NIH director calls Trump’s anti-DEI orders ‘misunderstood’

But Jay Bhattacharya said DEI-centric research is less impactful than broadly studying chronic disease.

April 22, 2025 Check out STAT+

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Ben Curtis/AP STAT+ | NIH director calls Trump's anti-DEI orders 'misunderstood,' downplays reorganization plans Director says he "wouldn't have accepted the job" if Trump orders were meant to stop research advancing health of minority populations By Jonathan Wosen STAT+ | Biotech entrepreneur Sam Waksal accused of 'reckless conduct' in new lawsuit A trustee for Equilibre Biopharmaceuticals alleges that the former CEO gave an ill child a substance not approved for human use, among other charges. By Adam Feuerstein STAT+ | FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announces three new hires in leadership team The hires begin to fill the leadership void caused by the departures of high-level officials recently. Some left by choice, while others were let go. By Lizzy Lawrence and Brittany Trang Adobe STAT+ | An 'insane' calculus: A pharma company raised price for a rare disease drug 150% to cover Medicaid rebates The CEO of Eton Pharmaceuticals says the drug will still be a "barely profitable" product in the U.S. and described the overall calculus as "insane." By Ed Silverman STAT+ | UnitedHealth discloses $1.7 million in security spending after slaying of top exec After the killing of a top exec, UnitedHealth came to be seen a symbol of the country's dysfunctional health care system. By Bob Herman Opinion: Employers should continue waiving preventive care out-of-pocket costs regardless of how Supreme Court rules Maintaining this coverage, even if the Supreme Court rules that it's no longer legally required, demonstrates employer commitment to employee well-being. By Jeff Levin-Scherz Paule Joseph, Shavonne Pocock/NIH via AP Opinion: Short-term diet trials are designed to fail Two weeks is simply too short to tell us anything meaningful about how diet affects obesity and the other chronic diseases plaguing Americans today. By David S. Ludwig and Mary E. Putt

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