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New bill aims to expand access to methadone
Today, two senators will introduce legislation that would expand access to methadone treatment by allowing physicians board-certified in addiction medicine to prescribe methadone directly to patients and pick it up at pharmacies. (Currently, the treatment is only available at about 2,000 specialty clinics.) The law was first introduced in 2023, but died in the House.
“For too long, we have locked up methadone, an evidence-based, life-saving drug, far from the many people who need it,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement to STAT’s Lev Fatcher. Read more about how this bill has been updated and how much support there is behind it.
Another hurdle in the Justice Department’s campaign on trans health
A federal judge in New York has temporarily blocked federal prosecutors in Texas from requesting medical records of transgender patients being treated at a New York hospital. The ruling was handed down yesterday by District Judge Katherine Polk Feira, who said the effort was part of the Trump administration’s efforts to “demonize and eradicate the entire population” of transgender people.
The Justice Department launched a criminal investigation into patient records last month after judges across the country repeatedly ruled on similar civil claims. It’s unclear how many hospitals outside of New York may still face similar requests for patient records. Meanwhile, since President Trump took office last year, dozens of hospitals have stopped providing gender-affirming care to minors.
WHO begins trial of Ebola treatment next week
Clinical trials scheduled to begin next week will test two drugs against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, which is currently causing a rapid outbreak in Central Africa. The study will be conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and will test Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir and MapBio’s monoclonal antibody MBP-134.
So far, no drugs or vaccines have been proven to be effective against this type of Ebola. This is the third known outbreak involving this species, STAT’s Helen Branswell reports. Read more about the challenges researchers and clinicians face as the outbreak continues.
6 trillion dollars
That’s how much federal actuaries expect the U.S. to spend on health care this year, STAT’s Bob Herman reports. This is up from $5.7 trillion in 2025, which itself is a 7.3% increase from 2024. Learn more about the factors driving this trend.
Guard dog calls crisis pregnancy center
At least 100 crisis pregnancy centers in 49 states advertise free ultrasound services to rule out ectopic pregnancies, according to the nonprofit watchdog group Campaign for Accountability. But these centers often have little or no medical staff, meaning offering ultrasounds may violate laws against unlicensed medical practice and false advertising. The watchdog group asked New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate these potential violations.
This is not a new problem. Last summer, an organization that provides legal assistance and medical training to crisis pregnancy centers warned its members against claiming to provide such services. A representative for the group warned that ectopic pregnancies are “the greatest medical and legal risk to clinics,” according to NBC News.
How a murder changed doctor-patient confidentiality
In 1969, a California man told his therapist that he planned to harm and possibly kill a woman he had dated briefly but felt disrespected. The therapist tried to put the patient on hold, but the decision was overruled by the local hospital. No one warned the woman or her family that she might be in danger. About two months later, she passed away.
Her parents sued the University of California, Berkeley, where the therapist worked, for failing to restrain the man or warn him of danger. The ensuing legal battle and California Supreme Court decision would forever change the nature of doctor-patient confidentiality in psychiatry, infectious diseases, and even genomics. Next week marks the 50th anniversary of this decision. Read more about its disturbing origin story.
what we are reading
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An Ebola response worker who traveled to France from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the first person outside Africa to test positive for the virus, CNN reported.
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Stephen Miller says Justice Department memo erodes disability rights, Bloomberg Law
- Eli Lilly invests in AI startup Absci and STAT to make full-scale entry into hair loss treatment
- Doctors, patients, and…podcasters? The New York Times
- Biosecure failed to stop the rise of Chinese biotech. Some lawmakers want to do more, STAT
