Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Becomes First GLP-1 Oral Pill After FDA Approval
Stat: Pill Version Of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Approved, Possibly Widening Access
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the oral version of Novo Nordisk’s injectable weight loss drug Wegovy, making it the first GLP-1 pill to be cleared by regulators for obesity and possibly allowing many more Americans to access a highly effective treatment. (Chen, 12/22)
AP: US Signs New Health Deals With 9 African Countries
The U.S. government has signed health deals with at least nine African countries, part of its new approach to global health funding, with agreements that reflect the Trump administration’s interests and priorities and are geared toward providing less aid and more mutual benefits. The agreements signed so far, with Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda among others, are the first under the new global health framework, which makes aid dependent on negotiations between the recipient country and the U.S. (Magome and Gumede, 12/22)
Undark: CDC To Fund Controversial Study On Infant Hepatitis B Vaccines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending $1.6 million to a Danish vaccine research group with ties to the U.S. anti-vaccine movement to study the effects of the hepatitis B vaccine in infants in West Africa. Notice of the new grant — which the University of Southern Denmark submitted to the CDC “unsolicited” — was quietly posted to a federal website last Wednesday. (Manto, 12/23)
Health care technology updates —
Modern Healthcare: HHS Cuts Interoperability Proposals, Streamlines Health IT Regs
The Health and Human Services Department is closing out 2025 by attempting to deregulate the health technology sector. The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology issued two proposed rules Monday that would scrap provisions of an unfinished health information technology rule from the previous administration and streamline HHS’ health IT certification program. (12/22)
Stat: Trump’s Health Tech Gamble: Faster AI, Fewer Guardrails
In the technology industry, there is a proud tradition of unleashing innovations before regulators put the brakes on progress to consider concerns about safety and fairness. But in digital health under President Trump, it’s the regulators who are endorsing — even accelerating — the pace of change. (Ross, Aguilar, Palmer and Trang, 12/23)
More from the FDA —
MedPage Today: FDA Opens Door To Quicker Approval Of Osteoporosis Drugs
The FDA gave the greenlight to use total hip bone mineral density (BMD) as a validated surrogate endpoint for clinical osteoporosis drug trials, the FDA announced on Friday. (Monaco, 12/22)
MedPage Today: New Drug Approved For Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
The FDA on Friday approved aficamten (Myqorzo) for symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), drugmaker Cytokinetics announced. Aficamten is an allosteric and reversible inhibitor of cardiac myosin motor activity that reduces cardiac contractility and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction; the drug is indicated to improve functional capacity and symptoms in adults with the symptomatic obstructive form of HCM, the most common monogenic inherited cardiovascular disorder. (Ingram, 12/22)
The Hill: Former FDA Chief Sounds Alarm Over HHS Childhood Vaccine Overhaul
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb expressed concern over the Trump administration’s pending overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will release a new vaccine schedule next year that recommends fewer shots, NewsNation reported Friday. The move would bring the U.S., which recommends 72 childhood vaccines doses targeting 18 diseases, in line with Denmark, which recommends 11 doses targeting 10 diseases. (Rego, 12/22)
Also —
Bloomberg: USDA Lost A Third Of DC Staff Before Planned Relocation, Inspector General Finds
About a third of the US Department of Agriculture’s employees in the Washington area left the agency from January to June, as the Trump administration sought to aggressively trim what it sees as excessive government spending. More than 1,000 employees at the agency’s Washington, DC, headquarters departed in the first half of the year, according to a Dec. 17 report from the agency’s Office of Inspector General. About 18% of the USDA’s total employees — amounting to more than 20,000 workers — left during the period. (Peng, 12/22)
CIDRAP: As Marrazzo Prepares For Helm At IDSA, Scientific Community Praises Choice
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has tapped Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, as its next chief executive officer (CEO), which some observers in the scientific community hail as a bold move that signals the society’s willingness to push back against the Trump administration’s perceived attempts to muzzle academics and health professionals who defy it. (Van Beusekom, 12/22)
Becker's Hospital Review: Senators Raise Concerns Over VA Oracle Health EHR Rollout
Three U.S. senators have penned a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expressing apprehensions over the resumption of the agency’s EHR rollout in 2026. The project has been on hold amid technical and patient well-being issues, but the VA plans to go live with Oracle Health at 13 medical centers next year. U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., wrote Dec. 19 to VA Secretary Doug Collins, requesting a briefing to address their concerns by Jan. 19. (Bruce, 12/22)
