Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Pandemic Treaty Aims To Ensure Better Handling Of Next Pandemic; How Bad Is Seed Oil, Really?
Stat: Ensuring Equitable Vaccine Access During The Next Pandemic
Next week at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, 193 member countries of the World Health Organization (with the U.S. notably absent) are expected to adopt the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Agreement, also known as the Pandemic Treaty. In anticipation of its adoption, the final agreement has been celebrated as a triumph of multilateralism. But after three years of negotiation, the agreement does little to solve the very problem it set out to address: the lethal delay low‑ and some middle‑income countries face in getting access to vaccines, tests, and treatments when a new pathogen strikes. (Stephanie Psaki and Ashish K. Jha, 5/16)
The Washington Post: Are Seed Oils Really As Bad For You As RFK Jr. Claims?
Does the research really show that seed oil is harmful to health, as Kennedy claims? Not exactly. Though it would be tempting to dismiss his anti-seed-oil campaign as yet another conspiracy theory, it’s important to consider the science objectively. (Leana S. Wen, 5/15)
Stat: The FDA Must Earn Trust On AI In Product Reviews
In an industry known for its caution, the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to rapidly deploy generative AI across all medical product review offices by the end of June is a rare and seismic move. It’s bold. It’s ambitious. And if implemented well, it could mark the beginning of a desperately needed transformation in how we bring trustworthy innovation to the regulation of medical product development. (Jennifer Goldsack, 5/16)
The New York Times: Medicaid Work Requirements Are Cruel And Pointless
Last year, over 20 million workers were laid off or fired at some point from their jobs. Many of those workers ended up losing not just all of their income but also their employer-sponsored health care. Medicaid is supposed to provide a backstop for these workers, but if we tie eligibility to work, they will find themselves locked out of the health care system because of decisions their employers made, often for reasons beyond their control. (Matt Bruenig, 5/16)
The New York Times: WeightWatchers Got One Thing Very Right
WeightWatchers and its commercial diet program peers have struggled to maintain market share in the era of GLP-1s, the class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, which give users a much higher chance of success. (Jennifer Weiner, 5/15)
