election corner
6 Congressional races to watch
While both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have lofty goals for health policy, whether or not they're able to meet those goals will depend on how congressional races shake out. STAT identified six races that could set the tone for the next two years. Among them:
- The race to control the senate is particularly tight — and the races with incumbents Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) could be important in determining which party controls the Senate.
- One of the most contested races in this cycle is that of Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz), who has introduced legislation on telehealth, A.I. and treatments for substance abuse. The Republican is being challenged by emergency room doctor Amish Shah, who highlights his experience in the ER working with patients poisoned by fentanyl.
Read more about these and three other races that could shape the next two years of health policy by STAT's Rachel Cohrs Zhang, as well as a deep dive into Tester's race by Sarah Owermohle.
health disparities
When ERs fail to identify teens at risk of suicide
Suicides are the second leading cause of death among teens. A new study in JAMA Open Network suggests that some young people in need of help — particularly Black and Hispanic youths — are getting overlooked during emergency room visits.
The study found that when children, male youths, and Black and Hispanic youths came into the ER with thoughts of self-harm or attempts at self-injury, they were less likely to be classified as having a suicide-related emergency compared to teens, female youths, and youths of other races and ethnicities. The authors of the new study combed through health records of 2,700 children and teenagers from two emergency departments betweenfrom 2017-2019. "Existing methods are missing kids, and not missing them at random," Juliet Edgcomb, an author on the study and a psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a press release.
One potential solution, Edgcomb says, is using artificial intelligence algorithms to double-check physicians. "If we can automate that process and make suicidality more present, more relevant to the clinician, we can do a lot to improve care," she said.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. For TTY users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.
biotech
A safer way to take Eli Lilly's Alzheimer drug?
Eli Lilly's Kisunla is one of two drugs on the market aimed at slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease. But the drug, which shows modest benefits, came with potentially severe risks of brain swelling and bleeding.
Now new data show that changing the dosing regimen led to a lower risk of brain swelling in a clinical trial. In the standard regimen, 24% of people on the drug experienced brain swelling by 24 weeks. But on the modified regimen, 14% experienced that swelling — a 41% risk reduction. This reduction was even more prominent for people with two copies of a genetic variant called APOE4.
Doctors are still waiting for more detailed results, and whether the data will be enough to convince clinicians who have been reluctant to prescribe the drugs. But if the data holds up, Kisunla may be more competitive against Leqembi — a similar drug made by Eisai and Biogen. Read more from Elaine Chen.
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