Category: Politics
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STAT+: Top Democrat demands more detail from Medicare insurers about their use of AI
STAT+: Top Democrat demands more detail from Medicare insurers about their use of AI Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is pressing the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage insurers to provide more detail about their use of artificial intelligence tools amid reports that these companies are rapidly increasing their reliance on the technology to help make decisions about…
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STAT+: House speaker backs emergency care law as GOP targets immigrant medical treatment in shutdown fight
STAT+: House speaker backs emergency care law as GOP targets immigrant medical treatment in shutdown fight WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday that Republicans don’t want to change a law requiring hospitals to provide care to any individual experiencing a medical emergency, including immigrants without legal status. His remarks capped off more…
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STAT+: Pharma companies scramble to make deals with Trump after Pfizer scored White House praise
STAT+: Pharma companies scramble to make deals with Trump after Pfizer scored White House praise WASHINGTON — The agreement between Pfizer and the Trump administration to lower drug prices has sent other companies scrambling to make a deal. Several major pharmaceutical firms that received letters from President Trump demanding lower prices have been hustling to…
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STAT+: Who is winning the government shutdown?
STAT+: Who is winning the government shutdown? You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thankfully, this year the saltwater cowboys of Virginia’s Eastern Shore rounded up wild ponies for their horsy…
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STAT+: Peter Marks, FDA vaccine regulator ousted by RFK Jr., joins Eli Lilly
STAT+: Peter Marks, FDA vaccine regulator ousted by RFK Jr., joins Eli Lilly WASHINGTON — Peter Marks, the former top vaccine regulator at the Food and Drug Administration, has joined Eli Lilly to oversee molecule discovery and infectious diseases — a move that quickly drew criticism for the revolving door between the agency and industry. Marks confirmed…
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Acting CDC director calls for MMR vaccine to be broken up into three shots
Acting CDC director calls for MMR vaccine to be broken up into three shots Jim O’Neill, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called for drastic changes to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine that aren’t supported by medical research, intensifying the Trump administration’s criticism of a shot that’s a cornerstone of…
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FDA approves another generic abortion pill, prompting outrage from conservatives
FDA approves another generic abortion pill, prompting outrage from conservatives WASHINGTON — Federal officials have approved another generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, a regulatory formality that quickly triggered pushback from anti-abortion groups and politicians aligned with the Trump administration. Drugmaker Evita Solutions announced on its website that the Food and Drug Administration signed off on its low-cost form…
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STAT+: The government is shut down. Now what?
STAT+: The government is shut down. Now what? You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Are you in a betting pool for how long the government shutdown will last? Send your…
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STAT+: Trump administration backs off 100% pharma tariffs threatened to start today
STAT+: Trump administration backs off 100% pharma tariffs threatened to start today WASHINGTON — President Trump told pharmaceutical companies last week that they should start building infrastructure in the U.S. — or face a 100% tariff, starting Wednesday. But a White House official told STAT on Wednesday that the tariffs have not gone into effect…
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STAT+: Trump, Pfizer, and the art of a drug pricing deal
STAT+: Trump, Pfizer, and the art of a drug pricing deal Amid all the hand-shaking and back-patting, it was perhaps the word “friendship” that stood out the most when the CEO of Pfizer joined President Trump to address a drug pricing deal in the Oval Office. “But most of all, Mr. President, I want to…
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Low-income children lack access to Covid vaccines because of approval delay
Low-income children lack access to Covid vaccines because of approval delay Two weeks after a federal committee of vaccine advisers approved new recommendations for who should get Covid-19 shots, neither Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nor his deputy have signed off, leaving states unable to order updated shots for low-income children.…
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Trump strikes deal with Pfizer aimed at lowering prescription drug prices
Trump strikes deal with Pfizer aimed at lowering prescription drug prices WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Tuesday that Pfizer has agreed to offer lower prices on its drugs to the Medicaid program and directly to patients, the first in what he said would be a series of deals intended to secure cheaper prescription medicines…
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Home hospital programs in ‘terror’ as they grind to halt ahead of government shutdown
Home hospital programs in ‘terror’ as they grind to halt ahead of government shutdown On any given day, dozens of patients waiting for hospital rooms line the hallways of the emergency department at UMass Memorial Medical Center’s University Campus. It’s one reason the Worcester-based health system dove into delivering home hospital care four years ago. …
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3 burning questions about the MMR vaccine, answered
3 burning questions about the MMR vaccine, answered On Friday, President Trump doubled down on calling for changes to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. “BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!),” he wrote on his Truth Social account. Currently, parents are offered either the MMR vaccine or a one-shot…
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STAT+: Patients set to lose hospital care at home if government funding isn’t extended
STAT+: Patients set to lose hospital care at home if government funding isn’t extended WASHINGTON — If Congress doesn’t fund the government by the end of the day on Tuesday, patients across the country who have been receiving hospital-level care at home will be placed back in hospitals. The Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative…
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STAT+: Days before Trump deadline to lower prices, companies push a flurry of initiatives. Will it be enough?
STAT+: Days before Trump deadline to lower prices, companies push a flurry of initiatives. Will it be enough? Pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to make last-minute announcements ahead of a Trump administration deadline on Monday for the firms to lower U.S. drug prices. But it’s not clear if the initiatives — which include investments in the…
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STAT+: How the government establishes research grant overhead rates: ‘It’s not like buying a widget’
STAT+: How the government establishes research grant overhead rates: ‘It’s not like buying a widget’ For decades, the federal government has supported the infrastructure that makes biomedical breakthroughs possible at universities, academic hospitals, and other research institutions. But recent moves by the Trump administration and Congress reinforce that this system seems headed for a major…
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STAT+: Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute
STAT+: Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute Anthony Letai, a cancer researcher and oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University, has emerged as a leading candidate to be the next director of the National Cancer Institute, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation. The NCI…
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STAT+: With Trump’s anti-vaccine comments, Kennedy’s influence grows
STAT+: With Trump’s anti-vaccine comments, Kennedy’s influence grows WASHINGTON — President Trump’s anti-vaccine comments on Monday signal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s growing influence — and raise new questions about how far the pair may go to upend vaccine policy. Standing with Kennedy beside him at the White House, Trump called the childhood vaccine…
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Opinion: The U.S. government has jumped the public health shark
Opinion: The U.S. government has jumped the public health shark On Monday, President Trump, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Studies Administrator Mehmet Oz, and other top officials at the National Institutes for Health and the Food and Drug Administration presented their promised conclusions regarding the cause and treatment of…
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In dispensing advice on Tylenol and autism, Trump takes on a new role: doctor in chief
In dispensing advice on Tylenol and autism, Trump takes on a new role: doctor in chief He’s already the commander in chief, chief of state, chief diplomat, and chief legislator. But at his news conference Monday, President Trump ventured far beyond the usual responsibilities of the presidency and began to dispense medical guidance to the…
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STAT+: FDA’s leucovorin approval could be a boon for supplement makers
STAT+: FDA’s leucovorin approval could be a boon for supplement makers Parents may flock to a dietary supplement with the same key ingredient as leucovorin, which the FDA just approved for children with autism. But there are drawbacks. The Food and Drug Administration has reapproved GSK’s branded version of leucovorin to treat a neurological condition…
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STAT+: FDA brings back GSK’s leucovorin drug that RFK Jr. touted as autism treatment
STAT+: FDA brings back GSK’s leucovorin drug that RFK Jr. touted as autism treatment In a highly unusual move, the Food and Drug Administration reapproved a drug on Monday that stopped being sold more than 25 years ago, part of a push from the Trump administration to identify the causes of and potential treatments for…
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Citing possible link to autism, Trump urges limiting use of Tylenol during pregnancy
Citing possible link to autism, Trump urges limiting use of Tylenol during pregnancy President Trump announced on Monday that his administration has concluded that some cases of autism may be linked to pregnant women’s use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and said the medication should be used sparingly and only if absolutely needed…
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In a chaotic meeting, RFK Jr.’s handpicked advisers begin altering the childhood vaccine schedule
In a chaotic meeting, RFK Jr.’s handpicked advisers begin altering the childhood vaccine schedule ATLANTA — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants his handpicked panel of vaccine advisers to restore declining public trust in vaccines. What that looked like was on full display on Thursday and Friday: The…
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Winner of mRNA Nobel Prize says ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist is “absolutely impossible”
Winner of mRNA Nobel Prize says ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist is “absolutely impossible” On Thursday and Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a key panel that gives the CDC’s director guidance about what vaccines to recommend to the public. The…
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STAT+: ACA tax credits still in limbo after stopgap government funding bill fails
STAT+: ACA tax credits still in limbo after stopgap government funding bill fails WASHINGTON — Congress failed to pass stopgap government funding Friday due in large part to differences between the parties over health care policies. The two parties blocked each other’s temporary funding measures, increasing the chances of a government shutdown when funding expires…
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CDC reverses telework pause that sparked complaints over its impact on workers with disabilities
CDC reverses telework pause that sparked complaints over its impact on workers with disabilities The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has rescinded a policy issued on Monday that paused remote work for employees, including those with disabilities, according to emails obtained by STAT. “Please hold on taking any immediate action,” the acting director of…
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Federal vaccine panel remade by RFK Jr. votes to maintain insurance coverage for Covid shots
Federal vaccine panel remade by RFK Jr. votes to maintain insurance coverage for Covid shots WASHINGTON — A government advisory committee voted unanimously Friday to recommend that individuals 6 months and older should discuss the risks and benefits of Covid-19 vaccines with their health care providers before deciding whether to get vaccinated. The decision falls…
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Trump administration’s new global health aid strategy focuses on bilateral deals with countries
Trump administration’s new global health aid strategy focuses on bilateral deals with countries NEW YORK — The State Department on Thursday announced it will refocus its foreign health assistance strategy around multiyear bilateral deals with recipient countries, making aid dependent on negotiations that officials say will help reduce waste and advance American priorities. “We must…
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Trump administration to close Miami organ donation group it calls ‘failing’
Trump administration to close Miami organ donation group it calls ‘failing’ WASHINGTON — The Trump administration moved Thursday to shut down a Miami organ donation group, calling it “failing” because of underperformance, unsafe practices and paperwork errors. The Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency is one of 55 organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, nonprofit agencies around…
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Key federal vaccine panel debates delay to newborn hepatitis B shot, risking resurgence
Key federal vaccine panel debates delay to newborn hepatitis B shot, risking resurgence A key government advisory committee discussed on Thursday whether to recommend delaying the first hepatitis B vaccine shot, currently given at birth, by at least one month for babies who are born to mothers that test negative for the virus. Experts fear…
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Cassidy invites RFK Jr. to testify before Senate health panel
Cassidy invites RFK Jr. to testify before Senate health panel WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate health committee, Bill Cassidy (R-La.), on Thursday invited health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify before the panel, part of a series of oversight hearings to make sense of the recent upheaval at the Centers for Disease…
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STAT+: Democrats introduce bill to break up health care conglomerates like UnitedHealth Group
STAT+: Democrats introduce bill to break up health care conglomerates like UnitedHealth Group Democrats in Congress are proposing legislation that would bar health insurers from buying medical practices through their subsidiaries and require them to separate their insurance and provider businesses. Filed by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), the bill is aimed at breaking up companies…
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STAT+: HHS abruptly cancels CDC meeting with RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist as scrutiny mounts
STAT+: HHS abruptly cancels CDC meeting with RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist as scrutiny mounts A meeting of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., anti-vaccine campaigner David Geier, and leaders of the country’s most robust vaccine safety database was abruptly canceled Wednesday, just hours before they were likely to discuss using the data to investigate whether…
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Fear and politics pervade Kennedy’s CDC, former leaders testify
Fear and politics pervade Kennedy’s CDC, former leaders testify The nation’s top health agency is not well, according to a portrait that emerged in testimony Wednesday by two of its former leaders. Susan Monarez, abruptly fired 29 days into her tenure as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Debra Houry, who…
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3 key takeaways from the Senate hearing on CDC director’s firing and RFK Jr.’s vaccine agenda
3 key takeaways from the Senate hearing on CDC director’s firing and RFK Jr.’s vaccine agenda WASHINGTON — A Wednesday Senate hearing aimed to answer questions about the exodus of top leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month. Instead, it raised a host of new ones. Former CDC Director Susan Monarez…
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STAT+: Surgeon general nominee Casey Means discloses financial ties to supplement industry
STAT+: Surgeon general nominee Casey Means discloses financial ties to supplement industry WASHINGTON — New financial disclosures from surgeon general nominee Casey Means show that she’s made hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting supplements and other health and wellness products, details likely to invite new scrutiny about potential conflicts of interest for the author and…
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STAT+: House GOP doesn’t include health insurance subsidies in stopgap government funding bill
STAT+: House GOP doesn’t include health insurance subsidies in stopgap government funding bill WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday introduced a bill to fund the government at current levels until Nov. 21. It would include extensions of several health programs, but not the enhanced tax credits that have significantly lowered premiums for Affordable Care Act…
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CDC temporarily revokes remote work approvals for employees with disabilities
CDC temporarily revokes remote work approvals for employees with disabilities The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revoked permission for employees with disabilities to work from home, at least temporarily, and paused approving reasonable accommodations for new applicants seeking to work from home, according to a Sept. 15 email obtained by STAT. The agency’s…
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RFK Jr. adds five members to ACIP, key vaccine panel, days ahead of meeting
RFK Jr. adds five members to ACIP, key vaccine panel, days ahead of meeting WASHINGTON — Federal health officials announced the appointment of five new members to a panel of vaccine advisers handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday, just days ahead of the group’s next meeting. They include…
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STAT+: Hill staff gets briefed on implications of Trump’s drug pricing plan
STAT+: Hill staff gets briefed on implications of Trump’s drug pricing plan WASHINGTON — Congress is again discussing the Trump administration’s plan to force drug companies to lower their U.S. prices, at least behind the scenes. Congressional staffers and health policy experts from major think tanks held a closed-door meeting to discuss policy options that…
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As U.S. faces deadly week, gun violence experts lament end of prevention research
As U.S. faces deadly week, gun violence experts lament end of prevention research Two violent acts on Wednesday — the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the shooting of two high school students in Colorado — crystallize the threat gun violence poses to public health. Yet the Trump administration just shut down its biggest…
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STAT+: HHS to have Rensselaer investigate question of autism-vaccine link
STAT+: HHS to have Rensselaer investigate question of autism-vaccine link WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday its intent to fund among the first Trump administration-solicited research on a debunked link between vaccines and autism. The contract — which supports research to “investigate the association between vaccination and autism prevalence”…
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FDA leaders moving to abandon advisory committee reviews of specific new drugs
FDA leaders moving to abandon advisory committee reviews of specific new drugs FDA leaders under President Donald Trump are moving to abandon a decades-old policy of asking outside experts to review drug applications, a move critics say would shield the agency’s decisions from public scrutiny. The agency “would like to get away” from assembling panels…
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STAT+: Harvard federal funding set to resume — at least for now
STAT+: Harvard federal funding set to resume — at least for now Federal agencies have begun to inform Harvard that it is in the process of restoring at least some of its previously canceled research funding. The notices come a week after a federal judge in Boston said the Trump administration illegally canceled nearly $3…
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STAT+: House appropriators snub Kennedy, include mRNA vaccine funding in spending bill
STAT+: House appropriators snub Kennedy, include mRNA vaccine funding in spending bill WASHINGTON — House appropriators have snubbed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by including an amendment in their 2026 spending bill that specifically funds continued messenger RNA vaccine research, despite his effort to roll it back. In August, Kennedy announced…
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Opinion: RFK Jr. ally’s ‘smoking gun’ study on vaccines and chronic illness is fundamentally flawed
Opinion: RFK Jr. ally’s ‘smoking gun’ study on vaccines and chronic illness is fundamentally flawed On Tuesday, Aaron Siri, personal lawyer and close adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., presented his “smoking gun” at a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on vaccine science. Siri, who has represented Kennedy in multiple lawsuits against federal health…
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STAT+: Kennedy looks to add new members to federal vaccine panel
STAT+: Kennedy looks to add new members to federal vaccine panel WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are planning to add more members to a key panel of vaccine advisers handpicked by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ahead of a meeting next week, a former government official with knowledge of the situation confirmed to STAT. The…
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STAT+: CMS delays rule requiring Medicare Advantage insurers to remind members of unused benefits
STAT+: CMS delays rule requiring Medicare Advantage insurers to remind members of unused benefits Medicare is delaying implementation of a Biden-era rule that would have made Medicare Advantage plans notify members about their unused supplemental benefits — services such as vision and dental. Even though taxpayers hand health insurers more than $80 billion each year…
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STAT+: Vaccine policy threatens to put Kennedy at odds with Trump
STAT+: Vaccine policy threatens to put Kennedy at odds with Trump WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s aggressive moves to change U.S. vaccine policy — adopted by leaders at other federal health agencies — may be putting him at odds with President Trump himself. Now Kennedy’s allies are rallying to support him, believing…
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RFK Jr. ally sets off furor in U.K. with anti-Covid vaccine remarks
RFK Jr. ally sets off furor in U.K. with anti-Covid vaccine remarks LONDON — A British cardiologist who has touted his connections to top Trump administration health officials has set off a furor in U.K. health circles after giving a speech at a political conference in which he made a number of false claims about…
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STAT+: RFK Jr.’s sister, nephew call for him to resign from HHS
STAT+: RFK Jr.’s sister, nephew call for him to resign from HHS Kerry Kennedy, sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has joined her nephew, former Massachusetts Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, calling on her brother to resign as President Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services. “Medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and…
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STAT+: Bipartisan bill to extend ACA tax credits offers hope for a deal
STAT+: Bipartisan bill to extend ACA tax credits offers hope for a deal WASHINGTON — Republicans in the House and Senate are showing interest in extending the extra subsidies that help make Affordable Care Act health insurance plans cheaper, and that are set to expire at the end of this year. This week, Reps. Jen…
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STAT+: FDA will convene Digital Health Advisory Committee in November
STAT+: FDA will convene Digital Health Advisory Committee in November The Food and Drug Administration will convene a meeting of external digital health advisors on Nov. 6, according to an email reviewed by STAT. The gathering comes as the agency wrestles with myriad issues related to regulating artificial intelligence and other technologies in health care.…
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CDC’s vaccine information no longer entirely trustworthy, former director says
CDC’s vaccine information no longer entirely trustworthy, former director says It pains Rochelle Walensky, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to hear people say that the agency can’t be trusted. But these days, she said, people should be cautious about the vaccination information on its website. “What I can say is…
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The big takeaways from health secretary RFK Jr.’s contentious Senate hearing
The big takeaways from health secretary RFK Jr.’s contentious Senate hearing An archived version of a live blog about the Senate hearing, with more details, can be found here. WASHINGTON — Through shouting matches and gulfs of understanding about basic facts, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vigorously defended his aggressive reform agenda in a remarkable…
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STAT+: Now, even Senate Republicans are pushing back on Kennedy’s vaccine views
STAT+: Now, even Senate Republicans are pushing back on Kennedy’s vaccine views WASHINGTON — For the first time since health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation in February, visible fractures emerged in Senate Republicans’ united front of support for him. At the heart of the conflict: His stance on vaccines, which some Republicans had determinedly…
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STAT+: After ousting CDC’s director, RFK Jr. mirrors her ideas to reform the agency
STAT+: After ousting CDC’s director, RFK Jr. mirrors her ideas to reform the agency WASHINGTON — In the days after health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed out the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he suggested sweeping changes were needed to reform the agency — and that the ouster was part…
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Washington, Oregon and California governors form a health alliance in rebuke of Trump administration
Washington, Oregon and California governors form a health alliance in rebuke of Trump administration SEATTLE — The Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon and California announced Wednesday that they created an alliance to safeguard health policies, believing the Trump administration is putting Americans’ health and safety at risk by politicizing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.…
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7 burning questions for RFK Jr. as he faces senators on CDC turmoil and more
7 burning questions for RFK Jr. as he faces senators on CDC turmoil and more WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify before Congress on Thursday as he continues to face a political firestorm that might determine his future in the Trump administration. Senators will have an opportunity to grill…
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STAT+: House bill cuts HHS budget but excludes RFK Jr.’s reorganization, maintains NIH funding
STAT+: House bill cuts HHS budget but excludes RFK Jr.’s reorganization, maintains NIH funding WASHINGTON — House appropriators will mark up legislation on Tuesday that is a mixed bag for researchers. While the Republican bill rejects President Trump’s proposal to slash the National Institutes of Health budget, it proposes deep cuts to the Centers for…
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STAT+: A closely watched legal battle over NIH funding cuts could settle soon
STAT+: A closely watched legal battle over NIH funding cuts could settle soon BOSTON — A widely watched case against the National Institutes of Health over the termination of hundreds of grants was poised to enter a new phase of arguments Tuesday, centered on what to do with removed notices of funding opportunities. Instead, the…
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Trump says CDC is ‘being ripped apart’ over Covid products, calls for drugmakers to prove their benefits
Trump says CDC is ‘being ripped apart’ over Covid products, calls for drugmakers to prove their benefits WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday urged pharmaceutical companies to publicly prove that their Covid-19 products work, saying in a Truth Social post that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “being ripped apart over this question.” …
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Crisis within CDC is spilling into real world, experts say
Crisis within CDC is spilling into real world, experts say The implosion of leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threatens the agency, its mission, and the trust people place in public health, medical experts told STAT Thursday, a day after Director Susan Monarez refused to dismiss top scientists only to be ousted…
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STAT+: Amid chaos at CDC, Kennedy consolidates his power
STAT+: Amid chaos at CDC, Kennedy consolidates his power WASHINGTON — In another administration, an exodus of top public health officials would’ve been an earth-shattering crisis for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. In the age of MAHA, it seems like just another week under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. If…
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Jim O’Neill to be acting director of CDC
Jim O’Neill to be acting director of CDC WASHINGTON — Jim O’Neill, deputy to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will become acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after Susan Monarez was suddenly ousted from her role on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed in an email. O’Neill was sworn in as…
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Cassidy calls for meeting of CDC vaccine advisers to be postponed following agency shakeup
Cassidy calls for meeting of CDC vaccine advisers to be postponed following agency shakeup WASHINGTON — A top Senate leader is calling for next month’s meeting of a federal advisory panel on vaccines to be postponed in the wake of a mass exodus of leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Serious allegations…
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FDA issues narrower approvals for Covid boosters, revokes emergency authorizations
FDA issues narrower approvals for Covid boosters, revokes emergency authorizations WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved updated Covid boosters, but removed emergency use authorizations for the vaccines, in a set of moves that could make the shots more difficult to obtain for children under 5, in particular. The moves were announced…
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CDC Director Susan Monarez is ousted as senior leaders exit agency
CDC Director Susan Monarez is ousted as senior leaders exit agency WASHINGTON — Susan Monarez, the first Senate-confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been ousted after just a month on the job — part of a series of high-ranking exits at the CDC. The Trump administration confirmed her departure but provided…
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Trump’s hand bruise renews attention to his health — and his heart
Trump’s hand bruise renews attention to his health — and his heart President Trump’s bruised hand and his apparent use of makeup to cover the discolored patch of skin have renewed attention to his health in general and his cardiovascular health in particular. His case also highlights an often underrecognized and undertreated condition. It’s called…
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HHS terminates NIH program aimed at diversifying biomedical workforce
HHS terminates NIH program aimed at diversifying biomedical workforce The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating a National Institutes of Health grant program that supports students from marginalized backgrounds in the biomedical sciences. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the elimination of the program — the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program —…
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HHS moves to strip thousands of federal health workers of union rights
HHS moves to strip thousands of federal health workers of union rights NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has moved to strip thousands of federal health agency employees of their collective bargaining rights, according to a union that called the effort illegal. HHS officials confirmed Friday that the department is…
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STAT+: FDA says it will publish reports of adverse events tied to drugs on daily basis
STAT+: FDA says it will publish reports of adverse events tied to drugs on daily basis WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that it has begun publishing reports of adverse events concerning drugs and biological products on a daily basis. Previously, the database of the reports, called the FDA Adverse Event Reporting…
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Supreme Court lets Trump administration cut $783 million of research funding in anti-DEI push
Supreme Court lets Trump administration cut $783 million of research funding in anti-DEI push WASHINGTON — The Trump administration can slash hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to cut federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Supreme Court decided Thursday. The high court majority lifted a judge’s order blocking $783 million…
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CDC attacker likely attempted to enter campus days before shooting
CDC attacker likely attempted to enter campus days before shooting WASHINGTON — The man who attacked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention probably tried to enter the agency’s Atlanta campus days before the shooting, investigators believe. The shooter, identified by authorities as Patrick Joseph White, appears to have been captured in security camera footage…
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STAT+: How Trump may use Democrats’ drug-price negotiation law
STAT+: How Trump may use Democrats’ drug-price negotiation law You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m happy to report that Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a segment on…
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STAT+: Elevance loses lawsuit over Medicare Advantage quality ratings
STAT+: Elevance loses lawsuit over Medicare Advantage quality ratings A federal judge in Texas struck down Elevance Health’s lawsuit that argued the government unfairly lowered its Medicare Advantage quality ratings — a decision that could cost Elevance $375 million in bonus revenue. U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman, appointed by President Trump in 2019, chastised…
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STAT+: Conflicts among CDC and FDA vaccine panel members are not as numerous as you think, study finds
STAT+: Conflicts among CDC and FDA vaccine panel members are not as numerous as you think, study finds Conflicts of interest on federal government vaccine panels have declined to “historically low levels” in recent years according to a new study, findings that are likely to increase debate over a contentious issue pushed by Health and…
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Draft of major MAHA report calls for more education, less regulation — and offers few policies
Draft of major MAHA report calls for more education, less regulation — and offers few policies WASHINGTON — A much-awaited game plan for how the Trump administration will make Americans healthier largely steers clear of policy recommendations, instead calling for more research on nutrition, agricultural chemicals, and “potential benefits of select high-quality supplements,” among other…
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STAT+: MIT president Sally Kornbluth responds to Globe report on academic fraud case at Duke
STAT+: MIT president Sally Kornbluth responds to Globe report on academic fraud case at Duke MIT President Sally Kornbluth responded in a statement Wednesday to a Globe report detailing her time as an administrator at Duke amid a cancer research scandal more than a decade ago, saying she learned lessons from the case that “have powerfully shaped my approach to…
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STAT+: Eli Lilly says it will raise drug prices in Europe to ‘make them lower’ in U.S.
STAT+: Eli Lilly says it will raise drug prices in Europe to ‘make them lower’ in U.S. Eli Lilly said Thursday that it would increase the prices of medicines in Europe and other developed markets “in order to make them lower” in the U.S., an apparent response to the Trump administration’s calls to do so.…
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Deconstructing RFK Jr.’s explanation for the cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts
Deconstructing RFK Jr.’s explanation for the cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts Last week, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the cancellation of $500 million in contracts to help develop RNA vaccines. Kennedy explained his reasoning for the cuts in a video posted to X. The video is only 2½ minutes long, but in that…
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STAT+: Drugmakers form new group to lobby on impact of Medicare drug price negotiations
STAT+: Drugmakers form new group to lobby on impact of Medicare drug price negotiations WASHINGTON — A handful of drug companies have formed a group to present lawmakers with research on what the industry sees as the negative impacts of Medicare drug price negotiations, according to lobbying records. The group is called the IRA Watchdog…
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STAT+: Challenges mount for RFK Jr. and his MAHA agenda
STAT+: Challenges mount for RFK Jr. and his MAHA agenda WASHINGTON — A deadly shooting at one of the public health agencies that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vilified during his rise to power is proving to be a unique test of his leadership, at a time when fractures are emerging in his Make America Healthy…
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CDC leaders attempt to reassure staff after shooting, but meeting is brief
CDC leaders attempt to reassure staff after shooting, but meeting is brief The newly installed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday sought to reassure employees their mission would continue and efforts to ensure their safety would be stepped up following a gunman’s attack on the agency’s headquarters last Friday. The…
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STAT+: Prasad returns to the FDA, Attack on the CDC
STAT+: Prasad returns to the FDA, Attack on the CDC You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Normally I keep the intro to this newsletter light-hearted. But today I feel compelled…
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NIH director: mRNA vaccine contracts were canceled because public lacks trust in technology
NIH director: mRNA vaccine contracts were canceled because public lacks trust in technology The head of the National Institutes of Health has offered a new explanation for why the federal government canceled $500 million in contracts to help develop messenger RNA vaccines, saying the platform is not viable because the public doesn’t trust it. The…
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STAT+: Dear Vinay: Please embrace dissent and fade into the background
STAT+: Dear Vinay: Please embrace dissent and fade into the background Dear Vinay: My editors asked me to explain your return to the Food and Drug Administration to readers. But I’m more interested, right now, in giving advice to you. Look, any claim I have to clairvoyance is void. I was surprised as anyone by…
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STAT+: After years of close mentorship, Harvard’s president and Jay Bhattacharya enter dramatic new territory
STAT+: After years of close mentorship, Harvard’s president and Jay Bhattacharya enter dramatic new territory In early May, Harvard president Dr. Alan Garber received a letter from the National Institutes of Health notifying him that hundreds of scientific grants had been rescinded, as the next step in the escalating battle between Harvard and the Trump…
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In internal call, CDC employees recount shooting, ask about RFK Jr.’s response
In internal call, CDC employees recount shooting, ask about RFK Jr.’s response WASHINGTON — Leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday told staff that the agency’s campus had reopened in the wake of the Friday attack by a gunman — and suggested more security measures would be put in place. On…
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CDC shaken after gunman attacks its headquarters
CDC shaken after gunman attacks its headquarters This article was updated on Aug. 9. A gunman attacked the main campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday, further shaking an agency in the midst of a tumultuous year. Read the rest… Daniel Payne Go to statnews
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STAT+: Vinay Prasad returns to the FDA, weeks after his ouster
STAT+: Vinay Prasad returns to the FDA, weeks after his ouster WASHINGTON — Vinay Prasad is returning to the Food and Drug Administration to resume his role overseeing vaccine, gene therapy, and blood product regulation. “At the FDA’s request, Dr. Vinay Prasad is resuming leadership of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research,” Health and…
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STAT+: Trump administration launches investigation into Harvard’s federally funded research patents
STAT+: Trump administration launches investigation into Harvard’s federally funded research patents The U.S. Department of Commerce is opening an investigation into Harvard’s federally funded research programs amid allegations that it failed to follow the law, according to a senior administration official. In a letter sent to Harvard President Alan Garber on Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard…
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STAT+: Trump executive order seeks to centralize control of grantmaking under political appointees
STAT+: Trump executive order seeks to centralize control of grantmaking under political appointees A sweeping new executive order seeks to transform how the federal government awards billions of dollars in research grants by giving President Trump’s political appointees unprecedented power over the projects agencies fund. The order issued Thursday night, titled “Improving Oversight Of Federal…