| | | |   By Elizabeth Cooney | Good morning. Like many newsrooms, STAT's Boston HQ has TV screens tuned all day to news stations. Even on mute, the drug ads are inescapable. Turns out some people acrosss the country have voiced their displeasure to the FCC, Kate Sheridan learned from a records request. Read on to see what they said. | | | Decline in mpox cases is a respite, not a resolution, health experts warn Early last summer it looked like the mpox outbreak might be impossible to contain. Lately, daily case reports in the U.S. have been in the single digits since mid-December, the U.K. hasn’t reported a new case since before Christmas, and new cases have been growing at a slower rate in other countries. But as mpox fades from public view, the global footprint of a disease that until a few years ago could be contracted only in remote parts of a few countries in West or Central Africa has expanded substantially.
The risk still remains very low for most people, but one can now catch mpox in Europe, in North, Central, or South America, or elsewhere. “The poxviruses are here with us to stay. We will learn a lot more about them, and they still reserve many surprises for us,” WHO’s Rosamund Lewis told STAT's Helen Branswell. Read more. | What telehealth abortion providers see in new FDA rules on access Interest in medication abortion via telehealth began surging last year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the FDA made home delivery possible after securing an online prescription. As of last week, that mail delivery rule is final and retail pharmacies can distribute mifepristone, one of two drugs used to safely end an early pregnancy.
Several telemedicine companies that provide medication abortion have expressed enthusiasm for opening up local pickup for patients — potentially increasing access for those who live in states where abortion is not currently legal. Those new points of access will still take time to establish, even for big box pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS, as they pursue FDA’s certification process to register and train pharmacists. Another factor: Local pickups could also introduce new challenges for a medical model that prides itself on discreet and stigma-free care. STAT’s Katie Palmer has more. | Why do journals take so long to make corrections? Remember the high-profile investigation of Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne launched late last year over allegations of research misconduct? Five studies co-authored by the renowned neuroscientist are now under review for containing allegedly altered images, one published as far back as 1999. Three journals have launched their own inquiries and two have warned readers there may be questionable data in the papers, but so far no corrections or retractions have been made.
STAT’s Ambar Castillo poses a question to experts: If the journals were alerted to issues years ago, what’s taking so long? Read what she found out about journals’ correction process, the tricky relationship between journals and institutions, the fear of retaliation, and the difficulty of knowing how much weight to give to anonymous allegations. | Inspection readiness: what you need to know to prepare for a GCP inspection When biotechs maintain a state of inspection readiness based on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines, they have a stronger opportunity for a successful inspection. Learn what it means to be inspection-ready including important processes that are typical in a review and how best to anticipate challenges in preparing for an inspection in this Allucent blog. Learn more. | Closer look: Here's what people say they hate the most about drug ads 
(MOLLY FERGUSON FOR STAT)
Oh, those drug ads. Most people hate ’em, but pharmaceutical companies love to pour millions into them, to the tune of $287 million on TV ads last year just for Sanofi and Regeneron’s anti-inflammatory drug Dupixent. But only 77 people have officially asked the FDA to pull the ads, STAT’s Kate Sheridan reports. Here’s a sample of what bugged them enough to complain: - Too many ads: “Makes me feel like I am having a heart attack.”
- Too much repetition: “SURELY there is a limit to how many commercials and drug ads can be run … and re-run during a 24 hour period.”
- Gross side effects: “The most recent ad from Dupixent should come with a trigger warning, it made me throw up.”
- Sex: “The advertisements for drugs that cure erectile dysfunction on television while I am trying to get my child to listen and learn from news programs are really horrible.”
Read more for pharma’s side. | Black medical trainees more likely to have significant debt Diversifying the American physician workforce has been an uphill battle, and a new study in Health Affairs makes it look even steeper. Black medical residents were much more likely to have significant debt — loans for medical school (96% vs. 83%) and undergraduate education (60% vs. 35%) as well as consumer debt (50% vs. 25%) — than other racial and ethnic groups overall, according to an analysis of data from 2014 through 2019.
American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander trainees were also more likely to have debt compared with white and Asian trainees. Overall, debt fell over time and varied by specialty, but not for Black trainees, whose debt stayed the same and did not differ by specialty. The authors, who say the disparities reflect racial wealth gaps in the U.S., urge institutions to explore scholarships, debt relief, and financial guidance as remedies. | There's more than one healthy eating pattern Healthy eating advice has always discouraged concentrating on one diet or one ingredient. The Dietary Guidelines for America instead endorse what it calls healthy eating patterns, taking into account combinations of nutrients. Researchers writing in JAMA Internal Medicine compared four healthy eating patterns — based on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes but including different components across different eating patterns — recommended by those guidelines to see if they affected how long people lived.
The study, which followed 75,000 women and 44,000 men for up to 36 years, found that the more people followed the four patterns (Healthy Eating Index 2015, Alternate Mediterranean Diet, Healthful Plant-based Diet Index, and Alternate Healthy Eating Index), the lower the risk of death from any cause, and specifically from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or respiratory disease. That held true for Hispanic, Black, and white people. “Multiple healthy eating patterns can be adapted to individual food traditions and preferences,” the authors write. | | | | | What to read around the web today - FDA’s Califf says congressional report on Aduhelm controversy contained 'no surprises,' STAT
- AI turns its artistry to creating new human proteins, New York Times
- South Dakota plans major ramp up of hepatitis C treatment in prison, STAT
- Ozone layer continues to heal, a key development for health, food security and the planet, U.N. study says, Washington Post
- Moderna plans to follow in Pfizer’s footsteps, charge up to $130 for Covid-19 vaccine in U.S., STAT
| Thanks for reading! More tomorrow,  | | | | Have a news tip or comment? Email Me | | | | | | | | Kendall Square February 9 | | | | | | | |
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