Federal Trade Commission have proposed a settlement A partnership with prescription discount site and telemedicine provider GoodRx that could help Americans better protect the health data they share with websites, mobile apps, and myriad other connected devices.
That data now exists in a legal gray zone. This is not covered by his HIPAA, a federal law governing the privacy of data held by healthcare providers. But the FTC has broad powers to crack down on “unfair” and “deceptive” practices, and is expanding them under Chair Lina Khan.
settlement: The FTC order has been filed in federal court in California and is subject to approval before it becomes effective. But the claims against GoodRx, which claims it shared customer health data with online advertising platforms and data brokers such as Google and Facebook, reflect how the company is redefining its powers.
Beyond unfair and deceptive practices, the FTC cited 2009 violations. Health violation notification rule Fined GoodRx $1.5 million and required privacy remedy.
GoodRx has agreed to pay the fine and implement remedies, but denies doing anything wrong.
usage of data breach rules It’s notable because it’s designed to protect health data that could be exposed in a breach, but isn’t covered by HIPAA. However, this regulation does not expressly refer to data shared through marketing activities. The rule states that he HIPAA-exempt entities that collect personally identifiable health information must notify consumers of data breaches or face law enforcement.
Telehealth providers, pharmacies, medical services and tools such as providers of Bluetooth blood pressure cuffs and diet apps, and third parties such as Google and Facebook are watching the FTC’s actions closely.
What’s next: Since being approved by the Senate in 2021, Khan has said the methods marketers and data brokers use to collect personal information on websites and internet-connected devices are unfair and often unfair. It has promoted the notion that it is deceptive and subject to FTC scrutiny.
In August, the FTC Prior Notice of Proposed Rules It seeks public opinion on whether the Commission should create new rules governing commercial surveillance and data security.
More than 10,000 comments have been received by government agencies, and a proposed rule could be submitted later this year.
In addition to the lawsuit against GoodRx, the agency also filed a privacy lawsuit against period-tracking app Flo Health and data broker Kochava, which was settled by Flo Health. The Cochaba case is pending litigation.
Here we explore the ideas and innovators shaping healthcare.
Remember Alpha and Gamma? Early variant of coronavirus found circulating among New York deer new research Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers analyzed the tissues of deer killed by hunters during the 2020 and 2021 deer hunting seasons. They detected the virus in just 0.6% of deer samples in 2020. In 2021, the virus was present in 21% of samples and gene sequencing showed that three variants of concern, alpha, gamma and delta, were present in that year.
The results of this study suggest multiple human-to-deer spillover events and subsequent deer-to-deer transmission. It is not clear how the virus is transmitted from humans to deer, but feeding wildlife or feeding prey may be risk factors for infection.
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Aim to avoid Following the failure of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization on Wednesday unveiled a draft agreement aimed at boosting preparedness for the next major disease outbreak.
draft contract Facilitate information sharing between countries and develop mechanisms for more equitable distribution of vaccines.
If Member States agree, the proposal will be:
— Demand that WHO rapid response teams be allowed into the area to assess and support efforts to combat new outbreaks
— Establish a system for sharing pathogen information and ensure that all parties to the trade benefit from countermeasures developed based on that data
— Require manufacturers of pandemic-related products such as tests, vaccines, personal protective equipment and treatments to share one-fifth of their production in real time with WHO. WHO distributes them to low-income countries.
— Calls upon countries to support temporary waivers of intellectual property rights on vaccines and therapeutics, and to require manufacturers that receive public funding to waive their rights
— Establish a global compensation system for vaccine injuries
— Implementation and application of international standards for the monitoring and reporting of laboratories and research facilities conducting “gain-of-function” research aimed at altering how viruses work
What’s next: Governments are expected to begin negotiations on the agreement at a conference later this month.
Funding “neglected diseases” — prevalent in developing countries who need new treatments but lack sufficient investment to develop them — continue to decline, according to the report. new report.
Funding for basic research and product development will fall slightly by 0.2% in 2021, with investment down 4% from 2018, according to Policy Cures Research, a global health policy and research group based in Australia. A three-year trend continues.
Big picture: HIV, tuberculosis and malaria received the most funding, with funding for HIV research increasing by nearly 3%. Malaria funding has fallen by nearly 6%. TB remained fairly stable.
The study group’s senior analyst Paul Barnsley, lead author of the report, explained that a flat line in 2021 is a cause for concern.
Small pool: R&D funders are in no rush to fund neglected diseases.
Fundraising, in fact, relies on “almost the same people doing it all along,” Barnsley said. The same top 10 funders provided 88% of global cash to neglected diseases 10 years ago and continue to account for at least 85% of global funding.
Much of the funding comes from the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Transitioning from HIV vaccine: R&D aimed at manufacturing HIV vaccines fell 4.6%, while drug therapy R&D increased 53% to reach a record $279 million between 2020 and 2021.
“There seems to be a systematic shift from vaccine R&D to drug R&D. I don’t know why,” Barnsley says.
