First Edition: August 17, 2018
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Purdue Pharma’s Sales Pitch Downplayed Risks Of Opioid Addiction
Two decades ago, Purdue Pharma produced thousands of brochures and videos that urged patients with chronic pain to ask their physicians for opioids such as OxyContin, arguing that concerns over addiction and other dangers from the drugs were overblown, company records reveal. Kaiser Health News earlier this year posted a cache of Purdue marketing documents that show how the pharmaceutical company sought to boost sales of the prescription painkiller, starting in the mid-1990s. ... This week, the New York attorney general’s office filed another suit that accuses Purdue of operating a “public nuisance” in it sales tactics and marketing of opioids. (Schulte, 8/17)
Kaiser Health News:
Hospitals Battle For Control Over Fast-Growing Heart-Valve Procedure
When Medicare in 2011 agreed to pay for a revolutionary procedure to replace leaky heart valves by snaking a synthetic replacement up through blood vessels, the goal was to offer relief to the tens of thousands of patients too frail to endure open-heart surgery, the gold standard. To help ensure good results, federal officials limited Medicare payment only to hospitals that serve large numbers of cardiac patients. The strategy worked. In the past seven years, more than 135,000 mostly elderly patients have undergone transcatheter aortic valve replacement, known as TAVR. And TAVR’s in-hospital mortality rate has dropped by two-thirds, to 1.5 percent. (Galewitz, 8/17)
Politico:
GOP’s Midterm Peril: What If They Win On Killing Obamacare?
Republican candidates are trying to have it both ways on Obamacare. On one hand, Republicans are still campaigning against the law, arguing a strong election result will allow them one more shot at repealing the Affordable Care Act with GOP majorities in both chambers. And many high-profile Senate GOP candidates support a lawsuit that would scuttle Obamacare if successful in the nation’s courts, a case that will be heard by a federal judge in September. Yet at the same time Republicans are still touting the law’s most popular provisions, arguing that after it is struck down they will be able to preserve protections for pre-existing conditions by passing a new bill. (Everett, 8/17)
The Associated Press:
Trump Wants Federal Suit Against Opioid Manufacturers
President Donald Trump is asking Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a federal lawsuit against certain companies that supply and manufacture opioids. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Trump said he’s directing Sessions to file a separate lawsuit, rather than joining existing lawsuits filed by states affected by the spread of the often-lethal, highly-addictive drugs. (Superville, 8/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Calls On Justice Department To Sue Opioid Companies
In a cabinet meeting Thursday at the White House, Mr. Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to bring federal lawsuits against certain companies supplying opioids to hospitals, rather than joining state lawsuits. He also charged Mr. Sessions with investigating fentanyl coming from China and Mexico, countries he said were “sending their garbage and killing our people.” “It’s almost a form of warfare,” Mr. Trump said. Mr. Sessions said he would follow Mr. Trump’s request. (Ballhaus, 8/16)
Reuters:
Exclusive: OxyContin Maker Purdue Taps Financial Restructuring Adviser - Sources
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP has tapped law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP for financial restructuring advice, as its potential liabilities swell with a wave of lawsuits over the opioid addiction epidemic sweeping the United States, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. (DiNapoli and Raymond, 8/16)
The Washington Post:
HHS Official: Agency Not Able To Ensure Safety Of Unaccompanied Migrant Kids After They Leave Its Care
A Health and Human Services official insisted that the agency is not responsible for ensuring the safety of unaccompanied migrant children once they leave its care -- and pleaded with senators on Thursday not to force it to take on the responsibility. “Please don’t make us a law enforcement agency,” said Jonathan White, testifying on behalf of HHS at a hearing held by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs subcommittee on investigations. "I think it’s very important that HHS remain the agency tasked with the best interests of the child rather than to assign it enforcement duties. (Itkowitz, 8/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate Investigators Fault Federal Authorities’ Tracking Of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
Thousands of unaccompanied minors who crossed the border illegally aren’t being tracked after being placed with sponsors by the Health and Human Services Department, according to a bipartisan Senate investigation that faulted the HHS and Homeland Security departments for the lapse. Representatives from HHS and the Justice Department pushed back in a Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday, with an HHS representative saying the agency has started doing background checks on adults that volunteered to take care of the children and that the department wasn’t responsible for children once they are placed with sponsors. (Andrews, 8/16)
The New York Times:
Thousands Of Migrant Children Come Here Alone. The U.S. Doesn’t Keep Track Of Them.
Trump administration officials acknowledged Thursday that they have no system for tracking the tens of thousands of migrant children who are released from federal custody each year after traveling to the United States alone. Facing heated questions from a Senate subcommittee, officials from the Health and Human Services Department, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the federal immigration courts each said they were not responsible for following up after the children are handed over to sponsors, most of whom are undocumented relatives or family friends. (Dickerson, 8/16)
NPR:
FDA Approves New Generic Version Of The EpiPen For Allergic Reactions
The FDA says the approval of the new products should help with both cost and availability. "Today's approval of the first generic version of the most-widely prescribed epinephrine auto-injector in the U.S. is part of our longstanding commitment to advance access to lower cost, safe and effective generic alternatives," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement announcing the approval. (Stein, 8/16)
The Washington Post:
FDA Approves First Generic Version Of EpiPen
The approval comes right before the back-to-school season, when sales of EpiPen typically spike as parents stock up on injectors for school or replace expired ones, and people have reported difficulty filling EpiPen prescriptions. There has been “limited availability of EpiPen in certain areas in the U.S., including both pharmacy-level supply disruptions and a manufacturer issue,” according to FDA spokeswoman Theresa Eisenman. (Johnson and McGinley, 8/16)
The Associated Press:
US Approves New Generic Competitor To EpiPen
EpiPen injections are stocked by schools and parents nationwide to treat children with severe allergies. They are used in emergencies to stop potentially fatal allergic reactions to insect bites and stings and foods like nuts and eggs. EpiPen maker Mylan has dominated the $1 billion market for the shots for two decades. Several other companies sell competing shots containing the drug epinephrine, but they aren’t heavily marketed or prescribed by doctors. (Perrone, 8/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Approves Teva’s Generic Version Of EpiPen Injector
The product, whose brand-name version is manufactured by Mylan NV, touched off a furor two years ago over its price increases of 548% over about a decade. ... Mylan introduced its own half-priced generic version of the drug in 2016. (Burton, 8/16)
Stat:
Senators Challenge Azar Over His Comments About PBMs And Price Cuts
In a sharply worded letter, two lawmakers are challenging Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar over his recent comments about drug makers and their insistence that pharmacy benefit managers and distributors were making it difficult to lower prices. The missive was sent in response to testimony Azar gave two months ago at two different Senate committee hearings, in which he described how drug makers contacted by the Trump administration expressed willingness to lower prices, but claimed they were thwarted by various middleman in the pharmaceutical chain. (Silverman, 8/17)
Reuters:
Special Report: Children Poisoned By Lead On U.S. Army Bases As Hazards Ignored
The Browns’ story and others, told publicly for the first time here, reveal a toxic scourge inside homes on military bases. Previously undisclosed military and state health records, and testing by Reuters for lead in soldiers’ homes, show problems at some of America’s largest military installations. Federal law defines lead-based paint as containing 0.5 percent or more lead by weight. Sales have been banned since 1978. But many older homes still contain lead paint, which is particularly dangerous when it peels, chips or turns to dust – easy for kids to swallow or breathe in. (Schneyer and Januta, 8/16)
The Hill:
Supreme Court Nomination Reignites Abortion Fights In States
The possibility of another Trump nominee ascending to the Supreme Court bench has created a sense of urgency among abortion supporters in the states, where activists are pushing to safeguard access to the procedure. Supporters of abortion rights worry that Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation could lead to the weakening of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that cemented a woman’s right to abortion. (Hellmann, 8/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
NYU Makes Tuition Free For All Medical Students
New York University said Thursday that it will cover tuition for all its medical students regardless of their financial situation, a first among the nation’s major medical schools and an attempt to expand career options for graduates who won’t be saddled with six-figure debt. School officials worry that rising tuition and soaring loan balances are pushing new doctors into high-paying fields and contributing to a shortage of researchers and primary care physicians. Medical schools nationwide have been conducting aggressive fundraising campaigns to compete for top prospects, alleviate the debt burden and give graduates more career choices. (Korn, 8/16)
NPR:
NYU Medical School Plans Free Tuition For Those Studying To Be Doctors
Three out of four medical school graduates in 2017 graduated in debt, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Of those in debt, the median amount was $192,000, the group says. NYU also says medical school debt is "reshaping the medical profession," as graduates choose more lucrative specialized fields in medicine rather than primary care. (Doubek, 8/17)
The New York Times:
Surprise Gift: Free Tuition For All N.Y.U. Medical Students
N.Y.U.’s plan, which was announced Thursday morning in an unexpected ending to the annual “White Coat Ceremony” for new students and their families, goes beyond that, and may spur other top medical schools to follow suit. In a statement, N.Y.U. said that it would be the only top-ranked medical school in the nation to offer full-tuition scholarships to all students. (Chen, 8/16)
CNN:
When Insurance Wouldn't Pay, Parents Funded Cancer Patient's $95,000 Lifesaving Treatment
UnitedHealthcare denied [Kate] Weissman coverage for proton beam therapy after multiple appeals, saying "there is not enough medical evidence to show proton beam therapy is effective for your particular condition." One of the insurance medical directors who twice reviewed Weissman's appeals wasn't board-certified in "gynecologic oncology," according to the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, raising troubling questions about why she was involved in a cancer case. The denials put Weissman in a terrible predicament: pay $95,000 out of pocket for what her doctors said was the best chance at a cure or continue with fully covered standard radiation, which could lead to lifelong complications. (Drash, 8/16)
The Washington Post:
Rash Of Overdoses Show Dangers Of Powerful Synthetic Drugs
The ever-rising death toll from the synthetic opioid fentanyl showed graphically this week how vulnerable the United States has become to powerful drugs concocted in laboratories. On the same day that more than two dozen people were raced from a New Haven, Conn., park to emergency rooms after violent reactions to synthetic marijuana, federal authorities announced that more than 72,000 people had died of drug overdoses nationwide in 2017. Leading the death toll is the increasing number of fatalities from fentanyl. (Zezima, Bernstein and Schmidt, 8/16)
USA Today Network:
Measles Outbreak Hits 21 States, District Of Columbia, CDC Says
Federal health officials are investigating a outbreak of measles this year that has spread to 21 states and the District of Columbia. From Jan. 1 to July 14, 107 people had contracted the disease, federal Centers for Disease Control officials said Wednesday. Measles cases have been reported in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington. (8/16)
The Associated Press:
Florida Urges Vaccinations After 3 Measles Cases Reported
Health officials are urging parents to make sure their children are vaccinated against measles after three cases of the disease were reported in a Florida county, among more than 100 cases throughout the U.S. this year. Federal officials declared the contagious virus had been eliminated in the U.S. in 2000; however, infections periodically occur nationwide, as the virus is still common in many other parts of the world. Travelers can bring measles into the country, where it can spread among people who are not vaccinated. (Kay, 8/16)
The Washington Post:
Maryland President Nixed Plan To Overhaul Athletes' Health Care A Year Before Player's Death
One year before University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair died after collapsing at a team workout, the school’s athletic department submitted a proposal that would have fundamentally changed how health care was delivered to athletes, a drastic overhaul aimed at better aligning the school with NCAA recommendations. But the plan was never implemented, its recommendations nixed by Maryland President Wallace D. Loh, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. (Stubbs, 8/16)
The Washington Post:
Feds Probe Ohio State’s Handling Of Abuse Allegations Against Athletic Doctor
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Ohio State University’s response to allegations of sexual abuse against former athletic doctor Richard Strauss. The probe by the department’s Office for Civil Rights will examine whether Ohio State responded “promptly and equitably” to allegations by former students that Strauss touched athletes inappropriately during appointments and ogled them in a campus locker room, as well as claims that school officials knew or should have known about the alleged abuse, the school said. (Vieback, 8/16)
The Daily Beast:
Aretha Franklin's Death Highlights Vicious Path Of Pancreatic Cancer
Aretha Franklin’s death from pancreatic cancer highlights the viciousness with which the disease attacks, killing tens of thousands of Americans a year. It’s not clear when the Queen of Soul was diagnosed. She had what she called a health scare in 2010, then finally stopped performing in November, and by last week celebrities were coming to pay their last respects. Pancreatic cancer is among the nation’s deadliest diseases. Here’s why. (Basu, 8/16)
Fort Myers News-Press:
Florida Algae Crisis: Here's What You Need To Know About The Mess
Florida is living through an unprecedented environmental crisis that’s devastating tourism, recreation and wildlife along the state's southwest coast. Two kinds of toxic algae are blooming, one in freshwater, one in salt, creating a red tide along the Gulf of Mexico and blanketing rivers and canals inland with goo. ... Red tide’s effects are not subtle – along the lines of mild pepper spray. Coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, shortness of breath and wheezing are all common in those exposed to it. (Bennett Williams, 8/16)
NPR:
Chipotle To Retrain Employees After Latest Outbreak Of Food Poisoning
Health officials have determined that a type of bacteria found in food left at unsafe temperatures is the cause of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that struck 647 people who ate last month at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in Ohio. Between July 26 and July 30, customers of a Chipotle restaurant in Powell, Ohio, just north of Columbus, complained of food poisoning and diarrhea after eating tacos and burrito bowls there. (Neuman, 8/17)
USA Today Network:
Baby Food: 'Worrisome' Levels Of Heavy Metals Found In Some Brands
A new analysis of packaged foods made for babies and toddlers found "worrisome" levels of heavy metals in two-thirds of the tested products. Consumer Reports analyzed 50 nationally distributed baby foods checking for cadmium, lead, mercury and inorganic arsenic, the type most harmful to health. (8/16)