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The rate of drug overdose deaths linked to fentanyl in the United States has skyrocketed over the last five years, new federal data showed. The rate of overdose deaths involving fentanyl spiked by 279% between 2016 and 2021 from 5.7 per 100,000 to 21.6 per 100,000, according to a report published early Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics' National Vital Statistics System -- which looked at death certificate records. (Kekatos, 5/3)

Drug overdose death rates involving fentanyl more than tripled in the US from 2016 to 2021, a grim marker in the escalation of the deadly opioid epidemic that worsened during the rise of Covid-19. (Peng, 5/3)

White House officials for years warned that opioids were becoming rampant in Black communities. Then came Covid-19. In 2020, the rate of drug overdose deaths among Black Americans skyrocketed, increasing faster than that of any other racial or ethnic group in the country. Fentanyl, which had become more ubiquitous, drove the rising toll. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing that more Black Americans died from fentanyl overdoses than from any other drug in 2021 and at far higher rates than whites or Hispanics. (Mahr, 5/3)

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling lawmakers back to work after they rejected a bill setting out a new statewide drug policy — a development that has put the state on the brink of decriminalizing possession of fentanyl and other drugs while also depriving it of much-needed investments in public health. Lawmakers adjourned their regular session late last month after voting down a bill that would keep drug possession illegal and boost services for people struggling with addiction. Many liberal Democrats objected to criminalizing drugs, while conservative Democrats and Republicans insisted they must be to provide incentive for people to enter treatment. (Johnson, 5/3)

Wisconsin legislators decided Tuesday to accept the state’s share of a settlement stemming from another multistate lawsuit accusing drug manufacturers and distributors of contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis. A coalition of states and local governments secured settlements in November and December with opioid manufacturers Teva and Allergan as well as with pharmaceutical chains Walmart, Walgreens and CVS totaling $19.2 billion. (5/2)

International authorities have shut down an online marketplace and arrested nearly 300 people who allegedly used it and other parts of the so-called dark web to buy and sell fentanyl and other dangerous opioids, in a sweep officials said underscores how hard it is to stem the tide of drug trafficking in the internet’s hidden corners. The operation went on for more than 18 months and spanned three continents, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Law-enforcement agencies also seized more than $53 million in cash and virtual currencies, along with guns and nearly 2,000 pounds of drugs. (Gurman and Volz, 5/2)

Republicans in North Carolina introduced a plan on Tuesday to ban abortion in the state after 12 weeks of pregnancy, a move that would significantly narrow the window for legal abortions but stop short of the more-restrictive bans that have been enacted in other Southern states. The new measure was unveiled just days after proposed bans fizzled last week in two other conservative states — a near-total ban in South Carolina and a six-week ban in Nebraska — with opposition coming from some Republican women and others in the party amid fears of a growing political backlash prompted by the fall of Roe v. Wade. (Kitchener and Roubein, 5/2)

A Utah state judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new law, one day before it was scheduled to take effect, that would have banned abortion clinics and potentially put a halt to most abortions in the state. Abortion is legal in Utah up to 18 weeks of pregnancy, and after that only in limited circumstances. But legislators have been trying in recent years to further restrict the procedure. A state law which would ban nearly all abortions is suspended while the Utah Supreme Court considers whether abortion is protected in the Constitution. (Chen, 5/2)

California has joined with law firms and advocacy groups to create a hotline that provides access to information and pro bono services for people who need legal help related to abortion, as the state seeks to become a safe haven for reproductive rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned. State Attorney General Rob Bonta and officials with the Southern California Legal Alliance for Reproductive Justice made the announcement Tuesday, one year since the U.S. Supreme Court draft decision reversing Roe was leaked. (Weber, 5/2)

A Texas man suing three Houston women who helped his ex-wife terminate her pregnancy knew of his wife's plan to take abortion medication and later told her he would have helped if she had told him about it sooner, according to new legal filings. (Wermund, 5/2)

A Florida woman, unable to get an abortion in her state, carried to term a baby who had no kidneys. Deborah Dorbert’s son Milo died in her arms on March 3, shortly after he was born, just as her doctors had predicted he would. “He gasped for air a couple of times when I held him,” said Dorbert, 33. “I watched my child take his first breath, and I held him as he took his last one.” (Cohen, Hassan and Musa, 5/2)

Two hospitals — one in Joplin and another in Kansas City, Kansas — denied emergency care to a pregnant Missouri woman in violation of federal law because doctors and staff worried that doing so would violate state abortion restrictions. Those findings were included in a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on care received by Mylissa Farmer of Joplin at Freeman Health in Joplin and University of Kansas Hospital. The report found numerous violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, known as EMTALA, and the hospitals must show future compliance to avoid penalties that could include loss of the ability to accept Medicare and Medicaid clients. (Keller, 5/2)

New Yorkers next year won’t have to go through their doctors to get prescription contraceptives under a bill that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law Tuesday as part of her administration’s efforts to expand reproductive rights in the state. Under the law that will take effect in November 2024, trained pharmacists will be able to distribute self-administered hormonal contraceptives including oral birth control pills, vaginal rings, and the patch to New Yorkers, even if patients don’t have a prescription from their doctor or nurse practitioner. (Khan, 5/2)

The first Senate health committee markup under Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and ranking Republican Bill Cassidy (La.) was rocky from the start — and it only went downhill from there. The committee was supposed to consider several bills to reform drug middlemen practices and make changes to laws governing generic drugs. But the markup was marred by procedural disagreements and ultimately adjourned unexpectedly, over Sanders’ efforts to continue. (Wilkerson, 5/2)

President Biden on Tuesday needled House Republicans for providing no explicit protections for veterans programs in the bill they narrowly passed last week that would condition raising the debt ceiling on deep spending cuts across much of the federal government. House Republicans have insisted military and veterans spending would be shielded, but a lack of specificity in the legislation has left them open to attacks by Democrats and caused grave concern among veteran advocacy groups. (Wagner, 5/2)

House Republicans are trying to get a handful of swing-state Democrats in the Senate to support tougher work requirements for food assistance programs. But most have resoundingly rejected the idea. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has signaled he could be open to beefing up work requirements, potentially backing tighter rules for people who are “capable and able to do it.” House Republicans are quick to highlight Biden’s own embrace of welfare reform during the Clinton administration in the 1990s, when the position was less fraught among Democrats and Biden was a sitting senator — but the stricter work rules getting pushed by today’s GOP go beyond those. (Scholtes, Emma, Tamborrino and Stratford, 5/2)

House Democratic leadership has been working behind the scenes on a long shot plan that could allow their party to go around Speaker Kevin McCarthy and force a vote to raise the debt limit, even if an agreement isn't reached with the Republican majority. The strategy centers on what's called a discharge petition -- a rare and complicated procedural tool that allows members of the House to move a bill out of a committee and bring it to the floor without the support of the majority party leadership. ... In Israel on Monday, where he is leading a congressional delegation, McCarthy said he was ready to negotiate but that "we will not pass a debt ceiling that just raises it without doing something on our debt." (Scott, Pecorin and Peller, 5/2)

If the government defaults on its debt – something the U.S. has never done - financial markets could tank, hurting 401(k)s and other investments. It would mean higher home and auto loan rates and credit card payments, officials have warned, and could stop payments on government programs such as Social Security and military salaries. Bondholders would also not be paid what they're owed on time, and a domino effect could trigger a recession and stock market crash, economists have said. (Woodall, 5/3)

President Biden’s presumed pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, Monica Bertagnolli, will face a slew of questions on the multibillion-dollar agency’s spending and oversight in her upcoming confirmation battle. (Owermohle, 5/3)

Rates of infection and hospital performance on safety measures continued to worsen during peak periods of the pandemic in late 2021 and 2022, according to data released Wednesday by the Leapfrog Group. (Devereaux, 5/3)

The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals lead Northeast Ohio hospital systems for patient safety with the only area hospitals receiving the top A grades, according to the Leapfrog Group’s spring 2023 Safety Grades Rankings released Wednesday. (Washington, 5/3)

A South Side hospital has earned an F for safety, while another has clawed its way from an F to an A, according to new ratings from the nonprofit Leapfrog Group. Roseland Community Hospital was the only hospital in Illinois to earn an F this spring. Meanwhile, St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center in Englewood earned an A for safety, after getting an F just two years ago. (Schencker, 5/3)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been tracking health system impacts since the early days of the pandemic, and its latest survey of countries shows that health services are starting to recover, according to new findings released today. ... The WHO said disruptions continue in both the demand and supply part of health services, which reflect lower levels of health-seeking from the public and limited availability of health workers and other resources such as clinics, medicines, and products. (Schnirring, 5/2)

Changes to payer mix and higher specialist fees took a toll on Community Health Systems' bottom line in the first quarter, despite a promising rebound in patient volume. Same-facility admissions grew 4.8% year-over-year, and surgeries grew by 10.6%. However, about two-thirds of the growth in volume came from patients covered by government payers, particularly Medicare Advantage, Chief Financial Officer Kevin Hammons told investors on Tuesday's earnings call. Medicare Advantage often pays rates below traditional Medicare. (Hudson, 5/2)

Envision Healthcare has notched a win in its ongoing out-of-network reimbursement dispute against UnitedHealth Group, the physician staffing company announced Tuesday. (Tepper, 5/2)

A California jury was unable to reach a verdict in a messy, drawn-out legal battle between Apple and patient-monitoring company Masimo. James Selna, the judge presiding, announced the case a mistrial on Monday. (Lawrence, 5/2)

Vermont has become the first state to remove a residency requirement from its law on medically assisted death to allow terminally ill people from out of state access to life-ending care. The law, which for a decade has permitted doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill people 18 or older, was amended Tuesday, when Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill scrapping the residency requirement. (Albeck-Ripka, 5/2)

Georgia’s state government will for the first time run its own marketplace for individual health insurance under a law that Gov. Brian Kemp signed Tuesday. The Republican governor said during a ceremony at the state Capitol that the law would create a better way of people “knowing and comparing their health care insurance options” and bring “further competition to the field.” (Amy, 5/2)

A review of a Montana nuclear missile base where an unusual number of troops have been diagnosed with blood cancer has found no current risk factors that could explain it, the Air Force says. The service has been investigating the issue since reports surfaced in January of at least nine missileers who had served at Malmstrom Air Force Base who were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In the months since, more than 30 cancer cases at Malmstrom and the nation’s other nuclear missile facilities, including F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California have come to light. (Cop, 5/2)

A Las Vegas OB-GYN accused of sexual misconduct with three patients questioned one of his accusers face-to-face during an administrative hearing by a state medical licensing board. But first, during his opening remarks, Dr. George Chambers said, “It is my hope that you will see that this has been one big misunderstanding, one that has tarnished my once stellar reputation and has cost me dearly.” (Hynes, 5/2)

Dozens of transgender North Carolinians and their supporters spoke out against state lawmakers Tuesday as a House committee advanced legislation banning gender-affirming surgeries for minors without allowing members of the public to testify. The audience erupted in chants of “Let us speak” and “Blood on your hands” as the Republican-controlled House Health Committee passed a proposal prohibiting health care providers from performing surgeries on minors to remove or alter features typical of the patient’s sex assigned at birth. If the bill becomes law, North Carolina physicians would also be unable to refer a minor to another provider to receive such procedures. (Schoenbaum, 5/2)

A judge ruled on Tuesday against a Montana legislator who had sought a court order allowing her to return to the House of Representatives after she was barred during an escalating standoff over her remarks on transgender issues. ... Judge Mike Menahan, who served in the House as a Democrat before being elected to the state’s First District Court a decade ago, said in a five-page order issued late Tuesday that he did not have the authority to intervene in the legislative dispute. (Fortin, 5/2)

Debate over a bill to ban transition medical care for transgender youth snowballed into a dramatic scene Tuesday in the Texas House after protesters began chanting and the speaker called for troopers to clear the gallery. (Goldenstein, 5/2)

Hospitals should not be forced to prescribe ivermectin to COVID-19 patients, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday in a case with implications in how far the state's highest court can intervene in the decisions of healthcare providers. The court sided with Aurora Health Care in a 6-1 ruling on Tuesday in a case first filed by Allen Gahl, the nephew of a man named John Zingsheim, who was put on a ventilator in October 2021 due to complications from COVID-19. (Beck, 5/2)

Disease detectives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are probing a new outbreak: the roughly three-dozen coronavirus cases linked to their own annual conference last week. “CDC is working with the Georgia Department of Health to conduct a rapid epidemiological assessment of confirmed COVID-19 cases that appear to be connected to the 2023 EIS Conference to determine transmission patterns,” CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund said in an email. (Sun and Diamond, 5/2)

In another promising sign of the retreat of COVID-19, Tufts Medical Center said Tuesday it had reached the point where zero inpatients are positive for the disease. The number hasn’t been that low since the pandemic began ravaging the state more than three years ago. (Finucane, 5/2)

Doctors’ offices were the last place in Montana where Missoula resident Jenna James, who has long covid and other chronic conditions, had felt comfortable knowing others had to mask. ... “I literally have to choose between lifesaving medical care and exposure to covid, which really isn’t a choice,” said James, 42. “It’s a high-risk situation being forced on me with little to no ability to consent.” (Nirappil, 5/1)

If your parents or grandparents ask you how to post on Instagram or how to send a birthday message to a Facebook friend, a new study suggests you might want to help them – not just to be nice but because getting them online may help their brain health, too. (Christensen, 5/3)

Parents are noticing a troubling change in their children after using social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, according to a new survey. The survey of 2,035 American adults found that 50 percent of parents with children younger than 18 years old feel their child or children’s mental health has suffered in the last year because of social media use.  (O'Connell-Domenech, 5/3)

New proposals that would require parental consent for teens to use social media are throwing a wrench into bipartisan support for kids’ online safety proposals. Momentum in Congress to tackle concerns raised by the impact of social media on minors has been building over the past year. President Biden urged Congress to take action during his State of the Union Address in February, following a warning from the surgeon general. (Klar, 5/2)

Dog flu has shown adaptations that allow the virus to recognize a human-like receptor, according to a Chinese study, possibly indicating it may be closer to infecting humans. A receptor is a molecule inside or on the surface of a cell that binds to a specific substance and causes an effect in the cell. (Musto, 5/2)

An analysis of reported non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections in the United States suggests international travel is a significant risk factor for antibiotic resistance, US researchers reported today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 5/2)

Adam Nordell and his wife Johanna bought Songbird Farm in Maine back in 2014 with the hopes of raising organic produce and a family. Seven years later, they learned their land was riddled with chemicals called PFAS, a family of thousands of toxic compounds known as "forever chemicals" because of how long they last in the environment. (Saberi, 5/2)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Federal Rules Don’t Require Period Product Ingredients On Packaging Labels. States Are Stepping In.

Tens of millions of Americans use menstrual products, and while manufacturers contend they are safe, most disclose little about the chemicals they contain. Now, amid calls for more disclosure and research into the health effects of these products, some states require more transparency. The manufacture and sale of period and related products is a big business, with revenue expected to top $4.5 billion in the United States this year. On average, a person uses up to 17,000 tampons or pads in their lifetime, and they might also use rubber or silicone cups, or absorbent period underwear. The FDA regulates and classifies menstrual products as medical devices, meaning they are not subject to the same labeling laws as other consumer items. But companies can voluntarily disclose what’s in their products. (Zurek, 5/3)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Ask A Chatbot: ‘What’s For Dinner?’

Olivia Scholes, 28, of Vancouver, British Columbia, has polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. She is among the estimated 1 in 10 women globally who are diagnosed with this hormonal condition, which can cause multiple ovarian cysts, infertility, weight gain, and other issues. After being diagnosed with PCOS about 10 years ago, Scholes managed her condition in part by trying to consume — or abstain from — certain foods and drinks. But at times, transferring her knowledge from her brain to her plate proved complicated and time-consuming. “Just because I know that information doesn’t mean that I’m planning my meals with that information all the time,” Scholes said. (Lofton, 5/3)

Actor Michael J. Fox in a new op-ed for USA Today promoted the discovery of a test he’s hailing as “one of the most significant Parkinson’s breakthroughs in decades.” A newly developed and “remarkably accurate” spinal fluid test can detect Parkinson’s in the cells of living people, according to Fox, who suffers from the disease. (Polus, 5/2)

A single dose of the human papillomavirus vaccine is highly effective at preventing infections over three years, most likely lowering rates of cervical cancer and other diseases linked to the virus, according to a new study in Kenya. A single-dose strategy would dramatically extend supplies of the vaccine, lower costs and simplify distribution, which would make vaccination a more viable option in countries with limited resources, experts said. (Mandavilli, 5/2)

For the first time, previously unusable chemotherapy drugs reached brain tumors in humans after a cutting-edge procedure by a Northwestern University team. Doctors achieved the breakthrough with an innovative mix of ultrasound and microbubbles that opened the blood-brain barrier to allow the drugs to pass through. (Sheridan, 5/2)

Half a million people across the world die of the influenza virus each year in what pharmaceutical executives and researchers believe is a tragedy they can help prevent. Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and other companies are using the mRNA technology behind the Covid-19 vaccines to improve the flu shot. Though as that work has progressed, it’s become apparent the task is far more challenging and urgent than expected. (Peebles, 5/3)

Eli Lilly is nearing the readout from a pivotal study of its experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The approval of a similar medicine earlier this year has wrung risk from the outcome, but for the same reason, expectations for strong results are higher. (Feuerstein and Garde, 5/2)

On the November morning when the sulfur burps began, Derron Borders was welcoming prospective students at the graduate school where he works in New York. Every few minutes, no matter how hard he tried to stop, another foul-smelling cloud escaped his mouth. “Burps that taste and smell like rotten eggs—I think that’s what I typed in Google,” he told me. (Gutman-Wei, 5/2)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘�������ýҕ�l Health News Minute’ 

This week on the �������ýҕ�l Health News Minute: the dangers behind fad weight loss drugs and what’s getting in the way of the United States’ goal to reduce HIV infections. (5/2)

The tobacco giant RJ Reynolds is threatening to sue small vape shops if they do not stop selling flavored vapes, according to two letters obtained by STAT. (Florko, 5/3)

Despite the recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for older adults to have new bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, which were launched last year, so far only 42.4% of that age group have received the booster. (Renfrow, 5/3)

The estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the monovalent (single-strain) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was 76% against mechanical ventilation and in-hospital death for 6 months after the last dose, falling to 56% at 1 to 2 years, according to a study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Van Beusekom, 4/28)

HIV status did not affect treatment outcomes in mpox patients treated with the antiviral tecovirimat (Tpoxx), according to findings published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. (Soucheray, 5/2)

Although semaglutide may not ring a bell, the drug has been popping up in news headlines and social media feeds since last year. That’s because the branded version called Ozempic has surged in popularity—and notoriety—for its off-label use as a weight-loss medication. (Suran, PhD, MSJ, 4/26)

Engineers have shown that by using an ingestible capsule that delivers an electrical current to the cells they can stimulate the release of the hormone ghrelin. This approach could prove useful for treating diseases that involve nausea or loss of appetite, such as anorexia or cachexia. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 4/26)

On May 9, the Food and Drug Administration is set to convene a meeting of experts to evaluate the first-ever application for an over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S. The application is for a progestin-only pill, which doesn’t contain estrogen. The FDA meeting is a promising sign — and the closest we’ve been to seeing an oral contraceptive on the pharmacy shelf without the need for a doctor’s prescription. (Daniel Grossman, 4/29)

While health care access in rural communities declines across the United States, local community pharmacies continue to serve an essential role in connecting vulnerable patients to the services, resources and treatments they need to maintain their health and well-being. (Kevin Walker, 4/30)

Xylazine is an α2-agonist in the same drug class as clonidine, lofexidine, and dexmedetomidine. It was initially studied for use in humans as an antihypertensive agent, but development for human use was discontinued because of adverse effects. Xylazine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as a sedative in veterinary medicine in 1972 but isn’t approved for use in humans. (Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., David r. Holtgrave, Ph.D., and Michael A. Ashburn M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., 4/26)

At 31, I felt a lump in my breast and knew right away it did not belong there. Yet I was denied the necessary testing for breast cancer because the doctor said I was “too young” and that I should come back when I was in my 40s. (Maimah Karmo, 5/3)

In 2020, Dr. Chaniece Wallace, a pediatrician who was a chief resident at Indiana University School of Medicine, died just two days after giving birth to a daughter, Charlotte. Shamony Gibson studied at New York University and Medgar Evers College and died in 2019 just 13 days after giving birth to her second child. (Kimberly Seals Allers, 5/2)

At Seattle Children’s, we are celebrating a major milestone. In just over a decade, Seattle Children’s Therapeutics has enrolled 500 children, teens and young adults from across the United States and countries around the world including China, India, Brazil, Ethiopia, England and France in CAR T-cell immunotherapy clinical trials. (Eric Tham, 5/2)

It is not quite fair to call Missouri’s new emergency rule a “de facto ban” on medical gender transition. But it is not quite unfair, either. The rule promulgated by Attorney General Andrew Bailey leads off by asserting, “Individuals of any age experiencing gender dysphoria or related conditions should be able to and are able to obtain care in Missouri.” But it’s not clear that this will remain true — if those folks want more than some sympathetic talk therapy. (Megan McArdle, 5/2)

It is 4 a.m. in the Yale New Haven Hospital Children’s Hospital. I am standing outside a door festooned with colorful signs declaring “contact” and “droplet” precautions. I am already wearing a mask, but I put on a yellow isolation gown and purple gloves to comply with the “contact precautions.” (June Criscione MD, 5/3)

The healthcare industry is facing a wide variety of challenges—and solutions aren’t always straightforward. (Dr. Kenneth Stoller and Marvin Ventrell, 5/1)

President Biden’s new $5 billion public-private partnership known as Project Next Gen is meant to accelerate the development of new coronavirus vaccines and treatments, much as Operation Warp Speed created some of the first vaccines against the coronavirus. To succeed as well, however, the project will need to muster as much administrative discipline as Warp Speed demonstrated and avoid mission creep. (Alec Stapp and Arielle D'Souza, 5/2)