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CDC's No. 2 official abruptly steps down

February 23, 2026
Ralph Abraham had served as the principal deputy CDC director.
Melinda Deslatte/AP

Ralph Abraham, No. 2 official at CDC, abruptly steps down

The drama and chaos surrounding the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have taken another twist.

By Helen Branswell


STAT+ | FDA unveils rules for bespoke gene therapies, predicting flood of rare disease applications 

"Plausible mechanism pathway" is to make it easier for individual gene-editing success stories like Baby KJ to be produced at a vastly wider scale.

By Jason Mast and Lizzy Lawrence


STAT+ | Pharma lobbyists focus on a surprising new target: the FDA

FDA insists decisions are based on science, but lobbyists said they believe the odds of approval go up if a decision can be spun as a win for Trump.

By Daniel Payne and Lizzy Lawrence



President Trump speaks with reporters on Air Force One before traveling to Georgia last week.
SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

STAT+ | Health care reform might be a focus in midterms. For Congress, pursuing it will be an uphill climb

Passing legislation to lower costs would be politically popular, but Republicans would face a host of challenges in doing so.

By John Wilkerson


STAT+ | A provocative proposal asks the FDA to let some AI devices on the market without review

A petition from Harrison.ai asks the FDA to exempt some new AI tools radiologists use to analyze medical images from routine premarket review.

By Mario Aguilar and Katie Palmer


STAT+ | Novo's next-gen obesity drug stumbles in Lilly comparison study

Today's biotech news includes Novo's next-gen obesity drug, Gilead buying CAR-T therapy partner Arcellx, and more.

By Meghana Keshavan


Adobe

Opinion: No one in health care should be called a 'provider'

No one in health care should be called a 'provider.' It's a matter of ethics and professionalism.

By Lois Snyder Sulmasy


Women's heart attack risk rises even if arteries aren't as clogged as men's 

Heart disease in women may trigger risk at lower plaque levels than in men, new study says, raising concerns coronary scans could understate the danger.

By Elizabeth Cooney


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