• Maryland: According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the proportion of insured Americans remained stable in 2023 at 92%, compared to 92.1% in 2022. However, because of the Census survey's methodology, the results likely don't include the tens of millions of Americans who were removed from Medicaid during the redetermination process in spring 2023. According to KFF, over 25 million people were disenrolled during the Medicaid unwinding. Although many people have since successfully reenrolled in Medicaid or found other insurance, others are still uninsured. A separate report from the Census Bureau could help provide a clearer picture of the impact of Medicaid's unwinding. "We are likely at a turning point," said Leighton Ku, director of the Center for Health Policy Research at George Washington University. "We are about to change to a new season where things will be a little worse off from Medicaid unwinding." (Galewitz, KFF Health News, 9/10)
• Massachusetts: According to a new study published in The Lancet, over 39 million people could die from antibiotic-resistant infections between now and 2050, with older individuals facing the greatest risk. For the study, researchers analyzed data from 520 million datasets, including hospital discharge records, insurance claims, and death certificates, from 204 countries. Using statistical modeling, the researchers determined that over a million deaths related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurred each year between 1990 and 2021. According to the researchers, AMR deaths have only increased since then and are projected to increase by almost 70% over the next 25 years. Between 2022 and 2050, researchers estimated that there will be a cumulative 39.1 million deaths from AMR. South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean are projected to see the highest all-age AMR mortality rate, while increases in AMR-related deaths will be largest among people ages 70 and older (65.9%). "These findings highlight that AMR has been a significant global health threat for decades and that this threat is growing," said Mohsen Naghavi, one of the study's authors from the University of Washington. (Ortega, Washington Post, 9/16; Kahn, MedPage Today, 9/16)
• New Jersey: Sanofi's oral treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), tolebrutinib, met its key goal in a Phase 3 trial, which the company said could potentially clear the way for regulatory approval even though patients in two earlier studies failed to see a benefit. The Phase 3 trial, called HERCULES, was a 48-month randomized and double-blind study that compared tolebrutinib to a placebo in 1,131 participants with non-relapsing secondary progressive MS. The study's goal was to show a difference in disability on the Expanded Disability Scale. So far, Sanofi said it met its endpoint, but did not release any other information. More findings will be disclosed at the annual meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in Copenhagen on Sept. 20. Houman Ashrafian, Sanofi's head of research and development, said he believes the study's positive result would help build confidence among investors for the company's research and development efforts. "It's a meaningful but not big financial driver, but a big driver in terms of confidence," said Ashrafian. "So what does it mean for us? I think it drives a nail, positively, into the perspective that we can do R&D." (Herper, STAT+ [subscription required], 9/2)

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