Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Gottlieb's Unexpected Departure, Tobacco Industry And E-Cigarette Lobbyists See Opportunity To Derail Crusade
The New York Times: Tobacco, E-Cigarette Lobbyists Circle As F.D.A. Chief Exits
Dr. Scott Gottlieb became commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in 2017 with an ambitious plan to reduce cigarette smoking, a habit that kills nearly half a million Americans each year, by shifting smokers to less harmful alternatives like e-cigarettes. But he was quickly embroiled in an unexpected crisis: the explosion of vaping among millions of middle and high school students, many of whom were getting addicted to nicotine. (Kaplan and Richtel, 3/15)
The Hill: FDA Faces Test Under New Chief
The newly named acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is poised to take over at a crucial time for the agency, as outgoing Commissioner Scott Gottlieb leaves an ambitious legacy largely unfinished. President Trump’s decision to tap Norman Sharpless as acting commissioner of the FDA is drawing praise from health advocates, who see it as an opportunity for the agency to continue its work uninterrupted. (Weixel, 3/14)
Politico Pro: Gottlieb's Successor Shares His Style, Anti-Smoking Zeal
E-cigarette and tobacco makers found departing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to be an unexpectedly formidable foe. Now, they’re bracing for a cancer doctor with policy chops and savvy communications skills to take his place. (Owermohle, 3/14)
Meanwhile, a look at Big Tobacco's connection with sugary drinks —
The New York Times: How Big Tobacco Hooked Children On Sugary Drinks
What do these ads featuring Joe Camel, Kool-Aid Man and the maniacal mascot for Hawaiian Punch have in common? All three were created by Big Tobacco in the decades when cigarette makers, seeking to diversify their holdings, acquired some of America’s iconic beverage brands. They used their expertise in artificial flavor, coloring and marketing to heighten the products’ appeal to children. That tobacco companies once sold sugar-sweetened drinks like Tang, Capri Sun and Kool-Aid is not exactly news. But researchers combing through a vast archive of cigarette company documents at the University of California, San Francisco stumbled on something revealing: Internal correspondence showed how tobacco executives, barred from targeting children for cigarette sales, focused their marketing prowess on young people to sell sugary beverages in ways that had not been done before. (Jacobs, 3/14)
