Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Many Laid-Off FDA Workers Brought Back, While VA Fires 1,400 More
The New York Times: F.D.A. Reinstates Fired Medical Device, Food And Legal Staffers
The Food and Drug Administration has reinstated dozens of specialized employees involved in food safety, review of medical devices and other areas who were laid off last week, according to more than a dozen workers who got called back. The total number of employees recalled was not immediately clear. But a person familiar with the conversations said nearly all of the roughly 180 medical division employees who had been let go would get their jobs back. (Jewett, 2/24)
The Hill: VA Fires Another 1,400 Employees
The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday fired another 1,400 employees amid outcry over a lack of transparency from the agency after 1,000 workers were axed earlier this month. The VA said the individuals dismissed were “non-mission critical” probationary employees who have served less than two years, according to a department statement. (Mitchell, 2/24)
CNN: FDA Delays When A Final Rule On What Foods Can Be Labeled As ‘Healthy’ Goes Into Effect
The US Food and Drug Administration’s new standards for foods before they can be labeled as “healthy” on their packaging will go into effect about two months later than planned, according to a government document scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. (Howard, 2/24)
Stat: Some NIH Study Sections To Resume Reviews; Grant Funding Remains Unclear
After weeks of being blocked by the Trump administration, one crucial step in the National Institutes of Health process for funding biomedical research is being largely restored, but it seems that won’t immediately allow new grants to be approved and resume the flow of millions of dollars to universities and medical schools. (Molteni and McFarling, 2/24)
Also —
Stat: U.S. Joins WHO-Led Flu Vaccine Meeting, Despite Planned Withdrawal From Agency
Two U.S. government agencies that are key players in the World Health Organization-led process to select the flu viruses for next winter’s influenza vaccines are participating in a meeting to discuss the issue, despite the Trump administration’s plans to withdraw from the global health agency, sources told STAT. (Branswell, 2/24)
Axios: Rare Disease Meeting Gets Pushed Off By HHS
As hundreds of researchers, patient advocates and policymakers gather in Washington, D.C., this week for an advocacy fly-in on rare diseases, a notable gap has appeared on their schedule: an annual gathering hosted by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. (Reed, 2/25)
KFF Health News: With RFK Jr. In Charge, Supplement Makers See Chance To Cash In
Last fall, before being named the senior U.S. health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration would liberate Americans from the FDA’s “aggressive suppression” of vitamins, dietary supplements, and other substances — ending the federal agency’s “war on public health,” as he put it. In fact, the FDA can’t even require that supplements be effective before they are sold. (Allen, 2/25)
