Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
RFK Jr. Lays Groundwork For Broad Federal Initiative Addressing Vaccine Injuries
The New York Times: RFK Jr. Plans Vaccine Injury Initiative, Drawing Wary Eye From Experts
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned the safety of vaccines, is planning a broad federal effort to address vaccine injuries, including a new research clinic at the National Institutes of Health and a new billing code to reimburse doctors for filing reports of serious vaccine side effects, according to multiple people familiar with the initiative. (Gay Stolberg, 10/7)
MedPage Today: Senators Probe RFK Jr.'s USPSTF Overhaul
Senators are pushing for answers from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his recent overhaul of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In a letter, 17 senators led by Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) urged Kennedy to "restore the independence and integrity" of the USPSTF, and sought answers to a handful of questions about his recent actions and "how they will inform the future work of USPSTF." (Fiore, 10/6)
On AI, research funding, and fees for experience —
Becker's Hospital Review: HHS Agency Launches $7.95M Healthcare ‘Super Intelligence’ Challenge
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality launched a $7.95 million prize initiative Oct. 7 aimed at using AI to speed medical evidence reviews and expand the use of federal healthcare data. The agency, part of HHS, is calling the effort the Super Intelligence for Healthcare Improvement Initiative. It includes two competitions focused on clinical evidence synthesis and healthcare research, quality and safety. (Diaz, 10/7)
The New York Times: Trump Administration Delays Threaten Funding For HIV Research
The future of four large research networks that test vaccines and treatments for H.I.V., tuberculosis and emerging infectious diseases is in limbo after weeks of delays from the Trump administration in launching the process to renew their funding. Scientists are worried that the delays could foreshadow the end of the networks, at least in their current form. H.I.V. researchers grew more concerned on Friday when they received word from the National Institutes of Health that they should temporarily hold off on launching new studies that had not yet enrolled participants and that would not be complete by Nov. 30, 2027, when their current funding is set to expire. (Mandavilli and Mueller, 10/7)
The Hill: Watchdog: Trump Administration Violated Impoundment Control Act, Withholding Millions In Federal Research Funds
The Trump administration violated federal law by withholding tens of millions of dollars in research grant funding Congress had appropriated for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), according to a federal watchdog report. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Wednesday found the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violated the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) by withholding more than $78 million in fiscal 2025 after mass layoffs dismantled the agency’s grantmaking capabilities. The 1974 law regulates how the president can cancel or delay federal funds that Congress has already appropriated. (Weixel, 10/7)
Stat: DHS Proposes Fee To Participate In Optional Practical Training
As part of its ongoing bid to more tightly regulate international students, the Trump administration on Wednesday announced a proposed $70,000 fee for a popular work authorization program meant to give students professional experience. (Wosen, 10/7)
News from the FDA —
NBC News: FDA Says It Will Complete Safety Review Of Abortion Pill In March
The Food and Drug Administration expects to complete its safety review of the abortion pill mifepristone in March, according to a court document the Justice Department filed Wednesday. In the filing, the FDA said it plans to compare mifepristone’s safety to that of surgical abortions through 10 weeks’ gestation. Its review will measure the frequency of side effects among roughly 100,000 women who took mifepristone, it said. (Lovelace Jr. and Bendix, 10/8)
The Washington Post: Trump Administration Paving Way For Temporary Sale Of Some Unapproved Peptides
The Trump administration is crafting plans that would allow the temporary sale of certain previously restricted peptides as federal health officials hammer out new regulations around the controversial products, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private details. Such a move would allow some compounding pharmacies to dispense certain peptides marketed as new medical treatments and wellness products even as the claims for what they treat have not been fully safety tested. The plan has not yet been announced and timing was unclear, meaning it could still change. (Roubein, 10/7)
MedPage Today: FDA Warns Amazon Over Herpes Treatments
The FDA hit Amazon with a warning letter for selling unapproved herpes treatments. In July, the agency purchased several of the herpes products available on Amazon's website and found numerous violations, including that these products are considered unapproved new drugs, the agency said in the warning letter. (Robertson, 10/7)
MedPage Today: FDA Expands Indication For Urticaria Drug To Treat Symptomatic Dermographism
The FDA expanded the indication of the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor remibrutinib (Rhapsido) to treat symptomatic dermographism, the most common form of chronic inducible urticaria, Novartis announced Thursday. (Bankhead, 10/7)
Looking ahead —
The Wall Street Journal: New CDC Director Is Eager To Change Its Culture
Newly installed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said she wants to change a culture of “paternalism” at her agency. Americans need to be better informed about how and why the CDC makes its recommendations, and the agency needs to be willing to listen to people’s concerns, she said. (Essley Whyte, 10/7)
The New York Times: A Public Health-Minded Senator Asks: What Comes After Trump And Kennedy?
Senator Patty Murray, a Washington State Democrat who chaired the Senate health committee during the coronavirus pandemic, called the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week to ask why the agency had refused to report several measles deaths in Pennsylvania. The outbreak has landed the nation’s public health agency in the middle of a political feud. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said in August that measles had killed two people in his state. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the C.D.C., suggested that the governor’s staff might have “fabricated” the deaths, and that patients had died in Pennsylvania with measles — but not from it. (Gay Stolberg, 10/7)
