• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon

2

Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026

3

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

1

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon

2

Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026

3

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
NewslettersBrainstorm Health

The most active states in America

By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 17, 2020, 4:11 PM ET

This is the web version of Brainstorm Health Daily, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top health care news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box, sign up here.

Hello and happy Friday, readers!

Do you live in an “active” state?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is out with a new report on “adult physical inactivity.” The report was based on a combined effort between the CDC and American states’ various health departments, and the data was amassed via telephone interviews.

The findings? “[A]ll states and territories had more than 15 percent of adults who were physically inactive and this estimate ranged from 17.3 to 47.7%” between 2015 and 2018.

But, as always, there are significant nuances to these ranges based on demographics (and, keep in mind, this is based on self-reported data, which can itself be skewed). For instance, the most active states based on the studies were Washington, Orgeon, Utah, Colorado. D.C. was also among the bunch.

Many southern states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and others, fared much worse in the study. The Northeast also had a high prevalence of physical inactivity.

We’ve reported often on the social determinants of health, and how inequity across racial and geographic lines can literally eat away at someone’s chances of living a healthier and longer life. The new CDC report seems to add to that collection of knowledge.

Read on for the day’s news, and have a wonderful weekend.

Sy Mukherjee
sayak.mukherjee@fortune.com
@the_sy_guy

DIGITAL HEALTH

The deeply disturbing health implications of a Russian search engine. My colleague David Z. Morris is up with a crucial, and deeply disturbing, story that cuts at the intersection of technology, public and mental health, and basic norms of child protection and decency. David's deep reporting exposes the failures of Russia's largest search engine in preventing the scourge of child pornography. It's an incredible piece of work, and while the subject matter is stomach-churning, it is well worth the read. (Fortune)

INDICATIONS

Could we see a biosimilar burst in the coming years? As the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference comes to a close, South Korea-based Celltrion is mapping out an ambitious project: a launch of a new "biosimilar" drug every year for the next decade. Biosimilars are essentially the generic versions of often-expensive biologic drugs, and while they've been around in other nations for well over a decade, they haven't exactly dominated the U.S. market (and a lot of that has to do with IP lawsuits and patent-evergreening). The key element to watch out for over the next ten years is whether or not this is just a European and Asian phenomenon. (Pharmaphorum)

There was an $8 billion verdict against a Johnson & Johnson antipsychotic drug. It's been reduced to $6.8 million. Reuters reports that a Pennsylvania judge has cut an $8 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson over allegations that its antipsychotic medication Risperdal could lead to breast growth in men (and that the company failed to warn patients about the side effect) down to $6.8 million. This isn't exactly rare in pharmaceutical jury cases—the extent of the reduction, however, is notable. Both the plaintiffs and the defendants reportedly plan to appeal. (Reuters)

THE BIG PICTURE

Obamacare and the issue of "severability." What makes a provision of a law "severable" from the rest of it? As in, could a statute work if one key component of it were later repealed—and would that change the constitutionality of the underlying law? These are the complicated legal questions at the heart of a major case that the Trump administration and House Republicans are using in an attempt to strike down the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The thinking goes that the repeal of the ACA's individual mandate makes the entirety of the law unworkable and unconstitutional (i.e., the mandate cannot be "severed" from the rest of the law itself.). But a new report from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) casts some doubt on that theory and rebukes the idea that the elimination of the individual mandate would lead to a "death spiral" in these insurance marketplaces. "Going into 2019, insurers reported that the reduction of the penalty to $0 drove premiums up by about 5 percentage points. Nonetheless, premiums were largely steady in 2019, on average, in part because insurers had priced too high in 2018. Despite concerns about the continuing impact of the loss of the mandate penalty, the individual market has remained fairly stable through 2019," wrote the study authors.

REQUIRED READING

We Asked 6 Experts to Parse the China Trade Agreement. Here's What the U.S. Won (and Lost), by Erik Sherman

Alphabet Joins the $1 Trillion Club, by Ryan Vlastelica & Bloomberg

Lessons from a Fugitive: What the Tangled Tale of Marc Rich Tells Us About Carlos Ghosn, by Shawn Tully

Sign up for other Fortune newsletters.

About the Author
By Sy Mukherjee
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Meet the Walmart exec who runs a $96 billion business that would sit between Tesla and Target on the Fortune 500
NewslettersMPW Daily
Meet the Walmart exec who runs a $96 billion business that would sit between Tesla and Target on the Fortune 500
By Emma HinchliffeJune 9, 2026
4 hours ago
Exclusive: The startup that’s dressing up crypto for Wall Street raises $175 million in a round led by a16z crypto, Paradigm, and Ribbit Capital
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: The startup that’s dressing up crypto for Wall Street raises $175 million in a round led by a16z crypto, Paradigm, and Ribbit Capital
By Ben WeissJune 9, 2026
6 hours ago
Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code at Anthropic and Fortune's AI Editor Jeremy Kahn on June 8, 2026 at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen.
NewslettersCFO Daily
The man behind Claude Code says you’re comparing AI costs to the wrong thing
By Sheryl EstradaJune 9, 2026
8 hours ago
SpaceX IPO means more to the Gulf than you might expect
NewslettersFortune Gulf Brief
SpaceX IPO means more to the Gulf than you might expect
By Melissa HancockJune 9, 2026
8 hours ago
Brian Schimpf, co-founder and CEO of Anduril Industries, speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
The future of armed conflict, according to Anduril
By Andrew NuscaJune 9, 2026
8 hours ago
The CEO playbook for a more dangerous world
NewslettersCEO Daily
The CEO playbook for a more dangerous world
By Diane BradyJune 9, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
22 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
Success
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
By Preston ForeJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
Economy
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
By Jim EdwardsJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
Economy
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
By Nick LichtenbergJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
19 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.