Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Shifts Away From Advisory Panel Meetings; Transparency Worries Grow
Stat: FDA Advisory Committee Meetings Fade As Controversial Decisions Grow
On Thursday, the Trump administration organized a private press conference so that a senior Food and Drug Administration official could anonymously criticize an experimental Huntington’s disease treatment made by the company UniQure. (Lawrence, 3/9)
FiercePharma: Democrats Press 11 Pharmas For 'Any Evidence' Their Trump Pricing Deals Deliver Savings For Medicaid
Although major pharmaceutical companies have fallen in line with President Donald Trump’s “most favored nation” (MFN) drug pricing agenda, the specifics of their negotiated concessions and the actual impact on medicine affordability in the U.S. remain unclear. Now, amid mounting scrutiny of those MFN deals by patient advocacy groups and others—and on the heels of a late-2025 effort by Democratic lawmakers to suss out the fine details—Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, is going to drugmakers directly for answers. (Kansteiner, 3/6)
The New York Times: Trump Executive Order Protected Weedkiller Roundup And A Munition, White Phosphorus
When President Trump issued an abrupt order last month compelling the production of glyphosate, the controversial weedkiller known as Roundup, he angered health activists who have long campaigned to ban the product for its links to cancer. But largely overshadowed in the furor was the order’s mention of something contentious in another way: the manufacture of munitions used by the United States military. (Tabuchi, 3/8)
On the immigration crisis —
AP: Second Judge Limits Tear Gas Use At Portland ICE Building
A federal judge in Oregon on Friday limited federal officers’ use of tear gas during protests at a Portland federal immigration building, as part of a lawsuit filed by an adjacent affordable housing complex following months of repeated exposure. U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio issued the preliminary injunction after a hearing last month in which the complex’s residents described physical and psychological symptoms ranging from difficulty breathing, coughing, burning eyes and hives to anxiety and panic attacks. Some also testified about wearing gas masks in their own homes. (Rush, 3/7)
On MAHA and public health —
Politico: Trump’s Food Industry Friends Are Warning Him RFK Jr.’s Agenda Is Bad For Business
America’s food-makers have a message for President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers: You must choose between Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda and ours. Since Trump teamed up with Kennedy to win the 2024 election and made him Health secretary, the GOP’s traditional allies in the food industry have mostly stood down as Kennedy called their products poison and blamed them for chronic disease. They aren’t standing down anymore. (Chu, 3/8)
KFF Health News: Newsom Picks A Dogfight With Trump And RFK Jr. On Public Health
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national public health leader by staking out science-backed policies in contrast with the Trump administration. After Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez for refusing what her lawyers called “the dangerous politicization of science,” Newsom hired her to help modernize California’s public health system. He also gave a job to Debra Houry, the agency’s former chief science and medical officer, who had resigned in protest hours after Monarez’s firing. (Hart, 3/9)
MedPage Today: Fauci Vs RFK Jr.? Here's Who Americans Trust For Public Health Advice
Public trust in federal health agencies is waning, especially in agency leaders, a survey showed. Among 1,650 U.S. adults surveyed by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, 43% said they had confidence in agency leaders versus 57% who said they did not, while 67% of respondents said they had confidence in career scientists at the CDC, NIH, and FDA versus 33% who did not. (Firth, 3/6)
The Hill: Record High In Childhood Obesity Sparks MAHA Debate
New data showed childhood obesity has hit a record high in recent years, while federal changes such as cuts to food assistance programs and a revamped food pyramid reignite debates over how to handle the issue. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report late last month showed more than 1 in 5 U.S. children and teenagers were obese between 2021 to 2023, compared to only 5.2 percent between 1971-1974. The number of children with severe obesity in recent years has hit 7 percent. (Lonas Cochran, 3/8)
