Prognosis newsletter: The vaping mystery deepens

The clouds around a mysterious vaping illness are stubbornly refusing to part. The CDC increased its count of cases of the disease in the U.S. to 530 Thursday, while saying they still haven't figured out the cause of the ailment, and that no one product or substance was involved in all cases. "We're leaving no stone unturned," said the FDA's top tobacco official. The agency opened a criminal inquiry into the vaping supply chain. The CDC has opened its emergency center and plans weekly updates.  The message: This disease isn't going away anytime soon. That the outbreak remains such an enigma is a matter of abiding concern for e-cigarette makers, not to mention worried parents and former smokers who have come to rely on the devices to manage their nicotine habits. The future for vaping looks a whole lot less clear than it did in December, when Marlboro maker Altria plunked down nearly $13 billion for a stake in Juul Labs, maker of by far the most popular vaporizer. Juul, and its backers, and its aspiring competitors, now all find themselves in the crosshairs of election-season Washington. The only thing that seems knowable beyond a shadow of a doubt is just how bad the acute lung condition is. Doctors say the lungs of the sick look as though they've been ravaged by disease or exposed to chemicals in an industrial accident.  With patients gasping for air, public-health officials are still grasping for answers. The stakes climb by the hour.—Tim Annett Here's what else we're watching: Generic heartburn. Drugmakers and regulators worldwide are trying to get potentially tainted supplies of Zantac in brand and generic form off shelves after the discovery of a likely carcinogenic contaminant. Cell side. Ginkgo Bioworks thinks it can use biology to transform a whole range of industries. "A cell is a cell," says a co-founder. Investors poured in another $290 million for the Boston firm's latest funding round. Counter punch. Seniors' prescriptions are rejected at pharmacies millions of times a year because doctors don't or can't check whether a patient's Medicare plan covers a particular drug, a government watchdog found. Purdue's purse. Rebates strike again: The reeling opioid maker owes millions to pharmacy-benefit managers, payments that it promised in order to get the drug plans to give preferential coverage to its pain pills. Have you used a prescription website like Hims or Roman? Bloomberg News would like to know more about your experience. Email reporter Kristen V. Brown at kbrown340@bloomberg.net Listen up. It's no secret that dangerous superbugs are showing up more and more in hospitals around the world. But where do they come? How do they get into hospitals? In the latest season of Prognosis, Bloomberg's Jason Gale unravels the mystery. Download it here on Apple devices, and here on Android. Got this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up to get it every Thursday by clicking here.  We want to hear from you. If you have feedback, questions or potential story ideas, reach out to me at tannett@bloomberg.net. Like Bloomberg's Prognosis? Subscribe to Bloomberg.com. You'll get our unmatched global news coverage and two premium daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close, and much, much more. See our limited-time introductory offer. Download the Bloomberg app: It's available for iOS and Android. FOLLOW US SEND TO A FRIEND You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Prognosis newsletter. Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022