Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pharmaceutical Tariffs, Still Promised, Would Hurt Americans, Experts Warn
ABC News: Trump's Proposed Pharmaceutical Tariffs Could Drive Up Costs, Lead To Drug Shortages: Experts
Although Trump recently implemented a 90-day pause on some tariffs, he said Wednesday he's still serious about putting tariffs on pharmaceuticals to boost U.S. drug manufacturing. "We're going to put tariffs on the pharmaceutical companies, and they're going to all want to come back," Trump said, speaking from the Oval Office. The raw ingredients of almost all medications are made overseas, even for drugs that are manufactured in the U.S., meaning tariffs could drive up the costs of several medications including over-the-counter painkillers as well as antibiotics, heart medications and asthma drugs. (Kekatos, 4/10)
The Hill: House Democrats Sound Alarm Over Impact Of Tariffs On Medical Supply Chain
With President Trump’s latest tariffs underway, a group of House Democrats are calling on the administration to try to protect medical supply chains from the “devastating consequences” the mounting trade war could inflict on patients. Led by Democratic Reps. Doris Matsui (Calif.) and Brad Schneider (Ill.), 26 House Democrats signed a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warning that “reckless tariffs” are a threat to already fragile medical supply chains. (Choi, 4/9)
Stat: Why The Closure Of An FDA Office May Impact Generics Manufacturers - And Everyday Americans
Amid the hard-to-follow cutbacks at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a little-known but important office was eliminated — and the implications will be felt not only by drugmakers, but consumers. (Silverman, 4/9)
Politico: RFK Jr. Vowed To Upend American Health Care. It's Happening Faster Than Expected
Shortly after Donald Trump picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead his health department, a group of pharmaceutical executives traveled to Mar-a-Lago to personally express their reservations about the man who the president promised would “go wild” on health care. But Trump, confronted with their concerns about his history of anti-vaccine work and lack of government experience, waved the executives off, according to two people briefed on the conversation. Don’t worry about Bobby, he assured them. I’ll keep Kennedy under control. (Cancryn, 4/9)
On hemp and marijuana —
MedPage Today: At House Hearing, Hemp Industry Begs For More FDA Regulation While Others Seek Less
Wednesday's House hearing on restoring trust in the FDA included something that doesn't happen often: testimony from an industry representative begging for his industry to be regulated. "Lack of uniform quality control standards for hemp products at the federal level has forced responsible farmers and small business owners to compete against unscrupulous actors who generate headlines by distributing poorly manufactured products that are sometimes inappropriately marketed to children," Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the Hemp Roundtable, which advocates for the hemp industry, told members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (Frieden, 4/9)
The CT Mirror: CT Creates New Office To Regulate Medical And Recreational Marijuana
The Department of Consumer Protection is removing oversight and enforcement of the marijuana industry from the agency’s Drug Control Division less than a month after state officials apologized for what appeared to be a retaliatory inspection at a cannabis cultivation facility. (Pazniokas and Brown, 4/9)
More pharmaceutical news —
KFF Health News: Misinformation About Fentanyl Exposure Threatens To Undermine Overdose Response
Fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid driving the nation’s high drug overdose rates, is also caught up in another increasingly serious problem: misinformation. False and misleading narratives on social media, in news reports, and even in popular television dramas suggesting people can overdose from touching fentanyl — rather than ingesting it — are now informing policy and spending decisions. (Larweh, 4/10)
Newsweek: 'Remarkable' ALS Drug May Also Work On Alzheimer's
A drug originally developed to treat a rare neurological disease that weakens nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord may also hold promise for combating Alzheimer's, according to new research from Illinois's Northwestern University. The compound, NU-9, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical trials in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as "Lou Gehrig's disease". (Notarantonio, 4/9)
