Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Puts Infant Formula Under The Scope In Search Of Harmful Chemicals
CBS News: FDA To Increase Testing For Heavy Metals In Infant Formula, RFK Jr. Says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will step up its testing for heavy metals in infant formula and review nutrients required in the products used to feed millions of babies, the agency and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday. The development came as Consumer Reports shared results on Tuesday of tests by the group that found found potentially harmful chemicals in roughly half of 41 infant formula products, including acrylamide, arsenic, BPA, lead and PFAS. The remaining products were found to have low levels of, or no, concerning chemicals. (Gibson, 3/18)
Politico: RFK Jr.'s Mercury Stance In Retrograde
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has remained silent as the Trump administration prepares to roll back protections against mercury poisoning, despite Kennedy’s own history of suffering ailments after ingesting the toxic metal, writes Ariel Wittenberg. (Skibell, 3/18)
On bird flu, influenza, and dengue —
The New York Times: RFK Jr.’s Prescription For Bird Flu On Farms: Let It Spread
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has an unorthodox idea for tackling the bird flu bedeviling U.S. poultry farms. Let the virus rip. Instead of culling birds when the infection is discovered, farmers “should consider maybe the possibility of letting it run through the flock so that we can identify the birds, and preserve the birds, that are immune to it,” Mr. Kennedy said recently on Fox News. (Mandavilli, 3/18)
CNN: As Bird Flu Continues To Spread, Trump Administration Sidelines Key Pandemic Preparedness Office
The Trump administration has not staffed an office established by Congress to prepare the nation for future pandemics, according to three sources familiar with the situation. The White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy was established by Congress in 2022 in response to mistakes that led to a flat-footed response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The office, called OPPR, once had a staff of about 20 people and was orchestrating the country’s response to bird flu and other threats until January 20, including hosting regular interagency meetings to share plans. (Goodman, 3/17)
MedPage Today: Snubbed Vaccine Committee Members Lament FDA's Flu Shot Actions
Some current and past members of an FDA advisory committee felt snubbed when the agency went ahead and made decisions about influenza strain selection for next season without them. The FDA's decision to abruptly cancel the March 13 meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) -- and instead hold a meeting on that date with representatives from the CDC, FDA, and the Department of Defense -- "is very unfortunate," said Tina Tan, MD, of Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. (Clark, 3/18)
CIDRAP: CDC Issues Alert About Ongoing Dengue Threat
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued a Health Alert Network notice to healthcare providers and the public about the ongoing risk of dengue virus infections, with levels remaining high in some US territories and surges still under way in other countries, especially in the Americas region. (Schnirring, 3/18)
More from HHS —
Bloomberg: RFK Jr. Ally To Implement Trump Administration's Plan For Chronic Illness
The White House is elevating an ally of US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to implement the Trump administration’s plan to address chronic illness. Entrepreneur and author Calley Means will be a White House adviser and “special government employee,” according to two people familiar with the appointment. It’s the same classification that has allowed tech billionaire Elon Musk to retain his private-sector roles even as he tried to transform the federal bureaucracy. (Cohrs Zhang, 3/18)
Stat: A Look At 8 Key Players At RFK Jr.'s HHS
While the Senate works to confirm the remaining of President Trump’s picks to lead federal agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services is filling out with allies to both Trump and RFK Jr. Taken together, they reveal a pattern: Trump loyalists and those with a conservative pedigree are front and center, but Kennedy has some who share his priorities, too. Here are eight people to know inside of the nation’s giant health agency. (Cueto, 3/18)
Fierce Healthcare: RFK Jr.'s HHS Picks Up Biden Admin's Fight Against 340B Rebates
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has filed for summary judgment in its favor regarding lawsuits brought by pharmaceutical companies that attempted to reinvent hospital discounts through the 340B program—the first explicit sign that the new administration is taking up its predecessor’s stance on the controversial industry issue. The HHS, now listing Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a defendant, asked the courts to rule against plaintiffs Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis Pharmaceuticals in one of the ongoing consolidated lawsuits related to a 340B rebate model they had planned to adopt. (Muoio, 3/18)
