California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin

• March 22, 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday announced the selection of Utah-based generic drug manufacturer Civica to produce low-cost insulin for California, an unprecedented move that makes good on his promise to put state government in direct competition with the brand-name drug companies that dominate the market.

“People should not be forced to go into debt to get lifesaving prescriptions,” Newsom said. “Californians will have access to some of the most inexpensive insulin available, helping them save thousands of dollars each year.”

The contract, with an initial cost of $50 million that Newsom and his fellow Democratic lawmakers approved last year, calls for Civica to manufacture state-branded insulin and make the lifesaving drug available to any Californian who needs it, regardless of insurance coverage, by mail order and at local pharmacies. But insulin is just the beginning. Newsom said the state will also look to produce the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone.

Allan Coukell, Civica’s senior vice president of public policy, told KHN that the nonprofit drugmaker is also in talks with the Newsom administration to potentially produce other generic medications, but he declined to elaborate, saying the company is focused on making cheap insulin widely available first.

“We are very excited about this partnership with the state of California,” Coukell said. “We’re not looking to have 100% of the market, but we do want 100% of people to have access to fair insulin prices.”

As insulin costs for consumers have soared, Democratic lawmakers and activists have called on the industry to rein in prices. Just weeks after President Joe Biden attacked Big Pharma for jacking up insulin prices, the three drugmakers that control the insulin market — Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi — announced they would slash the list prices of some products.

Newsom, who has previously accused the pharmaceutical industry of gouging Californians with “sky-high prices,” argued that the launch of the state’s generic drug label, CalRx, will add competition and apply pressure on the industry. Administration officials declined to say when California’s insulin products would be available, but experts say it could be as soon as 2025. Coukell said the state-branded medication will still require approval from the FDA, which can take roughly 10 months.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which lobbies on behalf of brand-name companies, blasted California’s move. Reid Porter, senior director of state public affairs for PhRMA, said Newsom just “wants to score political points.”

“If the governor wants to impact what patients pay for insulins and other medicines meaningfully, he should expand his focus to others in the system that often make patients pay more than they do for medicines,” Porter said, blaming pharmaceutical go-between companies, known as pharmacy benefit managers, that negotiate with manufacturers on behalf of insurers for rebates and discounts on drugs.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents pharmacy benefit managers argued in turn that it’s pharmaceutical companies that are to blame for high prices.

Drug pricing experts, however, say pharmacy benefit managers and drugmakers share the blame.

Newsom administration officials say that inflated insulin costs force some to pay as much as $300 per vial or $500 for a box of injectable pens, and that too many Californians with diabetes skip or ration their medication. Doing so can lead to blindness, amputations, and life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and kidney failure. Nearly 10% of California adults have diabetes.

Civica is developing three types of generic insulin, known as a biosimilar, which will be available both in vials and in injectable pens. They are expected to be interchangeable with brand-name products including Lantus, Humalog, and NovoLog. Coukell said the company would make the drug available for no more than $30 a vial, or $55 for five injectable pens.

Newsom said the state’s insulin will save many patients $2,000 to $4,000 a year, though critical questions about how California would get the products into the hands of consumers remain unanswered, including how it would persuade pharmacies, insurers, and retailers to distribute the drugs.

Last year, Newsom also secured $50 million in seed money to build a facility to manufacture insulin; Coukell said Civica is exploring building a plant in California.

California’s move, though never previously tried by a state government, could be blunted by recent industry decisions to lower insulin prices. In March, Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi vowed to cut prices, with Lilly offering a vial at $25 per month, Novo Nordisk promising major reductions that would bring the price of a particular generic vial to $48, and Sanofi pegging one vial at $64.

The governor’s office said it will cost the state $30 per vial to manufacture and distribute insulin and it will be sold at that price. Doing so, the administration argues, “will prevent the egregious cost-shifting that happens in traditional pharmaceutical price games.”

Drug pricing experts said generic production in California could further lower costs for insulin, and benefit people with high-deductible health insurance plans or no insurance.

“This is an extraordinary move in the pharmaceutical industry, not just for insulin but potentially for all kinds of drugs,” said Robin Feldman, a professor at the University of California College of the Law-San Francisco. “It’s a very difficult industry to disrupt, but California is poised to do just that.”

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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Shohei Ohtani strikes out Mike Trout as Japan edges Team USA for World Baseball Classic title

• March 22, 2023

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani emerged from the bullpen and struck out Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in a matchup the whole baseball world wanted to see, leading Japan over the defending champion United States, 3-2, Tuesday night for its first World Baseball Classic title since 2009.

Ohtani, the two-way star who has captivated fans across two continents, was voted MVP of the WBC and clutched the award against his chest.

Ohtani beat out an infield single in the seventh inning as a designated hitter before walking down the left field line to Japan’s bullpen to warm up for his third mound appearance of the tournament.

Flashing his 100 mph heat with several of his 15 pitches, Ohtani walked major league batting champion Jeff McNeil to begin the ninth before getting Dodgers star Mookie Betts to ground into a double play.

Trout, the U.S. captain and a three-time American League MVP, then ended the game by striking out on a full-count slider. Ohtani’s only other save was in a Japan postseason playoff game in 2016.

Ohtani batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks as Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball’s premier national team tournament. Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP was 2-0 with a save and a 1.86 ERA on the mound, striking out 11 in 9-2/3 innings.

Japan went 7-0 and outscored its opponents 56-18, reaching the final for the first time since winning the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009. No other nation has won the title more than once.

Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto homered as Japan built a 3-2 lead.

Trea Turner put the U.S. ahead in the second with his record-tying fifth home run of the tournament and Kyle Schwarber pulled the Americans within a run when he went deep in the eighth off of Padres pitcher Yu Darvish.

It was the second straight major title for the Japanese, who beat the U.S., 2-0, in Yokohama for the 2021 Olympic gold medal. Japan used top players in that tournament while the U.S. sent released major leaguers and top prospects.

Turner put the U.S. ahead in the second inning with a drive to left against Shota Imanaga (1-0), tying South Korea’s Seung Yuop Lee in 2006 for the most in a WBC. That lit up a sellout crowd of 36,098 – fans were given wristbands with colored lights that flickered.

Murakami, at 23 already a two-time Central League MVP, tied the score on the first pitch of the bottom half when Merrill Kelly (0-1) elevated a fastball. Murakami drove it at 115.1 mph into the upper deck in right field, 432 feet away.

Murakami’s two-run walk-off double lifted Japan over Mexico, 6-5, in Monday night’s semifinal and his third-inning homer off Nick Martinez put Japan ahead in the 2021 gold medal game.

Japan loaded the bases in the second on singles by Okamoto and Sosuke Genda, and a walk to Yuhei Nakamura. Lars Nootbaar, the first non-Japanese-born player to appear for the Samurai Warriors, followed with a run-scoring groundout off of Angels reliever Aaron Loup for a 2-1 lead.

Okamoto boosted the lead in the fourth when he sent a flat slider from Kyle Freeland over the wall in left-center.

Japan was outhit 9-5 as Imanaga combined with six relievers to hold the U.S. to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. The 29-year-old left-hander and Shosei Togo pitched two innings each, Hiroto Takahashi, Hiromi Itoh and Taisei Ota got three outs each, with Ota escaping two-on, no-outs trouble by retiring Trout on a flyout and getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground into a double play.

Trout and Ohtani hugged behind the batting cage during pregame workouts, then held their nation’s flags while leading their teams toward home plate in single file during the introductions, Trout down the right field line and Ohtani in left.

Several thousand fans had arrived hours early to watch Ohtani take batting practice and applauded when he hit a drive off the video board above the second deck in center field.

Trout hit .296 in the tournament with one homer, seven RBIs and 12 strikeouts.

MONEY MATTERS

Japan gets $3 million in prize money and the U.S. $1.7 million. Half of each goes to players, the other half to the national baseball federation.

UP NEXT

MLB openers are on March 30, the same day the season starts in Japan.

Much more to come on this story.

SHOHEI OHTANI STRIKES OUT MIKE TROUT TO WIN THE #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC! pic.twitter.com/F7vUtIiRR1

— MLB (@MLB) March 22, 2023

Trout vs Ohtani lived up to the HYPE! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/Z8aZAjpDRg

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 22, 2023

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​ Orange County Register 

Wide receiver Dorian Singer ready to step in at USC

• March 22, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Dorian Singer doesn’t need to look far to remember his roots. A quick glance down at his thigh pad and he can see the outline of his home state of Minnesota.

Growing up there, he received 14 offers from FCS-level programs. But he thought he deserved a shot at Division-I college football. So he moved to Arizona, a decision that saw him lose his previous opportunities. As the pandemic hit and took away opportunities to showcase his talent, he found himself a high school graduate with no college team to join.

Two months before the preseason, the University of Arizona offered him a preferred walk-on spot. Singer took that chance and by the time his sophomore season was over, he was the Pac-12’s leading receiver with 66 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns.

“This whole process for me has been different than for everybody else,” Singer said. “If you believe, then things just happen.”

Singer’s journey has now brought him to Los Angeles. He entered the transfer portal after the 2022 season and committed to USC in December.

Even as a sophomore at Arizona, Singer monitored the Trojans in their first year under Lincoln Riley. With the Wildcats relegated to so many night games, he watched USC as he waited for kickoff. He liked the deep shots the offense took, the trust Riley put in his receivers and quarterback to make those plays.

When he got to see the Trojans up close, Singer stole the show for long portions of the game, catching seven passes for 141 yards and three scores, each more logic-defying than the last.

“I remember my family came,” Singer said. “I remember I think it was my second touchdown, I pointed at my family.”

When he entered the transfer portal in December, he was looking for a new opportunity in a winning culture. The day the portal opened, he received a call from USC receivers coaches Dennis Simmons and Luke Huard.

He wasn’t the only Wildcat to get that call. Defensive lineman Kyon Barrs posted his offer on Twitter, and Singer reached out to see what he was thinking. Soon after, Arizona corner Christian Roland-Wallace got in the mix, too.

“We all three came in together. We had a good bond at Arizona,” Singer said.

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Singer is working at the X and Z receiver spots for USC this spring. He’s finding that because Riley’s Air Raid is so conceptually focused that if he knows what he’s doing on a play, he also understands what his teammates are doing.

He’s a long way from where he started three years ago, with no offers and nowhere to go. But he doesn’t need to look far for a reminder.

“Hard work goes a long way,” Singer said. “I just believed in myself and the results showed.”

​ Orange County Register 

School Shutdowns 2.0: LAUSD school strike harms children (again)

• March 22, 2023

Three years after the nationwide school shutdowns that locked millions of American children out of school, it turns out the Coronavirus was not nearly as destructive as the teachers unions. Starting today and through Friday, 30,000 members of the LA Teachers Union and SEIU Local 99, which serve 422,000 children, have walked out of school for three days. SEIU demands a 30% pay increase, and UTLA is striking “in solidarity.”  While they claim they are striking for a pay raise, in actuality they want a pound of flesh.

During the pandemic, the head of the Los Angeles teachers union, Cecily Myart-Cruz,  defending extended union-backed shutdowns famously said, “Our kids didn’t lose anything. It’s OK that our babies may not have learned all their times tables. They learned resilience. They learned survival. They learned critical-thinking skills. They know the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words ‘insurrection’ and ‘coup.’”

She suggested that “learning loss” was a fake crisis. It quickly became clear that the teachers union was not interested in teaching children objective skills like math, science or reading. They only wanted to teach them how to be activists.

Now with plunging math and reading scores, the largest declines in many decades, especially among underserved communities, the union has no compunction about closing schools again. It is well understood that brick and mortar schools are essential. They provide structure and a safe space, skills and education that can propel a child to a future of health and prosperity or condemn them to a life in poverty or prison. The repeated closures feed the school to prison pipeline and it is certainly no secret to the unions that the very equity they claim to be fighting for is actually what they are destroying.

LAUSD has a 90% minority enrollment, 60% economically disadvantaged. These are the children who will be hurt most. Children whose parents cannot afford to stay home for three days may leave children at home unsupervised. These children may not eat. They may become abused. They may go into the streets and endanger themselves. They may burn in a house fire. This all seems to be collateral damage for the unions, which demand its members work less and get paid more.

Witness what is happening in 1600 schools across 650 school districts nationwide, which have permanently curtailed school week from five to four days. They claim teachers are “burned out” and need a day to recharge and go to doctor’s appointments. Who else has the privilege to cut their work week, especially when that work is more urgent than ever? Certainly not hundreds of thousands of LAUSD students whose parents are already struggling to make ends meet.

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As parents who fought to reopen NYC and Los Angeles schools and restore normalcy, the past few months have made it painfully clear the schools we fought for never really went back to normal. 2020’s COVID-related, union-imposed closures successfully locked children out of classrooms. When schools reopened they were virtually unrecognizable, first with masking, distancing and silent lunches, to post-COVID alterations including secret curriculums being implemented across districts to myriad excuses for keeping parents out of school buildings. And per a union-negotiated contract all parent-teacher conferences remain virtual through the 2022/2023 school year, effectively shutting parents out of schools yet again.

Today’s strike confirms that families can no longer assume schools will provide the essential services our tax dollars support. The COVID school closures drew a line in the sand, with unions on one side and parents on the other. If unions will not work towards ameliorating learning loss and staying open, nor acknowledge the primacy of parents in children’s lives, then parents must resist.  Whether by supporting school choice to create a free market economy or by creating our own union for families. Today, teachers unions hold all the cards: they are also top donors to Democratic political campaigns. Parents must demand campaign finance reform so electeds remain accountable to voters, not special interests.

The teachers unions want a pound of flesh. We should take that as a stern warning that they will not stop at that.

Natalya Murakhver is co-founder of Restore Childhood, a nonprofit dedicated to ending COVID mandates for children and restoring athletics, art and academics across the United States. She is producing “15 Days . . . ,” a documentary on the school shutdowns.

Twitter: @AppletoZucchini

Julie Hamill is an attorney, child advocate and school board member in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. She represents the Alliance of Los Angeles County Parents in litigation against the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The views expressed here do not reflect the views of any organization with which she is affiliated.

Twitter: @hamill_law

​ Orange County Register 

Moe Golshani won’t return as Mission Viejo boys basketball coach

• March 22, 2023

Moe Golshani said the timing was fortuitous.

Golshani said he was told by Mission Viejo administration Monday that he was not going to be retained as the school’s boys basketball coach, and almost simultaneously Golshani landed the coaching job at Hug High School in Sparks, Nevada.

He previously coached at Bishop Mangoue in Nevada.

“They (Mission Viejo school administrators) told me Monday they were going in a different direction,” Golshani said Tuesday. “And it was good timing. There’s no hard feelings.”

Mission Viejo athletic director Troy Roelen confirmed that the school has an opening for a varsity boys basketball coach.

Golshani, 43, coached Mission for two seasons. This past season the Diablos went 16-14 overall and finished in a three-way tie for second place in the South Coast League with a 4-5 mark.

In the CIF Southern Section Division 3A playoffs, the Diablos beat Western in the first round and lost to Ontario Christian in the second round.

“I have nothing bad to say about Mission Viejo,” said Golshani, who has business interests in Nevada. “I wish it would have ended differently, but it is what it is.”

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Orange County scores and player stats for Tuesday, March 21

• March 22, 2023

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Tuesday, March 21

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

TUESDAY’S SCORES

BOYS LACROSSE

NONLEAGUE

Foothill 11, Austin (TX) 6

Goals: (Foot) Fox 2, Pietras 2

Other nonleague scores

San Juan Hills 16, Newport Harbor 5

Santa Margarita 17, Santiago/Corona 3

JSerra 15, Crean Lutheran 1

St. Margaret’s 19, Servite 9

El Dorado 16, Mission Viejo 1

GIRLS LACROSSE

NONLEAGUE

San Clemente 20, Corona del Mar 12

Huntington Beach 14, Roosevelt 1

San Juan Hills 17, El Toro 9

Laguna Beach 12, Mission Viejo 6

Esperanza 18, Valencia 8

Newport Harbor 10, Royal 9 (OT)

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Kennedy def. Pacifica, 25-20, 25-14, 22-25, 25-16

Cypress def. Crean Lutheran. 3-1

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE

Rancho Alamitos def. La Quinta, 23-25, 22-25, 28-26, 25-23, 15-10

SAN JOAQUIN LEAGUE

Fairmont Prep def. Western Christian, 25-14, 25-10, 25-16

605 LEAGUE

Cerritos def. Oxford Academy, 25-16, 25-13, 25-19

NONLEAGUE

Buena Park def. Santa Clarita Christian, 20-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-14

El Dorado def. Valencia, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20

Brea Olinda def. Whittier Christian, 25-9, 25-12, 25-17

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers work out centers, say no change to Anthony Davis’ management plan

• March 22, 2023

Laker center for hire? Well, not right away.

The Lakers (35-37) got a look at Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley on Monday: Both veteran big men worked out for the team, which has an open roster spot. Thompson, 32, is the more well-known of the two, notably winning a championship alongside LeBron James as a member of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson averaged 6 points and 5.1 rebounds while playing for three different NBA teams last season but hasn’t played for one this season; Bradley played 33 total minutes earlier this season for Chicago.

Coach Darvin Ham suggested the Lakers were getting a look at both more for a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency situation rather than getting ready to sign either to a 10-day contract.

“No imminent plans,” he said. “Just kicking the tires to see, making sure we get people in front of us if whatever circumstance changes or whatever, we’ll know they’ve been in front of us and we’ve gotten to see them first hand. Just doing our due diligence.”

The Lakers have been light in the frontcourt for weeks. While the team expects forward LeBron James back before the end of the season, his right foot tendon injury has dragged on for more than three weeks. Center Mo Bamba, who the Lakers traded for at the deadline, is out with a right ankle sprain and could miss the rest of the regular season.

That has left the Lakers shorthanded with bigs, especially on back-to-backs when Anthony Davis has not yet been cleared to play both games. But a report from TNT’s Chris Haynes suggested that Davis might play both nights of the April 4-5 back-to-back at Utah and the Clippers, respectively. Ham seemed noncommittal when asked about the report.

“We have a plan in place and we’re following that plan closely,” he said. “If anything should change when we get to that moment, you’ll be the first to know. But outside of that, we’re sticking to our plan as of right now.”

LAKERS TRY TO TAKE A LOAD OFF

Instead of a full-contact practice on Tuesday, the Lakers took it easy: The team watched film, had a walkthrough and a league meeting a day ahead of a home showdown with the Phoenix Suns (38-33). For Ham, the payoff is keeping his roster from accruing additional wear and tear amid a number of critical games.

While practices might help the still-blending roster gain a little chemistry, Ham also said most players, whether they’re on the injury report or not, are still dealing with some bumps and bruises.

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“Just the medical vantage point that the new technology allows you to see from, you just really have to be smart,” he said. “You can’t think like a dinosaur and expect to run out with the Ferraris, you know what I’m saying? You just have to bite the bullet and know that the people who are in those positions and are giving you the information, they are experts.”

The Suns understand the pitfalls of injury well: Neither Kevin Durant nor DeAndre Ayton, two of their key big men, made the trip to Los Angeles.

That being said: The Lakers are fighting history on Wednesday night. Including their first-round playoff series against Phoenix in 2021, they’ve lost nine consecutive head-to-head meetings. While Ham said reversing course against a division rival is not necessarily the aim, there is plenty of pressure to win with their Western foes in the standings doing well to start the week. The Lakers were in 11th place going into Tuesday’s slate of games.

“I see a bit of hunger,” he said. “When we don’t execute a play, or we have a breakdown defensively, I see disappointment. I don’t see anyone being discouraged. I see the accountability of guys wanting to get it right over and over and over again. So, I think we’re in a good place mentally and spiritually in terms of the job that we have to do and the work that’s at hand.”

Veteran big man Tony Bradley is one of the players the Lakers worked out this week, but there is no indication the team is preparing to sign him to a 10-day contract even with an open roster spot. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

​ Orange County Register 

Boras Classic South releases bracket for baseball tournament at Mater Dei, JSerra

• March 22, 2023

The Boras Classic South tournament, among the top high school baseball tournaments in Southern California, released its bracket Tuesday.

Seven of the top eight teams in the Orange County Top 10 are in the tournament: No. 1 Mater Dei, No. 2 Santa Margarita, No. 3 Villa Park, No. 4 Orange Lutheran, No. 5 JSerra, No. 7 Cypress and No. 8 Huntington Beach.

The tournament will played April 11-14 at JSerra and Mater Dei, with the championship game April 14 at JSerra.

The winner will play the winner of the Boras Classic North tournament on April 29 at Santa Clara University.

Among the first-round games April 11 is Etiwanda at JSerra at 6 p.m. Those teams are both in this week’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 Top 10 poll.

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Non-Orange County teams entered include Notre Dame, which is No. 2 behind Santa Margarita in the CIF-SS Division 1 poll,  Aquinas, La Mirada, Corona and Norco.

Aquinas features senior third baseman Eric Bitoni (6-4, 215), who signed with Oregon and is projected to be an early-round selection in the MLB Draft.

​ Orange County Register