- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Sutter Health Strikes Back At California Attorney General’s Antitrust Suit
- Health Care Personnel 1
- USC President Lacks 'Moral Authority To Lead,' 200 Professors Say Following Controversy Over Campus Doctor
- Sacramento Watch 1
- Legal Questions, $3B A Year Price Tag Stand In Way Of Bill To Expand Medi-Cal To Undocumented Adults
- Elections 1
- Health Law Repeal Efforts Will Sway Voters In Midterms, With Independents Leaning Left, Poll Shows
- Public Health and Education 1
- Study Unravels Series Of Unfortunate Events That Leads To Childhood Leukemia
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California Healthline Original Stories
Sutter Health Strikes Back At California Attorney General’s Antitrust Suit
The hospital chain says AG Xavier Becerra is trying to “dismantle” its system. CHL’s Chad Terhune discusses this high-stakes legal battle over health care consolidation on KQED radio, with health editor Carrie Feibel. ( )
More News From Across The State
But about an hour after the faculty members sent the letter urging President C.L. Max Nikias to step aside, USC board Chairman John Mork released a statement saying that while trustees were "troubled by the distressing reports" about the campus doctor, he and others on its executive committee "strongly support" Nikias.
The New York Times:
200 Professors Call For Ouster Of U.S.C. President, Citing Lack Of ‘Moral Authority’
Two hundred professors at the University of Southern California have demanded the resignation of the school’s president, C.L. Max Nikias, saying that he no longer had the “moral authority to lead” and had failed to protect students and staff from “repeated and pervasive sexual harassment and misconduct.” The letter was addressed to the board of trustees of the private university and signed by senior faculty members, who said they wanted to “express our outrage and disappointment” over how Mr. Nikias had handled reports that a gynecologist at the campus health center had mistreated students for decades. (Medina and Arango, 5/22)
The Associated Press:
USC President Urged To Resign Over Response To Complaints
Dr. George Tyndall routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photographs and forced plaintiffs to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment for his "sexual gratification," according to civil lawsuits filed this week. The latest complaint announced by attorney Gloria Allred was filed Tuesday on behalf of Daniella Mohazab, a USC student seeking a master's degree in communications management. Mohazab said Tyndall saw her at the clinic in 2016 for an STD test. Tyndall made comments about her Filipina heritage, including telling her that "Filipinas are good in bed," according to court documents. (5/22)
The Washington Post:
Pressure Mounts On USC President To Resign After Scandals
The chairman of the school’s board of trustees expressed strong support for the school’s president Tuesday. The trustees’ executive committee has full confidence in the “leadership, ethics and values” of USC President C.L. Max Nikias, the board’s chairman John Mork said in a statement, “and is certain that he will successfully guide our community forward.” Nikias released an action plan Tuesday to change the campus culture. (Svrluga, 5/22)
Los Angeles Times:
200 USC Professors Demand Nikias Step Down; Trustees Express 'Full Confidence' In President
Nikias sent the campus community a 20-page "action plan" Tuesday that he said was prepared at the request of trustees. It called for a wide rethinking of university ethics that will include a rewrite of USC's Code of Ethics and a new presidential commission on improving campus culture. In a statement, Nikias said he understood "the faculty's anger and disappointment." "I am committed to working with them as we implement this wide-reaching plan and to rebuilding their trust," he said. (Ryan, Parvini and Hamilton, 5/22)
Los Angeles Times:
300 Patients Come Forward In USC Gynecologist Misconduct Case As LAPD Begins Investigation
About 300 people have contacted the University of Southern California about a longtime campus gynecologist accused of misconduct as administrators Tuesday began sharing the names of former patients with Los Angeles police for a criminal investigation. The university declined to say how many of the 300 callers to a dedicated hotline for Dr. George Tyndall's patients were passed on with patients' consent to the LAPD, where sex crimes detectives in the Robbery-Homicide Division will take the lead. (Hamilton, Ryan and Winton, 5/23)
Legal Questions, $3B A Year Price Tag Stand In Way Of Bill To Expand Medi-Cal To Undocumented Adults
But Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) says that because the state picks up the tab on emergency room visits from these uninsured patients, the benefits of the legislation outweigh the concerns.
KPCC:
California Bill To Provide MediCal To All Adults, Regardless Of Immigration Status
A recent Senate Bill from Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) would extend MediCal to all adults in the state, regardless of their immigration status. ... But opponents are concerned about the $3 billion a year price tag, as well as whether this move would be legal. Since the Federal government provides a big part of the Medicaid budget, the state has to follow Federal rules. Another concern is that this policy might attract more undocumented immigrants to the state. (Mantle, 5/22)
In other news from Sacramento —
The Los Angeles Times:
Lawmakers Seek $16 Million To Expand Exide Lead Cleanup Beyond Yards
A long-overlooked source of lead contamination in neighborhoods near a closed Vernon battery recycler could be cleaned under a push by state lawmakers to target the grassy strips between sidewalks and streets. The publicly owned stretches of land, known as parkways, are not included in the state’s slow-moving cleanup of southeast L.A. County yards near the shuttered Exide Technologies facility. (Barboza, 5/22)
Health Law Repeal Efforts Will Sway Voters In Midterms, With Independents Leaning Left, Poll Shows
About half of independents surveyed in California said they would be less likely to reelect their member of Congress for voting to repeal health law or supporting the tax bill.
Los Angeles Times:
Tax Bill And Obamacare Repeal Are Potent Issues In California Congressional Races, Poll Shows
With Democrats angling to win back control of the U.S. House, the new tax law and the failed attempt to repeal Obamacare may prove to be important campaign flashpoints against California Republicans, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Sixty percent of registered voters statewide approved of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The support was highest among Democrats and people who disapprove of President Trump, and concentrated in urban and coastal areas — which happen to be regions where there are several competitive congressional races. (Mai-Duc, 5/23)
Study Unravels Series Of Unfortunate Events That Leads To Childhood Leukemia
A new study has posited that acute lymphoblastic leukemia doesn't stem from just one thing, but rather three events in a child's medical history. The theory could helps doctors prevent the cancer or catch it earlier.
Los Angeles Times:
New 'Unified Theory' Of Childhood Leukemia Raises Possibility Of Preventing The Disease
Kids who develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia may be the victims of a triple-whammy stroke of bad luck, according to a provocative new theory from a respected British cancer researcher. If the explanation turns out to be correct, it would be good news for the most common type of childhood cancer: Doctors could prevent cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with the strategic introduction of something the world has plenty of: filth and pestilence. (Healy, 5/23)
Los Angeles Times:
The Death Rate From Cancer Is Falling For American Men, Women And Children Of All Backgrounds
Cancer is the No. 2 cause of death in the U.S., but a comprehensive new report says that it is affecting — and killing — fewer Americans with every passing year. The gains have been seen in men, women and children, as well as across racial and ethnic groups. However, depending on the type of cancer involved, some Americans benefited more than others. There are also some cancers that are becoming more common in the U.S., even as the overall incidence is declining. (Kaplan, 5/22)
California Officials Keep Data On Only Confirmed Death From E. Coli Outbreak Locked Down
Officials have confirmed that the death was in Madera County, but, citing privacy concerns, have revealed little else about the patient.
KQED:
Under Pressure, State Reveals Where E. Coli Lettuce Death Took Place
Public health officials said Monday that the only confirmed death from the national outbreak of E. coli from bagged Arizona lettuce took place in California's Madera County. The national outbreak sickened 172 people in 32 states between March 13 and May 2. (Goldberg and Dillon, 5/22)
In other news from across the state —
KQED:
Richmond Considers Measure To Rein In Coal Dust Emissions
Amid a spike in shipments of the fuel through the Levin-Richmond Terminal, Mayor Tom Butt is asking for approval of an ordinance that would mark a beginning in dealing with local concern over the potential health hazards posed by dust from coal and another sooty material, petroleum coke. Tiny particles in the dust can be inhaled and drawn deep into the lungs and have been implicated in a wide range of health impacts, including respiratory and heart disease. (Brekke, 5/22)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Petaluma Man Suspected Of Aiding In Wife’s Bodega Bay Suicide Will Be Tried For Voluntary Manslaughter
David Clement, 65, said his wife, Debra Bales, 52, of Petaluma, grew determined to kill herself after doctors ended her prescriptions to the opioid medication she had been dependent on for nearly two decades, He made similar statements in a lengthy 911 call and repeated them during his initial interview with Sonoma County sheriff’s detectives. The recordings were played during Tuesday’s preliminary hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Robert LaForge’s courtroom. (Johnson, 5/22)
'Right-To-Try' Legislation Sails Through Congress On Second Wind After Previous Foundering
President Donald Trump has been vocal about his support of the measure, which allows terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs, so it is likely to become law. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he is "comfortable" with the bill, though has previously admitted it will make it harder to protect patients.
The Associated Press:
Congress OKs Letting Terminal Patients Try Unapproved Drugs
A bill helping people with deadly diseases try experimental treatments sailed through Congress on Tuesday, a victory for President Donald Trump and foes of regulation and a defeat for patients' groups and Democrats who argued the measure was dangerous and dangled false hope. After an emotional debate, the House gave the legislation final congressional approval by a largely party-line vote of 250-169, nine months after it passed the Senate. (5/22)
The New York Times:
Congress Approves Bill Giving Patients A ‘Right To Try’ Experimental Drugs
The bill would, in effect, allow dying patients to bypass the Food and Drug Administration and obtain an “investigational drug” with the approval of their doctors, if the drug manufacturer agrees to supply it. On at least three occasions in the past four months, Mr. Trump has urged Congress to pass the bill.“Patients with terminal conditions, and terminal illness, should have access to experimental treatment immediately” and “should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure,” he said in January in his State of the Union address. (Pear, 5/22)
The Washington Post:
‘Right To Try’ Legislation Heads To The White House
The Senate passed the bill in August, and the House approved its own version in March. That version was less objectionable to the medical groups, but then the legislation got bogged down. With the White House demanding action, House leaders in recent days decided to short-circuit the process by taking up the Senate-passed bill. The vote was 250 to 169. The measure, championed by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), is designed to give patients an alternative way to obtain drugs not approved by the FDA. Currently, there are two options for patients seeking experimental medications: enrolling in clinical trials if they are eligible or participating in the FDA’s “expanded access” program. The agency has said that it approves almost all such requests to that program. (McGinley, 5/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Approves Giving Terminally Ill Quicker Access To Experimental Drugs
Most patients already get access to unproven medicines under a compassionate-use program overseen by the Food and Drug Administration, agency officials say. But the bill would essentially skirt the FDA’s normal approval process to get trial medicines more rapidly to patients with life-threatening illnesses. Republicans pushed for the change, which Mr. Trump supported in his State of the Union address, saying it would give patients access to non-FDA-approved drugs before it is too late. Some Democrats and patient groups have argued it would usurp the FDA and leave patients vulnerable to dangerous and possibly sham treatments. (Armour, 5/22)
Politico:
House Passes Trump-Backed Drug Bill, Letting Sick Patients Bypass FDA
Trump heard from Pence — who had passed a similar bill while governor of Indiana — many anecdotes about terminally ill people and their families who wanted access to new drugs, according to an administration source. The legislation took a winding path through Congress. The vote Tuesday was the third time the House attempted to pass a right-to-try measure, having failed once to get enough votes to fast-track the bill. The effort also got caught up in a standoff between the House and Senate, which had competing versions of the bill. Patient advocacy groups that opposed the bill’s passage this week didn’t raise much opposition when the bill quietly passed the Senate unanimously last year. A last-ditch effort to get a new version through the Senate in recent days failed. (Haberkorn, 5/22)
Trump Touts 'Promise Kept' As HHS Moves Forward With Plan To Restrict Funding For Abortion Providers
At the Susan B. Anthony List annual gala, President Donald Trump spoke about the new restrictions and encouraged supporters to rally ahead of midterms. “We are nine votes away from passing the 20-week abortion bill in the Senate,” said Trump, adding that Democratic senators are up for re-election in 10 states that he said he won “by a lot.”
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration To Advance Plan To Restrict Funding For Abortion Providers
The Trump administration will move ahead with restrictions on funding access for family planning providers that offer abortion services, the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The announcement came shortly before President Donald Trump was addressed the annual gala of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports antiabortion candidates for federal office. There, Mr. Trump said his administration had made a “historic announcement” and “kept another promise.” (Radnofsky, 5/22)
The Hill:
Trump Urges Anti-Abortion Advocates To Rally In November
President Trump on Tuesday encouraged anti-abortion advocates to turn out to the polls in November to help get more of his priorities through Congress, like a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. “If we work hard between now and November, every one of these states can be flipped to a senator who shares our values and votes our agenda,” Trump said at an annual gala held by the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group based in Washington. (Hellmann, 5/22)
Politico:
How Anti-Abortion Forces Learned To Love Trump
President Donald Trump on Tuesday night was feted by a leading anti-abortion group that called him the most "pro-life president" ever. It's the exact same group that just two years ago begged Iowa caucus voters to nominate “anyone” but Trump. “I’m totally eating my words,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, who praised Trump at the group's annual gala in Washington. “It’s the happiest wrong I’ve ever been." (Haberkorn and Cadelago, 5/22)
FDA To Fast Track Certain Gene Therapies In Effort To Keep Pace With Fast-Growing Field
“For some of these products, there’s going to be some uncertainty, even at the time of approval,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said. “But these products are initially being aimed at devastating diseases, many of which are fatal and lack available therapy. In these settings, we’ve traditionally been willing to accept more uncertainty to facilitate timely access to promising therapies.”
Stat:
FDA Plans To Speed Path To Approval For Some Gene Therapies
The Food and Drug Administration will soon be alerting companies that certain gene therapies in development can qualify for less arduous review at the agency, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Tuesday. Specifically, gene therapies for hemophilia, a rare disease in which blood doesn’t clot properly because it lacks certain proteins, could be evaluated based on whether therapy increases those proteins in the blood, regardless of whether the therapy actually causes the patient to bleed less. (Swetlitz, 5/22)
In other public health news —
Stat:
The Drug Industry's Next Big Idea To Treat Alzheimer's Faces Fresh Doubts
After a generation of failures, the drug industry has pivoted to its next-best idea for treating Alzheimer’s disease. But a troubling string of clinical trial results suggests that the latest approach to the devastating disease might go the way of its forebears, continuing decades of frustration for patients and scientists. Over the past year, three clinical trials involving two similar medicines have been halted early, two because a drug was clearly not working and a third because the treatment came with worrying safety concerns. (Garde, 5/23)
The New York Times:
Ex-Valeant Executive Is Convicted Of Bilking Drugmaker In Kickback Scheme
A former executive at Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and the onetime head of a small mail-order pharmacy were convicted on Tuesday of using a secret kickback arrangement to defraud the drugmaker. A federal jury in Manhattan found Gary Tanner, the former Valeant executive, and Andrew Davenport, at one time the chief executive of Philidor Rx Services, guilty on all charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. (Thomas, 5/22)
CQ:
Senate Expected To Greenlight Veterans Health Care Overhaul
The Senate this week is expected to clear a bill revamping the nation’s health care system for veterans as the clock runs out on a crucial program allowing them to access private doctors. The bill (S 2372) would infuse the Department of Veterans Affairs Choice Program with an additional $5.2 billion ahead of an expected funding shortfall on May 31. The program, created in the wake of the VA wait list scandal in 2014, allows veterans to see private providers if they have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or live more than 40 miles from a VA facility. (Clason, 5/23)
The Washington Post:
New Ebola Vaccine Faces Major Test In Congo Outbreak
Authorities in Congo began an ambitious campaign this week to use a pioneering Ebola vaccine to help stem a growing outbreak of the deadly virus. It’s the first widespread use of the therapeutic since a devastating 2014 epidemic in West Africa and represents a major strategic shift for public health. World Health Organization officials, criticized for their slow response four years ago, began vaccinating health workers in affected areas Monday and plan to vaccinate about 1,000 people in the next week. More than 7,500 doses have been sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and an additional 8,000 doses will be available in the coming days, according to WHO. (Sun, 5/22)
The Associated Press:
In The Addiction Battle, Is Forced Rehab The Solution?
The last thing Lizabeth Loud, a month from giving birth, wanted was to be forced into treatment for her heroin and prescription painkiller addiction. But her mother saw no other choice, and sought a judge's order to have her committed against her will. Three years later, Loud said her month in state prison, where Massachusetts sent civilly committed women until recent reforms, was the wake-up call she needed. (Marcelo, 5/23)
The Associated Press:
Many Cancer Patients Juggle Care Along With Financial Pain
Josephine Rizo survived chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, but breast cancer treatment wrecked her finances. Money was already tight when doctors told the Phoenix resident she had an aggressive form of the disease. Then she took a pay cut after going on disability leave, and eventually lost her job and insurance coverage. During treatment, Rizo got swamped with more than $50,000 in medical bills. "My concern was, 'Am I going to die?'" she said. "I had to kind of focus 100 percent on my health to make sure I was around for my kids." (5/22)