What a joy to see and meet so many of you yesterday at STAT Breakthrough East in New York City! A huge thanks to our incisive panelists and the many insightful conversations I either had or overheard.
STAT Breakthrough East
Tons of stories on the site right now if you want to catch up on what you missed — and you should — but here are some highlights:
- One of the day’s recurring themes was that the return of President Donald Trump to the Oval Office has drastically changed the practice of science. That could have deadly consequences, according to former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Tom Frieden. Talking about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Frieden said that messing with vaccines and measles is a public health disaster waiting to happen. Former Food and Drug Administration lead Scott Gottlieb had a similar message for the current health chief.
- Everyone wants the wildly popular GLP-1 drugs to treat diabetes and obesity, and investors are pouring money into more research. But there’s a catch, according to health executives from Ro and Health Included. Ongoing employer concerns over cost and a lack of patient adherence remain stubborn obstacles to wider adoption.
- Gene therapy pioneer Jim Wilson spoke about how the field is currently clouded with “irrational pessimism.” Wilson acknowledged that researchers still must answer questions surrounding the treatments’ long-term safety. How would he assuage investors? Read on.
- And finally: Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! A panel about Bill Nye the Science Guy’s new adventure — raising awareness about ataxia, a rare movement disorder — morphed into a critique of Kennedy and other health leaders. “We really try in planetary science to stay away from the politics. But man, it’s really hard right now. This is so extreme.”
Disability rights under attack
The disability community has been on edge since President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The administration has targeted accessibility, but the main focus of their ire has been curbing other diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Maybe this is changing? Here are two disability-related items for your consideration:
- The Department of Justice rescinded documents Wednesday that provided guidance on how to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act. The documents helped institutions navigate disability rights concerning hospital visits, employees wearing masks and their rights during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Last fall, 17 states filed a lawsuit alleging that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 — a cornerstone of disability rights legislation — was unconstitutional. Disability advocates have picked up their public opposition to Texas v. Becerra in recent months, saying it could prove catastrophic for Americans with disabilities. To learn more about how this suit could possibly torpedo the federal government’s ability to secure rights for people with disabilities, check out my conversation with Claudia Center, legal director of the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund.
WHO calls for help on TB outbreak
Monday is World Tuberculosis Day, and the World Health Organization marked the occasion Thursday by releasing a grim statement about how the United States’ retreat from global health is imperiling efforts to fight tuberculosis.
WHO reported that severe disruptions in the tuberculosis response have been seen in numerous countries, most notably in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Twenty-seven countries are facing breakdowns in their response. The news comes in the wake of Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service cutting funding for the congressionally created agency U.S. Agency for International Development.
Earlier this week, Helen Branswell quoted what Handaa Enkh-Amgalan, a member of the WHO Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis, had to say about the cuts: “We are on the brink of a crisis, one that could reverberate across borders and generations if we don’t act decisively.”
DOGE targeting layoffs for HHS research agency
A small sliver of the Department of Health and Human Services that focuses on health care quality, outcomes and cost is the latest agency to sit in the crosshairs of Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has about 300 employees and a budget of $369 million, but employees told STAT’s John Wilkerson that the staff could soon be reduced by 80% or 90% after DOGE cuts.
AHRQ does the kind of research that fits well with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s broader health plans — investigating chronic disease and obesity and pushing insurers to cover free mammograms. Kennedy even glowingly spoke about plans to work with AHRQ during his confirmation hearing. Read John Wilkerson’s story for more.
Egg (price) drop? Not so fast
I cheered last weekend when I saw egg prices at my co-op dropped from $8 to $5 a carton. Alas, I may have spoken too soon: the recent dip in wholesale egg prices could soon reverse, writes former Food and Drug Administration head Scott Gottlieb.
North American flyways typically remain quiet in February, but with spring approaching, wild birds are resuming their seasonal migrations, potentially triggering renewed outbreaks of the deadly virus.
Shoring up the health of poultry, and thus the American public, is not an easy task, however. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed allowing the virus to spread freely through flocks, but that strategy is impractical and risky. Prevention is the best method, and federal officials recently released a five-step plan, but political and technical realities would also complicate this strategy. Read more to find out Gottlieb’s suggested solution.
What we’re reading
- USDA halts millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks, Politico
- We employ you, we employ you not: Fired probationary CDC employees living in a surreal limbo, STAT
- Grünenthal pushed its latest opioid as a safer option. People around the world got hooked., The Examination
- Amid Plummeting Diversity at Medical Schools, a Warning of DEI Crackdown’s ‘Chilling Effect’, KFF Health News