The New York Times: Harvard And M.I.T. Scientists Win Gene-Editing Patent Fight
The Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass., will retain potentially lucrative rights to a powerful gene-editing technique that could lead to major advances in medicine and agriculture, the federal Patent and Trademark Office ruled on Wednesday. The decision, in a bitterly fought dispute closely watched by scientists and the biotechnology industry, was a blow to the University of California, often said to be the birthplace of the technique, which is known as Crispr-Cas9. (Pollack, 2/15)

Los Angeles Times: UC Berkeley Suffers Big Loss In CRISPR Patent Fight: What's Next?
UC Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her European collaborator, Emmanuelle Charpentier, have racked up a slew of awards for their work, which makes it very easy to alter the DNA of living things. But their efforts to patent their discovery have been hung up by a competing claim from Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. (Netburn, 2/15)

The Washington Post: Broad Institute Scientist Prevails In Epic Patent Fight Over CRISPR
The CRISPR patent fight appears to be over, at least for the moment. A ruling by the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board found no “interference” in patents awarded to Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The loser, pending appeals, is the University of California, and the much-heralded biochemist  Jennifer Doudna, who, along with Emmanuelle Charpentier, in 2012 published a groundbreaking paper showing how to exploit a natural bacterial gene-editing system known as CRISPR. The patent office determined that Zhang's later innovations, which used CRISPR to edit mammalian cells, were not simply elaborations of what Doudna and Charpentier had already discovered. (Achenbach and Johnson, 2/15)

The Associated Press: Gene Editing Patent Ruling Sways Fortune Of Biotech Hopefuls
The financial implications are huge, since CRISPR may lead to many lucrative products in medicine, agriculture and elsewhere. One company that has licensed Broad’s technology, Editas Medicine Inc., saw its shares jump by 29 percent Wednesday. (Ritter, 2/15)

The Mercury News: UC Berkeley Suffers Setback In Patent Battle Over CRISPR Gene-Editing Tool
In a brief order, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sided with Broad, ruling there is “no interference in fact” — meaning that the universities’ discoveries accomplish different things. The ruling neither cancels nor refuses either parties’ claims, but leaves in place patents previously issued to the Broad Institute. (Krieger, 2/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: UC Berkeley Researchers Seek Patent For Gene-Editing System 
“As the legal dispute moves forward, my team will continue to focus on using CRISPR to deliver advances and solutions that can help solve our greatest challenges across human health, agriculture and the environment,” said Doudna, in a statement Wednesday. (Perlman, 2/15)

Coastal View News: Health Care Jitters: Life After Obamacare?
One in 10 county residents now has health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, state and county records show. The federal funding that came with it has breathed new life into at least 12 South Coast clinics serving low-income residents. A repeal of the Affordable Care Act could jeopardize up to $140 million per year in federal funding that pays for the Medi-Cal expansion in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, said Bob Freeman, who administers the program as the CEO of CenCal Health. Nearly one in three Santa Barbara County residents — and more than one in three statewide — are now enrolled in Medi-Cal, getting free or low-cost care. “Cutting back on the spending does not cut back on the need,” Freeman said. “It would be a setback for our mission.” (Burns, 2/15)

In other health law news —

Capital Public Radio/KXJZ: A Look Into An ACA-Created Teaching Health Center 
A number of programs around the country were created under the healthcare law. For example: teaching health centers. This is a physician residency program aimed at increasing the number of doctors in underserved areas — including rural communities. One such center is in Redding — a rural Northern California city nestled at the foot of the Shasta Cascades — where two graduating doctors share a peek of the program's day-to-day operations. (Jeong Perry, 2/15)

Los Angeles Times: California State Senator Proposes Banning Prescriptions Of Powerful Painkiller Oxycodone For Those Under 21
Seeking to stem the growing opioid abuse crisis, a California state senator is proposing to prohibit prescriptions of the painkiller oxycodone for anyone under the age of 21. Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) said his measure, SB 419, would stop younger people from getting early exposure to the highly addictive pain drug, commonly known by its brand name, OxyContin. “The abuse of this drug is a national epidemic and we need to protect our children from being prescribed this highly addictive substance," Portantino said in a statement. (Mason, 2/15)

San Francisco Business Times: This Giant Health Care Nonprofit Makes $3 Billion In Profit
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente reported a strong year in 2016, with growth in its operating revenue and income and 11 million members in its health system. With a footprint in eight states and D.C., the health care giant reported its 2016 operating revenue at $64.6 billion, up from $60.7 billion in 2015. Kaiser saw operating income go up slightly, from $1.8 billion in 2015 to $1.9 billion in 2016. Net income, however, shot up from $1.9 billion in 2015 to $3.1 billion — back to where it ended up in 2014. In February 2015, Kaiser Corporate Treasurer Tom Meier called 2014 an “exceptional year” in an interview with the Business Times, adding then that Kaiser didn’t expect a repeat. Meier attributes this year's sharp growth in net income to gains on investments; 2016 was a strong year for most investors. He did not provide exact numbers. (Siu, 2/15)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sonoma West Medical Center In Sebastopol May Be Sold To A Florida Startup
The public health care district that owns Sonoma West Medical Center in Sebastopol has launched negotiations that could lead to the sale of the financially troubled hospital to a Florida-based startup that specializes in acquiring rural hospitals. At a district board meeting Wednesday, board trustees unanimously approved a “letter of intent” to transfer the Sonoma West Medical Center property, the hospital and the equipment inside to Americore Health, a hospital management, investment and acquisition firm. In exchange for entering into negotiations with the district, Americore will provide an infusion of badly needed money to the cash-strapped medical center. (Espinoza, 2/15)

In other hospital news —

San Diego Union-Times: New Medical Center Opens Tuesday In Rancho Bernardo 
Sharp Rees-Stealy will close its Rancho Bernardo medical center Thursday night and reopen on Tuesday in its new 100,000-square-foot facility nearby. All departments will close at 5 p.m. Thursday so over the next several days everything can be moved from 16950 Via Tazon (the RB clinic since 2000) to the new building a half-mile away at 16899 W. Bernardo Drive. It is opening a month earlier than originally projected. Those who need to access urgent care during the transition are to seek care at its Sorrento Mesa facility at 10243 Genetic Center Drive, said Stacy Rayle, marketing specialist for Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers. (Himchak, 2/15)

KQED: California Prisons Fight To Reduce Dangerous ‘Valley Fever’ Infections Among Inmates
When the wind kicks up in the town of Coalinga, dust devils whirl over almond orchards and pumpjacks. You can even see the narrow brown funnels from the grounds of Pleasant Valley State Prison, on the outskirts of town.But at the prison itself, there’s hardly any dust. That’s evidence of years of work by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to reduce and control the San Joaquin Valley’s ubiquitous wind-borne dust. The dust carries the spores of the debilitating fungal disease known as coccidioidomycosis, or “valley fever.” (Klein, 2/15)

In other news from across the state —

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Flu Activity Remains Elevated In San Diego County
Flu activity continues to increase across the region, according to the latest weekly snapshot report from the county Health and Human Services Agency. The total number of confirmed influenza cases, the percentage of emergency department visits involving flu symptoms and the tally of flu-related cases in intensive-care units all ticked up in the past week. Though overall flu activity has not reached levels seen in some previous years, public-health officials continue to caution the public to be extra mindful about washing hands, covering mouths when coughing and following other steps that can help keep the airborne influenza virus from spreading. (Sisson, 2/15)

San Jose Mercury News: Sunnyvale School Grocery Program Provides Weekend Meals To Students 
For many parents, San Miguel Elementary School is not just a place to fill their children’s minds but their stomachs as well. Since 2015 the school has participated in the Weekend School Food Program organized by Sunnyvale Community Services in partnership with the Sunnyvale School District. The program allows parents and other residents to pick up 32 pounds of donated food twice a month on Fridays. (Kezra, 2/15)

The Associated Press: Trump Administration Ushers In Changes To Obama Health Law
The Trump administration took steps Wednesday intended to calm jittery insurance companies and make tax compliance with former President Barack Obama's health law less burdensome for some people. But the changes could lead to policies with higher annual deductibles, according to the administration's own proposal. That seems to undercut President Donald Trump's assurance in a recent Washington Post interview that his plan would mean "lower numbers, much lower deductibles." (2/15)

Los Angeles Times: While Congress Struggles To Replace Obamacare, The Trump Administration Is Moving To Reshape Health Insurance On Its Own 
Administration officials said the moves — which were detailed in proposed regulations released Wednesday — are necessary to stabilize Obamacare marketplaces that have been shaken over the last year by rising premiums and insurer exits. (Levey, 2/15)

In other national health care news —

The Associated Press: Following Trump Order, IRS Shifts On Health Care Mandate
The IRS says it's following President Donald Trump's executive order on health care by easing enforcement of the unpopular Obama-era requirement for people to have coverage or risk fines. Trump directed federal agencies to ease the health law's rules after he took office. (2/15)

The Washington Post: Freedom Caucus Backs ACA ‘Repeal And Replace’ That Counts On Private Health Care
House conservatives, frustrated by GOP leadership’s slow and tentative approach to replacing the Affordable Care Act, have gotten behind legislation by Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would repeal most of the law and move millions of Americans Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). “We were tired of waiting,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) at a Wednesday press conference on the legislation, “and that’s why we said: Let’s go. Let’s go now.” (Weigel, 2/15)

The Associated Press: House GOP Batting Around Options For Revamping Health Law
House GOP leaders are offering rank-and-file lawmakers options for replacing President Barack Obama's health care law. Lawmakers, aides and lobbyists say the proposals take a conservative approach dominated by tax breaks and a transition away from today's Medicaid program. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other House leaders planned to discuss details of their plans with lawmakers Thursday and gauge their receptiveness. (Fram, 2/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Small Businesses Change Tune On Health-Insurance Coverage
When Congress enacted the Affordable Care Act in 2010, some small firms worried that the cost of covering their workers would drive them out of business. But many of them now say they plan to keep offering health-insurance coverage, even if the requirement that they do so is eliminated. Some entrepreneurs have changed their tune after realizing that the benefit helps them attract and retain workers in a tight labor market, while others say that complying with the requirement to offer health insurance coverage to certain employees hasn’t been the financial strain they feared—in part because fewer workers than expected signed up. (Simon, 2/15)

Politico: A Bleak Week For Obamacare
Obamacare’s health insurance markets are flirting with financial disaster — and that’s before Republicans have had a chance to lay their hands on the law they’ve vowed for seven years to repeal. (Demko, 2/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Humana’s Decision To Pull Out Of Health Exchanges Pressures Republicans
Humana Inc.’s decision to withdraw from the Affordable Care Act exchanges next year adds to the pressure on Republicans to bolster the marketplaces even as they promise to unwind the health law. ... Republicans may find themselves in a tough position politically if insurer withdrawals or sharp rate markups affect marketplace consumers in 2018, when federal health policy will have been under their control for about a year. ... Insurers have been ratcheting up the pressure on Republicans to prop up the marketplaces, with increasingly public threats about the consequences if they don’t see such efforts. Insurers must begin filing rates for their 2018 exchange plans with state regulators this spring. (Wilde Mathews and Armour, 2/15)

Reuters: U.S. Healthcare Costs To Escalate Over Next Decade: Government Agency
The cost of medical care in the United States is expected to grow at a faster clip over the next decade and overall health spending growth will outpace that of the gross domestic product, a U.S. government health agency said on Wednesday. A report by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cited the aging of the enormous baby boom generation and overall economic inflation as prime contributors to the projected increase in healthcare spending. (Abutaleb, 2/15)

The Associated Press: Trump Nominee Has Decried Medicaid For Fostering Dependency
The businesswoman President Donald Trump selected to oversee Medicaid, the health care program for 74 million low-income Americans, has said the program is structurally flawed by policies that burden states and foster dependency among the poor. ... Her proposed solutions can be seen most dramatically in Indiana, where Medicaid enrollees pay fees and a missed payment means a six-month lockout from the program. ... Democrats in Washington are concerned Verma's methods may become a favored model as Republicans work to repeal the Affordable Care Act, making it harder for non-disabled adults to get access to health care. (Johnson, 2/16)

Bloomberg: Dementia Joins Ranks Of Top Global Killers With No Drug In Sight 
Dementia has unseated AIDS as one of the world’s top killers, new figures from the World Health Organization show, as drugmakers struggle to either curb or cure it. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia killed 1.54 million people in 2015, more than twice the number of deaths from the disease in 2000, according to documents posted on the WHO website last month. It replaced HIV/AIDS as No. 7 on the global health watchdog’s list of the 10 biggest causes of death worldwide. New therapies helped push fatalities from HIV/AIDS from 1.5 million down to 1.1 million over the same 15-year period. (Kresge, 2/15)

The Washington Post: Trump’s Claim That There’s ‘Tremendous Amount Of Increase’ In Autism Cases
In a meeting with educators, Trump asked the principal of a center that serves students with disabilities about the prevalence of autism. The principal, Jane Quenneville, spoke about the increasing number of students with autism at the Kilmer Center, a Fairfax County public school. But Trump then claimed that there was a “tremendous amount of increase” in autism in general — “really a horrible thing to watch.” This exchange is especially noteworthy, because Trump wants to create a vaccine safety commission that could roll back vaccine laws based on the widely discredited theory that vaccines cause autism. (Lee, 2/16)