If you haven't heard of digital twin technology in health care yet, you probably will soon.
Why it matters: Virtual likenesses of a human or an object are increasingly being seen as a powerful tool for research, writes Axios' Megan Morrone.
Zoom out: Right now "digital twin" has become shorthand for an array of AI models and can mean anything from a statistical model of a complex organism, to a video avatar of a billionaire trained on his speeches and posts, she writes.
In health care, digital twins can be an AI model of a person or a part of a person used to analyze large quantities of health data in order to provide more personalized treatment or speed up drug development.
🧑‍⚖️ Purdue Pharma creditors and states are preparing legal actions against members of the Sackler family after the Supreme Court denied them immunity for their role as the company's owners in the opioid crisis. (NYT)
đź‘€ Language that would restrict soldiers' kids from getting gender-affirming care was added to the Senate's version of the annual defense policy bill, in what would be the first such federal restriction. (Axios)
đź’‰ Novo Nordisk's once-weekly insulin failed to win approval from the FDA after regulators asked for more information to complete their review. (Bloomberg)
🏛️ The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed three senior White House aides Wednesday, demanding they sit for depositions regarding President Biden's health. (Axios)
Doctors could face a nearly 3% cut to their Medicare payments next year — even as Congress is weighing how to mitigate the last round of reimbursement cuts.
Why it matters: It's become an annual rite for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to announce a decrease in physician payments, and for lawmakers to swoop in with a year-end "doc fix" to ease the pain.
The Federal Trade Commission plans to sue the three biggest prescription drug middlemen for allegedly using negotiating tactics to steer patients to use more expensive drugs, including insulins, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The planned suit, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, would follow a two-year FTC investigation that found pharmacy benefit managers use their dominance over the drug supply chain to hike prices and boost profits.
The Biden administration on Wednesday rolled out its latest election-year initiative on women's health, proposing standards that would require the hospital industry to invest billions in maternity care improvements to remain in Medicare.
Why it matters: Maternal health has proven to be a winning issue for Democrats as restrictive abortion laws and insufficient care draw attention to poor access and outcomes.
The ACLU on Wednesday criticized an amendment added to defense policy legislation that would restrict gender-affirming care, calling it "a dangerous and discriminatory attack on transgender members of the armed forces."
Why it matters: If approved, the amendment would mean that government insurance would not cover gender affirming surgeries for soldiers and nearly all gender-affirming care for their children under 18, including hormones and puberty blockers.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) said Wednesday that he will not vote for President Biden unless he is convinced the president is "physically or mentally equipped" for a second term.
Why it matters: It's one of the most devastating statements a Democratic lawmaker has made about the 81-year-old president's age and fitness for office since his calamitous debate against former President Trump.
Age is taking center stage this election year after President Biden's debate performance at 81 worried even his biggest supporters.
Why it matters: Americans are living longer — and emerging research offers insight as to why — but not every senior fits the "Golden Bachelor" profile.
Eight weeks of acupuncture was found to reduce the dose of methadone needed to control opioid cravings, which could make patients likelier to stick with their treatment.
Why it matters: Methadone is one of the most effective medications for curbing opioid addiction, but uncomfortable side effects can cause people to stop treatment.
Public health officials seeking a better view of how bird flu is spreading in cows have a new pitch for resistant dairy farmers: anonymized testing.
Why it matters: Many farmers are refusing to test their herds, fearing the economic consequences, while concern builds that the relatively benign virus could morph into a much bigger risk to humans.
Don't get hysterical about your child's screen time or yank away their cellphone protectively, says Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician who runs a leading treatment program for kids with so-called "internet addictions" (a term he detests).
Children will go through life with a smartphone, he points out — and it's important for the adults in their lives to teach them to use one wisely.
