Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: FDA Takes Center Stage


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The FDA is still lacking a Senate-confirmed leader, but the agency is at the center of several major policy battles. Lawmakers this year must renew the bill that authorizes drug companies to pay “user fees,” which enable the agency to hire additional reviewers to speed the approval of drugs. The FDA is also increasingly involved in the abortion debate and the effort to treat the millions of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease.

Meanwhile, states led by Democrats are starting to relax some covid restrictions, even as officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention complain it’s too soon.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Julie Rovner: KHN’s “Ready for Another Pandemic Malady? It’s Called ‘Decision Fatigue,’” by Jenny Gold

Joanne Kenen: The New Yorker’s “What Happened After the Chicken-Pox Vaccine?” by Jessica Winter

Sarah Karlin-Smith: Stat’s “Despite Biden’s Big Promises and a Far Better Understanding of the Virus, Covid-19 Is Still Raging Through the Nation’s Prisons,” by Nicholas Florko

Anna Edney: Reuters’ “Special Report: Inside J&J’s Secret Plan to Cap Litigation Payouts to Cancer Victims,” by Mike Spector and Dan Levine

Also discussed on this week’s podcast:

The 19th’s “Experts Say Biden Could Use Executive Powers to Protect Abortion Access,” by Shefali Luthra

The New York Times’ “J.&J. Pauses Production of Its Covid Vaccine Despite Persistent Need,” by Rebecca Robbins, Stephanie Nolen, Sharon LaFraniere, and Noah Weiland


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