Anti-Pharma Bus Tour; Rapamycin for Longevity? Hospital Forgives Debt After Pressure

Welcome to the latest edition of Investigative Roundup, highlighting some of the best investigative reporting on healthcare each week.

Anti-Pharma Bus Tour

The ‘Bust Big Pharma’ bus tour, organized by Americans for Pharma Reform, has been garnering attention in battleground states. But information about the funders and founders of the organization is murky, according to a STAT investigation.

So, who exactly is this group — and what do they stand for? Per STAT, Americans for Pharma Reform was officially formed less than a month ago. Its address on paper is in Delaware — a state infamous for being “home base” for companies that mostly operate elsewhere.

The group’s executive director Rob Burgess told STAT the group is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, which means it doesn’t have to disclose donors and can engage in a level of political activity. And the group does indeed have political leanings. Burgess himself is a former member of Donald Trump’s press team and ran the campaign for another Republican presidential hopeful. Other leaders have worked for Trump and George W. Bush.

Its petitions and policies also have language mirroring conservative arguments. For instance, the website features an article arguing that gender-affirming care benefits the pharmaceutical industry, and another that’s critical of vaccines. One petition calls for reinstating vaccine manufacturer liability. Another petition is to show support for “America First favored pricing,” which is reminiscent of Trump’s drug pricing policies, the article pointed out.

The group calls for pharma companies to compete in a “fair and free marketplace” — again, echoing Republican rhetoric — though Burgess told STAT the group isn’t linked to a political party.

Rapamycin for Longevity?

Rapamycin is mostly used in organ transplants to suppress a patient’s immune system — but some people think the drug can delay aging, according to the New York Times.

For a group of people trying to slow aging, a small weekly dose of rapamycin is part of their strategy. They use the drug off-label or purchase it from overseas. People interviewed by the Times said the drug brought mild health benefits, like weight loss, improved gum health, and fewer aches and pains.

“Longevity influencers” often cite a 2014 article in Aging Cell as evidence that rapamycin can extend life — in mice — by 20%. There’s also been research assessing the anti-aging potential of rapamycin in yeast, worms, flies, and marmosets, which saw a 10% increase in lifespan, and a few looking at people, which had inconclusive results or aren’t peer-reviewed yet. Scientists suspect any anti-aging benefits occur because rapamycin inhibits the mTOR complex, which may decrease inflammation and ramp up autophagy.

While many tout the alleged benefits, taking rapamycin off-label has risks. The biggest concern is that since the drug is used to prevent organ transplant rejection, taking a low dose weekly could dampen immune function, putting people at higher risk for infection.

Many of the researchers take rapamycin themselves, even though the evidence is still inconclusive, or work for companies that sell it.

Hospital Forgives Medical Debt After Public Pressure

A nonprofit health system had aggressively pursued patients’ medical debts until an NBC News investigation last week brought light to how their lives had been turned upside down. Now, the company is forgiving thousands of those debts, NBC News reported.

For years, Atrium Health in North Carolina had taken drastic measures to collect medical debts, like placing liens on patients’ homes.

This happened to one patient, Terry Belk, back in 2005. Belk racked up thousands in medical debt from both his and his wife’s cancer treatment. Whenever Belk eventually sold his home, Atrium would have received $23,000. But earlier this week, Belk heard good news from Atrium: his debts were forgiven.

Belk was one of 11,500 patients in six states whose debts were forgiven. Over the next few months, Atrium will release the liens, starting with the oldest cases. Atrium spokespeople have said that liens and litigation against patients were last resorts.

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