Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Panel Recommends Updating Covid Vaccine To Target XFG Strain
MedPage Today: FDA Panel Backs New COVID Vaccines Aimed At Dominant Strain
The FDA's vaccine advisors voted 8 to 0, with one abstention, in favor of a monovalent XFG vaccine for COVID-19 shots for the 2026-2027 season. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) also discussed the need to target the long-simmering BA.3.2 variant, also known as "cicada," though most expressed confidence that targeting XFG was the right way to go. (Fiore, 5/28)
In other news about vaccines —
The New York Times: Suit Says Black Infants Were Subjected To Experimental Vaccine Without Consent
The families of two Black infants who were unknowingly enrolled as test subjects in a mid-1960s vaccine trial for a respiratory virus and died shortly afterward have sued the United States government. Ross Otto Hambrick and Victor Marcellus King were just a few months old when they were administered a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., at a children’s clinic in Washington, D.C., between 1965 and 1966 without their families’ knowledge or consent, according to a lawsuit filed on May 22. Both died from the disease, coupled with bacterial pneumonia, about a year later, when Ross Otto was 14 months old and Victor 16 months. (Tumin, 5/28)
On weight loss —
NBC News: CVS Caremark Will Cover Lilly’s Weight Loss Drug Zepbound Again After Patient Backlash
CVS Caremark will resume covering the weight loss drug Zepbound this year after it removed it from its list of covered medications last year, drugmaker Eli Lilly said Thursday. CVS Caremark is one of the country’s largest pharmacy benefit managers, deciding which medications millions of people in the U.S. can get through insurance and how much they pay out of pocket. (Lovelace Jr., 5/28)
The Washington Post: When Is A GLP-1 Drug Too Potent?
In interviews, doctors warned that using a drug to shrink your body that much will require close medical management — much more than the level of monitoring many people are now getting when taking drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound. (Rowland, 5/29)
More pharma and tech news —
HealthDay: Drug Effective In Slowing Progressive MS, Trial Shows
An already-approved MS drug can significantly slow progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), according to a new study. Patients treated with an IV infusion of ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) were less likely to have progression of their disability, researchers report in The Lancet. Specifically, they had better hand function and arm dexterity, and they were less likely to need a wheelchair, researchers found. (Thompson, 5/29)
CIDRAP: US Data Show ‘Alarming’ Increase In Multidrug-Resistance Gene
US surveillance data show a dramatic rise in the incidence of a particularly worrisome form of multidrug-resistant bacteria in hospital patients, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 5/28)
Modern Healthcare: Doctronic Releases Utah AI Prescribing Pilot Results
Early results from a controversial pilot program testing the use of artificial intelligence to automate some prescriptions refills are in and being viewed as a promising test case for how AI may next be used in healthcare. In January, the state of Utah launched the pilot with artificial intelligence platform Doctronic. The state allowed the company to use its AI chatbot to manage prescription renewals for 192 drugs used to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, depression and high blood pressure. The 12-month pilot is being widely watched within the industry, and there have been questions raised about its safety, legality and the broader use of AI in healthcare. (Famakinwa, 5/28)
MedShadow Foundation: Tejocote Root And The Tainted Supplement Problem The FDA Can’t Contain
An investigation into unregulated weight-loss products found widespread contamination with a toxic plant and a regulatory system struggling to keep them off the market. (Yasinski, 5/28)
CIDRAP: Multistate Salmonella Outbreak Tied To Moringa Supplements Tops 100 Cases, Leads To New Recall
After reopening an investigation into a Salmonella outbreak tied to moringa leaf powder, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday confirmed 22 new cases in four newly affected states and implicated another product. The new cases and states increase the outbreak total to 119 infections in 36 states. The CDC also confirmed six new outbreak-related hospitalizations, bringing hospital cases to 32. No deaths have been reported, however. (Wappes, 5/28)
