@mbarber.bsky.social
Health economics, law, global health, and access to medicines. https://melissajbarber.github.io. Views my own.
A sliver of good news:
"In a huge development concerning risdiplam litigation saga, a division bench of the Delhi High Court has rejected the appeal against the order refusing to grant an interim injunction to Roche."
Natco expected to launch affordable risdiplam today.
spicyip.com/2025/10/brea...
I never saw starlings the entire time I lived in Geneva, but tonight the gift of an especially beautiful murmuration.
01.10.2025 17:45 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
DID YOU KNOW? Medical devices aren’t regulated in SA. The country's regulator has however started down a road that should eventually lead to the regulation of all medical devices.
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/10/01/m...
26.09.2025 16:11 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Tariffs on pharmaceuticals are set to go into effect in 4 days. MSF submitted a response to the Department of Commerce's request for comment on the Section 232 investigation that is the underlying justification for the tariffs.
Full comment here: bit.ly/MSFpharmatar...
Our work on the mental health of health workers in Gaza is now out in @plosglobalpublichealth.org. The findings are not surprising - health workers were being terrorized from the beginning of the genocide (data from December 2023- Jan 2024 peer review is slow).
journals.plos.org/globalpublic...
Final guidance on switching studies for biosimilars out today.
www.fda.gov/regulatory-i...
If you're a journalist, maybe don't write a story on this one in case it's on the list of programs that have survived because someone didn't know about it to kill it.
10.09.2025 02:35 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Very niche tweet but if you've been banging your head on the wall trying to understand the current status of the FDA/PEPFAR tentative approval program, a sliver of good news - 6 drugs have gone through this pathway in 2025, so I guess at least one person wasn't fired in that office?
10.09.2025 02:35 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
On my reading list: "Affirming pharmaceutical sovereignty – Technology transfer agreements and vaccine geopolitics during a global health emergency."
Out this week from Koichi Kameda de Figueiredo Carvalho, Denise Pimenta and Gustavo Matta.
www.matteringpress.org/books/techno...
You don't need a degree in IP to understand what is happening: the Special 301 investigation is part of a continued assault on the right to health and on the established legal instruments available to countries to realize it.
Trade policy should not be weaponized to restrict access to meds. 4/4
Also want to flag the fantastic work of a group of leading IP academics who also submitted analysis.
@hyoyoonkang.bsky.social @grahamdutfield.bsky.social Vitor Ido, @akapczynski.bsky.social, Luke McDonagh, @cmorten.bsky.social
Their submission here: comments.ustr.gov/sfc/servlet.... 3/4
The submission discusses the substantive merits of the 301 investigation. Briefly:
-Claims on patent pendency are based on PhRMA statistics and do not reflect reality
-Overzealous customs enforcement will lead to generic seizures
-The US continues to get confused abt "and" vs "or" in TRIPS 39.3 2/4
This week, USTR held a hearing concerning the Special 301 Investigation being pursued against Brazil.
MSF is deeply concerned that the US is pressuring Brazil to adopt IP measures that will make medicines even more inaccessible.
Full submission here: comments.ustr.gov/sfc/servlet.... 1/4
Friday is going to be a very 2015 day.
(ifykyk)
The first week I don't have to re-read Project 2025 to divine what is happening will be a good week.
29.08.2025 15:52 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
“What’s happening at CDC should frighten every American Regardless of whether you are MAGA, MAHA, neither or don’t give a damn abt labels or politics. It’s unclear whether the CDC director has been fired or not. Absolute shitshow,” said @craigspencer.bsky.social.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.
The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.
Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.
The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.
Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."
This is a nice study showing that out-of-pocket costs for diabetes technologies are associated with worse HbA1c levels.
I wish there were more granular data on actual costs and affordability instead of just bucketing 'reimbursed' vs 'not reimbursed.'
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Today, join us in thanking and wishing farewell to our tireless leader over these past several years: the one and only @corinneblalock.bsky.social. 🥳🤗🥲😢😭
Wishing you the best in your next chapter, and we look forward to harassing you to write blog posts about all of your incredible scholarship 😬
Four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital.
Correspondents A al-Sharif and M Qreiqeh and cameramen I Zaher and M Noufal were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was targeted.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
So so so pleased that my piece on social atrophy is out in the Open Society Foundation’s The Ideas Letter.
I explore ideas in the last book but take them further. I bring in a bit more Marx, and think about how alienation and neuroplasticity are related.
www.theideasletter.org/essay/the-pe...
Testimony from Ahmed, June 2025: 7/7
07.08.2025 08:55 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0MSF medical coordinator, July 2025:
“I never imagined I’d face a situation like this — treating patients who had been directly shot while trying to get food. And it kept getting worse. We started seeing people arrive dead. Very young people. No identification. No family with them.” 6/7
"The anatomical precision of these injuries strongly suggests intentional targeting of people within the distribution sites, rather than accidental or indiscriminate fire." 5/7
07.08.2025 08:55 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0"An initial analysis of the physical location of gunshot wounds among patients from site 2 found 11% of gunshot injuries were to the head and neck, while 19% were to the thorax. In contrast, patients arriving from site 3 were much more likely to present with gunshot wounds to the lower limbs." 4/7
07.08.2025 08:55 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0"The medical data & patient testimonies offer just a glimpse into the full scale of the violence. But that glimpse is damning. Children shot while reaching for food. People suffocating in stampedes. Civilians beaten, crushed and psychologically traumatised in the very place they seek relief." 3/7
07.08.2025 08:55 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0"The injuries & deaths we have seen coming from GHF sites for more than 2 months are not one-off incidents related to issues around ‘crowd management’. This violence is systematic.
The 1380 casualties received by MSF in our centres are only a fraction of the total casualties from GHF sites." 2/7
@doctorswithoutborders.org released a report this morning documenting the targeted, orchestrated killing of civilians at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution sites.
Please read and do everything in your power to stop this.
www.msf.org/not-aid-orch... 1/7
“On July 30, as people approached trucks distributing aid near Zikim, in north #Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on them,” says Caroline Willemen, MSF Project Coordinator in Gaza.
“People were wounded in the gunfire and in the crush as crowds panicked and ran.”
