Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA To Offer Its Workers Monetary Incentives For Faster Drug Reviews
AP: FDA Plans Bonuses To Staffers Who Complete Speedy Drug Reviews
The head of the Food and Drug Administration plans to start offering bonus payments to agency drug reviewers who complete their work ahead of schedule, the latest in a flurry of changes to longstanding norms and procedures. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary described the effort as a pilot program during a staff presentation Thursday, saying the first quarterly bonus payments would start going out to employees around August. The Associated Press obtained slides and a recording of the presentation. (Perrone, 2/26)
Stat: FDA's Marty Makary Defends Rare Disease Drug Rejections, Vinay Prasad
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary defended the agency’s recent rejections of rare disease drugs in an interview with CNBC on Thursday. He also defended top FDA official Vinay Prasad, who oversees the center that rejected many of those drugs. (Lawrence and Wilkerson, 2/26)
In related news —
ProPublica, Medill Investigative Lab: Senate Leaders Warn Hegseth About Procuring Generic Drugs Overseas
Senate leaders are urging the Department of Defense to prioritize the purchase of generic drugs manufactured in the United States, warning that the country’s overreliance on foreign factories poses an “existential risk” to the military. In a letter last week, Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., asked Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide information about drugs or key ingredients purchased from foreign sources and how long the department’s inventory would last if China restricted exports. (Norman and Roy, 2/26)
More updates on the Trump administration —
Stat: CMS Hits Pause On New Durable Medical Equipment Suppliers
The Trump administration announced Wednesday a nationwide moratorium on new suppliers for certain medical equipment, citing a need to get a handle on the “fraud, waste, and abuse” in the industry that provides wheelchairs, artificial limbs and other equipment. (Broderick, 2/26)
The New York Times: C.D.C.’s New Acting Director Draws Unexpected Praise From Agency Staff
In his first week leading two of the nation’s health agencies, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has been met with praise and gratitude from federal employees — an unexpected reception for a scientist who spent much of the last few years facing scorn from most other public health experts. Dr. Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, was last week named the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A medical economist and former Stanford University professor, he replaced Jim O’Neill, a Silicon Valley executive with no medical training. (Mandavilli, 2/26)
AP: Minnesota Gov. Walz Unveils Legislation To Combat Fraud Amid Federal Funds Dispute
Gov. Tim Walz denounced the Trump administration’s latest threat to withhold federal funds from Minnesota as another step in a “retribution” campaign as he unveiled a package of legislation Thursday intended to fight fraud in public programs, a persistent problem that provided an impetus for the federal government’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. (Karnowski, 2/26)
KFF Health News: 'What The Health? From KFF Health News': What About The State Of Health?
After urging Republicans earlier this year to make health care a central issue in their midterm campaigns, President Donald Trump gave the issue only passing mention in his record-long State of the Union address this week. Meanwhile, Trump’s nominee to become U.S. surgeon general, Casey Means, a favorite of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, got her long-delayed hearing before a Senate committee this week. Means’ nomination has been controversial not only because of her outside-the-mainstream medical views but also because she would be the first surgeon general without an active medical license. (Rovner, 2/26)
Updates on NASA's recent medical emergency —
The Hill: Mike Fincke Identified As NASA Astronaut Who Suffered Medical Event Aboard ISS
Astronaut Mike Fincke revealed that he had a medical event that caused the early return of the International Space Station’s (ISS) Crew-11. The mission included fellow NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, along with Fincke. Fincke said that he experienced a medical event while on board the ISS and was stabilized by his crewmates, working with guidance from NASA flight surgeons. (Whiteside, 2/26)
