Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Ousts Top Spokesperson After Bungled Convalescent Plasma Announcement
The Washington Post: FDA Chief Spokesperson Removed After Convalescent Plasma Controversy
The Food and Drug Administration’s chief spokeswoman, who has been in the job less than two weeks, was removed from her role as of noon Friday, part of continued fallout from a White House news conference featuring inaccurate claims that convalescent plasma dramatically reduced mortality for patients with covid-19. It remains unclear whether Emily Miller, who was assistant commissioner for media affairs, will remain at the agency in some capacity, said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Miller formerly worked for One America News, a conservative cable news network and for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). She does not have a health or science background and has been a strong advocate for gun rights. (McGinley and Abutaleb, 8/28)
Politico: 'She Couldn't Even Pronounce Convalescent Plasma': FDA Ousts Spokesperson After 2 Weeks
Hahn officially removed Miller, a fellow Trump appointee, from her post on Friday morning, ending a tenure that was marked by infighting and a damaging controversy this week over the FDA's emergency authorization of convalescent plasma as a Covid-19 treatment. Colleagues said that Miller, with no prior medical or science experience, was a bad fit inside an agency rushing to fight a pandemic. "There was an inability to do anything inside the agency," said one health official. "She couldn't even pronounce convalescent plasma." (Cancryn and Diamond, 8/28)
The New York Times: Two P.R. Experts at F.D.A. Have Been Ousted After Blood Plasma Fiasco
The decision came just a day after the F.D.A.’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, terminated the contract of a public relations consultant who had advised the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, to correct his misleading claims that 35 out of 100 Covid-19 patients “would have been saved because of the administration of plasma.” The removals come at a moment when the agency, which will be making critical decisions about whether to approve coronavirus vaccines and treatments, is struggling to salvage its reputation as a neutral scientific arbiter. (Kaplan and Thomas, 8/28)
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The Washington Post: FDA Convalescent Plasma Authorization: How Trump Politicized Another Federal Agency's Response To The Pandemic
President Trump’s accusatory tweet barreled in at 7:49 a.m. a week ago Saturday: The “deep state” at the Food and Drug Administration was trying to sandbag his election prospects by slowing progress on coronavirus treatments and vaccines until after Nov. 3. Shocked and upset, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who was tagged in the tweet, immediately began calling his contacts at the White House to find out why the president was angry. During his conversations, he mentioned the FDA was on the verge of granting emergency authorization to convalescent plasma as a treatment for covid-19. The agency planned to issue a news release. (McGinley, Abutaleb, Dawsey and Johnson, 8/30)
