The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to hear a challenge to the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Kansas.

• District of Columbia: The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to hear a challenge to the availability of mifepristone, an abortion pill used in over half of all pregnancy terminations in the United States. The case comes following a federal appeals court ruling that upheld the legality of the abortion pill, but imposed restrictions on its distribution, primarily affecting mail-in and telemedicine prescriptions. The request by the Justice Department emphasized the safety and efficacy of the abortion pill, citing minimal adverse effects and highlighting the potential damage to patients' health and options should access be reduced. (VanSickle, New York Times, 9/8; Ollstein, Politico, 9/8; Kim, NPR, 9/8)
• Kansas: CDC officials confirmed a year-long outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Kansas City affecting 13 people across four households, with a surprising majority of children being U.S. born. The responsible TB strain was found to be resistant to all primary treatments but did respond to secondary treatments. This outbreak poses a stark reminder for vigilance, with potential for future outbreaks even in low TB incidence areas. Notably, these patients required specially devised treatment regimens given their age and drug resistance, with most concluding their treatment by September 2023. A CDC investigation linked the outbreak's origin to earlier cases in Micronesia and Guam, indicating possible overseas infection of the adult patients who later moved to Kansas. (Sullivan, MedPage Today, 9/1)
• Massachusetts: A 14-year-old, Harris Wolobah, has died after participating in the Paqui tortilla chip "One Chip Challenge." The challenge involves ingesting a single tortilla chip seasoned with two of the world's hottest peppers — the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper. While Wolobah's death has not been directly linked to the chip, Wolobah's mother said the chip was the last thing he consumed, and that not long after, she had to pick him up from school as he had a severe stomachache. Two hours after he came home, Wolobah passed out and was rushed to a hospital where he died. The chip's packaging comes with a warning label saying to keep the chip out of reach of children and that anyone who is pregnant, has "any medical conditions," or is sensitive or allergic to spicy foods, peppers, night shade plants, or capsaicin should not consume the chip. However, the company said, "We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings." And, "as a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with our retailers to remove the product from shelves." (Carballo, New York Times, 9/7; Edwards, The Washington Post, 9/7)