vaccines
The ACIP conundrum
This is another development that is frustrating the administration's attempts to direct attention away from vaccines.
The Trump administration is in a bind over how to respond to a preliminary federal court ruling that stalled much of Kennedy's vaccine agenda, Chelsea Cirruzzo reports.
Trump let Kennedy "go wild" on health care and play to the populist impulses of the MAHA movement. But his dismantling of vaccine policy is starting to make voters uneasy.
So does the administration appeal the ruling that nullified a year of work by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices? Does it disband that committee and start over? Read more.
stat breakthrough summit east
Klomp visits STAT
Chris Klomp, a top official at the federal health department, spoke at STAT's Breakthrough Summit East in New York, where he inspired multiple articles in our publication and others. Other speakers praised Klomp's responses. Even former Obama and Biden FDA Commissioner Robert Califf had nice things to say about Klomp, though Califf also said political influence is a "serious problem" at the Trump FDA.
Here are some highlights:
- Klomp offered a reality check on the president's TrumpRx, Tara Bannow reports.
Compared to Trump's grandiose description, Klomp offered a more measured perspective on TrumpRx. He said it has lower prices for GLP-1s and fertility drugs, which often aren't covered by health insurance, but that it's often not the best choice for people with insurance.
- Klomp also provided insights into how he is trying to convince Republican lawmakers to codify voluntary most-favored nation deals into law.
The goal of those deals isn't for the United States to force lower prices on drugs in the U.S., he said. That seems to be in sharp contrast to Trump's statements.
"We told the manufacturers, price wherever you want," Klomp said. "That's fine, just don't undercut us in another wealthy country."
A White House official said there is no contradiction between what Trump and Klomp have said. Klomp's statement was about future drug releases, while Trump was talking about drugs already on the market for which the administration negotiated down the price.
- In an interview with STAT after the public session, Klomp spoke at length about how he's leading the search for a new CDC director, Rick Berke and Daniel Payne report.
He said there have been both in-person and Zoom interviews, some one-on-one and some in groups, and that Kennedy has been part of the process. He also said this selection will not be guided by the whims of the president or Kennedy or himself, but by a very meticulous process.
- Klomp also said his team is considering a policy that would automatically enroll Medicare beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage plans, Tara reports.
It's a controversial idea that was touted in the conservative Project 2025 policy blueprint.
nih
NIH grant terminations disproportionately hurt women
NIH grant terminations hurt women, particularly those early in their careers, more than men, even though they receive less funding from the NIH in general, Anil Oza reports.
According to a new paper, women on average had 57.9% of their grant funds terminated, compared to 48.2% for men. Among doctoral students and assistant professors, 60% of terminated grants were led by women. (Men made up the majority of postdoctoral fellows, associate professors, and full professors whose grants were cancelled).
An NIH spokesperson said the agency "allocated its full budget, providing funding to scientists at all stages of their careers who are performing high-impact science."
Read more.
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