‘Together We Have Made Real Progress’: Cecile Richards Steps Down As Planned Parenthood Leader

The New York Times: Cecile Richards On Her Life After Planned Parenthood
According to Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood for over a decade, protesters who wave anti-abortion signs outside one of the organization’s clinics will sometimes return — a week, a month or a year later — for an annual medical exam. The men in Washington, D.C., who have done battle with Ms. Richards (“and they’re almost always men”) don’t see that side of the organization, she said. “For women, access to reproductive health care isn’t a political issue,” Ms. Richards said. “The women who walk into Planned Parenthood clinics come from every background, every political persuasion. "Yes, she said, even women who support President Trump. (Chozick, 1/26)

In other national health care news —

Stat: Gilead Accused Of 'Unethical' Policy For An HIV Prevention Drug
Atrio of AIDS advocacy groups is accusing Gilead Sciences (GILD) of drastically limiting a key component of an AIDS prevention treatment in an “unethical” manner that may violate federal guidelines. At issue is a Gilead drug called Truvada, which is combined with one of two other medicines to form nPEP, or non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis, the term used to describe preventive treatment. Observational studies suggest the combination can reduce the risk of acquiring HIV infection when started within 72 hours of exposure and continued for a month. (Silverman, 1/26)

The Hill: FDA Approved Record Number Of Generic Drugs Last Year
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 1,027 generic drugs last year, a record number, the Trump administration said Friday. The figure came as part of a year-end report from the Department of Health and Human Services, and was touted as part of the administration’s efforts to fight high drug prices. (Sullivan, 1/26)

Kaiser Health News: Death In The Family: An Uncle’s Overdose Spurs Medicaid Official To Change Course
Andrey Ostrovsky’s family did not discuss what killed his uncle. He was young, not quite two weeks past his 45th birthday, when he died, and he had lost touch with loved ones in his final months. Ostrovsky speculated he had committed suicide. Almost two years later, Ostrovsky was Medicaid’s chief medical officer, grappling with an opioid crisis that kills about 115 Americans each day, when he learned the truth: His uncle died of a drug overdose. (Huetteman, 1/29)

The New York Times: How To Keep Children Safe From Abuse At The Pediatrician’s Office
How can parents know if a doctor is touching a child in an inappropriate way? After scores of young women testified about being sexually molested by Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar, the former doctor for the American gymnastics team who was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on Wednesday, their parents wondered how they could have missed the signs. Some were even in the exam room at the time but were unaware that anything was wrong. (Rabin, 1/26)

The New York Times: Citing Deaths Of Lab Monkeys, F.D.A. Ends An Addiction Study
The deaths of four squirrel monkeys used as subjects in a nicotine addiction study have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to shut down the research permanently and to establish a council to oversee all animal studies under the agency’s purview. “It is clear the study was not consistent with the agency’s high animal welfare standards,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the agency’s commissioner, said in a statement on Friday. “These findings indicate that F.D.A.’s animal program may need to be strengthened in some important areas.” (Kaplan, 1/26)

The Washington Post: What Should You Do If A Nuclear Bomb Is Heading Your Way?
On Jan. 13, the state of Hawaii spent 38 minutes in terror after a text alert mistakenly warned of an incoming nuclear missile attack. If you heard about the mistake and wondered what you would or should do if you learned a nuclear bomb was heading your way, you're not alone. It has been more than 30 years since schools in the United States had “duck and cover” drills for schoolchildren, and preparing for a nuclear attack isn't something most people are familiar with. Today, nuclear threats are more likely from rogue states and terrorists, not the Soviet Union. But we should still be worried about nuclear threats we’re facing — and, with a president promising to rain down “fire and fury,” the threats we’re making. So if an attack is imminent, what do you do? (Taylor, 1/26)