Help Wanted: Recruitment Tops ARPA-H Director’s Early Priorities
Renee Wegrzyn, director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, told Stat that hiring program managers ranks high on her list of steps needed to prove that the federal investment in the new agency will pay off.
Stat:
ARPA-H’s New Director Wants To Go On A Hiring Spree
President Biden’s new health agency with a sweeping mandate to cure some of the system’s biggest problems has one big message: Please apply. (Owermohle, 12/7)
FDA Chief Robert Califf responds to a scathing report —
Stat:
FDA Chief Calls Agency’s Food Program ‘Under-Supported’
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said the food side of the agency needs more attention Wednesday, the day after an agency-commissioned report recommended increasing the prominence of its food program. (Wilkerson, 12/7)
In updates from Capitol Hill —
The Hill:
Lawmakers Face Closing Window To Pass Landmark Bipartisan Marijuana Bill
Lawmakers are facing a rapidly closing window to get key marijuana legislation across the finish line in the lame-duck session. Despite fetching broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate, opposition from GOP leadership and a tightening timeline is chipping away at the bill’s chances of passage. (Folley and Evers-Hillstrom, 12/7)
Fierce Healthcare:
Bill That Puts More Antibiotics On Market No Sure Thing
Bacteria resistant to antibiotics continue to be a problem that merits monitoring because the pathogens can possibly kick-start the next pandemic, but a bill before Congress promises to wheel new medicinal weapons into the contest. The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act, if passed, would create a public-private effort to create new antibacterial medications by reassuring pharmaceutical companies that there’d be a market for their product. (Diamond, 12/7)
ABC News:
House Poised To Pass Bill Protecting Same-Sex, Interracial Marriage
The House on Thursday is set to pass a bill to codify federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages, bringing the landmark legislation one step closer to landing on President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. (Peller, 12/8)
Can Congress prevent another mess like what happened at Theranos? —
Stat:
Congress Has A Chance To Close The FDA’s Theranos Loophole
Theranos, and the company’s notoriously inaccurate blood tests, could potentially have been stopped earlier if Congress had acted to fix a regulatory loophole. Lawmakers are weighing now whether it’s better late than never. (Cohrs and Owermohle, 12/8)
CNN:
Ramesh 'Sunny' Balwani Sentenced To Nearly 13 Years In Prison For Fraud
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former chief operating officer of failed blood testing startup Theranos, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 13 years in prison for fraud. It marks an end to the stunning downfall of a high-flying Silicon Valley company that resulted in the rare convictions of two tech executives. (Thorbecke, 12/7)
