Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Thursday, May 7, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Trump Promised Cheaper Drugs. Some Prices Dropped. Many Others Shot Up
Since his second term started, President Donald Trump has announced, negotiated, or floated a flurry of initiatives aimed at taming the excesses of the pharmaceutical industry. No surprise. About 60% of American adults are “worried about being able to afford prescription drug costs for themselves or their families,” a recent KFF nationwide poll showed. More than 80% consider the price of prescription drugs “unreasonable,” and most support increased regulation to lower costs. Americans pay about three times as much as people in other countries for the same prescription drugs. (Rosenthal and Allen, 5/7)
KFF Health News: That Discount At The Pharmacy Counter May Pack Hidden Costs
Next time you go to the pharmacy, you might be offered a coupon on your prescription drugs. While it may sound like a great deal — with the prospect of saving hundreds of dollars — the decision to accept it is complicated, especially for people with insurance. Even as prescription drug costs rise, patients with commercial insurance have slowed their use of manufacturer-sponsored drug coupons in recent years, according to a study published April 6 by the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Spears, 5/7)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
The New York Times: Health Authorities Monitor Hantavirus Cruise Passengers In United States
American officials said on Wednesday that residents in three states were being monitored for potential hantavirus infections after being aboard a Dutch cruise ship where there was a deadly outbreak of the virus. None of the people being monitored have shown signs of illness, the officials said. The Georgia Department of Public Health is monitoring two residents, it said in a statement. The California Department of Public Health was notified by the C.D.C. that California residents had been on the MV Hondius as well, said Robert Barsanti, a spokesman for the department. The Arizona Department of Health Services received notification that one resident was a passenger on the ship, according to a spokeswoman. (Kirk and Agrawal, 5/6)
AP: 40 Passengers Previously Disembarked Cruise Ship With Hantavirus Outbreak At Island Of St. Helena
About 40 passengers on a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak previously disembarked on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena after the first passenger died, Dutch officials said Thursday. The dozens of passengers, including the wife of a Dutch man who died, left the cruise ship during a stop at the British territory, the Dutch foreign ministry said. The Dutch cruise company that operates the ship previously said the Dutch woman disembarked the ship with her husband’s body at St. Helena. She then flew to South Africa on a commercial plane and died after collapsing at an airport in Johannesburg. (5/7)
The New York Times: Hantavirus Patients Land In Amsterdam With More Cruise Ship Evacuations Planned
Infected people aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship with a deadly outbreak of hantavirus, have started to be evacuated from the ship and brought to hospitals in Europe. Two patients have landed in the Netherlands, where they are receiving medical treatment, according to a statement from Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch company operating the cruise. Two of the evacuated patients had “acute” symptoms, according to the Dutch foreign ministry. Another patient was evacuated on a separate flight, the company said. That flight is experiencing a delay and the patient is in stable condition, the company said. (Moses, Ortiz and Kirk, 5/6)
Newsweek: The Morbid Reason Hantavirus Is Unlikely To Be Next Pandemic
Three people died aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic within three weeks this May. Seven cases of hantavirus—two laboratory confirmed, five suspected—have been identified on the MV Hondius, anchored off Cape Verde. Illness struck rapidly. Fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, pneumonia, respiratory distress, shock. One patient in critical condition. Another evacuated from the ship in an ambulance boat. The rare Andes strain of hantavirus, confirmed May 6, is known for something that should terrify public health officials: It can spread from person to person. Yet epidemiologists are not panicking. (Mesa, 5/6)
COVID AND FLU
AP: Penalized By The IRS During COVID? You May Be Owed A Refund
Tens of millions of taxpayers who were penalized by the IRS during the coronavirus pandemic for failing to pay their taxes or filing late may qualify for a refund or termination of the penalties they incurred during that period. However, the relief is not automatic or guaranteed, and most taxpayers need to file a claim for a refund or abatement of their tax liability by July 10 to get their money back. (Hussein, 5/6)
CIDRAP: New Research Chips Away At COVID-19 Blood Clot Mystery
Doctors and scientists are still working to understand why COVID-19 can cause fatal damage to so many different organs. A potentially major piece of that puzzle was revealed today in research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalized patients who weren't sick enough to be in the intensive care unit would suffer heart attacks and strokes, said William T. Bain, MD, a critical care pulmonologist at the University of Pittsburgh and the study's senior author. (Boden, 5/6)
NBC News: Moderna’s MRNA Flu Vaccine More Effective Than Standard Shot In Late-Stage Trial
The efficacy of flu shots is not always the same and it’s not always optimal. Some years, they can reduce the risk of illness by as little as 20% to 30%. Messenger RNA technology, or mRNA, is widely seen as a promising way to improve the effectiveness of flu shots, partly because it can be updated more quickly to match circulating strains. (Lovelace Jr., 5/6)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The Hill: Surgeon General Nominee Nicole Saphier's Criticized Trump, RFK Jr. In Deleted Posts
President Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Nicole Saphier, previously criticized healthcare guidance and recommendations from the administration in now-deleted social media posts unearthed by CNN. Saphier, a former Fox News contributor and radiologist, seemed less than impressed in archived posts on the social platform X when it came to some aspects of how the White House was handling infectious disease and medical advice. (Choi, 5/6)
Stat: FDA Begins Rebuilding A Year After DOGE: 6 Voices On What Was Lost
After defending the Trump administration’s dramatic health cuts as a solution to bureaucratic bloat, the health department’s leaders are beginning to realize that a demoralized, diminished workforce will not help them achieve their goals. (Lawrence, 5/7)
CIDRAP: KFF Poll Shows 41% Of US Adults Back MAHA Agenda
Four in ten US adults polled in a new KFF survey said they support the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, but an even wider swath of the American public is concerned about the regulation of chemical additives in foods and the use of pesticides in agriculture. The poll showed MAHA fans were largely (two-thirds) Republicans who aligned themselves with President Donald Trump. However, 75% of those polled said there is not enough regulation of chemical additives in food and 64% there’s not enough regulation of pesticides used in agriculture, issues championed by those on both sides of the aisle. (Soucheray, 5/6)
IMMIGRATION CRISIS
ProPublica: Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Has Harmed Scores Of Kids With Tear Gas, Pepper Spray
The children were walking to school in Broadview, Illinois, or leaving a shopping center in Columbus, Ohio. They were at home in Minneapolis, or sitting in a stroller in Chicago, or at an afternoon protest in Portland, Oregon, alongside dogs on leashes and older people pushing walkers. They were mostly going about their days when federal immigration agents shot tear gas or fired pepper spray near their homes and schools and into their family cars. The chemicals blew through the air, sometimes for blocks. (Song, Miller, Sanchez and Elba, 5/7)
The New York Times: His DNA Was Taken After His Arrest At An ICE Protest. Now, He’s Suing.
In a lawsuit, an Air Force veteran says that the federal government is sending a “chilling message” to people demonstrating against the immigration crackdown. (Meko, 5/6)
ON CAPITOL HILL
CIDRAP: US Lawmakers Seek Answers On Blocked Funding For Gavi
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is calling on the Trump administration to restore US funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In a letter sent earlier this week, members of the Senate appropriations committee urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to restore the $600 million appropriated by Congress in fiscal years 2025 and 2026 for the public-private partnership, which help poor countries purchase and administer vaccines that protect children against 20 infectious diseases. The funding expires on September 30 if it’s not released. (Dall, 5/6)
The New York Times: Susan Collins Says She Has Long Had A Benign Tremor
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican seeking re-election in one of the most hotly contested races in the nation, disclosed in an interview published Wednesday that she had long had what she called a benign essential tremor. “I have had it for the entire time that I have served in the United States Senate,” Ms. Collins, 73, told News Center Maine, a local outlet. “It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or on how I feel each day.” (Glueck, 5/6)
The New York Times: Giuliani Seeks To Have Health Care Covered By 9/11 Program
Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who has been diagnosed with pneumonia, is applying for free medical care through a federal program for emergency workers and others exposed to toxins following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to his lawyer. More than 152,000 people have been enrolled in the initiative, the World Trade Center Health Program, which pays for medical research and provides free medical care to people affected by the terrorist attacks. ... When the first tower toppled, Mr. Giuliani was two blocks away. As he walked north, ash dusted his head and shoulders. In the aftermath, he oversaw the cleanup of the collapsed World Trade Center and made frequent visits in the first three months after the attack. (Goldstein and Bromwich, 5/6)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
CBS News: Legionella Bacteria Cases Confirmed At Kaiser Permanente In Santa Clara
A hospital in Santa Clara County is working to find the source of contamination that led to several people being infected by Legionella bacteria. Officials at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara said Tuesday they have confirmed several cases of people being infected by the bacteria. Legionella occurs naturally in water and is spread by inhaling contaminated mist and not through person-to-person contact. (Fang, 5/6)
CBS News: Several Pittsburgh-Area Hospitals Could Be At Risk Of Closing, Watchdog Report Claims
A report from Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog, has identified several Pittsburgh-area hospitals that it says could be at risk of closing. The catalyst it identified for the potential closures are cuts to Medicaid and other government health programs. It's an analysis that the hospitals dispute. ... Public Citizen cited cuts to Medicaid and other programs from a federal spending bill passed last year by Congress and the President that contributed to this list. (Adele, 5/6)
Stat: PeaceHealth Drops Plan To Outsource Oregon ER Physicians
After a tidal wave of blowback that culminated in a lawsuit, a nonprofit health system has reversed course in its plan to replace its Oregon emergency physicians with a national chain. (Bannow, 5/6)
CIDRAP: Survey: Facing Headwinds, Early-Career Physician-Scientists Mull Other Options, Jobs Abroad
After recent US policy shifts, a survey of 175 early-career physician-scientists suggests that they struggle with balancing clinical, research, and educational responsibilities; work-family balance; limited funding; and low compensation, with 58% considering leaving academic medicine in the next two years and 44% mulling a move abroad. The findings, which haven’t been peer-reviewed, were published this week on the preprint server medRxiv. (Van Beusekom, 5/6)
Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth, CVS, Cigna Warn Shareholders About Bad PR, AI Risks
Health insurance companies highlighted damaged reputations, the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, and the consequences of President Donald Trump’s tariffs in regulatory disclosures issued over recent weeks. Publicly traded companies such as UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, Elevance Health and Cigna filed these proxy statements and annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission as precursors to their yearly shareholder meetings. For the second consecutive year, insurers emphasized the burden of negative publicity and outlined efforts to rehabilitate their images. (Tong, 5/6)
Fierce Healthcare: Joint Commission, NACHC Partner With Focus On Health Centers
The Joint Commission and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) are teaming up to develop resources for community health centers nationwide. The groups will develop education, training and advisory services for the over 1,500 community health centers serving 52 million Americans. A new Joint Commission accreditation program will also be created to ensure that community health centers deliver the highest quality of care. (Gliadkovskaya, 5/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF To Build New Mission Bay Institute For Hearing Loss Care
The University of California regents on Wednesday approved the construction of a new UCSF hearing institute in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood that, upon completion in 2029, will consolidate medical care and research for hearing loss under one roof. The UCSF Bakar Ear and Hearing Institute will be a five-story, 150,000-square foot building at Nelson Rising Lane and Fifth Street, near UCSF’s other research and clinical facilities. Construction is slated to begin in late 2026. (Ho, 5/6)
Bloomberg: Lilly’s Mounjaro Overtakes Merck’s ‘King Keytruda’ As World’s Top-Selling Drug
Eli Lilly & Co.’s blockbuster diabetes drug Mounjaro has surpassed Merck & Co.’s cancer therapy Keytruda as the world’s best-selling medication. Mounjaro generated $8.7 billion for Lilly in the first quarter of 2026, outperforming Merck’s Keytruda, which posted sales of $7.9 billion. Keytruda has been the world’s top-selling drug since the first quarter of 2023, when it displaced AbbVie Inc.’s autoimmune disorder drug Humira. (Inampudi, 5/6)
ABC News: Online Platform Agrees To Stop Selling GLP-1 Drugs To US Customers
An international online platform settled with the Connecticut attorney general's office Wednesday and agreed to stop selling GLP-1 weight-loss medications to customers in the United States, according to a press release from the attorney general's office. The platform, called Made-in-China, had sold so-called "research grade" GLP-1 drugs without prescriptions or any medical oversight, which are not approved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to consumers without prescriptions, according to the press release. (Katersky and Yu, 5/6)
The Wall Street Journal: America’s Weight-Loss Drug Boom Is Going Global
As the weight-loss category grows more competitive, obesity-leader Eli Lilly has started to look a bit richly valued to some investors. Prices for weight-loss drugs have been falling, and early scripts for Lilly’s new pill, Foundayo, didn’t suggest it was off to a rousing start in the U.S. That is why, leading up to last week’s earnings, the stock fell sharply—a rare moment of investor doubt for a company that hit a $1 trillion market capitalization just last fall. (Wainer, 5/7)
PHARMA AND TECH
The New York Times: Tofersen, A New Treatment For A.L.S., Reverses Symptoms For Some
The drug is for a small subset of patients. But evidence that breathing and strength can get better for some of them is remarkable for a paralyzing, usually fatal disease. (Belluck, 5/6)
MedPage Today: Safety Data On The Novel Pancreatic Cancer Drug Available By Early Access
The investigational drug daraxonrasib, now available through an early access program, demonstrated promising efficacy in previously treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and was associated with high-grade adverse events in about a third of patients, phase I/II data showed. (Bassett, 5/6)
Stat: Sanofi Seeks To Pull Drug From Makary FDA Speedy Review Program
Sanofi has asked the Food and Drug Administration to pull its type 1 diabetes drug, teplizumab, out of Commissioner Marty Makary’s new speedy drug review program. (Lawrence, 5/6)
NPR: These Labs Say They Can Screen Embryos For Specific Traits. Should You?
Justin Schleede reaches onto a black lab bench to pick up a tray of small plastic tubes. "These are saliva samples as well as blood," says Schleede, a geneticist who runs Herasight Inc.'s lab in Morrisville, N.C. "We also get cells from the embryos." Herasight, which is named after Hera, the Greek goddess associated with fertility, is one of a handful of new companies that analyze samples like these for a controversial new type of genetic testing: polygenic embryo screening. (Stein, 5/6)
STATE WATCH
Concord Monitor: NH To Get Nearly $30 Million From Purdue Pharma In Opioid Settlement
New Hampshire will receive more than $29.5 million from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family as a nationwide settlement goes into effect. That money will support prevention, treatment and recovery efforts for those dealing with substance use. State officials expect a little more than half, $16.2 million, to be disbursed over the next three years. (Matherly, 5/6)
Concord Monitor: NH Medical Marijuana Program Added 2,100 New Patients Last Year
More than 2,100 new patients signed up with New Hampshire’s Therapeutic Cannabis Program last year, bringing the total registry to nearly 17,000, according to new state data. That increase — about 14.5% from the year prior — is the largest since 2021. (Matherly, 5/6)
ProPublica: NY AG Investigating Columbia's Role In OB-GYN Robert Hadden's Abuse Of Patients
The New York State attorney general’s office has begun investigating how Columbia University let a predatory doctor continue to see patients despite decades of warnings. “The Office of the Attorney General is conducting a thorough investigation into the institutional response to Robert Hadden’s misconduct,” a spokesperson said in a statement to ProPublica. The agency did not give further details. (Fortis, 5/6)
The New York Times: 5 Takeaways From The Last Televised California Governor Debate
Candidates debated housing and insurance policy in the first half, then furiously attacked one another at the end. The two Republicans, Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, have teamed up to attack Democrats but have not differentiated themselves much from each other on policy. They were joined by a crowd of Democrats: Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general and cabinet secretary under President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager; Katie Porter, a former congresswoman; Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, Calif.; and Antonio Villaraigosa, a former mayor of Los Angeles. (Karlamangla and Rosenhall, 5/7)
The Colorado Sun: Mesa County Says State Stiffed It $1.3 Million For Mental Health
Mesa County claims in a new lawsuit that the state Behavioral Health Administration shorted the county $1.3 million in grant funds that were supposed to pay for mental health services, including a co-responder program that paired clinicians with law enforcement. (Brown, 5/6)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AP: Investigation Finds Georgia Knew Carpet Mill Chemicals Were Polluting Local Water
Even without federal limits on chemicals like PFAS, states have the authority to protect public health and the environment. Instead, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division did little to confront the problem, issuing neither fish advisories nor do-not-drink orders to the public even as concerns grew among scientists and federal regulators about the dangers of PFAS, an investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press and FRONTLINE (PBS) has found. (Jackson, Dearen and Price, 5/6)
PUBLIC HEALTH
Delish: Over 60,000 Cartons Of Milk Recalled In 4 States
A voluntary Class II recall affects Horizon Organic Chocolate Organic Lowfat Milk, distributed in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon. Over 3,500 cases, each containing 18 8-ounce cartons, are the subject of the recall and are being pulled from store shelves. That’s over 60,000 cartons total. The reason for the recall? “Package integrity compromised,” according to the report. (Mactas, 5/6)
ABC News: What To Know About Recalled Potato Chips Sold Nationwide
Multiple flavors of two popular potato chip brands have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination. Utz Quality Foods announced Tuesday that it has issued a voluntary national recall of certain limited varieties of Zapp’s and Dirty potato chips after the company received a notification "that a seasoning containing dry milk powder" from an outside source and supplied by a third-party supplier "may contain the presence of Salmonella." (McCarthy, 5/6)
