HHS announces $260 million in family planning funding
The federal health department has released a long-awaited application for federal family planning funds — and the application looks different than it did under the Obama administration. HHS says it’ll
dole out $260 million in funding to health care providers through the Title X program. The agency has steered away from the Obama administration’s emphasis on all forms of effective contraception. Instead, the agency is putting more of a focus on abstinence
and natural family planning. And while Title X funding isn't used to pay for abortion care, that shift has clinics that receive Title X funding and also provide abortions worried that it might be harder for them to get federal funding.
|
Health secretary emphasizes support for addiction treatment
The nation's top health official is pushing to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, which combines therapy and medications such as methadone and buprenorphine. Secretary
Alex Azar emphasized his support for MAT this weekend at the National Governors’ Association meeting. “For many people struggling with addiction, failing to offer MAT is like trying to treat an infection without antibiotics,” Azar said. But many patients can't
access MAT, Azar said, and there’s still stigma associated with the treatment.
Azar’s comments stand in stark contrast to those from his predecessor, former Secretary Tom Price, who came under fire last year for saying
that MAT is just “substituting one opioid for another.” Price later walked back those comments.
Meanwhile, the FDA is planning to roll out new guidance to encourage the development of medicines that can treat aspects of opioid addiction, such as cravings, even if they don't fully stop addiction, the New York Times
reports.
|
States regulate abortion differently than other procedures
a comparison of abortion laws and office-based surgery laws. (the policy surveillance program)
Reproductive health researchers have created a new
tool to see how abortion laws stack up against policies that govern other office-based medical procedures, like cosmetic surgery. It's part of
new research into TRAP laws — Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers — like those that require rooms in offices where abortions are provided to be a specific size. Past studies have shown TRAP laws can restrict access
to abortion but often don’t improve patient care. The researchers found TRAP laws were far more prevalent and far more stringent than laws governing other office-based surgeries. And unlike those laws, many TRAP laws apply to all procedures regardless of whether
sedation is used, meaning they also apply to facilities that only provide medication abortions.
|
|
|
|
Sponsor content by Amgen
Assessing minimal residual disease in blood cancer: an evolving technology that continues to advance
A diagnostic test is only as good as the technology behind it — and for blood cancers like acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the technology often involves a microscope through which a pathologist looks for
signs of cancerous cells.1 There are more precise methods that take advantage of modern molecular tools to detect minute amounts of cancer present at concentrations that less sensitive tests cannot detect.2 Oncologists are now calling
for what is known as minimal residual disease monitoring to be “part of the equation.”
Learn more.
1Gökbuget N, et al.
Blood. 2012;120:1868-1876.
2Paeitta E. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2002;29:459-465.
USA-103-057860
|
|
|
|
Inside STAT: Can an app match you up with a genetically compatible date?
A new dating app called
Pheramor is pitching DNA analysis as a cure for the many ailments of 21st-century courtship. It’s a cross between 23andMe and OKCupid — users swab their cheeks, mail in their samples for sequencing, and then browse profiles
that come with a compatibility score. That score is based, in part, on a comparison of two people’s variants in a gene family known as HLA, or human leukocyte antigens. Some studies indicate people prefer the smell of a partner who has HLA genetic variants
that aren’t like their own. But experts say there isn’t much science supporting the idea you can find a genetically compatible date. STAT’s Rebecca Robbins has the story
here.
|
How to screen and treat teens for depression
The American Academy of Pediatrics has revamped its
guidelines to help primary care doctors diagnose and treat depression among teens. An
estimated 3.1 million young people in the U.S. ages 12 to 17 had at least one major depressive episode in 2016. The AAP says pediatricians and other primary care doctors are often in the best position to help young people with depression, particularly
those who might not have access to mental health specialists. Among the recommendations: Screen for depression during a teen’s regular checkup each year.
|
Vote on the coolest ideas in biomedical research
Voting kicks off today for STAT Madness, our bracket-style tournament to find the best innovations in science and medicine. Read
here about the pioneering research happening all across the country, and then pick your favorites to help us crown a champ.
|
What to read around the web today
§
What I learned when a famous 96-year-old physician became my patient.
New York Times
§
Doctors in besieged Syrian enclave treating new wounds while waiting on cease-fire.
Washington Post
§
The devastating, underdiagnosed toll of toxic stress on children.
PBS
|
|
|
|
The latest from STAT Plus
§
A new FTC policy may
alter the calculus for some pharma M&A deals.
|
|
