Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Policy Aide Reportedly In Running To Lead FDA
Bloomberg: Trump Administration Considering New Leader For FDA
White House policy aide Heidi Overton is among the final candidates the Trump administration is considering to lead the Food and Drug Administration, according to people familiar with the matter. No final decision has been made, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. It’s unclear whether Overton has the support of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., some of the people said. (Cohrs Zhang, 6/23)
More pharma and tech news —
MedPage Today: FDA Greenlights Generic Rifapentine For Tuberculosis
The FDA approved the first generic version of rifapentine (Priftin) to treat active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in adolescents and adults, as well as latent TB infection in patients as young as 2 years. (Rudd, 6/23)
Stat: FDA Drops Enforcement Against Whoop After It Tweaks Blood Pressure Feature
The Food and Drug Administration quietly told wearable maker Whoop last week that it would not take further enforcement action over a controversial feature that gives users a reading of their blood pressure. (Aguilar, 6/23)
Stat: What An Abandoned Trial Reveals About FDA 'Breakthrough' Devices
It wasn’t sure to be a slam dunk. By the time LivaNova launched a pivotal trial for its vagus nerve stimulator to treat heart failure in 2018, similar devices had shown mixed results. But the Food and Drug Administration had designated the device as a breakthrough, a label intended to speed promising technologies to patients with unmet needs: Maybe this would be the device to help heart failure patients when drugs weren’t enough. (Palmer, 6/24)
Verite News: Gene Therapy Cures Metro New Orleans Man Of Sickle Cell, Clears Path For Dream Of Becoming Pilot
Tears glazed Daniel Cressy’s face as he became the first patient in the Gulf South to be functionally cured of sickle cell disease through gene editing on Monday. He said it felt like being reborn. “ God has given me another life, a new chapter. I was able to experience a second birthday, something that most people will never experience,” he said during a celebration at Manning Family Children’s, surrounded by his care team and top public officials including Gov. Jeff Landry, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter and New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno. (Parker, 6/23)
The Hill: Serena Williams Comeback Has GLP-1 Critics Thinking She Has An Edge
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are a hot health topic. Now, critics are debating whether the medications should be banned in sports for potentially being performance-enhancing drugs. The debate comes after 23-time Grand Slam-winning superstar Serena Williams officially came back to tennis after stepping away from the game for four years. During that time, she admitted to using a GLP-1 medication to get back in shape, saying it helped her lose 34 pounds. (Sitz, 6/23)
