Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: People With Autism Are Not Damaged; Vaccine Panel Puts Ideology Over Evidence
The New York Times: We Are Not Going To 'Solve' Autism. And That's OK.
In a widely anticipated news conference on Monday, President Trump declared that there was “nothing more important” in his presidency than reducing the prevalence of autism. He claimed that his administration would virtually eliminate the condition, which he called a “horrible crisis” and which a top federal health official suggested might be “entirely preventable.” (Roy Richard Grinker, 9/24)
Stat: Former Vaccine Advisory Committee Member: Public Health Cannot Fix Health Care System Problems
During last week’s ACIP meeting, the committee spent one of the two days discussing Covid-19 vaccines. Unvetted and unfounded data were presented, and the biases of ACIP committee members were apparent in their questions and comments. (Charlotte A. Moser, 9/24)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: RFK Jr.'s Anti-Vaccine Crusade Is A Public Health Disaster
In April 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his presidential bid in Boston, promising to “Make America Healthy Again.” Since becoming President Donald Trump’s secretary of health and human services, Kennedy has made a mockery of this promise, undermining decades of public health consensus. (Mackenzie France, 9/23)
Stat: How To Design A Better Study On Tylenol Use During Pregnancy
The White House pointed to a recent systematic review of 46 studies, in which authors urged caution in using the medication, recommending only “judicious acetaminophen use” following “medical consultation.” At the same time, many experts are stating the opposite. For example, a statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists emphasized that pregnant patients “should not be frightened away from the many benefits of acetaminophen.” (Alyssa Bilinski and Katherine McDaniel, 9/23)
The Washington Post: The FDA Should Match China In Speeding Drug Discovery
When I was commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration during President Donald Trump’s first term, I sat down with the head of China’s drug regulatory authority in my Maryland office. For years, the FDA had regarded clinical trials conducted in China with suspicion; the studies were often sloppy and, at times, even fraudulent. But regulators at China’s National Medical Products Administration insisted that they had reformed their system, and that we should give them a second chance. We decided to probe these claims for ourselves. (Scott Gottlieb, 9/22)
