Changes at NIH Give Political Appointees Greater Power To Fund or Block Research
The National Institutes of Health’s long-held standard of peer review for grantmaking has been subverted by President Donald Trump and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, who gave unprecedented power to politicos, NIH workers say.
FTC Has Long Said Products Must Back Up Health Claims. A MAHA Lawsuit Would Upend That.
Xlear, a maker of xylitol gum, has sued the Federal Trade Commission, saying the onus should be on government to prove that ingredients don’t live up to advertised claims. RFK Jr.’s “medical freedom” allies have rallied to the cause.
World’s Premier Cancer Institute Faces Crippling Cuts and Chaos
After spearheading a 34% cut in cancer mortality, the National Cancer Institute at the NIH is bleeding resources and staff and could see its budget cut by nearly 40%.
Kennedy’s Vaccine Advisers Sow Doubts as Scientists Protest US Pivot on Shots
A new vaccine advisory panel appointed by the HHS secretary, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, reflected his unsupported claims about the safety of childhood inoculations.
What RFK Jr. Isn’t Talking About: How To Make Vaccines Safer
Vaccines are under fire from the top of the Trump administration. Federal programs to monitor them and make them safer have always been underfunded.
Two Patients Faced Chemo. The One Who Survived Demanded a Test To See if It Was Safe.
Worried that President Donald Trump’s FDA might not act, a panel of cancer experts recommended that doctors consider testing before dosing patients with a commonly used but sometimes deadly cancer drug. It came too late for many patients.
Pharmacists Stockpile Most Common Drugs on Chance of Targeted Trump Tariffs
While Big Pharma seems ready to weather the tariff storm, independent pharmacists and makers of generic drugs — which account for 90% of U.S. prescriptions — see trouble ahead for patients.
Trump Team’s $500 Million Bet on Old Vaccine Technology Puzzles Scientists
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS said an enormous, noncompetitive flu vaccine development grant to two favored NIH leaders would ensure “transparency, effectiveness, and comprehensive preparedness.” But their vaccine is in early stages, relies on old technology, and is just one of scores of similar efforts.
Measles Misinformation Is on the Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds
Attitudes about a debunked link between measles vaccines and autism haven’t budged that much. But there’s a sharp partisan divide over whether the vaccine is safe.
Aumenta la desinformación sobre el sarampión, y las personas le prestan atención, dice una encuesta
Mientras se expande la epidemia de sarampión más grave en una década, las creencias falsas sobre la seguridad de la vacuna contra esta infección se diseminan, avaladas por el funcionario de salud de mayor rango del país.
Los despidos y el cierre de la oficina podrían causar recortes en la asistencia a las millones de familias de bajos ingresos el próximo año.
Trump HHS Eliminates Office That Sets Poverty Levels Tied to Benefits for at Least 80 Million People
Recent cuts eliminated a small, specialized workforce that sets the poverty standards determining who is eligible for Medicaid as well as assistance with food, home heating, child care, and more.
What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has helped improve health care safety in a country where thousands die of medical errors each year. It was effectively dissolved Tuesday.
Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub mRNA References on Grants
Two senior scientists say National Institutes of Health officials advised them to remove references to mRNA vaccines in grant applications, and they fear the Trump administration will abandon a promising field of medical research.
Marty Makary, Often Wrong as Pandemic Critic, Is Poised To Lead the FDA He Railed Against
Should Marty Makary take the reins at the FDA, transitioning from gadfly to the head of an agency that regulates a fifth of the U.S. economy, he would have to engage in the thorny challenges of governing.
With RFK Jr. in Charge, Supplement Makers See Chance To Cash In
The FDA is already limited in policing claims of health benefits by makers of supplements and herbal remedies — a $70 billion industry. Get ready for even less regulation.
The Covid ‘Contrarians’ Are in Power. We Still Haven’t Hashed Out Whether They Were Right.
Jay Bhattacharya, nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health, opposed most covid mandates. Without an honest public debate about what worked and what didn’t, public health experts say, we’re even less prepared for the next pandemic.
At His HHS Job Interview, RFK Jr. Stumbles Over Health Policy Basics
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist President Donald Trump nominated to lead the nation’s top health agency, did little to win over his critics at two Senate confirmation hearings this week. Democrats argued he’s not qualified for the job. And by botching answers to basic questions about health policy, Kennedy supplied some evidence. It’s […]
What RFK Jr. Might Face in His Nomination Hearings This Week
Two Senate committees are expected to question Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on how his disproven views of science and medicine qualify him to run the $1.7 trillion, 80,000-employee federal health system.
How a Duty To Spend Wisely on Worker Benefits Could Loosen PBMs’ Grip on Drug Prices
As criticism of pharmacy benefit managers heats up, fear of lawsuits is driving some big employers to drop the “Big Three” PBMs — or force them to change.
