Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Eye Doctor Tapped As EPA Adviser, Despite No Air Pollution Expertise
The New York Times: Eye Doctor Named to Air Pollution Advisory Board Draws Pushback
The Trump administration has tapped an eye doctor with no background in air pollution science to advise the Environmental Protection Agency on what levels of air pollutants are safe to breathe. The E.P.A. named Brian Joondeph, a Colorado-based ophthalmologist and political commentator, on Monday to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, an influential panel that advises the agency’s leadership on the latest scientific evidence on soot, smog and other hazardous pollutants. (Joselow, 3/12)
News from ARPA-H and the FDA —
Healthcare Dive: ARPA-H Launches Program To Develop Biosensors That Can Track Multiple Signals
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, launched a new program on Tuesday to support development of biosensors that can track multiple signals such as inflammation markers, hormones or drug levels within the body. The program, called Delphi, will focus on using electronic “chiplets,” with the goal of being able to “mix and match” features across wearables and ingestible sensors. (3/10)
MedPage Today: Goodbye FAERS? FDA Launches New Combined Adverse Event Database
The FDA has launched a new adverse event reporting system that will consolidate several systems it has for reporting different types of adverse events, the agency announced Wednesday. The new system, known as the FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) -- "represents a major achievement in the agency's mission to modernize and provide radical transparency into the safety of regulated products," the agency said in a press release. (Frieden, 3/11)
Stat: FDA Telehealth Crackdown Highlights Role Of National Doctor Networks
The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on telehealth companies’ marketing of compounded versions of weight loss drugs. In recent months, the agency has warned them against implying that their products are FDA approved, or that they themselves manufacture the products. But those companies may not be the only ones under the microscope. (Palmer, 3/12)
In reproductive health news —
The Hill: Sen. Josh Hawley Introduces Bill To Remove FDA Approval For Mifepristone
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Wednesday unveiled legislation to remove Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the use of mifepristone to end pregnancies, a bill that has quickly gained the support of major anti-abortion groups. The legislation is an ambitious undertaking given the drug’s widespread use in the United States, where an estimated 7.5 million women have used it to terminate pregnancies since the FDA approved its use in 2000. It accounted for 63 percent of all abortions in the U.S. in 2023. (Bolton, 3/11)
Politico: ‘Damaging And Punishing’: Birth Control Clinics Serving Millions Face Federal Funding Cliff
Clinics that provide free and subsidized birth control and other reproductive health services to millions of low-income people nationwide are warning that access could soon be cut off if the federal government continues to delay the funding process. The Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Population Affairs has not yet released the guidance dozens of health care organizations around the country need to apply for a funding cycle that begins on April 1. They had been scheduled to receive that guidance by the end of last year. (Ollstein, 3/11)
On the immigration crisis —
The Texas Tribune: Family At Dilley ICE Center Details Moldy Food, Medical Neglect
The family’s accounts provide what lawyers and child advocates call new and disturbing details into the conditions at the detention center in Dilley, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio. The family, including the mother Hayam El Gamal and her five children ranging in ages from 5 to 18, detail what they describe as abhorrent medical care, inedible food and a disregard for their religious freedom as Muslims. (Kriel, 3/11)
The Washington Post: ICE Plans To Keep Fort Bliss Detention Camp Open Under A New Contractor
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement replaced the contractor overseeing Camp East Montana and said it is planning to keep the El Paso detention center open, a week after The Washington Post reported on an internal document that appeared to indicate ICE was taking steps to close the facility. (MacMillan, 3/11)
Los Angeles Times: California DACA Recipient Sues Trump Administration Over Her Deportation
Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, 42, was detained Feb. 18 during a scheduled interview for her green card application. She was deported to Mexico the next day, despite having active deportation protection through the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. (Castillo, 3/11)
