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Good morning and happy Thursday. Let’s get right to it.
New bill aims to expand methadone access
Today, two senators will introduce a bill that would expand access to methadone treatment by allowing doctors who hold board certifications in addiction medicine to prescribe it directly to patients for pickup at a pharmacy. (Currently, the treatment is only available at about 2,000 specialty clinics.) The legislation was first introduced in 2023 but withered in the House.
“For too long, we have kept methadone — an evidence-based, life-saving medication — locked away, far from many of the people who need it,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement to STAT’s Lev Facher. Read more on how the bill has been updated and how much support is behind it.
Another roadblock for DOJ campaign on trans health
A federal judge in New York has temporarily blocked federal prosecutors in Texas from demanding medical records from transgender patients treated at New York hospitals. The ruling came yesterday from District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who said the efforts were part of a Trump administration effort to “demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender” people.
The Justice Department initiated a criminal probe for patient records last month after judges around the country repeatedly ruled against similar civil requests. It’s unclear how many hospitals outside of New York still may face similar demands for patient records. In the meantime, dozens of hospitals have stopped providing gender-affirming care to minors since President Trump took office last year.
WHO will launch Ebola drug trial next week
A clinical trial, set to begin next week, will test two drugs against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus that’s currently driving a fast-moving outbreak in Central Africa. The research will be conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, testing Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir and MappBio’s monoclonal antibody MBP-134.
So far, no drugs or vaccines have been proved effective against this species of Ebola. This is only the third known outbreak involving the species, STAT’s Helen Branswell reports. Read more on the challenges researchers and clinicians face as the outbreak continues.
$6 trillion
That’s how much federal actuaries expect the U.S. to spend on health care this year, STAT’s Bob Herman reports. That’s up from $5.7 trillion in 2025, which itself was a 7.3% increase from 2024. Read more on what’s driving the trend.
Watchdog calls out crisis pregnancy centers
At least 100 crisis pregnancy centers in 49 states advertise free ultrasound services to help people rule out ectopic pregnancy, according to the nonprofit watchdog Campaign for Accountability. But these centers often have little to no medical staff, which means ultrasound offerings could violate laws against the unauthorized practice of medicine or false advertising. The watchdog urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate these potential violations.
This isn’t a new issue. Last summer, a group that provides legal support and medical training to crisis pregnancy centers warned its members about claiming to offer such services. Ectopic pregnancy is “the greatest medical and legal risk for clinics,” a representative for the group warned, according to NBC News.
How a murder case changed doctor-patient confidentiality
In 1969, a California man told his therapist that he planned to harm, and maybe murder, a woman he’d briefly dated and felt scorned by. The therapist tried to have the patient placed on a hold, but that decision was overruled by the local hospital. Nobody warned the woman or her family that she may be in danger. About two months later, she was dead.
Her parents sued the University of California, Berkeley, where the therapist worked, for failing to detain the man or to warn them of danger. The ensuing court battle and decision from the California Supreme Court would forever change the nature of doctor-patient confidentiality in psychiatry, infectious disease, and even genomics. That decision turns 50 next week — read more about its disturbing origin story.
What we’re reading
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Ebola response worker who traveled from DRC to France is first in outbreak to test positive outside of Africa, CNN
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Stephen Miller said to drive DOJ memo eroding disability rights, Bloomberg Law
- Eli Lilly dives into hair loss treatments with investment in AI startup Absci, STAT
- The doctor, the patient, and … the podcaster? New York Times
- Biosecure didn’t stop China’s rise in biotech. Some lawmakers want to do more, STAT