What We’re Reading: Kaiser Permanente Strike; CDC Proposes Policy to Reduce STIs; Court Overturns J&J Cancer Verdict

Kaiser Permanente Health Care Workers Start Strike

Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care employees started a 3-day strike Wednesday morning following a failure to reach a new contract deal, according to The New York Times. The walkout began with employees in Virginia and the District of Columbia, where picket lines were erected by workers outside Kaiser’s facilities. Doctors and most nurses weren’t part of the labor dispute. The former contract expired on Saturday, and union leaders say that this could be the biggest strike by health care workers in recent US history. Patients could experience delays for appointments or procedures that are not considered urgent, although the health system said it had “robust contingency plans” to provide care.

CDC Proposes Antibiotics Policy for STI Reduction

The CDC is proposing a novel policy targeting the dramatic reduction of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States, reported STAT News. In a guidance document published in the Federal Register Monday, the CDC is looking for input on its proposal that health providers offer to gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, as well as transgender women, access to the common antibiotic doxycycline, which they could take after engaging in unprotected sex to decrease their risk of acquiring chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis. Studies have shown that a single 200-mg dose taken no later than 72 hours following unprotected sex can decrease acquisition of chlamydia and syphilis by almost 80% and gonorrhea by about 50%.

Court Tosses $223.8M Verdict Against J&J

On Tuesday, a New Jersey appeals court threw out a $223.8 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson that a jury had awarded to 4 plaintiffs who claimed they developed cancer after asbestos exposure from the company’s talc powder items, according to Reuters. The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, discovered that a lower court judge should not have permitted some of the scientific expert testimony that the plaintiffs presented to jurors at trial. The company reiterated that its talc products are safe and don’t contain asbestos, and a lawyer for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.