POLITICS
Trump's 'Great Healthcare Plan' puts affordability in the spotlight
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President Trump announced a suite of policies yesterday that would let the federal government exert more control over pharmaceutical companies, as he faces mounting pressure over the rising costs of health care.
The announcement was heavy on pomp and light on circumstance, so most of the details are rather fuzzy. What we do know is that the most consequential provisions could be proposals to extend lower international drug prices to all Americans, make more prescription drugs available over the counter, and send at least some health insurance subsidies directly to enrollees.
Many of these moves would require action from Congress, which failed to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expired at the end of last year, allowing the premiums of millions of people to more than double. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, claimed Trump's plan would result in savings. Will it? Read more from my STAT colleagues.
RESEARCH
Controversial CDC-funded hepatitis B vaccine study in Africa cancelled?
Remember in December, when those controversial Danish researchers got money from the United States to run a study on hepatitis B vaccines in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa? At the time, some experts said such a study was likely "unethical."
Well, it has been cancelled — possibly. This all started on Thursday morning, when Inside Medicine published the study's protocol and got quotes from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, who called it "another Tuskegee."
When reporters asked Africa CDC about the study, an official said it had been cancelled, but apparently officials in Guinea-Bissau and at HHS are suggesting the opposite, that the study will continue. If that weren't confusing enough, Guinea-Bissau is going through a coup and has replaced all of its top health officials.
If you want more background on the study, check out our coverage from December.
TRUST
What do Americans think about science?
Americans want the U.S. to be a global leader in the sciences. But a new survey shows stark partisan divides about where the country's scientific stature is headed and its role globally.
Trust in science increased slightly from 76% of those surveyed in 2024 to 77% in 2025 and scientists remained a trusted profession — findings that surprised one researcher, given President Trump's "wholesale, massive attacks on science." But many more Republicans are distrustful of scientists compared with Democrats — a long-established division that grew precipitously during the coronavirus pandemic.
Those insights were gleaned from the Pew Research Center's annual survey of public opinion on science, which published its latest results on Thursday. Read more from STAT's Anil Oza.
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