Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: RFK Jr. 'Reviewed The Science' And Got It Wrong; Stem Cell IVF Will Open Pandora's Box
Stat: Kennedy’s ‘Evidence’ Against MRNA Vaccine Research Actually Supports It
When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated $500 million in federal funding for mRNA vaccine research last week, claiming he had “reviewed the science,” his press release linked to a 181-page document as justification. I reviewed Kennedy’s “evidence.” It doesn’t support ending mRNA vaccine development. It makes the case for expanding it. (Jake Scott, 8/13)
Los Angeles Times: RFK Jr.'s Cancellation Of MRNA Vaccine Research Is Folly
On first glance, the data that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited to justify canceling some $500 million in federal grants for mRNA vaccine research looked impressive. The data, according to the agency, were embodied in some 400 research papers listed in a compilation that ran to 181 pages. The document was headlined “COVID-19 mRNA ‘vaccine’ harms research collection.” (Michael Hiltzik, 8/12)
The New York Times: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Impact So Far: ‘The Worst Possible Case’
David Wallace-Wells, a writer for Times Opinion, talks with the economist Emily Oster about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policy priorities as secretary of health and human services and what the changes he’s wrought — from canceling mRNA vaccine research to phasing out food dyes — mean for our health. (Emily Oster and David Wallace-Wells, 8/13)
Stat: Japan’s Green Light For Making Human Embryos From Stem Cells Takes Us Into Uncharted Territory
Japanese regulators just quietly gave researchers there a historic OK to generate human embryos from stem cells in the lab — no ovaries or testes needed. Scientists in Japan and around the world are quickly working toward making viable human eggs and sperm from stem cells, a process called in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG. Those stem cell-derived sperm and eggs could be used for vitro fertilization (IVF) to generate human embryos for research or, one day, making babies. Let’s call the potential new process stem cell IVF. (Paul Knoepfler, 8/13)
Stat: AI Will Transform The Doctor-Patient Relationship
Some time ago, I discovered an online calculator meant to help heart surgeons determine patients’ chances of complications or death. Surprisingly, the calculator, based on published studies, is not password-protected. A patient willing to wade through a thicket of technical terms could use the information in their electronic health record to manually fill in the needed numbers and discover their surgical risk. (Michael L. Millenson, 8/13)
