Latest California Healthline Stories
In places like San Francisco, where fentanyl is clearly labeled and not disguised as heroin, some people who are addicted to opioids prefer the powerful synthetic. “Fentanyl is stronger, you need less of it, and it’s cheaper. So why wouldn’t I, as somebody with limited funds, want to spend my money on something that’s a better value and therefore a better product?” Kristen Marshall, who runs a drug testing program for the Harm Reduction Coalition, tells Stateline about the drug users she treats.
On display at the big 2019 CES technology show will be the latest in wearables — “I just got an email about a bladder monitor,” says one analyst — but privacy concerns remain at the front of consumers’ minds.
“The only people for whom these list prices are remotely relevant are those among us who don’t have any health insurance at all,” said Martin Gaynor, professor of economics and health policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Even just knowing the difference between what one hospital charges versus another won’t mean much in practice for consumers.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who has been leading a crackdown on what he’s called an “epidemic” of teen vaping, plans to haul the companies into the agency’s headquarters so they can explain how they plan on sticking to previous vows of protecting young people.
Michael Martinez previously worked in Gilead’s life sciences sector. Gilead, in turn, disclosed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as recently as Nov. 6 that the California Department of Insurance and Alameda County District Attorney’s Office issued subpoenas in October 2017 requesting documents related to its marketing, and interactions with specialty pharmacies.
How California’s Attorney General Has Led The Charge Against Trump’s Policies
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is leading the coalition of Democratic states that is defending the health law in court, but that’s just one of the ways Becerra has used his position to try to thwart the administration. Meanwhile, the House is taking steps to formally intervene in the suit.
Viewpoints: U.S. Mortality Report Paints A Grim Picture, But Not All Hope Is Lost
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
In the first major pharmaceutical deal of 2019, Bristol-Myers Squibb says it will buy Celgene, a maker of cancer-fighting drugs, in a merger valued at $74 billion. According to Stat, Bristol-Myers has been under pressure to set a new course since August 2016, when a big study of its cancer immunotherapy, Opdivo, failed to show a benefit in previously untreated patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ushered in the 116th Congress on Thursday, outlining an agenda that focused on health care and preexisting conditions. The shutdown, however, hung over the celebration of the newly sworn-in members.
Gang And Violence Reduction Program Credited For Oakland’s Promising Dip In Crime Rates
“There is much more work to be done,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said. “But we are encouraged by these trends.”