Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Gives Go-Ahead To Fast-Track Psychedelics For Mental Health Illness
The New York Times: Trump Signs Executive Order To Loosen Restrictions On Psychedelic Drugs
President Trump on Saturday signed an executive order seeking to hasten research into the therapeutic benefits of LSD, Ecstasy, psilocybin and other mind-altering drugs by ordering federal agencies to ease restrictions that have long limited the ability of scientists to study them. The measure also provides $50 million for state-level research into ibogaine, a powerful psychedelic made from the root of a Central African shrub that has been drawing interest from researchers for its potential to treat opioid use disorder and other forms of substance abuse. (Jacobs and Daly, 4/17)
Stat: How Trump Is Pushing Psychedelics Reform Through The Health Agencies
Notably, the weekend psychedelics push came at the behest of influential podcaster Joe Rogan — who offered him a large audience ahead of the 2024 election — and leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement, part of the White House’s unorthodox political coalition. (Payne, 4/18)
Fox News: Doctors Split On Trump's Executive Order To Advance Psychedelic Research
As President Donald Trump backs efforts to advance psychedelic drugs, doctors are speaking out about how the move could impact mental health treatments. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order to fast-track the research, funding and potential FDA approval of psychedelics like ibogaine, psilocybin, LCD and MDMA, primarily to treat PTSD, depression and addiction. (Rudy, 4/19)
More news from the Trump administration —
Stat: PBMs Warn Trump’s Proposal To Disclose Drug Prices Is Illegal
The Trump administration’s desire to pry open the black box of prescription drug prices is facing stiff opposition from the phalanx of lobbyists representing pharmacy benefit managers and health insurers. In January, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that would mandate PBMs disclose a wide range of drug pricing information to employers and make it easier to be audited. The public had until last week to submit comments. (Herman, 4/20)
The Washington Post: Where U.S. Science Has Been Hit Hardest After Trump’s First Year
Every night, Katherine Burns wakes up in a sweat. It feels like the world is closing in on her. Burns, 47, runs a laboratory at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine focused on endometriosis, a stigmatized, poorly understood gynecologic disease. She’s not just intrigued by the complex interplay of the immune system and hormones that drive endometriosis but is one of the millions of American women who have it, suffering years of misdiagnosis, blackout levels of pain and infertility. She’s haunted by a terrifying prospect: the end of her research. (Johnson, Sidhom and Svrluga, 4/19)
The New York Times: New PEPFAR Data Show Worrying Declines In Testing And Treatment For H.I.V.
The United States-funded H.I.V. program that is credited with saving 26 million lives worldwide suffered big blows to its impact after the Trump administration’s abrupt stop and restart of its activities last year, according to the first tranche of data from the program since 2024. Overall, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, treated about as many people in the last quarter of 2025 as in the same period in 2024, according to a report released on Friday by the State Department. (Mandavilli, 4/17)
On the Iran war's effects on medical supplies —
Bloomberg: South Korea Targets Syringe Hoarding As War Rattles Supply
South Korea’s health regulators are stepping in to curb syringe hoarding as supply chain disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict threaten the availability of essential medical supplies. While overall syringe production remains steady at about 4.5 million units a day — slightly above 2025 averages — hospitals report dwindling inventories, and online platforms show rising prices and empty virtual shelves, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. (Shin, 4/20)
