Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Restricting Kids' Access To Vaccines Is A Human Rights Violation; Pazdur Is Great Pick To Lead CDER
Stat: Not Protecting Children From Preventable Disease Violates Their Rights
We are doctors who trained continents apart: one of us in Sweden (Peterson) and one in India (Pai). As we worked during the 1980s and ’90s in those disparate countries, neither of us ever saw a case of measles, diphtheria, or whooping cough. That was not a fluke. It was because the world once chose to fight these deadly childhood infections with miraculous tools called vaccines. (Stefan Swartling Peterson and Madhukar Pai, 11/12)
Stat: Richard Pazdur As CDER Head Is Good For Patients, Pharma
Naming veteran regulator Richard Pazdur to head the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research is fantastic news for patients, drug companies, and anyone who cares about a rigorous, data-based FDA. (Matthew Herper, 11/11)
JAMA Network: Updated Labeling For Menopausal Hormone Therapy
These labeling revisions signal a meaningful shift toward more nuanced, evidence-based communication of hormone therapy risks—one that prioritizes clinical relevance, distinguishes between different formulations and patient populations, and balances the narrative to reflect both safety and therapeutic value. It may also reduce the outsized fear that has prevented approximately 50 million women from the short- and long-term health benefits of this therapy. If implemented, these changes may guide appropriately tailored hormone therapy use and optimize individualized care. (FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary, Christine P. Nguyen, and Tracy Beth Høeg, et al, 11/10)
The New York Times: Most Women Can Still Get Abortion Pills. That May Soon Change.
Abortion pills have prevented Dobbs from unleashing all the ill effects that many people feared. But as threats to the pills’ availability grow, it would be a mistake if the surprising trends of the last three years led to complacency. (11/12)
The Boston Globe: We Already Have Doctor Shortages. Now Trump Wants To Make It Harder For Foreign Physicians To Fill The Gaps?
Hundreds of foreign medical professionals work in Massachusetts with an H-1B visa. Now those work permits will cost $100,000. (11/12)
The Washington Post: Trump’s $2K Tariff Checks Are Not In The Mail
It quickly emerged that Trump may not actually send out payments, certainly not anytime soon. (11/11)
