Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Admin Requests Expedited Appeal Of Ruling Blocking HHS Vaccine Policies
The New York Times: Kennedy Seeks To Expedite Appeal Of Ruling That Blocked His Vaccine Policies
The Trump administration has requested an expedited appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a series of decisions on vaccines made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including rescinding routine recommendations for immunizations against a half-dozen childhood diseases. Mr. Kennedy announced in a social media post on Friday that the administration had filed the motion to expedite appeal so that federal vaccine advisers could meet to decide whether to recommend shots before the fall flu season. (Mandavilli, 6/15)
The Hill: Trump Admin Pays To Store Expired Contraceptives In Belgium
Millions of dollars’ worth of contraceptives meant to be distributed to low-income nations in Africa have expired, but the Trump administration is paying tens of thousands of dollars a month to keep them in storage in Belgium, according to a report from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) inspector general. About $9.7 million worth of taxpayer-funded contraceptives purchased by USAID and originally destined for low-income nations in Africa got stuck in Belgium after the Trump administration shut down the agency last year. According to the report, about $8 million worth of hormonal contraceptives, injectable contraceptives and other family planning commodities are no longer usable after they were moved from climate-controlled storage. (Weixel, 6/15)
KFF Health News: Backed By Threat Of Clawbacks, Feds Wield Tight Grip On $50B Rural Health Fund
In Maine, state health officials hoped to steer a slice of $190 million in new federal rural health funding to shield hospitals and clinics from the fallout caused by cuts to federal health programs. Their plan would have helped pay to treat low-income, uninsured patients. But federal leaders overseeing the five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program said no. “It was not our decision,” said Lisa Letourneau, a senior adviser at Maine’s health department. (Tribble and Zionts, 6/16)
The Hill: RFK Jr. Demands Explanation For Journal's Vaccine Study Removal
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is demanding answers from a science journal on why a study regarding vaccination and sudden infant death was removed from the publication. In a letter dated June 11, Kennedy wrote to Toxicology Reports Editor-in-Chief Lawrence H. Lash concerning a 2021 study titled “Vaccines and sudden infant death: An analysis of the VAERS database 1990–2019 and review of the medical literature.” (Choi, 6/15)
AP: Cuban Report Quantifies Impact Of US Oil Blockade On Children's Health
Some of Cuba’s sickest people are feeling the effects of the U.S. energy blockade, with surgeries delayed, kidney dialysis treatments disrupted and children with cancer facing a higher risk of death, according to a report published Monday by Cuban state-run media. The survival rate for children with cancer has fallen to 65% from 85% before the energy restrictions began in January, according to the report released by Cubadebate. It also said 100,000 children younger than 7 are no longer receiving the daily liter of milk previously provided by the state and that the country’s 16-vaccine immunization program for infants is “at risk.” (Rodríguez, 6/15)
AP: FDA Issues Product Recall For Alfredo Sauce Over Salmonella Fears
Federal health officials have issued a recall for alfredo sauce distributed to dozens of U.S. states by a supplier because of potential salmonella contamination. The sauce was voluntarily recalled by the supplier because it contained a dry milk powder ingredient that was possibly contaminated with salmonella, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration enforcement report. There were 913 cases recalled and each of those cases contained 12 sealed bags of sauce, with each bag weighing over 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms), the FDA said. (6/15)
Bloomberg: Happiest Baby Faces FDA Warning For $1,700 Snoo Bassinet Safety Issues
Happiest Baby, Inc., maker of the wildly popular Snoo Bassinet that sells for $1,700, received a safety warning from US regulators for selling unauthorized products and for unsanitary conditions — including mold — reported on some items. The company sold new sizes of its bassinets that haven’t been vetted by the the US Food and Drug Administration for safety and effectiveness, posing risks to infants that use them, the agency said in a statement Monday. The FDA regulates medical devices and considers the Snoo products, which provide robotic movements to help newborns sleep, to be devices. (Inampudi, 6/15)
The New York Times: How Kratom, An Addictive Gas Station Drug, Found Allies In Trump’s Cabinet
For years, federal health officials have warned about the risks associated with a supplement derived from the leaves of kratom trees that adherents say can kill pain or boost energy. Sold in gas stations across America, kratom has been linked to liver toxicity, seizures and thousands of deaths. Powerful figures close to President Trump, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, pushed to downplay those concerns. (Vogel and Jewett, 6/15)
ProPublica: Trump EPA Methane Rule Rollback To Benefit Billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand
Stripper wells collectively contribute just 6% of the nation’s oil and natural gas. But in recent studies, scientists have identified them as the source of roughly half the sector’s methane emissions — in part because they tend to be thinly monitored, run-down and thus prone to leaking. As a result, these barely productive wells play an outsize role in climate change, disproportionately amplifying heat waves, droughts and wildfires. In a world where global warming fixes can seem impossibly daunting, stripper wells are the rare low-hanging fruit, said Andrew Logan of Ceres, a climate advocacy group. (Cuadros, 6/16)
Axios: Dems Offer Roadmap To Expand Drug Price Talks
Senate Democrats on Tuesday are unveiling a proposal to expand Medicare drug price negotiations, in a bid to counter President Trump's election-year messaging on health care affordability. (Sullivan, 6/16)
