Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Speculation Ramps Up Over Still-Unfilled FDA Chief Nomination
The Hill: Biden Yet To Nominate New FDA Chief Even As Delta Surges
President Biden has yet to nominate a permanent head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at a time when the government is navigating a surge in COVID-19 cases from the delta variant. It’s unclear why the post remains vacant more than six months into Biden’s presidency, but some experts suggest politics may be getting in the way. Some Democratic senators are pushing back on the prospects of acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock being named to the permanent role, but health care experts are warning that the administration needs to fill the position immediately. (Coleman and Gangitano, 8/8)
Stat: As White House Mulls FDA Commissioner Job, A Sign Of Industry Backing For Woodcock Surfaces
Shortly after the Biden administration took office, a letter-writing campaign erupted over who should be the next Food and Drug Administration Commissioner. The missives reflected a bitter divide over Janet Woodcock, a longstanding but controversial agency official who was named acting commissioner. Some praised her political savvy and experience. Others criticized her for being too sympathetic to industry. (Silverman, 8/9)
Politico: Obamacare Architect Floated For Top FDA Job
Biden administration officials involved in the lengthy search for a permanent Food and Drug Administration commissioner have discussed University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel as a candidate to lead the agency, according to four people with knowledge of the deliberations. A prominent figure in Democratic health policy circles, Emanuel helped craft the Affordable Care Act as an adviser to the Obama administration. The 63-year-old has since become a strong ally of President Joe Biden, advising his campaign and later serving on the transition’s Covid-19 advisory board. (Cancryn and Owermohle, 8/6)
And more on the Biden administration's covid response —
The Hill: White House Grapples With COVID-19 Resurgence
The White House is grappling with a resurgence of coronavirus cases that Democrats see as a real political threat given the central role getting the pandemic under control plays for President Biden. Cases fell dramatically over the first months of Biden’s presidency, with the rollout of vaccines boosting his poll numbers and lending a spirit of optimism to the country and the administration in the spring. Biden’s numbers still look good and could be boosted further by strong economic news — including a blockbuster jobs report on Friday — that suggests that so far, at least, the rising cases have not depressed spending or the recovering economy. (Chalfant and Parnes, 8/9)
Axios: America Is Relying On Other Countries For Data On The Delta Variant
America is increasingly reliant on data coming from other countries or from drug companies about the coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness over time, particularly when it comes to the Delta variant. Top Biden officials are growing frustrated with the lack of internal visibility into data being collected by the CDC, particularly as they try to deal with Delta's spread. (Owens, 8/9)
In other news from the Biden administration —
Modern Healthcare: Biden To Nix 'Most Favored Nation' Drug Rule
The Biden administration plans to pull the plug on a contentious Trump-era demonstration that would tie Medicare outpatient drug pay to other wealthy countries' drug prices, according to a CMS proposed rule on Friday. Hospitals had opposed the "most favored nation" drug policy, arguing that it would hurt their bottom lines and put the entire onus of lowering drug prices on hospitals rather than drug companies or Medicare. The Trump-era rule also would have created the CMS Innovation Center's first nationwide, mandatory experiment—a massive departure from the agency's usual approach to testing new payment models among a smaller subset of healthcare organizations. (Brady, 8/6)
The New York Times: Mystery Attacks on Diplomats Leave Scores of Victims but Still Little Evidence
President Biden’s top aides were told on Friday that experts studying the mysterious illnesses affecting scores of diplomats, spies and their family members were still struggling to find evidence to back up the leading theory, that microwave attacks are being launched by Russian agents. The report came in an unusual, classified meeting called by the director of national intelligence, Avril D. Haines, according to several senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The purpose of the meeting was to assess the investigations and efforts to treat victims of the so-called Havana syndrome — the unexplained headaches, dizziness and memory loss reported by scores of State Department officials, C.I.A. officers and their families. (Sanger, 8/8)
