First Edition: March 20, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Medicare Won't Pay For Your Annual Physical, Just A 'Wellness Visit'
When Beverly Dunn called her new primary care doctor’s office last November to schedule an annual checkup, she assumed her Medicare coverage would pick up most of the tab. The appointment seemed like a routine physical, and she was pleased that the doctor spent a lot of time with her.Until she got the bill: $400. Dunn, 69, called the doctor’s office assuming there was a billing error. But it was no mistake, she was told. Medicare does not cover an annual physical exam. (Andrews, 3/20)
California Healthline:
Does It Make Sense To Delay Children’s Vaccines?
When Elyse Imamura’s son was an infant, she and her husband, Robert, chose to spread out his vaccinations at a more gradual pace than the official schedule recommended. “I was thinking, ‘OK, we’re going to do this,’” says Imamura, 39, of Torrance, Calif. “‘But we’re going to do it slower so your body gets acclimated and doesn’t face six different things all of a sudden.’”Seven years later, Imamura says her son, Amaru, is a “very healthy,” active boy who loves to play sports. (Wolfson, 3/19)
The Hill:
O'Rourke: Decisions On Late-Term Abortions 'Best Left To A Woman And Her Doctor'
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), who announced his presidential candidacy last week, said Tuesday he would not infringe on a woman’s right to seek an abortion in a pregnancy’s third trimester. “I think those decisions are best left to a woman and her doctor. I know better than to assume anything about a woman’s decision, an incredibly difficult decision, when it comes to her reproductive rights,” O’Rourke said to applause during a campaign stop at The Pennsylvania State University. (Axelrod, 3/19)
The Associated Press:
UN: Gene Editing For Human Reproduction Is 'Irresponsible'
A panel convened by the World Health Organization said it would be "irresponsible" for scientists to use gene editing for reproductive purposes, but stopped short of calling for a ban. The experts also called for the U.N. health agency to create a database of scientists working on gene editing. The recommendation was announced Tuesday after a two-day meeting in Geneva to examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges of such research. (Keaton and Cheng, 3/19)
The New York Times:
W.H.O. Panel Demands A Registry For Human Gene Editing
The committee was created in the wake of the birth of the first gene-edited babies — the result of an experiment by a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, who genetically altered human embryos and implanted them in a woman who gave birth to twins last fall. His actions stirred alarm among other researchers, ethicists and policymakers, because so little is known about the safety and health effects of editing the genome of a human embryo. Many fear that the technology could be misused to create “designer babies” genetically altered to heighten physical features, intelligence or athletic prowess. (Belluck, 3/19)
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Approves First Drug For Postpartum Depression
The first drug for women suffering postpartum depression received federal approval on Tuesday, a move likely to pave the way for a wave of treatments to address a debilitating condition that is the most common complication of pregnancy. The drug works very quickly, within 48 hours — a significant improvement over currently available antidepressants, which can take two to four weeks to have an effect, if they work at all. (Belluck, 3/19)
The Associated Press:
FDA Approves Drug For Treating Postpartum Depression
Sage said Zulresso will cost $34,000 without insurance, plus costs for staying in a hospital or infusion center. Whether the treatment gets covered by insurance is determined by each insurance company, which also sets the out-of-pocket costs, depending on the plan. In a company-funded study of new mothers with moderate or severe postpartum depression, half the women given Zulresso had depression end within 2 ½ days, about double the rate of those in a comparison group given dummy treatments. (3/19)
The Washington Post:
First Drug Specifically For Postpartum Depression Is Approved
Tiffany Farchione, acting director of the psychiatry products division at FDA, said in a statement that the medication represented “an important new treatment option” for a potentially life-threatening condition. The drug, she said, is administered intravenously for 60 continuous hours. The approval requires that it be administered under strict safety conditions because of concerns it can cause “excessive sedation and sudden loss of consciousness.” The drug will be available to patients only through a restricted distribution program at certified facilities — such as doctors’ offices or clinics — where health-care providers can carefully monitor the patient. It will carry a “boxed warning,” which is the strongest warning required by the FDA. (McGinley and Bernstein, 3/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Sage Therapeutics’ Drug For Postpartum Depression Gets FDA Nod
This is the second new depression drug the Food and Drug Administration has approved in March after decades that saw no major new treatments. The agency recently cleared Johnson & Johnson’s Spravato, which works differently than older medicines to treat depression in patients who have tried previous treatments but didn’t improve. Zulresso, also known as brexanolone, is designed to work differently than some of the older antidepressants. Studies showed that Zulresso did better at easing depressive symptoms in patients soon after dosing and when measured at 30 days after the treatment, compared with a placebo. (Loftus, 3/19)
The New York Times:
Reports Of Breast Implant Illnesses Prompt Federal Review
Reports from thousands of women that breast implants are causing problems like debilitating joint pain and fatigue, claims long dismissed by the medical profession, are receiving new attention from the Food and Drug Administration and researchers. This may be a long-awaited moment of validation for tens of thousands of women who have been brushed off as neurotic, looking to cash in on lawsuits or just victims of chance who coincidentally became ill while having implants. (Grady and Rabin, 3/19)
The New York Times:
British Gallery Turns Down $1.3 Million Sackler Donation
Britain’s National Portrait Gallery said Tuesday that it was not accepting a long-discussed $1.3 million donation from a charitable arm of the Sackler family. The decision, reached by mutual agreement between the gallery and the Britain-based Sackler Trust, is the latest sign of the changing climate in the art world toward the family, which has links to the opioid crisis. Members of the family own Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin. (Marshall, 3/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
London Museum Will Forgo Donation From Purdue Pharma’s Sackler Family
The London gallery had been reviewing the pledge, which was originally granted in 2016, as part of its standard process, a spokeswoman said. On Tuesday, the gallery, home to one of the largest collections of portraits in the world, and the trust said in a statement that the funding wouldn’t go forward. It had been intended for the Inspiring People project, the largest fundraising and development effort since the gallery’s building opened in 1896. “It has become evident that recent reporting of allegations made against Sackler family members may cause this new donation to deflect the National Portrait Gallery from its important work. The allegations against family members are vigorously denied, but to avoid being a distraction for the NPG, we have decided not to proceed at this time with the donation,” a representative for the trust said in a statement on the gallery’s website. (Hopkins, 3/19)
NPR:
Addiction Medicine Lures A New Generation Of Idealistic Doctors
The U.S. surgeon general's office estimates that more than 20 million people have a substance-use disorder. Meanwhile, the nation's drug overdose crisis shows no sign of slowing. Yet, by all accounts, there aren't nearly enough physicians who specialize in treating addiction — doctors with extensive clinical training who are board certified in addiction medicine. The opioid epidemic has made this doctor deficit painfully apparent. And it's spurring medical institutions across the United States to create fellowships for aspiring doctors who want to treat substance-use disorders with the same precision and science as other diseases. (Stone, 3/19)
The New York Times:
Wendy Williams Announces On TV She Is ‘Living In A Sober House’
The daytime talk show host Wendy Williams announced on her show on Tuesday that she was in rehab and staying in a sober-living facility. “You know me for being a very open and truthful person, and I’ve got more to the story for you,” Ms. Williams said to the camera, her voice breaking, while standing in the audience. “For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” Ms. Williams said, holding back tears. (Garcia, 3/19)
The Washington Post:
Chickenpox Outbreak At Kentucky's Assumption Academy Leads To Religious Freedom Lawsuit
Bill Kunkel used to vaccinate his children, before he read where some vaccines come from. He is skeptical of the pharmaceutical industry’s motives and came across anti-vaxxer theories online, though they aren’t supported by science. But his main objection is about abortion. Decades ago, cells were taken from legally aborted fetuses to create some vaccines. Kunkel is Catholic. Vaccines derived from an abortion are, in his mind but not the church’s, immoral. So he and his wife chose not to vaccinate their fourth child, Jerome. (Mettler, 3/19)
CNN:
Her Son Died. And Then Anti-Vaxers Attacked Her
Not long ago, a 4-year-old boy died of the flu. His mother, under doctor's orders, watched his two little brothers like a hawk, terrified they might get sick and die, too. Grieving and frightened, just days after her son's death she checked her Facebook page hoping to read messages of comfort from family and friends. Instead, she found dozens of hateful comments: You're a terrible mother. You killed your child. You deserved what happened to your son. This is all fake - your child doesn't exist. Bewildered and rattled, she closed her Facebook app. (Cohen and Bonifield, 3/19)
Stat:
What Was It Like When Mumps Was Rampant? Ask Greg
Today, thanks to vaccines, the number of annual mumps cases ranges from hundreds to a few thousand, depending on whether there’s a big outbreak. Measles, a more dangerous disease, is even more rare — a super bad year, like 2014, saw 667 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, numbers like these make experts worry that the rise of anti-vaccine sentiment is threatening the herd immunity used to keep vaccine-preventable diseases in check. (Branswell, 3/20)
The Associated Press:
Smoking Strong Pot Daily Raises Psychosis Risk, Study Finds
Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rates. The research adds to previous studies that have found links between marijuana and mental health problems, but still does not definitively pinpoint marijuana as the cause. (3/19)
NPR:
More Evidence Links Marijuana Use And Psychosis
Several past studies have found that more frequent use of pot is associated with a higher risk of psychosis, that is, when someone loses touch with reality. Now a new study published Tuesday in the The Lancet Psychiatry shows that consuming pot on a daily basis and especially using high potency cannabis increases the odds of having a psychotic episode later. "This is more evidence that the link between cannabis and psychosis matters," says Krista M. Lisdahl, a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, who wasn't involved in the study. (Chatterjee, 3/19)
CNN:
Using Cannabis Daily Or Using High Potency Weed Increases Your Risk Of Psychotic Disorder, Study Finds
"Psychotic disorder," precisely, is what was studied, said Dr. Marta Di Forti, lead author and a clinician scientist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London. "We are talking about people who meet diagnostic criteria [and] come to the attention of mental health services to receive treatment for psychosis. So they have to have symptoms of psychosis across the spectrum -- so hallucination, delusion -- that have lasted at least for a week." (Scutti, 3/19)
Stat:
Patients With FOP, A Grim Genetic Disease, See Hope On The Horizon
For decades, [fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva] was a medical curiosity, a disease without a treatment or even a biological explanation. But thanks to a well-organized patient group, some dedicated researchers, and a fair amount of scientific serendipity, the future of FOP could be unprecedentedly bright. ... There are three medicines now in human trials, the most advanced of which could win Food and Drug Administration approval next year. A community once relegated to what Kaplan calls “the backwaters of medicine” now sees a future in which a cocktail of therapies might arrest unwanted bone growth and halt FOP. (Garde, 3/20)
The New York Times:
Why Lifting Weights Can Be So Potent For Aging Well
Weight training by older people may build not only strength and muscle mass but also motivation and confidence, potentially spurring them to continue exercising, according to an interesting new study of the emotional impacts of lifting weights. The findings intimate that people worried that they might be too old or inept to start resistance training should perhaps try it, to see how their bodies and minds respond. (Reynolds, 3/20)
NPR:
Frans De Waal Explores Primate Emotions In 'Mama's Last Hug'
When Frans de Waal started studying nonhuman primates, in the Netherlands more than 40 years ago, he was told not to consider the emotions of the animals he was observing. "Thoughts and feelings — the mental processes basically — were off limits," he says. "We were told not to talk about them, because they were considered by many scientists as 'inner states' and you only were allowed to talk about 'outer states.' " (Gross, 3/19)
CNN:
The 'Bliss Point,' Or Why You Can't Just Eat One Cookie Or Potato Chip
Have you ever found yourself staring at an empty bag of cookies you just devoured? Don't beat yourself up. Your brain is wired to eat that cookie -- and the next 10. It's as automatic a response as running away from a loud noise. But resisting the cookies (or chips, or cakes, or chocolate-covered pretzels) doesn't have to feel like a constant cage match between willpower and craving. You can use the same science that food manufacturers use to make junk foods biologically irresistible to your advantage. (Gillespie, 3/19)
The New York Times:
Psychic Mediums Are The New Wellness Coaches
“Intuition is magical, but it’s not reserved for a couple of people,” said Laura Lynne Jackson, 46. She’s from Commack, N.Y., and makes her living as a psychic medium, and she was talking to hundreds who attended this year’s In Goop Health Summit in New York City (tickets start at $1000) who were there to learn how to tap into their inner intuition. “It’s for all of you,” she said. (Held, 3/19)
The New York Times:
Monsanto Weedkiller Roundup Was ‘Substantial Factor’ In Causing Man’s Cancer, Jury Says
A federal jury found Tuesday that Monsanto’s popular weedkiller Roundup was a “substantial factor” in causing a California man’s cancer, dealing a significant blow to the company as it aggressively defends its products against thousands of similar claims. The six-member jury delivered the unanimous verdict in the United States District Court in San Francisco, months after a groundskeeper who said Roundup caused his cancer was awarded about $80 million in a separate case in California. (Zaveri, 3/19)
Reuters:
Second U.S. Jury Finds Bayer's Roundup Caused Cancer
Bayer, which denies allegations that glyphosate or Roundup cause cancer, in a statement on Tuesday said it was disappointed with the jury's initial decision. Bayer acquired Monsanto, the longtime maker of Roundup, for $63 billion last year. "We are confident the evidence in phase two will show that Monsanto's conduct has been appropriate and the company should not be liable for Mr. Hardeman's cancer," the company said. (3/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
Jury Finds Bayer’s Roundup Weedkiller Caused Man’s Cancer
Analysts and investors had seen Bayer at an advantage in this second trial after U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria agreed to split the evidence into two phases, with the first focusing solely on whether Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, are carcinogenic. In the first phase, jurors didn’t hear allegations that the company hid dangers about its product from the public. Bayer faces lawsuits in the U.S. from about 11,200 farmers, home gardeners and landscapers claiming its glyphosate-based herbicides cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers. Six more trials are due to start this year in federal and state courts. (Randazzo and Bender, 3/20)
CNN:
Monsanto's Roundup Was Likely The Cause Of A Second Man's Cancer, Jury Says. Thousands More Cases Await Trial
The first was on the state level, when 46-year-old Dewayne Johnson in California received an expedited trial because doctors said his terminal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was bringing him near death. While working as a groundskeeper for a school district near San Francisco, Johnson's attorneys said he applied Roundup weedkiller 20 to 30 times per year and had two accidents that resulted in him being soaked by the product. The first was two years before he was diagnosed with cancer. (Holcombe, 3/20)
The New York Times:
How PG&E Ignored California Fire Risks In Favor Of Profits
Tower 27/222 looms almost 100 feet tall in the Sierra Nevada foothills, a hunk of steel that has endured through 18 United States presidents. The transmission lines that it supports keep electricity flowing to much of California. On the morning of Nov. 8, a live wire broke free of its grip. A power failure occurred on the line, affecting a single customer. But 15 minutes later, a fire was observed nearby. Within hours, flames engulfed the region, ultimately killing 85 and destroying the town of Paradise. The equipment belonged to the state’s biggest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric. To the company’s critics, the tower and its vulnerability reflect a broken safety culture. (Penn, Eavis and Glanz, 3/18)
The Associated Press:
San Francisco Floats Ban On E-Cigarettes Pending US Review
San Francisco is trying to crack down on electronic cigarettes that critics say aggressively target kids, with an official on Tuesday proposed what's believed to be the first U.S. ban on their sale until the federal government regulates vaping products. City Attorney Dennis Herrera said San Francisco, Chicago and New York sent a joint letter demanding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration evaluate the effect of e-cigarettes on public health. (3/19)
The Associated Press:
Mississippi Senate OKs Ban On Abortion After Fetal Heartbeat
Mississippi senators on Tuesday passed the final version of a bill that would ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant promises he will sign the bill , which will give Mississippi one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws. The 34-15 Senate vote was largely along party lines, with most Republicans voting yes and most Democrats voting no. (3/19)
Stateline:
As Home-Cooked Cottage-Food Industry Grows, States Work To Keep Up
As more consumers shop at farmers markets and “eat local,” U.S. local food sales, including cottage-food sales, have soared from $5 billion annually in 2008 to a projected $20 billion this year, according to former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Maine, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming have gone further, enacting “food freedom” laws that exempt home producers from food-safety rules that apply to grocery stores, restaurants and other food establishments. Advocates see food freedom as a matter of personal liberty and think informed consumers can make their own choices. The issue is a cause among those who want less government regulation. (Mercer, 3/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Border Patrol Says Detention Centers Are Full — And Starts Releasing Migrants
The Border Patrol released 50 recently apprehended migrants here Tuesday, the first of several hundred border-crossers who officials say will soon be freed because there is no room to hold them. Normally, the Border Patrol would transfer the migrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “processed” and in many cases placed in detention facilities. But officials said that both agencies have run out of space due to a recent influx of Central American families. (Hennessy-Fiske and O'Toole, 3/19)
The Associated Press:
Doctor Who Cheated Medicaid Of $5M Gets 7 Years In Prison
A Connecticut doctor who bilked Medicaid out of nearly $5 million and stashed some of the stolen money in a Swiss bank account has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison. Federal prosecutors say 49-year-old Ramil Mansourov was also ordered in federal court in New Haven on Monday to repay the money and surrender his federal controlled substances registration. (3/19)
The Washington Post:
Fetal Macrosomia: Joy Buckley Gave Birth To A 15-Pound Baby In New York
In the final weeks of her pregnancy, Joy Buckley had been sleeping on the couch to avoid climbing the stairs to the bedroom. It had become harder to breathe. Her bladder was being squished. And, she said, she had to eat eight small meals a day because she could not fit much food in her stomach at one time. She knew her soon-to-be born daughter, Harper, was going to be large — the baby had run out of room, and Buckley had no more to give her. (Bever, 3/19)