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The Trump administration on Tuesday said it will pay lower prices for 15 prescription drugs for people on Medicare, including GLP-1 medications Ozempic and Wegovy, inhaler Trelegy Ellipta and cancer drugs Xtandi, Pomalyst and Ibrance. The announcement followed the second round of negotiations with pharmaceutical manufacturers under a new system implemented by the Biden administration as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The act allows Medicare to directly negotiate with pharmaceutical companies over the price of medications it covers. (Vinall, 11/26)

More news about weight loss drugs —

For many Americans taking a weight-loss drug, Thanksgiving presents a conundrum: Take the weekly dose that staves off hunger, or push it off so they can feast? Taryn Langer is skipping her weekly dose. “My sister-in-law usually puts out pepperoni bread, deviled eggs and cheese plate. I don’t want to have to miss that, or just be satisfied with that, and not be able to eat dinner,” says Langer, of Glen Ridge, N.J., who has lost 65 pounds while taking the drug Mounjaro. (Loftus and O'Brien, 11/26)

Novo Nordisk A/S’s next-generation diabetes shot lowered patients’ blood sugar and helped them lose weight in a study that may be a positive sign for the embattled drugmaker’s future portfolio. When given as a weekly injection, the compound called amycretin helped people lose as much as 14.5% of their body weight over 36 weeks. People who took it as a once-daily oral drug shed up to 10.1% of their weight, Novo said on Tuesday. After losing its lead in the booming obesity market to US rival Eli Lilly & Co., Novo needs next-generation drugs to improve its competitive position. Amycretin is a crucial piece of that puzzle, combining two mechanisms for weight loss into a single molecule. (Kresge, 11/25)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Having a marijuana dispensary in your town will likely cut down on prescription opioid use, according to several studies published this year. The researchers designed their large data studies to help establish cause and effect from opening new dispensaries. (Hille, 11/25)

If you purchased a nasal spray from Walgreens, you might want to check the bottle. A recall has been initiated for 41,328 bottles of Walgreens Saline Nasal Spray with Xylitol due to a possible bacterial contamination. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the 1.5-ounce (45mL) bottles of the nasal spray may be contaminated with pseudomonas lactis, a bacterium that causes dairy products to spoil. Authorities didn’t say what may have caused the contamination. (Mitchell, 11/25)

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the first drug from an emerging class of medicines for patients with chronic, autoimmune kidney disease, according to a notice on the agency’s website. (Feuerstein, 11/25)

A new study of adolescents and young adults has found a commonly used antibiotic for skin infections, urinary tract infections, and acne is associated with an increased risk of respiratory failure. The study, conducted in Ontario, found that the risk of a hospital visit with acute respiratory failure was nearly three times higher in healthy 10- to 25-year-olds who received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) than those who received either amoxicillin or cephalosporin antibiotics, though the overall risk was low. (Dall, 11/25)

The use of PA-PPIs such as omeprazole (Prilosec) or pantoprazole (Protonix) was associated with inferior survival outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, according to a retrospective meta-analysis. (Bassett, 11/25)

Dr. Ralph Abraham, who as Louisiana’s surgeon general ordered the state health department to stop promoting vaccinations and who has called Covid vaccines “dangerous,” has been named the second in command at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Department of Health and Human Services did not announce the appointment, and many C.D.C. employees seemed unaware of it. But the C.D.C.’s internal database lists Dr. Abraham as the agency’s principal deputy director, with a start date of Nov. 23. The appointment was first reported by the Substack column Inside Medicine. (Mandavilli, 11/25)

More Trump administration updates —

The Trump administration on Monday asked a federal court to overturn a Biden-era rule limiting deadly soot pollution. In a court filing, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) argued that the Biden-era rule tightening limits was procedurally flawed and therefore should be vacated. It said that the Biden administration took a “shortcut,” making the rule stricter “without the rigorous, stepwise process that Congress required.” (Frazin, 11/25)

The US Agriculture Department’s top economist is departing from the agency to lead the University of Missouri’s food and agricultural policy institute. Seth Meyer has been the USDA’s chief economist since 2021, helming an office whose responsibilities include the market-moving monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Meyer will be leading the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute starting Jan. 1, succeeding Pat Westhoff, who is retiring in March, the University of Missouri said in a Tuesday release. (Peng, 11/25)

As US-India relations began to sour earlier this year, drug-control experts briefed officials in the Trump administration on how the South Asian nation fit into the murky trade in chemicals used to make fentanyl. Among the topics of discussion was whether India’s growing role in supply chains of the deadly opioid could be used to justify new tariffs on the nation’s goods, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the consultations were confidential. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment on those discussions. (Strumpf and Palepu, 11/26)

Health experts are warning that the Trump administration’s new “America First Global Health Strategy” could further damage public health systems already reeling from billions of dollars in foreign aid cuts following the destruction of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and while some say the new system could bring benefits, there is agreement it marks a radical change in approach from decades of US policy. (Kent and Hansler, 11/26)

Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, has been urging people for the past week to dress and comport themselves better as a way of restoring “civility” to air travel. On Tuesday, he added another item to his list of concerns: the quality of the snacks handed out on commercial flights. In an interview posted Tuesday on the conservative news site Blaze Media, Mr. Duffy said he would prefer that airlines offered options that are not heavy on butter, sugar or what he described as “crap.” He finds the standard choices of cookies or small bags of pretzels lacking, he said. (Walker, 11/25)

President Trump has always used his stamina and energy as a political strength. But that image is getting harder for him to sustain. (Rogers and Freedman, 11/25)

President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested he was open to extending Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year if it would give Congress time to make changes that he supports to the federally run health care plan. “Some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done, because the unaffordable care act has been a disaster,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, referring to Obamacare’s official name, the Affordable Care Act. (Haslett and Gardner, 11/25)

The White House’s silence on how its health care plan deals with abortion is causing a headache for Republicans on Capitol Hill. For many GOP members, an expansion of abortion restrictions in Obamacare is a must-have. But the White House’s decision to leave the issue out of its tentative framework caught Republicans off guard, leaving them in the dark about whether the president would ultimately stake out a position publicly, according to two aides granted anonymity to disclose private discussions. (Ollstein, Carney and Haslett, 11/25)

President Trump's trial balloon for extending the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies has been shot down, but the real moment of truth for him and Congress may come in the run-up to the next government funding cliff, in late January. (Sullivan, 11/26)

Republicans facing voter ire over spiking health premiums are resurrecting one of their favorite ideas: give people power to pay for medical care on their own, with tax-free dollars in individual health savings accounts. The GOP is toying with the idea of taking federal subsidies that currently help people buy Affordable Care Act insurance and diverting some of the money into individuals’ HSAs, although passing legislation without help from Democrats is a tall order with Republicans’ slim Senate and House majorities. (Winfield Cunningham, 11/25)

Representative Jen Kiggans, Republican of Virginia, once called for eliminating the Affordable Care Act. Representative Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, has repeatedly called it “a disaster.” But the two are part of a small group of G.O.P. members of Congress — most of them facing tough re-election races next year in competitive districts — who have broken with their party to push for a temporary extension of a crucial piece of the law: subsidies, currently slated to expire at the end of the year, to help Americans afford their premiums. (Jimison, 11/25)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Trump Almost Unveils A Health Plan 
Republicans remain divided over how to address the impending expiration of more generous Affordable Care Act plan tax credits, which will send premiums spiraling for millions of Americans starting in January if no further action is taken. The Trump administration floated a proposal over the weekend that included a two-year extension of the credits as well as some restrictions pushed by Republicans, but the plan was met with strong pushback on Capitol Hill and its unveiling was delayed. (Rovner, 11/25)

More on the high cost of health care —

Major health insurers are taking drastic steps to discourage older adults from signing up for their private Medicare plans as they seek to boost profits, drawing the ire of insurance brokers and state regulators. (Herman, 11/25)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: After Shutdown, Federal Employees Face New Uncertainty: Affording Health Insurance
Larry Humphreys, a retired Federal Emergency Management Agency worker in Moultrie, Georgia, says he and his wife won’t be traveling much next year after their monthly health insurance premium payment increases more than 40%, to $938. Humphreys, 68, feels betrayed by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. “As federal employees we sacrificed good salaries in the private sector because we thought the benefits from government would be better now, in retirement,” he said. (Galewitz, 11/26)

Federal regulators are proposing paring back the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings program. The draft regulation issued Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also invites public input on how the administration should overhaul risk adjustment and other Medicare Advantage-related policies. It additionally includes tweaks to the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. The proposed rule could offer insurers a bit of breathing room amid increasing pressure on prior authorization, marketing and audits. (Early, 11/25)

Humana will appeal a court loss over the Medicare Advantage star ratings, according to a filing issued Tuesday. The insurer filed a notice that it will appeal the District Court ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The filing doesn't offer further details on the grounds to appeal. (Minemyer, 11/25)

More health industry news —

Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, has been removed from immediate jeopardy by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), according to the health system. This was the third time Mission Hospital was placed under immediate jeopardy since it was bought by HCA Healthcare in 2019. Back in October, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) recommended Mission Hospital be put in immediate jeopardy for practices that resulted in an unsafe environment for patients after conducting an investigation. (Giella, 11/25)

Vanderbilt Health and Encompass Health announced plans to build a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital near Nashville, Tennessee. The facility, set to open in 2028, will be the second joint venture between the two organizations.A spokesperson for Vanderbilt Health could not provide financial details about the joint venture. Encompass Health did not respond to requests for comment. (Eastabrook, 11/25)

BJC Health and health insurer Aetna have yet to reach coverage agreements for the upcoming year, leaving St. Louis-area patients in limbo. Without a new agreement, BJC Health will be out of Aetna's coverage network employer-sponsored commercial plans, starting Jan. 1. (Suntrup, 11/25)

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has been awarded $20 million from a foundation started by Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin and his wife, Elaine. The funding from the Elaine and Eduardo Saverin Foundation will be used to advance metastatic breast cancer research and care, according to an announcement posted on Dana-Farber’s website. (Sweeney, 11/25)

Two researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute will share a $5.5 million anonymous gift, which will support their research efforts to improve the brain health of children with brain tumors. (Hille, 11/25)

The office secretary had some bad news for Dr. Leonard Klay: His OB-GYN practice was broke. It wasn’t entirely a surprise, Klay said. The physician had already noticed some claims sent to insurers for reimbursement had been “downcoded,” resulting in smaller payments. Anxious about his predicament, he alerted the California Medical Association, which assured him he wasn’t the first to sound the alarm. But Klay had to face reality, he said. (Tong, 11/25)

A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the highly contagious disease also known as whooping cough. Kentucky’s three infant deaths from whooping cough over the past 12 months are the state’s first reported since 2018. None of the infants or their mothers had been vaccinated against the respiratory disease, the Kentucky Department of Public Health confirmed. (11/25)

In other outbreaks and health threats —

Cases of norovirus are rising across the United States, doubling over the last few months, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 14% of tests came back positive for norovirus during the most recent week ending Nov. 15, compared to roughly 7% about three months ago. Test positivity is a metric used to identify how many people are confirmed to have norovirus after an illness is suspected. (Benadjaoud, 11/25)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Shows Chilling Effect Of Vaccine Misinformation
Near the back corner of the local library’s parking lot, largely out of view from the main road, the South Carolina Department of Public Health opened a pop-up clinic in early November, offering free measles vaccines to adults and children. Spartanburg County, in South Carolina’s Upstate region, has been fighting a measles outbreak since early October, with more than 50 cases identified. Health officials have encouraged people who are unvaccinated to get a shot by visiting its mobile vaccine clinic at any of its several stops throughout the county. But on a Monday afternoon in Boiling Springs, only one person showed up. (Sausser, 11/26)

Real-world effectiveness with the recommended single dose of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination dipped in older adults over the first 18 months, a finding that could support boosters for high-risk groups such as the immunocompromised, according to researchers. (Rudd, 11/25)

An analysis published in Contemporary Economic Policy suggests that COVID-19 indoor vaccine mandates in major US cities didn't increase weekly vaccination rates or reduce infections and deaths in adults or children, despite their success in countries such as Canada and France. (Van Beusekom, 11/25)

With similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell which illness is which. Here’s what to know. (Blum, 11/25)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Listen To The Latest '�������ýҕ�l Health News Minute' 
Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: Some American cities such as L.A. and Houston have more traffic fatalities than homicides, and though most children and adults would benefit from annual covid shots, few are getting them. (11/25)

A federal lawmaker plans to introduce a new bill to Congress that would require hospitals to develop and implement “safe discharge” plans for patients in labor. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., will formally introduce the Women Expansion for Learning and Labor Safety Act, or WELLS Act, when the House is back in session after the Thanksgiving holiday, her office said in a Nov. 25 news release. (Cerutti, 11/25)

In other reproductive health care news —

Women who miss their first screening appointment for breast cancer could have a 40% higher long-term risk of dying from the disease, according to a new study. (Hetter, 11/25)

Adequately treated chronic hypothyroidism in pregnant women was not associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring, but persistent hormonal imbalance across trimesters was tied to elevated ASD risk, a retrospective study of Israeli births suggested. (Monaco, 11/25)

Robert L. Dear Jr., who opened fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado in 2015, killing three and wounding nine others, died in federal prison over the weekend, according to inmate records. Mr. Dear, 67, died Saturday at a medical facility for federal prisoners in Springfield, Mo., according to a statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. (Kirk, 11/25)

On infant health —

More than 30 infants have been hospitalized for suspected or confirmed botulism in an outbreak linked to ByHeart baby formula — a product made with whole milk and prebiotics, and marketed as closely mimicking breast milk, the FDA says. (Mallenbaum, 11/26)

In 2017, a headline on a local TV news website asked a distressing question: “Are dangerous chemicals lurking in your baby food?” The associated broadcast, citing “an alarming study,” reported that 80 percent of infant formulas and several other popular baby food products had tested positive for arsenic, a toxic heavy metal. Such products had also tested positive for the heavy metals lead and cadmium. (Andrey Smith, 11/26)

On Dec. 4, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is expected to vote on whether to maintain the long-standing recommendation that all medically stable newborns who meet a weight threshold receive their first dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. (Michael T. Osterholm, 11/26)

Walter Cronkite critiqued America’s health care system as “neither healthy, caring, nor a system” in 1993. Thirty-two years later, the U.S. health care system continues to flail. In clinical settings across the country, especially those in rural and other underserved communities, shortages of registered nurses hamper the quality-of-care patients and families receive. (Connie M. Ulrich, Mary Naylor and Martha A.Q. Curley, 11/26)

The US and China may have called a truce on trade, but Beijing has other levers to pull should febrile relations deteriorate again. That’s a potential supply-chain chokepoint that Washington has overlooked: its strategic rival’s tight grip on the raw materials needed to make an array of medicines. (Liu, 11/25)

If the current Congress is an ongoing story of a Republican majority meekly refusing to stand up to President Donald Trump’s worst instincts, there are at least a few promising asterisks in terms of unqualified administration appointments. (11/25)

Diabetes isn’t just a growing national concern – it’s a crisis in California. More than 10% of California’s adults have diagnosed diabetes, significantly higher than the national average 8.5%. (Todd Gray, 11/25)