Walgreens on Thursday announced that it opened its 100th "Health Corners" clinic at a store in California, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California and Missouri.

• California: California plans to enter a partnership with generic drug company Civica Rx to produce low-cost insulin, according to two people familiar with the situation. In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced that $100 million would be allocated to the state's budget to make its own insulin, which could be available as soon as early 2024. California will be the first state to produce its own insulin—a move many experts say could provide a road map to help other states make insulin more affordable. According to Adam Gaffney, a critical care physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a future with insulin produced by public entities "is within the realm of possibility." (Lovelace, NBC News, 11/10)

• Missouri: Researchers from the University of Missouri (UM) identified viral mutations that are responsible for the 2022 monkeypox outbreak, according to a study published in the Journal of Autoimmunity. For the study, the team analyzed how different strains of the virus changed over several decades. While most mutations disappeared over time, some were found in viral sequences from 2022. "We need to know the problem before we can solve it," said UM professor Kamal Singh, who specializes in molecular biology and pathology. The researchers used a computer model to plot the location of mutations in the virus. They found that some mutations were close to where vaccines or antibodies would interact with the virus, which could make some treatments less effective. "Drugs go and bind a certain part of the protein, a certain part of the enzyme. That's how they interfere with function," Singh said. Notably, two of the three drugs prescribed to treat the virus bind close to that mutation. "And obviously, that mutation will affect the binding of these two drugs," Singh said. "And that is one reason the drugs may not be as effective as we think."(Fentem, St. Louis Public Radio/NPR, 11/11)

• California: Walgreens on Thursday announced that it opened its 100th "Health Corners" clinic at a store in Pico Rivera, California. In the clinics, pharmacists assist patients with medication questions, address ongoing health concerns, and conduct health screenings. The company has recorded over 300,000 patient interactions since the first clinic opened in 2020. "Right now in healthcare, patients feel like everything is transactional. They go to the doctor's office, they're being rushed through," said Health Corners Market Manager Shawnt Batmanian. "With Health Corners, we're focusing more on the patient, where they can take the time they need to understand the issues that are plaguing them rather than being told what to do. We're empowering them to make the decisions themselves." (Bean, Becker's Hospital Review, 11/14)