The ideas and innovators shaping health care
| | | | |  | | By Ben Leonard, Erin Schumaker and Evan Peng | Editor's note: Due to a production error, you may have received an edition of POLITICO Pulse by mistake this morning.
| | |  It's sweltering out there. | AP | More likely than not, it’s hot where you are. July is on track to become the world’s hottest month on record — with some scientists saying the planet might be experiencing its warmest period in about 120,000 years. The Environmental Protection Agency says the extra heat is associated with respiratory and heart diseases, pest-related infections like Lyme disease and West Nile virus, water- and food-related illnesses, and even injuries and deaths. It also increases violent crime and can have a negative effect on mental health. But POLITICO’s Zia Weise reports that 2023’s hot summer hasn’t moved world governments to toughen their goals for reducing fossil fuel use or increasing renewables. Energy ministers from the world’s 20 largest economies — the G-20 — which are producers of 80 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, couldn’t reach an agreement during talks in India over the past several days. That prompted the U.N.’s climate chief, Simon Stiell, to call out world leaders for failing to “provide a sufficiently clear signal for transforming global energy systems, scaling up renewable and clean energy sources, and responsibly phasing down fossil fuels.” The international discord follows the failure earlier this month of President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, to win a commitment from China to curtail its carbon emissions. Kerry has said the world needs China’s help to respond effectively to the Earth’s warming.
| | | | HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | | | | | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Avoid the lone star tick. Cases of a red meat allergy linked to tick bites are rising. There were more than 110,000 suspected cases of the potentially life-threatening condition between 2010 and 2022, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But since many cases go undiagnosed, the actual case count could be closer to 450,000. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Ben Leonard at bleonard@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Lauren Gardner about recent tuberculosis cases in the U.S. linked to recalled bone graft materials.
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Grassley has championed the pending overhaul of the nation's organ donation system. | AP | Congress has signed off on an overhaul of the nation’s organ donation system. The Senate unanimously passed the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act on Thursday. Earlier this week, the House passed the bill, so it now goes to President Joe Biden. "Today’s bill passage is proof that bipartisanship still works in Washington," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement, noting that he's been investigating the organ industry since 2005. "At long last, Congress has succeeded in untangling years of deadly errors in the organ industry to give patients a better shot at lifesaving care and root out corruption." Why it matters: For nearly 40 years, the government has contracted with a single organization, the nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing, to match patients with donated organs. But a Senate Finance Committee investigation into UNOS concluded that the network was putting Americans' lives at risk by failing to ensure organs weren’t lost or destroyed in transit. The committee recommended breaking up the existing contract. UNOS previously said that it welcomes a competitive bidding process and did not oppose the legislation. The bill authorizes the Health Resources and Services Administration to award contracts to multiple bidders and eliminates the cap on contract size. What's next? Biden is expected to sign it into law.
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Tedros is concerned that "vested interests" have it in for the pandemic treaty. | Johanna Geron | | | “I need to put this plainly — those who peddle lies about this historic agreement are endangering the health and safety of future generations.” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus | | Ill vibes are coming from World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus about the pandemic treaty nations are negotiating — and hoping to finalize by next May. Last week, Tedros called out “groups with vested interests” for “claiming falsely that the accord is a power grab by WHO and that it will stymie innovation and research.” Pointing to how, 20 years ago, the tobacco industry “tried to undermine negotiations on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” the director-general said the same thing is happening now. Tedros didn’t specify who he sees as the villain this time around. The pharmaceutical industry has argued that proposals included in an earlier draft of the treaty could delay the development of medical products in the event of a pandemic. Separately, others have claimed that the treaty is an attempt by WHO to do things such as mandate vaccines and censor scientific debate. The backstory: Earlier this year, POLITICO’s Ashleigh Furlong obtained draft text in which the United States asked for the deletion of a paragraph that would see countries take measures to “support time-bound waivers of intellectual property rights” to speed up the manufacturing of pandemic products. The U.S. has also asked to edit language requiring makers of pandemic-related products to transfer technology and know-how to other manufacturers. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
