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Good morning! I have some exciting programming updates for you. The “First Opinion Podcast” is making a return. This season, it will explore the intersection of culture and medicine, beginning with an episode on sports betting.
Additionally, to add some flair to our content, we are introducing a new layout for selected articles, starting with today’s excellent piece by Jason Mast.
A 20-year journey and a Duchenne breakthrough
When Debra Miller’s son, Hawken, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy at age 7, she learned about exon-skipping, a novel treatment approach, a year later. She dedicated herself to supporting the research, fundraising, and even traveled with Hawken to Europe in hopes of entering clinical trials. However, these attempts often fell short for her family and the companies involved. The exon-skipping approach led to significant internal conflict at the FDA, where a senior official overruled reviewers who believed the companies had merely produced a “scientifically elegant placebo.”
Throughout this period, Miller and her son waited patiently. Hawken eventually lost his ability to walk but found solace in faith. At 27, he finally joined a trial for an exon-skipping drug, partly due to his mother’s fundraising efforts. The results, as Hawken described, were nothing short of miraculous. Discover more from STAT’s Jason Mast, who adeptly presents the scientific and human aspects of this contentious class of medications.
The current state of MAHA
In October 2024, I first encountered the Make America Healthy Again movement through STAT’s Isabella Cueto, who provided an insightful feature on Casey and Calley Means. The movement has evolved significantly since then. A recent Politico poll involving over 3,800 participants reveals some intriguing insights:
- Almost 75% of adults identifying as MAGA supporters also align with MAHA. Half of those who voted for Trump in 2024 consider themselves MAHA supporters.
- Vaccines are a key concern for 42% of MAHA supporters.
- Many MAHA followers prioritize removing ultra-processed foods and artificial dyes from diets, minimizing the impact of forever chemicals, restricting junk food purchases through SNAP, and reducing pesticide usage.
- Some less popular views among MAHA supporters include making GLP-1s more affordable (39%), restricting abortion access (35%), banning cell phones in schools (29%), and prohibiting kids from using social media (28%).
Overlooked opportunities in cancer treatment
A study published in JAMA Network Open reveals that many cancer patients miss out on genomic testing that could guide their treatment, leaving them unaware of potential benefits from newer, targeted therapies.
“It’s very concerning that half of the patients are still not receiving genomic testing,” Igor Makhlin, a breast medical oncologist, told STAT’s Angus Chen. “Although testing rates are increasing over time, they still do not meet standard care expectations.” Read more from Angus on the potential reasons behind this issue.
Addressing the rise of AI scribes and increasing costs
Health systems and insurers have different perspectives, but as STAT’s Brittany Trang reports, they agree on one thing: AI scribes are contributing to rising health care costs. Yet, there is no consensus on how to tackle this issue.
This situation poses a challenge. Health economists warn that this “AI coding arms race” — driven by AI scribes and autonomous coding tools optimizing codes on one side, and insurer algorithms minimizing payments on the other — is a zero-sum game that could severely impact vulnerable providers and patients. Read more from Brittany on how AI scribes increase medical bills, its effects on the healthcare system, and possible future scenarios.
10%
The health care sector is responsible for 10% of U.S. carbon emissions, equating to roughly 5 million tons annually. A significant portion, 30%, of this waste originates from operating rooms. In a new First Opinion essay, two Stanford medical students discuss lessons American hospitals can learn from India to reduce these numbers. They even traveled to India to study hospital sustainability practices as part of a summer research project. Read more about their discoveries and how these practices could be implemented in the U.S.
