What We’re Reading: Drug Shortage Legislation; US Respiratory Virus Levels; Child Death Racial Disparities

Senate Committee Introduces Legislation to Fix Drug Shortages

The Senate Finance Committee has introduced bipartisan legislation that proposes using Medicaid and Medicare programs to help prevent and reduce generic drug shortages, according to The Hill. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists recorded 323 active drug shortages last month, the highest number of domestic drug shortages since it began tracking them in 2001. As a result, the committee proposed legislation that suggests creating a “Medicare Drug Shortage Prevention and Mitigation Program,” which would encourage improving drug supply chain contracting and purchasing practices. To receive Medicare payment incentives, the legislation requires Medicare participants to adopt new supply chain resiliency, reliability, and transparency standards for generic drug purchasing; these standards include minimum 3-year contracts with manufacturers and purchase volume commitments. The legislation noted that providers who meet these core standards would be eligible for quarterly, lump-sum incentive payments.

US Respiratory Virus Cases at Low Levels

The CDC announced on Friday that US indicators for COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) declined further last week, with no states reporting moderate, high, or very high activity, according to CIDRAP. To start, the percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness remained below the national baseline for the fourth consecutive week. Overall, the CDC saw declines in flu test positivity, hospitalizations, and related deaths; however, it received 10 more pediatric flu death reports, raising the season’s total to 158. Also, the CDC found further declines in COVID-19 early indicators and severity markers. As of May 1, the tracker’s data will begin to look different as hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 hospital admissions, capacity, or occupancy data to HHS; however, the CDC encourages states to continue to voluntarily report COVID-19 hospitalizations. As a result, instead of national admission counts, the data will show COVID-19 hospitalization rates per 100,000 population.

Widening Racial Disparities Underlie Rise in US Child Deaths

A recent study published in JAMA revealed growing disparities in child death rates across racial and ethnic groups, according to The New York Times. Black and Native American youths aged 1 to 19 years died at significantly higher rates than White youths, predominantly from car accidents, suicides, and homicides. Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Children’s Hospital of Richmond previously reported that mortality rates among children and adolescents rose by 20% between 2019 and 2021, with Black and American Indian/Alaska Native children dying at significantly higher rates than White children. More specifically, between 2014 and 2020, the death rates for Black children and teenagers rose by about 37% and for Native American children by about 22%; in comparison, death rates rose less than 5% for White children during the same period. Disparities were most drastic for injury-related deaths. For example, gun-related deaths were 2 to 4 times higher among Black and Native American youths vs White youths. The researchers hope the study acts as a wake-up call and they encourage policymakers to increase mental health support in children and create stricter gun laws.