Tag: statnews
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RFK Jr.’s Senate hearing on health department cuts to be delayed for weeks
RFK Jr.’s Senate hearing on health department cuts to be delayed for weeks Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will likely delay his appearance before the Senate’s health committee by several weeks, even as he makes historic changes to the Department of Health and Human Services and contends with a surging measles outbreak. Senate health committee Chair…
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‘Most effective way’ to prevent measles is vaccination, RFK Jr. says, in most direct remarks yet
‘Most effective way’ to prevent measles is vaccination, RFK Jr. says, in most direct remarks yet WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Sunday that “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” his most direct statement yet on the issue, following the death of a second child…
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Second child with measles dies in Texas, prompting RFK Jr. visit
Second child with measles dies in Texas, prompting RFK Jr. visit A second unvaccinated school-aged child in West Texas died from a measles -related illness, a hospital spokesman confirmed Sunday, prompting Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to travel to the area for the child’s funeral. Kennedy, an anti-vaccine advocate before ascending to the role of nation’s top…
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STAT+: Federal judge issues permanent injunction on Trump cuts to research overhead payments
STAT+: Federal judge issues permanent injunction on Trump cuts to research overhead payments A federal judge on Friday ordered a permanent injunction blocking a Trump administration policy that would slash billions in research overhead payments to universities, academic medical centers, and other grant-receiving institutions. Paradoxically, the Trump administration had requested that very verdict earlier in…
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Opinion: STAT readers on cadavers in med education, doctors and AI, and more
Opinion: STAT readers on cadavers in med education, doctors and AI, and more First Opinion is STAT’s platform for interesting, illuminating, and provocative articles about the life sciences writ large, written by biotech insiders, health care workers, researchers, and others. To encourage robust, good-faith discussion about issues raised in First Opinion essays, STAT publishes selected…
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CDC’s top laboratory on sexually transmitted diseases is shut by Trump administration
CDC’s top laboratory on sexually transmitted diseases is shut by Trump administration At a time when the world is down to a single drug that can reliably cure gonorrhea, the U.S. government has shuttered the country’s premier sexually transmitted diseases laboratory, leaving experts aghast and fearful about what lies ahead. The STD lab at the…
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STAT+: Medicare gets a big (unofficial) surprise: a 17-year extension on when it’ll run dry
STAT+: Medicare gets a big (unofficial) surprise: a 17-year extension on when it’ll run dry Medicare’s financial future unexpectedly got a lot rosier, at least according to some federal budget wonks. The Congressional Budget Office recently published its long-term predictions of the federal budget and buried a big surprise for people who follow the Medicare…
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STAT+: Up and down the ladder: The latest comings and goings
STAT+: Up and down the ladder: The latest comings and goings Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us, and we’ll share it with others. That’s right. Send us your changes, and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is…
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CDC division responsible for asthma control and lead poisoning prevention effectively eliminated
CDC division responsible for asthma control and lead poisoning prevention effectively eliminated After Hurricane Ian, as Floridians returned home to sodden furniture and moldy piles of debris, many with asthma could feel their chests tightening. To figure out what was safe, some sent their concerns directly to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. …
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STAT+: FDA tells drugmakers to redo studies run by a contract research firm due to data integrity issues
STAT+: FDA tells drugmakers to redo studies run by a contract research firm due to data integrity issues In a rare move, the Food and Drug Administration told an unspecified number of drug companies that studies used to support therapeutic equivalence of some of their medicines have been rejected due to false data generated by…
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STAT+: Trump administration declines to expand Medicare coverage for obesity drugs
STAT+: Trump administration declines to expand Medicare coverage for obesity drugs The Trump administration has chosen not to finalize a rule proposed by the Biden administration that would have allowed Medicare to cover blockbuster weight loss drugs. The rule would have brought in tens of billions of dollars in new sales for drugs like Novo…
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NIH hit with chaos, cuts, and contractor purge
NIH hit with chaos, cuts, and contractor purge Hello. Today, we dive into the implications of the ongoing cuts to various health and science agencies….It’s a doozy. Oh, and if you like talking about neuroscience and happen to be near San Diego this weekend, come hang with me and my colleagues at STAT@AAN: The Future…
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Federal judge says she will temporarily block billions in health funding cuts to states
Federal judge says she will temporarily block billions in health funding cuts to states A federal judge will temporarily block President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting billions in federal dollars that support Covid-19 initiatives and public health projects throughout the country. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy, appointed by Trump in 2019 but first nominated by former President…
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STAT+: Trump’s new drug policy mixes ‘harshest’ penalties for dealers and test strips for users
STAT+: Trump’s new drug policy mixes ‘harshest’ penalties for dealers and test strips for users The Trump administration vows to emphasize addiction treatment alongside an enforcement-first drug policy, according to a not-yet-public strategy document obtained by STAT. In an effort to reduce overdose deaths caused by fentanyl and other illicit substances, the administration plans to…
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Cuts, ousters and drama at the FDA
Cuts, ousters and drama at the FDA Turmoil, job cuts and forced ousters of high-ranking officials at federal health agencies. Marty Makary’s rough first week as FDA Commissioner. Biotech stocks tumble even further. President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs roil global markets. We talk about biotech’s volatile week, plus interview AstraZeneca R&D executive Sharon Barr, on…
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STAT+: A running list of senior FDA officials who have left the agency
STAT+: A running list of senior FDA officials who have left the agency WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration always looks a little different after an administration change. Political appointees are swapped out, maybe some offices are restructured. But the FDA under the new Trump administration is already starting to look dramatically different. It’s hard…
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Senate confirms Oz as head of agency that runs Medicare, Medicaid
Senate confirms Oz as head of agency that runs Medicare, Medicaid WASHINGTON — In a party-line vote of 53-45, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Oz’s confirmation was expected; he is not as controversial as Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or some…
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Opinion: Decimation of HHS comms, FOIA offices will leave Americans in the dark about urgent health matters
Opinion: Decimation of HHS comms, FOIA offices will leave Americans in the dark about urgent health matters The DOGE cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday will make America less safe. Unless something is done soon to change course, they will also make it easier to hide corrupt behavior by…
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STAT+: Trump administration begins mass cuts of federal health policy researchers
STAT+: Trump administration begins mass cuts of federal health policy researchers The Trump administration has gutted two small federal agencies filled with researchers who study how the health care system functions and how to improve it. More than half of employees at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Agency…
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A letter from the executive editor: The dramatic reshaping of health and medicine in the U.S.
A letter from the executive editor: The dramatic reshaping of health and medicine in the U.S. Dear Readers: Shortly after sunrise on Tuesday, STAT reporters around the county started their days with a deluge of alarmed, angry, and plaintive texts, emails, and even phone calls from employees across federal health agencies who just learned they…
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STAT+: Makary’s first speech to FDA staff focuses on challenging norms, fighting chronic disease
STAT+: Makary’s first speech to FDA staff focuses on challenging norms, fighting chronic disease WASHINGTON — Marty Makary’s first address to staff as FDA commissioner on Wednesday afternoon sounded a bit like an introduction to one of his books. It included sweeping declarations about the need to challenge scientific norms, and to identify the root…
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New York City’s health department just lost $100 million in federal funds. That has consequences
New York City’s health department just lost $100 million in federal funds. That has consequences If a child in New York City showed up with a fever and a rash that might be measles, it should be simple to have a blood test quickly confirm one way or the other. But $100 million in federal…
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50 canceled vaccination clinics, and other local impact from HHS cuts
50 canceled vaccination clinics, and other local impact from HHS cuts Just last week, the leader of public health in Dallas had to cancel 50 vaccination clinics, including events specifically targeting schools with low immunization rates, all while the West Texas measles outbreak continues to flare. Then on Tuesday came the layoffs of thousands of…
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HHS firings undermine federal government’s ability to care for vulnerable Americans
HHS firings undermine federal government’s ability to care for vulnerable Americans The Trump administration’s decision to fire 10,000 workers across U.S. health agencies looks set to disrupt the flow of millions of dollars in grants and deprive Americans with disabilities of critical services they depend on, according to advocates and federal workers. The cuts, ostensibly…
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STAT+: Five NIH institute directors and numerous lab heads ousted in unprecedented shake-up
STAT+: Five NIH institute directors and numerous lab heads ousted in unprecedented shake-up Directors of five National Institutes of Health institutes and at least two other members of senior leadership have been placed on administrative leave or offered new assignments since Monday, topping a list of hundreds of employees notified in the last 24 hours…
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After RFK Jr.’s ‘radical transparency’ pledge, HHS shutters much of its communications, FOIA operations
After RFK Jr.’s ‘radical transparency’ pledge, HHS shutters much of its communications, FOIA operations The Department of Health and Human Services made major cuts to teams across its agencies that handle communications, media relations, and Freedom of Information Act requests as part of mass layoffs Tuesday, a move that workers say will cripple the department’s…
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STAT+: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary gets off to a bruising start as agency is wracked by layoffs
STAT+: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary gets off to a bruising start as agency is wracked by layoffs WASHINGTON — Marty Makary’s first official day as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration began with employees in tears, learning from security guards that they were losing their jobs. The news release announcing the start of his…
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STAT+: Cassidy gave himself a difficult task. RFK Jr. isn’t making it any easier on him
STAT+: Cassidy gave himself a difficult task. RFK Jr. isn’t making it any easier on him WASHINGTON — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he would be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s keeper, but the physician-turned-politician is struggling to stop the nation’s health secretary from undermining public trust in vaccines. Cassidy has taken the lead for his…
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STAT+: Texas judge strikes down FDA’s plan to regulate lab-developed tests
STAT+: Texas judge strikes down FDA’s plan to regulate lab-developed tests WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Texas squashed the Food and Drug Administration’s plan to regulate lab-developed tests on Monday, ruling in favor of lab trade groups that said the agency was overstepping its bounds. “The Court VACATES and SETS ASIDE, in its entirety,…
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Nearly 2,000 top researchers call on Trump administration to halt ‘assault’ on science
Nearly 2,000 top researchers call on Trump administration to halt ‘assault’ on science Since taking office, President Donald Trump has slashed biomedical research funding, fired thousands of federal agency scientists, canceled training programs for young researchers, temporarily removed access to public datasets, and pressured scientists to alter or abandon work ideologically opposed to the White…
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Emotional whiplash for PTC Therapeutics
Emotional whiplash for PTC Therapeutics Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning. Today, we process the shockwaves in biotech following the ouster of CBER chief Peter Marks, see a radiopharmaceutical expand its reach, and more. Read the rest… Meghana Keshavan…
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Opinion: STAT+: Peter Marks’ ouster is an ominous sign for biotech — and for public health
Opinion: STAT+: Peter Marks’ ouster is an ominous sign for biotech — and for public health Welcome to Lab Dish, a new First Opinion column on regenerative medicine from Paul Knoepfler. There are certain leaders who quietly make complex organizations operate well including in the toughest of times — leaders like Peter Marks, director of…
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STAT+: FDA’s ‘key man’ Peter Marks is out. Biotech investors will now deal with the consequences
STAT+: FDA’s ‘key man’ Peter Marks is out. Biotech investors will now deal with the consequences Robert F. Kennedy Jr. forcing Peter Marks out of the Food and Drug Administration has blown a hole in the agency’s leadership ranks and threatens to unmoor the oversight of drugs and vaccines from bedrock scientific principles. For biotech…
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Peter Marks, FDA’s top vaccine regulator, forced out
Peter Marks, FDA’s top vaccine regulator, forced out Peter Marks, the top Food and Drug Administration official who oversaw vaccines, gene therapies, and the blood supply, resigned Friday after being told by Trump administration officials he would be fired if he did not step down, according to people familiar with the situation. In his resignation…
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STAT+: Ouster of FDA’s Peter Marks alarms a biopharma industry that saw him as an ally
STAT+: Ouster of FDA’s Peter Marks alarms a biopharma industry that saw him as an ally When Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime and visceral critic of pharmaceutical and biotech companies, was nominated by President Trump to be the nation’s health secretary, the head of biotech’s largest trade group issued a statement saying that he…
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STAT+: FDA to staff: No need to work from pantries for now
STAT+: FDA to staff: No need to work from pantries for now Some Food and Drug Administration employees who were previously working in pantries and conference rooms can work from home for now, according to an email reviewed by STAT. FDA managers sent an email Friday granting some workers temporary work-from-home exceptions, either because their…
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Texas reaches 400 measles cases as U.S. deals with outbreaks in 5 states
Texas reaches 400 measles cases as U.S. deals with outbreaks in 5 states At least five states have active measles outbreaks as of Friday, and Texas’ is the largest with 400 cases. Already, the U.S. has more measles cases this year than in all of 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. Other states with outbreaks —…
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STAT+: HHS emergency response unit given two days to figure out its fate
STAT+: HHS emergency response unit given two days to figure out its fate WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to reshape the federal health department has left its roughly 1,000 emergency response workers in limbo, and with a daunting order: Sort out how you break up — this weekend. The George W. Bush-founded Administration for…
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STAT+: Amgen loses its battle against Colorado over a prescription drug affordability board
STAT+: Amgen loses its battle against Colorado over a prescription drug affordability board In a blow to the pharmaceutical industry, a U.S. court judge ruled that a Colorado state board can proceed with plans to place limits on the prices paid for medicines, the first such decision to support the controversial attempts by some states…
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Trump chooses Fox News contributor Sara Carter as next drug czar
Trump chooses Fox News contributor Sara Carter as next drug czar President Trump has selected Sara Carter, a conservative journalist and Fox News contributor, as the nation’s next drug czar. Carter’s selection comes as a surprise: Her background is not in drug policy, public health, or law enforcement, and she has never served in government.…
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STAT+: Wyden claims Pfizer used a ‘colossal’ scheme to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes
STAT+: Wyden claims Pfizer used a ‘colossal’ scheme to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes In what one U.S. lawmaker described as possibly the “largest tax-dodging scheme” by a pharmaceutical company in history, Pfizer sold $20 billion in medicines to U.S. customers six years ago, but did not report any profits from those sales on…
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STAT+: HHS layoffs rile Democrats, but Republicans say they trust RFK Jr.’s cuts will not hamper core operations
STAT+: HHS layoffs rile Democrats, but Republicans say they trust RFK Jr.’s cuts will not hamper core operations WASHINGTON — News of massive layoffs at the Health and Human Services Department was met with anger and predictions of lawsuits by Democratic lawmakers, and with a shrug by Republicans. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced…
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STAT+: Two of FDA’s top cancer regulators to depart, heightening worries about drug reviews
STAT+: Two of FDA’s top cancer regulators to depart, heightening worries about drug reviews Both deputy directors at the key Food and Drug Administration center that oversees the regulation of cancer drugs plan on departing the agency, sources told STAT Thursday, highlighting the drain on talent at the FDA created by layoffs, uncertainty, and shifts…
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Opinion: Former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala on the agency’s ‘silly new bureaucracy’
Opinion: Former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala on the agency’s ‘silly new bureaucracy’ When I was secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton, an agency head came to me with a dramatic reorganization plan. I advised him that unless it was data- and outcome-driven, he was wasting his time. Just…
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STAT+: RFK Jr. brings FDA under tighter control with HHS workforce cuts
STAT+: RFK Jr. brings FDA under tighter control with HHS workforce cuts WASHINGTON — Around 3,500 employees are on the chopping block at the Food and Drug Administration, but they don’t yet know who they are. The Health and Human Services Department on Thursday announced a sweeping plan to cut 10,000 jobs and consolidate operations…