First Edition: January 17, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Why Older Adults Should Eat More Protein (And Not Overdo Protein Shakes)
Older adults need to eat more protein-rich foods when they’re trying to lose weight, dealing with a chronic or acute illness, or facing a hospitalization, according to a growing consensus among scientists. During these stressful periods, aging bodies process protein less efficiently and need more of it to maintain muscle mass and strength, bone health and other essential physiological functions. (Graham, 1/17)
Kaiser Health News:
Electronics Industry Sees Profit Opportunity In Your Health Problems, CES 2019 Shoppers Learn
If the scores of personal health care devices at the Consumer Electronics Show last week are any indication, it’s clear that the Apple Watch has kicked off a rush by high-tech companies to capitalize on people’s worries about their health. The latest version of the watch, which was announced last fall, detects a fibrillating heart and a propensity for falls. What other manufacturers learned from that is that you can make money if you can create a worry about a problem that people didn’t realize they had and also create a solution for that worry via a high-tech product. (Taub, 1/16)
Reuters:
U.S. Shutdown Taking Toll On FDA, USDA Inspection Roles: Experts
The partial government shutdown is taking a toll on key safety inspection duties performed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture, food safety experts said on Wednesday. Workers in public health laboratories are reporting disruptions in the analysis of DNA from food samples involved in foodborne outbreaks, and have raised concerns about a USDA program that tests agricultural commodities for unsafe levels of pesticides, they said. (1/16)
The Hill:
Dem Chairwoman Plans Hearing On Medicare For All Proposals
The incoming chairwoman of a powerful health care subcommittee on Wednesday said that she intends to hold a hearing on several “Medicare for all” proposals, potentially giving the plans a chance to be considered by key lawmakers. “There are several Medicare for all bills that are out there, but they all have a different interpretation,” Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the new chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, told reporters. “I think that it would be interesting to have the authors of these bills come to testify and explain what their bill does and have the members ask them questions.” (Sullivan, 1/16)
The Hill:
Key House Dem: I Don't Want To 'Punish' Drug Companies
A key Democrat on drug pricing issues said Wednesday that she does not want to “punish” the pharmaceutical industry, striking a softer tone than many other Democrats do on the issue. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the new chairwoman of the powerful Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, has received criticism from some drug pricing advocates that she is too close to the pharmaceutical industry. (Sullivan, 1/16)
Stat:
Rep. DeGette Promises To Call Drug Industry CEOs To Testify
House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings (Md.) isn’t the only newly empowered Democrat with his eyes on drug makers. Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, the newly minted chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s oversight arm, is also planning to haul industry CEOs before her own panel, she said Wednesday at a briefing with reporters. (Florko, 1/16)
The Hill:
HHS Secretary, Senate Finance Republicans Talk Drug Pricing
Senate Finance Republicans met with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Wednesday to discuss the administration's drug pricing proposals. The committee's new chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), said the senators and Azar discussed the administration's controversial proposal to base what Medicare pays for prescription drugs on prices in other countries. (Hellmann, 1/16)
The Hill:
PhRMA CEO 'Hopeful' Trump Officials Will Back Down On Drug Pricing Move
The head of the pharmaceutical industry’s main lobbying group said Wednesday that he remains “hopeful” the Trump administration will back down on its controversial proposal to lower drug prices. Steve Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), told reporters he is “heartened” by a “broad coalition of folks that have raised concerns about this model, not only us.” (Sullivan, 1/16)
Stat:
Rising Drug Prices Are Making Hospitals Feel A Little Sick
The rising cost of medicines is leaving some hospitals feeling under the weather. A new survey finds that many hospitals are spending more on prescription drugs each year. Between 2015 and 2017, total spending at U.S. community hospitals for each admitted patient climbed 18.5 percent, from $468 to $555, resulting in $1.8 million in added spending for the average hospital. (Silverman, 1/16)
Stat:
Patient Groups Blast Trump Drug Pricing Proposal In New Ad Campaign
A coalition of patient advocacy and medical groups — led by the American Cancer Society’s advocacy arm and joined by the American Medical Association — launched an advertising campaign Thursday to drum up opposition to a proposed change to Medicare they say will “put patients’ lives at risk.” ... The ads will run in major national newspapers including the New York Times and the Washington Post, beginning today, according to an email laying out the campaign for supporters obtained by STAT. (Swetlitz 1/17)
The Associated Press:
Battles Expected In Many States Over Abortion-Related Bills
On each side of the abortion debate, legislators and activists emboldened by recent political developments plan to push aggressively in many states this year for bills high on their wish lists: either seeking to impose near-total bans on abortion or guaranteeing women's access to the procedure. For abortion opponents, many of whom will rally Friday at the annual March for Life in Washington, there's a surge of optimism that sweeping abortion bans might have a chance of prevailing in the reconfigured U.S. Supreme Court that includes Donald Trump's appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. (Crary, 1/16)
The Associated Press:
Planned Parenthood Challenges Wisconsin Abortion Laws
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin asked a federal judge on Wednesday to repeal state laws that make it more difficult for women, particularly in rural areas, to receive abortions. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Madison targets restrictions enacted by the Republican Legislature under former Gov. Scott Walker. The lawsuit comes 10 days after Walker left office, replaced by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. (1/16)
The Associated Press:
Need Hospital Care Or Tests? Some Ways To Get Cost Estimates
Want to know how much your hospital is going to charge for that knee surgery? U.S. hospitals are now required to post list prices for medical services online, under federal rules meant to help patients find affordable care and avoid hefty surprise bills. The spreadsheets, often thousands of lines long, will leave many patients overwhelmed. Procedures are described in medical jargon and abbreviations. That's if you can find the lists. (Johnson, 1/16)
Stat:
Purdue Pharma Cemented Ties With Universities And Hospitals
In the early 2000s, when Dr. Jane Ballantyne was director of the Pain Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, the opioid-pill maker Purdue Pharma struck a deal with the Boston hospital to start a pain program there. To Ballantyne, it seemed like a boon. Two organizations — one academic, one a drug company — with the shared goal of easing patients’ pain coming together to collaborate. Working with Purdue, she said then, “will assist us in finding ways to clear up misconceptions and misunderstandings about pain and provide caregivers with the knowledge and resources they need to help patients.” (Joseph, 1/16)
The Associated Press:
New Suits Filed Over Pain Meds Given To Near-Death Patients
An Ohio man said Wednesday he was stunned to learn of allegations that his wife's hospital death last year was caused by a doctor's order for a fatal dose of pain medication. David Austin said he called an ambulance in September after his wife, Bonnie Austin, had trouble breathing. A doctor told him she was brain dead after she suffered cardiac arrest. Austin felt "like somebody kicked me in the chest" when he was told this month of the alleged circumstances of the death of his wife of 36 years. (1/16)
The Washington Post:
D.C. Opioid Crisis: Federal Officials Launch Audit Of Grant Spending
Federal officials have launched an audit of the D.C. government’s handling of millions of dollars in grants that the city has been awarded over the past two years to treat opioid addiction and reduce fatal overdoses. The audit appears to focus on grant money that was not spent as intended to combat the opioid epidemic and on federally funded programs that D.C. government officials failed to implement, according to documents outlining the inquiry obtained by The Washington Post. (Jamison, 1/16)
The Associated Press:
Less Beef, More Beans. Experts Say World Needs A New Diet
A hamburger a week, but no more — that's about as much red meat people should eat to do what's best for their health and the planet, according to a report seeking to overhaul the world's diet. Eggs should be limited to fewer than about four a week, the report says. Dairy foods should be about a serving a day, or less. (1/16)
CNN:
Planetary Health Diet Could Help Save Lives And The Planet
To enable a healthy global population, the team of scientists created a global reference diet, that they call the "planetary health diet," which is an ideal daily meal plan for people over the age of 2, that they believe will help reduce chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as environmental degradation. The diet breaks down the optimal daily intake of whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruit, dairy, protein, fats and sugars, representing a daily total calorie intake of 2500. (Avramova, 1/17)
The New York Times:
New Diet Guidelines To Benefit People And The Planet: More Greens For All, Less Meat For Some
Written by 37 scientists from 16 countries and published Wednesday in the medical journal The Lancet, in conjunction with an advocacy group called the EAT Forum, the report was funded by the Wellcome Trust and Stordalen Foundation. In addition to the recommendations on meat, it calls for curbing food waste, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and overhauling agriculture so it doesn’t worsen deforestation and the depletion of scarce water. “It’s not a blanket approach, but when you look at the data there are certain individuals or populations that don’t need that much red meat for their own health,” said Jessica Fanzo, a professor of food policy at Johns Hopkins University and a co-author of the report. “There’s a real inequity. Some people get too much. Some people get too little.” (Sengupta, 1/16)
Reuters:
Scientists Reveal 'Ideal Diet' For Peoples' And Planet's Health
Feeding a growing population of 10 billion people by 2050 with a healthy, sustainable diet will be impossible without transforming eating habits, improving food production and reducing food waste, he said. "We need a significant overhaul, changing the global food system on a scale not seen before." (1/16)
The Associated Press:
The Best Rx For Teens Addicted To Vaping? No One Knows
The nation's top health authorities agree: Teen vaping is an epidemic that now affects some 3.6 million underage users of Juul and other e-cigarettes. But no one seems to know the best way to help teenagers who may be addicted to nicotine. E-cigarettes are now the top high-risk substance used by teenagers, according to the latest U.S. figures , which show that Juul and similar products have quickly outpaced cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other substances that have been tracked over more than four decades. (Perrone, 1/16)
CNN:
Why Vaping Is So Dangerous For Teens
Most of what we know about nicotine addiction in teens, we know from cigarettes. But experts say the technology and chemistry of vaping might pose an entirely different threat. "It turns out that e-cigarette use by kids doesn't look the same at all," said Dr. Sharon Levy, director of the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program at Boston Children's Hospital. "How you're delivering [nicotine] and how much you're delivering ... everything you change really matters." (Nedelman, 1/17)
Stat:
Trial Will Be First Human Test Of Nobel-Winning Stem Cell Technique
Curing diabetes with stem cells? Everyone knew that would be hard. Parkinson’s disease? Harder. Alzheimer’s? Probably impossible. But age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness? That was supposed to be low-hanging fruit. The cause of AMD is well-known, the recipe for turning stem cells into retinal cells works like a charm, and the eye is “immunoprivileged,” meaning immune cells don’t attack foreigners such as, say, lab-made retinal cells. Yet more than a decade after animal studies showed promise, and nearly eight years since retinal cells created from embryonic stem cells were safely transplanted into nine patients in a clinical trial, no one outside of a research setting (or a rogue clinic) is getting stem cell therapy for macular degeneration. (Begley, 1/16)
The Associated Press:
Life In Limbo: Leftover Embryos Vex Clinics, Couples
Tens of thousands of embryos are stuck in limbo in fertility clinics, leftovers from pregnancy attempts and broken dreams of parenthood. Some are outright abandoned by people who quit paying storage fees and can't be found. In other cases, couples are struggling with tough decisions. Jenny Sammis can't bring herself to donate nearly a dozen of her extras to research. She and her husband agreed to do that when they made their embryos 15 years ago, but her feelings changed after using some of them to have children. (1/17)
The New York Times:
In A Children’s Theater Program, Drama Over A Peanut Allergy
It seemed like the perfect setting for a shy, thoughtful 10-year-old boy’s first steps on stage: a kids’ Shakespeare program that doesn’t hold auditions, guarantees everyone a substantial speaking role, emphasizes community, and excludes no one. Unless, as Mason Wicks-Lim and his mother Ali discovered, you have a life-threatening nut allergy. (Rabin, 1/16)
The New York Times:
High-Dose Vitamin D No Better Than Low-Dose
Low blood levels of vitamin D are tied to bone loss that can lead to falls and fractures. But taking vitamin D supplements in high doses showed no benefits over low-dose vitamin D, a randomized trial found. The study, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, included 379 British men and women whose average age was 75. They were divided into three groups and given monthly doses of vitamin D, equivalent to 400, 800 and 1,600 IU a day; there was no placebo group. The groups were well matched at the start for vitamin D blood levels, bone mineral density, height, weight, blood pressure and other factors. (Bakalar, 1/16)
The New York Times:
Sleeping Less Than 6 Hours A Night Tied To Heart Disease
Sleeping less than six hours a night, and sleeping poorly, are associated with hardening of the arteries, a new study has found. Researchers used accelerometers attached to the waists of 3,974 healthy men and women, average age 46, to monitor the duration and quality of their sleep over seven nights. All underwent physical exams and three-dimensional ultrasound, an imaging system that evaluates blood flow through the blood vessels. The study is in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (Bakalar, 1/16)
NPR:
Aging Brains Stay Sharper With Daily Housework And Exercise
Want to reduce your risk of dementia in older age? Move as much as you can. We've all heard about techniques to get us more physically active — take the stairs, park the car a bit further from your destination, get up and march in place for a minute or two when standing or sitting at a desk. Now a study finds even simple housework like cooking or cleaning may make a difference in brain health in our 70s and 80s. (Neighmond, 1/16)
NPR:
When A Trip To The Doctor Leads To A Chat About Antibiotics
Sniffles, sore throats and fevers seem to be all around lately. If things get bad enough for you or a loved one to seek care, what are your expectations about treatment? Do you want a prescription for an antibiotic if symptoms suggest an infection? We decided to ask Americans in the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health Poll. We found that visits for symptoms that could be from an infection were common and that most people who saw a health professional under those circumstances got a prescription for an antibiotic. (Hensley, 1/16)
The New York Times:
New York Confronts Its Worst Measles Outbreak In Decades
Through the fall, traveler after traveler arrived in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities of New York from areas of Israel and Europe where measles was spreading. They then spent time in homes, schools and shops in communities where too many people were unvaccinated. Within months, New York State was facing its most severe outbreak of the disease in decades, with 177 cases confirmed by Tuesday, almost exclusively among ultra-Orthodox Jews. Health officials in New Jersey have reported 33 measles cases, mostly in Ocean County, driven by similar conditions. (Otterman, 1/17)
The Associated Press:
Third Party To Run Center Where Comatose Woman Had Baby
The parents of an Arizona woman in a vegetative state who gave birth last month as a result of a rape hope an outside review of the Phoenix facility where she lived will lead to change, a lawyer for the family said Wednesday. In a statement, attorney John Micheaels said the woman’s family expects the independent review of management practices and procedures to be transparent and prevent further patient abuse. Meanwhile, Hacienda officials said state regulators ordered them Wednesday to hire an independent management team to run the Phoenix facility. (1/16)
The Associated Press:
Health Care Task Force Recommends State Individual Mandate
A state task force headed by Democratic lawmakers is recommending that Delaware establish an individual mandate to bolster the financial stability of the state’s Affordable Care Act program. The recommendation follows the expiration earlier this month of the federal mandate that required individuals to obtain health insurance or face tax penalties. The mandate was eliminated as part of the 2017 tax reform law. According to the task force report, Delawareans paid $8 million in penalties in 2016 under the federal mandate. (Chase, 1/16)
The Associated Press:
Idaho Woman Has 50-Pound Tumor Removed
An Idaho woman who thought she was gaining weight because of menopause discovered she actually had a 50-pound tumor that had been growing inside her for decades. Boise television station KTVB reports Brenda Cridland of Meridian chalked up her weight gain to aging, but when her health started to quickly decline about eight months ago she decided to see a doctor. (1/16)
The Washington Post:
On The Senate Floor With A Gun On Her Hip, Republican Says Packing Heat Can Deter Violence
Even in Virginia, where gun culture runs deep and some state lawmakers wear concealed weapons as routinely as dress socks, this scene raised eyebrows: state Sen. Amanda Chase standing on the floor of the ornate chamber with a .38 special openly strapped to her hip. “I’ve had people get in my face. I’ve had people come up and try to touch me inappropriately,” said Chase, a Republican freshman seeking reelection this year in a suburban-rural district south of Richmond. “And it’’ — the gun — “is a deterrent.” (Vozzella, 1/16)