and other causes, the Harvard-led study found. (Stobbe, 8/15)
The Washington Post:
Children Who Lived With Smokers Are More Likely To Die Of Lung Disease As Adults, Study Says
Childhood exposure to secondhand smoke is linked to lung disease decades later, according to a study published Thursday by the American Cancer Society. For 22 years, researchers have been following more than 70,000 adults who have never smoked. At the beginning of the study, they were asked whether they lived in a household with a smoker while they were children. Those who did were 31 percent more likely to die of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is the first study to find a correlation between the two. (Furby, 8/16)
Los Angeles Times:
30 More Women Sue USC Over Former Gynecologist As New Interim President Welcomes Freshmen To Campus
An additional 30 women sued USC on Wednesday, claiming that the university failed to protect them from abuse and mistreatment by the longtime campus gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. The new claims bring the total number of patients suing USC to more than 340 and come as students return to the Los Angeles campus for the start of the fall semester. (Hamilton, 8/15)
The Washington Post:
Numerous Children Have Been Poisoned By Lead In Homes Approved By D.C. Housing Inspectors
Chanelle Mattocks remembers everything about that night in 2014, when lead poisoned her son. She was giving Alonzo, then 3, a bath in a tub that her landlord had just painted to pass a housing inspection. She turned to find a washcloth, and when she swiveled back, she found the boy with bits of peeling paint in his mouth. She tried get it out, but it was too late. (McCoy, 8/15)
The Associated Press:
Unhealthy Smoky Air Blankets Northwest
Unhealthy air filled with smoke from wildfires blanketed the Northwest again on Wednesday. Washington state had the worst air quality in the country, according to the National Weather Service. In the central Washington cities of Chelan and Wenatchee the air quality Wednesday reached the hazardous level, prompting Chelan County officials to distribute masks. (8/15)
The New York Times:
Should Coffee Come With Cancer Warnings? California Says No
In every cup of coffee, there is a chemical linked to cancer. That undisputed fact led a Los Angeles judge to rule this spring that coffee companies must provide cancer warnings to coffee drinkers. The ruling cast a shadow on a daily and often essential rite for more than 100 million Americans. (Hus, 8/15)
The Associated Press:
After McNair Death, Maryland Focuses On Safety At Practice
Maryland interim coach Matt Canada has taken steps to ensure that the Terrapins are poised to deal with the heat of summer during his practices following the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. In the first workout since Maryland publicly accepted responsibility for mistakes that contributed to McNair’s death, two tents were in the place at the practice field Wednesday to provide shade. Underneath the awnings are several fans, along with liquids and ice. (Ginsburg, 8/15)