First Edition: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Guns, Race, And Profit: The Pain Of America’s Other Epidemic 
Less than a mile from a century-old mill that sustained generations in this small town north of New Orleans, 19-year-old Tajdryn Forbes was shot to death near his mother’s house. She found Forbes face down in the street in August 2023, two weeks before he had planned to move away from the empty storefronts, boarded-up houses, and poverty that make this one of the most troubled places in the nation. (Clasen-Kelly and Rayasam, 8/19)

KFF Health News: The National Suicide Hotline For LGBTQ+ Youth Went Dead. States Are Scrambling To Help
On July 17, the option went dead for LGBTQ+ youth to access specialized mental health support from the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said a month earlier that it would no longer “silo” services and would instead “focus on serving all help seekers.” That meant the elimination of the “Press 3” option, the dedicated line answered by staff specifically trained to handle LGBTQ+ youth facing mental health issues ranging from anxiety to thoughts of suicide. (Sciacca, 8/19)

VACCINES

ABC News: Leading Pediatrician Group Recommends COVID Vaccine For Infants, Toddlers In Contrast With RFK Jr.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said on Tuesday that children ages 6 months to 23 months should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, in contrast with federal health officials. The recommendations are part of the AAP's annual childhood immunization schedule, which includes guidance for COVID, flu and RSV vaccines for those aged 18 and younger. (Kekatos and Benadjaoud, 8/19)

MedPage Today: Are Vaccine Panels At CDC, FDA 'Plagued' By Conflicts? Numbers Say No
Financial conflicts of interest (COIs) among federal vaccine panel members have been at historical lows since the 2000s, contradicting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claim that conflicts "plague" the panels, according to a new analysis. The average prevalence rate of reported COIs among members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) dropped from 42.8% in 2000 to 5% in 2024, said Genevieve Kanter, PhD, of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues. (Rudd, 8/18)

FEDERAL REORGANIZATION AND FUNDING CUTS

Roll Call: Trump's Health Agency Streamlining Goals Hit Roadblock 
Five months after the Trump administration rolled out its grand plans for a signature “Make America Healthy Again” agency, Congress has shied away from taking steps to bring the new agency to fruition. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plan for the agency in March amid a wide-scale restructuring of the department intended to streamline duplicative efforts and cut costs. (Raman, 8/18)

The Washington Post: A Cancer Patient's NIH Therapy Is Delayed Due To Staff Cuts
Richard Schlueter, 56, was planting cucumbers and squash in his community garden plot in Greensboro, Georgia, in May when he tore open a bag of soil and heard a pop. His collarbone had snapped. In early June, a scan revealed that the cancer that started in his tonsils was racing through his bones. That day, he called a medical team at the National Institutes of Health that had created an experimental cell therapy, custom-made to attack his cancer as part of a clinical trial. He needed it. Now. (Johnson, 8/18)

Stat: Can A Humble, Harley-Riding Professor And Former Trump Adviser Fend Off Science Cuts?
Kelvin Droegemeier heard rumblings about a sweeping change in science policy long before the rest of the academic world. And once the news broke, he knew exactly whom to contact. It was February, and the veteran researcher was sitting in the office of Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the influential chair of the House appropriations committee and an old acquaintance. Droegemeier had called him up after the National Institutes of Health announced it would slash billions of dollars in payments to universities for research overhead, also known as indirect costs. (Wosen, 8/19)

TARIFFS AND DRUG PRICES

Becker's Hospital Review: How Health Systems Are Bracing For Tariffs
As the Trump administration moves forward with sweeping tariffs aimed at increasing U.S. manufacturing, health systems are ramping up efforts to protect patients from potential effects. At Renton, Wash.-based Providence, COO Darryl Elmouchi, MD, said the health system has implemented a supply chain risk management program to help prepare for challenges with respect to tariffs. (Murphy, 8/18)

Bloomberg: Shionogi Weighs Making Antibiotics In US Amid Rising Tariffs
Shionogi & Co. is weighing producing its antibiotic Fetroja in the US as the pharma industry comes under pressure from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The Japanese drugmaker is “actively” considering the option, with a goal of starting supply during the Trump administration, though no decision has been made on a site or investment, according to a spokesman. The company expects the medicine - used to treat multi-drug resistance bacterial infection - to become a key product as cases of antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, increase. (Matsuyama, 8/18)

Stat: Trump's Top Weapon To Lower Drug Prices Is A Law Signed By Biden 
President Trump may aggressively negotiate lower drug prices in Medicare using a program that Democrats created and Trump rarely mentions in public. (Wilkerson, 8/19)

Stat: Pharma Is Pivoting To Expand Direct-To-Consumer Sales. Will Prices Come Down?
Among the demands that President Trump has made to the pharmaceutical industry to lower drug prices, there’s been one that companies have enthusiastically supported: selling drugs directly to consumers. (Chen, 8/19)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

CBS News: Nearly A Third Of People Using Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pills Previously Used Nothing, Study Finds
Two years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, new research is looking at who's switching to it and why. In the study, published Monday in JAMA Network Open, researchers used survey data from 986 people, ages 15 to 45, in 44 states who obtained the over-the-counter pill either online or at a pharmacy. They found that a significant portion of users shifted to the over-the-counter pill from a less-effective method of birth control or from using no contraception at all. (Moniuszko, 8/18)

The Guardian: Action Needed On Plastic Additives Linked To Sperm Decline, Experts Warn
Action must be taken to curb the use of plastic additives linked to plummeting sperm counts, a leading reproductive scientist has warned, as splits over chemical regulation contributed to the collapse of a crucial treaty on plastic pollution. Across the world, sperm counts have been declining at a rate of about 1% a year for the past 50 years, and human fertility has been diminishing at a similar rate, studies have shown. (Gayle, 8/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: New Moms Are Turning To Psychedelics For Mental Health Help
Maci Philitas is deep underwater. Diving in the inky abyss, she finds a brown treasure chest. She opens it. Inside are four framed photographs. Philitas and her husband laughing, listening to her brother giving a toast at their wedding. Her parents and in-laws getting married. And a family photo: Philitas, her husband and their two young sons. She holds the photos, feeling suspended in time. She leaves them inside the chest, far beneath the water, for safekeeping. In reality, Philitas was lying on a couch with a face mask covering her eyes in a pale blue room at the NYU Langone Health Center for Psychedelic Medicine in Manhattan. (Kadvany, 8/18)

PHARMACEUTICALS

Chicago Tribune: Abbott Scores A Win In Court As It Faces Baby Formula Suits
A federal judge has thrown out a second case against Abbott Laboratories over the safety of its formula for babies born prematurely — a decision with potential implications for hundreds of other similar cases. In the case, Maryland woman Keosha Diggs alleged that her son developed a life-threatening intestinal disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after being fed specialized cow’s milk formula made by Abbott. Her son, who was born at 32 weeks gestation, then had to undergo surgery to remove a section of his intestine. (Schencker, 8/18)

Fortune: Novo Nordisk Slashes Price Of Ozempic In Half To $499 For Cash-Paying, Eligible U.S. Patients
Novo Nordisk has announced a sweeping reduction in the cost of its blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic, cutting the monthly price for cash-paying U.S. patients with Type 2 diabetes from its previous list price of nearly $1,000 to just $499. The news follows mounting calls for greater drug affordability and may signal a pivotal shift in the pharmaceutical pricing landscape. (Lichtenberg, 8/18)

Stat: Stealth BioTherapeutics Discloses FDA Rejection Letter In Effort To Rally Support
In a highly unusual move, a small biotech company has disclosed a rejection letter from the Food and Drug Administration in hopes of rallying support for regulatory approval of an ultra-rare disease drug. (Silverman, 8/18)

NBC News: For Kids With Barth Syndrome, Time Is Running Out, Parents Say, Unless The FDA Acts
Gilbert Dryden probably only has enough medication to get him through the end of October, his mother, Madison, figures. Seven-month-old Gilbert has a rare genetic condition called Barth syndrome, one that can have dire consequences, like heart failure, extreme muscle weakness and a dramatically reduced life expectancy. Children who die early often don’t see their fifth birthday. Two infant deaths were reported within the past week, according to the Barth Syndrome Foundation. (Brock and Edwards, 8/18)

AP: FDA Shifts From Expert Advisers To Ad Hoc Panels Under Marty Makary
When the Food and Drug Administration needs outside guidance, it normally turns to a trusted source: a large roster of expert advisers who are carefully vetted for their independence, credentials and judgment. But increasingly, the agency isn’t calling them. Instead, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has launched a series of ad hoc “expert panels” to discuss antidepressants, menopause drugs and other topics with physicians and researchers who often have contrarian views and financial interests in the subjects. (Perrone, 8/18)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Modern Healthcare: Medicaid Cuts May Cause ER Overcrowding. Here's Who Could Help
Health systems are deploying an often-overlooked resource to combat a potential increase in uninsured patients — community health workers. Health systems hope community health workers can help prevent people from losing insurance coverage due to expiring subsidies for health insurance exchange customers and the new tax law. Providers warn a rush of uninsured people could overwhelm already overcrowded emergency departments and hospitals. (Kacik, 8/18)

Modern Healthcare: Centene’s Medicare Advantage Enrollment Suspension Lifted By CMS
Regulators lifted an enrollment suspension of one of Centene’s Medicare Advantage contracts for the upcoming sign-up season. Last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services barred Centene’s Wellcare of Missouri from enrolling new members because the company charged too much in premiums and failed to spend enough on patient care over a three-year period. CMS requires Medicare Advantage insurance companies spend at least 85% of premiums on enrollee claims and tracks insurers’ spending through a metric known as the medical loss ratio. (Tepper, 8/18)

Modern Healthcare: The Medicare Advantage, ACA Lawsuits Deciding Regulation Issues
Legal challenges to Medicare Advantage marketing, health insurance exchange regulations and the No Surprises Act are working their way through the courts with major implications for the healthcare sector. Here are some key cases that could change how health insurance companies sell Medicare plans, how insurers and providers resolve out-of-network billing disputes, how consumers sign up for health insurance exchange plans, and how preventive healthcare is covered. (Early, 8/18)

Fierce Healthcare: Elevance Health Expands Food As Medicine Support In Primary Care
Elevance Health is integrating its food as medicine program for Medicaid members in community health centers, the insurer announced Monday. In partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the company said it will begin training primary provider teams. Now, certain Medicaid members at risk for diet-related chronic conditions can receive personalized nutrition support, a news release said. (Tong, 8/18)

WUSF: USF Offering Degree In Health Care Simulation Operations 
When the fall semester begins this month at the University of South Florida, the USF College of Public Health will offer a first-of-its-kind, university-based bachelor's degree in health care simulation operations. The curriculum is offered in conjunction with the USF Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), one of the world’s largest free-standing health care simulation facilities, according to the university. (Wantuck, 8/19)

STATE WATCH

Bloomberg: Texas Declares Measles Outbreak Over With No Cases Since July
Texas declared an end to the state’s measles outbreak on Monday, after a surge of infections this year drove the US to its highest rate in three decades. The Texas Department of State Health Services said there have been no new cases in areas with previously high transmission for 42 days, double the virus’s incubation period. Since January, the state has recorded 762 total cases. Two unvaccinated children died from measles-related complications. (Nix, 8/18)

The Colorado Sun: Second Measles Case Reported In Mesa County, Hinting At Silent Spread
Colorado health officials reported a second case of measles in Mesa County on Monday, deepening concern about possible silent transmission of the virus in the county. (Ingold, 8/19)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland School Vaccination Exemptions Increasing Amid Record-Breaking Measles Year 
The cries of small children echoed throughout the Pikesville Middle School gym last week as scores of parents and children — pre-Kindergarteners through adolescents — waited for their turn to get their shots. No one was thrilled about attending this Aug. 11 back-to-school vaccination clinic, but parents on hand said they believe the required inoculations are necessary to keep their children safe from diseases like polio or measles. (Bazos, 8/18)

CIDRAP: New Jersey Officials Probe Local Malaria Infection
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) today announced that it and the state's Department of Environmental Protection are investigating a local malaria case in a resident of Morris County who has no international travel history. If confirmed, the case would mark New Jersey's first locally acquired malaria case since 1991, the NJDOH said. It added that although Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit the disease live in New Jersey, the overall risk of locally acquired malaria remains low. (Schnirring, 8/18)

Fox News: California Valley Fever Cases Could Break 2024 Record, Health Officials Say
Cases of Valley fever are spiking in California, according to health officials. As of the end of July, there were 6,761 cases confirmed — which means if this pace continues, the total 2025 numbers will likely exceed the 12,595 cases seen in 2024. (Rudy, 8/18)

AP: Appeals Court Overturns Order That Stripped Some Protections From Pregnant Texas State Workers
A federal appeals court has upheld a law strengthening the rights of pregnant workers, vacating a judge’s earlier order that had stripped those protections from Texas state employees. The ruling was a victory for advocates of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a law that passed with bipartisan support in 2022 but quickly became embroiled in controversy over whether it covers workers seeking abortions and fertility treatments. (Olson, 8/18)

MedPage Today: University Offers Psychedelic Therapy Training
This fall, the University of Colorado Denver's Center for Psychedelic Research will launch the nation's first state-approved program in psychedelic therapy. Once facilitators become licensed through the program, they will be able to administer psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic, or "magic," mushrooms. It is the first such program offered by a university that leads to a legal practice in the country. The program opens in the midst of a remarkable shift in the cultural, legal, and medical perception of psychedelics. (Nielsen, 8/18)

Los Angeles Times: 'Ketamine Queen' To Plead Guilty To Federal Charges, Selling Drug That Killed Matthew Perry
A drug dealer dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” has agreed to plead guilty to five federal criminal charges, including that she provided the drug that ultimately led actor Matthew Perry to suffer a fatal overdose in October 2023, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Jasveen Sangha, 42, also admitted in her plea agreement to selling four vials of ketamine to Cody McLaury in August 2019. McLaury, 33, died hours later in his Los Angeles home from a drug overdose that included ketamine. (Winton, 8/18)

LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH

Military.com: Cancer In Military Pilots And Aircrews Will Be Studied Under Newly Signed Law
An independent panel will study the rates of cancer and deaths from cancer among military fixed-wing pilots and aircrews under a law signed last week by President Donald Trump. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine will conduct a thorough review on the prevalence of various cancers among personnel who have served on active duty on fighter jets, trainers, surveillance aircraft and other airplanes to determine whether cancer rates are elevated in the aviation community. (Kime, 8/18)

Newsweek: Early Warning Sign For Aggressive Cancers Discovered
A protein found in our cells could act as an early warning sign for aggressive cancers—and a new target for drugs to stop them spreading. This is the discovery of scientists from Brunel University of London, who have shown for the first time that a protein that helps a cell prepare to divide can also trigger metastasis. (Millington, 8/18)

CIDRAP: Study Suggests Probiotics May Suppress Antibiotic Resistance Genes In Preterm Infants
A small UK study published last week in Nature Communications found that among a cohort of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, those who received probiotic supplements had fewer antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens in their gut than those who didn't, even when they also received antibiotics. (Dall, 8/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Your Late-Night Cheese Fix May Be Linked To Your Nightmares, New Study Suggests
Dreamed that you forgot to wear pants? Or you lost your job? It might have something to do with what you ate before bed. New research from Canadian scientists suggests that certain foods, namely dairy products, are associated with nightmares. The culprit? Gastrointestinal distress brought on after ingesting foods like cheese right before bedtime. (Woodward, 8/18)