The New York Times: F.D.A. Moves To Stop Rogue Clinics From Using Unapproved Stem Cell Therapies
The Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday that it was seeking court orders to stop two clinics from using unapproved stem cell treatments that in some cases have seriously harmed patients. The clinics remove fat from patients’ bellies by liposuction and then inject an extract of it into various parts of the body like knees or the spinal cord, on the theory that the extract contains stem cells that can provide replacement cells that will repair the damage from injury or illness. (Grady and Kaplan, 5/9)

The Associated Press: Feds Sue To Close Stem Cell Clinics In California, Florida
The Justice Department says in court filings Wednesday that the firms put consumers at risk by promising benefits from treatments never approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The complaints involve treatments derived from cells taken from patients’ own fat tissue. The lawsuits target Southern California’s Stem Cell Treatment Center and U.S. Stem Cell Clinic of Sunrise, Florida. Mark Berman, director of the California clinics, says he stands by his treatments and looks forward to fighting the lawsuit. (5/9)

The Washington Post: FDA Seeks Injunction To Stop Two Stem Cell Companies After Patients Blinded
Hundreds of such clinics have popped up across the country in recent years, many promoting treatments for conditions including Parkinson’s disease, autism and multiple sclerosis. Federal regulators have not approved any of their procedures, and critics liken the facilities to modern-day snake-oil salesmen. Many stem cell researchers and former patients have long urged the FDA to take stronger action against the clinics. Current and former agency officials have acknowledged the need for greater regulation of the booming industry, citing limited resources for the lack of aggressive action in the past. (Wan and McGinley, 5/9)

Stat: FDA Seeking To Stop Procedures At Two Unregulated Stem Cell Clinics 
In separate statements, both US Stem Cell and the California clinic and its affiliates said they intended to fight the lawsuits. They argued that the FDA’s efforts interfered in the doctor-patient relationship and that these clinical decisions should be made without meddling from the government. (Joseph, 5/9)

The Mercury News: Children’s Hospital Oakland Doctors Revolt Against UCSF Partnership
Doctors in Oakland are revolting against the much-hyped partnership that combined UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Oakland, saying the four-year-old deal is turning the world-renowned East Bay hospital into a second-class facility to its San Francisco sibling. Doctors are fleeing the East Bay hospital, claiming UCSF has prioritized San Francisco, locating most of its specialists and leadership at its new Mission Bay campus over the Oakland facility. Fewer kids are being hospitalized in Oakland, down about 11 percent since the 2014 merger, according to doctors. Currently, no new patients can get routine psychiatric appointments or can see a lung specialist in Oakland, a community with the highest rate of asthma in Alameda County, the doctors say. (Gafni, 5/10)

And in other news —

Sacramento Bee: Nurses Strike In Support Of Workers At UC Medical Center
More than 550 nurses and members of the California Nurses Association turned out Wednesday for the second day of the sympathy strike at UC Davis Medical Center. ... After more than a year of negotiations, the patient-care and service workers, represented by AFSCME 3299, rejected the university's last-and-best offer of 3 percent across-the-board wage increases and a prorated, lump-sum payment of $750. AFSCME 3299 negotiators have sought wage increases of 6 percent, a freeze on health care premiums and job security that eliminates contracting out jobs for which its members are trained. (Sullivan, 5/9)

Fresno Bee: Clovis Doctor College, Assemi Project, New Building CHSU 
A medical school broke ground in northeast Clovis on Wednesday, becoming the latest privately funded health care project spearheaded by the Assemi family. Known for success in real estate and agriculture, the Assemi family has made improving the Valley's health-care system one of their philanthropic missions. The family, led by Farid Assemi, is behind the California Health Sciences University's College of Pharmacy that will be graduating its first class on May 18. (Rodriguez, 5/9)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Cracks Down On Unlicensed And Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals
The Los Angeles city attorney filed three lawsuits Wednesday against several individuals accused of selling illegal, banned, misbranded or counterfeit pharmaceuticals. The lawsuits follow an extensive investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Arizona, officials said. (Etehad, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Cannabis Tax Revenue In California Falls Far Short Of Projections 
State taxes on legal marijuana sales in California are coming in far short of projections — $34 million in the first quarter of 2018, about a third of the revenue that officials anticipated, according to data released Wednesday by the Legislative Analyst’s Office. (Fimrite, 5/9)

Los Angeles Times: This Room Was Off-Limits To Smokers, But Its Air Contained Surprising Amounts Of 'Thirdhand Smoke'
Pop quiz: If you sampled the air in an empty college classroom where smoking is not permitted, what is the last thing you'd expect to find?If you guessed "cigarette smoke," you're in good company. Peter DeCarlo, an air quality researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia, would have agreed with you. But when he examined the air from the unoccupied room, he discovered that 29% of the tiny particles suspended within it could be traced to the residue of cigarette smoke. (Kaplan, 5/9)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Teen Birth Rates Continue To Decline In Sonoma County
In Sonoma County, the birth rate for Latina teens was 18.2 births per 1,000 teens, compared to 3.4 births for white teens during the three-year period from 2015-2017. But for the period between 2000-2002, Latina teens had 76.5 births per 1,000 teens and white teens had a birth rate of 13.6. ...While the county’s overall teen birth rate has declined dramatically, rates continue to be high in certain areas, such as Santa Rosa’s Roseland neighborhood, said Kembly Mahiri, a supervising social worker for Teen Parent Connections, a program with the county Department of Health Services that helps teen moms and pregnant teens graduate from high school and further their education to become more self-sufficient. (Espinoza, 5/9)

In other public health news —

San Jose Mercury News: Contra Costa County Sues Drug Makers Over Opioid Epidemic
Contra Costa County is among 30 California counties suing pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors for their role in creating a widespread opioid epidemic. The lawsuit filed by Contra Costa County seeks reimbursement of taxpayer funds that have been spent responding to the opioid epidemic in the county and for ongoing costs, such as emergency response for overdoses, prevention, monitoring and treatment. (Sciacca, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: $29 Million Increase For San Francisco Homelessness Programs In Proposed Budget 
Farrell is expected to announce Thursday that his spending plan for fiscal 2018-19 would add $29 million to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s $250 million budget. More than half the new money — $15.2 million — would go toward opening four navigation centers, where homeless people have access to substance abuse counseling, mental health programs and job-search assistance — all programs designed to stabilize their lives and keep them under a roof. (Fracassa, 5/9)

In other news from across the state —

San Francisco Chronicle: Tax For Teacher Salaries, Ban On Flavored Tobacco Highlight SF Ballot
On June 5, San Francisco voters will be asked to weigh in on a range of important policy matters, from creating a new tax to raising wages for teachers and banning flavored tobacco products. Here’s a look at the propositions San Francisco voters will consider on election day. (Fracassa, 5/9)

Los Angeles Times: Newport Harbor High Principal Apologizes For Rat Problem, Adding ‘We’re Getting Our Arms Around It’
Newport Harbor High School Principal Sean Boulton apologized during a school board meeting Tuesday to students, teachers, classified employees and families for a rat problem that he said has grown and jeopardized campus health and safety. (Langhorne, 5/9)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Car Crashes At Poway Medical Building, Catches Fire 
An 84-year-old woman crashed into a wall or gate outside a Poway medical building and caught fire Tuesday. Witnesses helped the woman out of her sedan and she was taken to a hospital for evaluation of possible minor injuries, a sheriff’s official said.People inside the Centre for Health Care, at Pomerado and Monte Vista roads, were evacuated as a precaution, authorities said. (Repard, 5/8)

The New York Times: To Lower Drug Costs At Home, Trump Wants Higher Prices Abroad
President Trump, poised on Friday to unveil his strategy to lower prescription drug prices, has an idea that may not be so popular abroad: Bring down costs at home by forcing higher prices in foreign countries that use their national health systems to make drugs more affordable. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump rebuffed his European allies by withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. Threatened tariffs on steel and aluminum have strained relations with other developed nations. And now the administration is suggesting policies that could hit the pocketbooks of some of America’s strongest allies. (Pear, 5/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump To Unveil Proposals To Reduce Drug Prices
The speech, which has been twice delayed, is spurring skepticism from industry experts and Democrats who say it won’t make a serious dent in costs. They say the proposals fall short of Mr. Trump’s pledge to go after pharmaceutical companies he said last year were “getting away with murder. ”Some industry officials, for their part, say they are relieved to have been spared moves on a scale that would wreck their industries and, in turn, hamper drug innovation or access. Mr. Trump’s speech on combating high drug prices will be accompanied by proposed rules and a broad request for input from manufacturers, health providers, patients and others, according to people familiar with the plan. (Armour, Radnofsky and Burton, 5/10)

Meanwhile —

The Hill: Cohen Promised Novartis Access To Trump: Report 
President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen promised the pharmaceutical company Novartis that it could have access to Trump and his inner circle if they signed a contract with Cohen, a Novartis employee told Stat on Wednesday. The employee told Stat that Cohen contacted then-CEO Joe Jimenez last year, promising that he could get Novartis access to both Trump and top administration officials. Jimenez then reportedly ordered company officials to make a deal with Cohen. (Thomsen, 5/9)

The New York Times: How Michael Cohen, Denied Job In White House, Was Seen As Its Gatekeeper
On Wednesday, additional details emerged. Novartis, the Swiss drug maker, said it had paid Mr. Cohen $1.2 million after he approached the company early last year promising insights into Mr. Trump’s views on health care. (McIntire, Vogel, Thomas and Kang, 5/9)

The Washington Post: ‘I’m Crushing It’: How Michael Cohen, Touting His Access To President Trump, Convinced Companies To Pay Millions
Novartis is one of the world’s largest drug companies, with a business deeply shaped by U.S. government actions — including drug approvals and drug reimbursements. But after an initial meeting with Cohen, Novartis determined that he “would be unable to provide the services that Novartis had anticipated related to US healthcare policy matters and the decision was taken not to engage further,” Mirza-Reid said. But she said the company could not terminate the contract “for cause,” and thus paid the agreed-upon $1.2 million. (Kranish, Helderman, Johnson and Dawsey, 5/9)

Stat: Michael Cohen Pitched Himself As A Fixer To Novartis And Got $1.2 Million
“He reached out to us,” the Novartis employee said, providing STAT with the company’s version of events as it scrambles to contain the fallout from being entangled in the investigations surrounding Trump and his inner circle, including Cohen. “With a new administration coming in, basically, all the traditional contacts disappeared and they were all new players. We were trying to find an inroad into the administration. Cohen promised access to not just Trump, but also the circle around him. It was almost as if we were hiring him as a lobbyist.” (Silverman, 5/9)

Stat: Novartis Paid Trump's Lawyer's Firm Far More Than Any Of Its Actual Lobbyists
The $100,000 monthly fee Novartis paid a company set up by President Trump’s personal attorney to help it better understand “U.S. healthcare policy matters” in the Trump era is almost four times more than it paid any actual outside lobbyist in the same time period. None of the contracts for the nearly four dozen external lobbyists Novartis employs to help explain and advocate on health care policy issues came close to the amounts paid Essential Consultants LLC, according to a STAT review of the Swiss drug maker’s 2017 and 2018 filings. (Mershon, 5/10)

The Hill: Mueller Contacted Drug Company About Cohen Payment In November
The Swiss drug company Novartis on Wednesday revealed that special counsel Robert Mueller contacted the company last year about payments it made to Michael Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney. “Novartis cooperated fully with the special counsel’s office and provided all the information requested,” the company said in a statement. (Manchester, 5/9)

Politico: Mueller Team Questioned Novartis And AT&T Over Michael Cohen Payments
Novartis and AT&T revealed their contact with Mueller’s office after the companies were named in a document distributed by Michael Avenatti, a lawyer representing porn film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing to be released from a contract, inked weeks before Election Day, that paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump. (Woellert, 5/9)

The Hill: White House Dodges Questions On Cohen Payments 
The White House on Wednesday largely avoided questions about reports that President Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, received payments from businesses seeking access to the administration. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders skirted several questions about the revelation that Swiss drug company Novartis and AT&T each paid Cohen in exchange for insights and access to the president. (Samuels, 5/9)