Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

How will Trump’s E.U. tariffs affect drug prices? Europe is a major manufacturing hub for brand-name drugs in particular, including the blockbuster drug Ozempic.

The U.S. gets nearly half of its brand-name prescription drugs from Europe.
by @berkeleyjr.bsky.social

How will Trump’s E.U. tariffs affect drug prices? Europe is a major manufacturing hub for brand-name drugs in particular, including the blockbuster drug Ozempic.

NEW - Trump’s trade deal with the E.U. may lead to higher prices for brand-name drugs in the United States, including blockbuster medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, experts say.

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Rural hospitals brace for painful choices after Trump's Medicaid and Obamacare cuts An estimated 17 million people could lose their health insurance, putting financial strain on hospitals.

NEW - Rural hospitals say they’re being forced to consider tough choices — like cutting services for children or cancer patients — after Trump signed into law a sprawling domestic policy bill that includes sweeping cuts to not only Medicaid but the ACA, as well.

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‘A slap in the face’: Georgia and Arkansas’ Medicaid work rules may preview the road ahead The Republicans’ ‘big, beautiful bill’ makes huge changes to Medicaid, including rolling out work requirements nationwide for the first time.

Over the 10 months Arkansas’ work requirement was in place, more than 18,000 people in the state lost Medicaid coverage. Most were working or qualified for exemptions. by @berkeleyjr.bsky.social @nbcnews.com

SCOTUS upholds the authority of the USPSTF under ACA and the Appointments Clause in a 6-3 decision, while underscoring the authority of the HHS Scretary over the independent..
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

Kennedy and vaccines loom over Senate confirmation hearing for CDC director Senators pressed nominee Susan Monarez on vaccines, fired CDC workers and whether she would stand up to the health secretary.

NEW - Health Secretary RFK Jr.'s views on vaccines loomed over Susan Monarez’s Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. w/ @erikaedwards.bsky.social

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HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces questioning about his overhaul of the CDC vaccine panel, saying he never agreed to keep it unchanged.

Kennedy says he never promised to keep vaccine panel unchanged ahead of his confirmation Kennedy said he did not make an agreement with Sen.

RFK Jr. says he never promised Sen. Bill Cassidy to keep the CDC’s vaccine panel unchanged ahead of his confirmation

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Monthly weight loss drug helps people lose 20% of body weight, trial finds The experimental drug from Amgen contains a monoclonal antibody that helps it stay in the body longer.

NEW - A once-a-month weight loss drug from Amgen helped people lose about 20% of their body weight, according to the results of a phase 2 clinical trial.

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FDA approves powerful HIV drug that nearly eliminated spread in clinical trials The twice-yearly injectable drug’s potential could be compromised by the Trump administration’s dramatic cuts to HIV-prevention infrastructure in the U.S.

I report: FDA approves powerful HIV drug that nearly eliminated spread in clinical trials

The twice-yearly injectable drug’s potential could be compromised by the Trump administration’s dramatic cuts to HIV-prevention infrastructure in the U.S.

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What is the provider tax? How the Senate’s proposed Medicaid cuts could deepen the rural hospital crisis All states, except for Alaska, have at least one provider tax. A significant portion of the revenue the taxes generate goes toward supporting rural hospitals.

NEW - What is the provider tax? How the Senate’s proposed Medicaid cuts could deepen the rural hospital crisis

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GOP bill for Trump's agenda would add $2.4 trillion to the debt, budget office says The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also found that the House-passed legislation would increase the number of people without health insurance by 10.9 million by 2034.

STORY —> GOP bill for Trump's agenda would add $2.4 trillion to the debt, budget office says

The nonpartisan CBO also found that the House-passed legislation would increase the number of people without health insurance by 10.9 million by 2034.

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FDA’s AI tool for medical devices struggles with simple tasks The agency announced Monday that a separate AI tool, called Elsa, had been rolled out to all FDA employees. Sources say it also has issues.

The tool — which is still in beta testing — is buggy, doesn’t yet connect to the FDA’s internal systems and has issues when it comes to uploading documents or allowing users to submit questions.
great reporting from @berkeleyjr.bsky.social

FDA’s AI tool for medical devices struggles with simple tasks On Monday, the agency announced that a separate AI tool, called Elsa, had been rolled out to all FDA employees. Sources say that it also has issues.

NEW - A new FDA AI tool that could speed up reviews of medical devices is struggling with simple tasks, like uploading documents, according to two people familiar.

A separate tool, called Elsa, which was rolled out to FDA employees Monday is also having issues.

www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Advanced colon cancer patients lived twice as long with a Pfizer combo therapy, trial finds Patients who got the combination treatment lived, on average, about 30 months, compared with about 15 months for those who got standard chemotherapy.

NEW - A combination drug treatment from Pfizer doubled survival time for patients with an aggressive form of colorectal cancer, according to late-stage trial data presented at a major cancer conference.

www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...

CDC ends Covid vaccine recommendation for healthy kids and pregnant women Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a Covid vaccine critic — made the announcement on X.

NEW - The CDC will no longer recommend routine Covid shots for healthy children and pregnant women, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on X. Reporting w/ @erikaedwards.bsky.social

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FDA picks a new strain for fall Covid vaccines. Here's what it means for your next shot. The agency said it would prefer drugmakers to update their Covid vaccines to the LP.8.1 strain, a move that would likely limit access to the shots.

The FDA picked a new strain for the fall Covid shots, a move that will likely require clinical trials for kids and adults under 65 without medical conditions. @berkeleyjr.bsky.social

FDA panel says Covid vaccines can stay the same for fall amid access concerns Committee members said they struggled with the decision. The FDA doesn't need to follow the panel's advice.

Earlier this week, the FDA said that new clinical trials would be needed to give updated Covid vaccines to healthy kids and adults. An FDA advisory panel today recommended keeping the next round of shots the same - so will new clinical trials still be needed? It is unclear! @berkeleyjr.bsky.social

Dr. Jesse Goodman, a former FDA chief scientist, agreed that people can understand age and risk based information on their own, but questioned the agency’s new approach, saying it limits people’s “freedom to choose.”

Covid vaccine rollout for healthy kids and adults is likely delayed by a new FDA rule The requirement for placebo-controlled trials isn’t expected to affect the rollout this fall for older adults and other groups at high risk for severe illness.

The FDA said Tuesday that Covid vaccines musto undergo additional placebo-controlled studies before they can be given to healthy kids and adults. @berkeleyjr.bsky.social

Covid vaccine rollout for healthy kids and adults likely delayed by new FDA rule The requirement for placebo-controlled trials isn’t expected to affect the rollout this fall for older adults and other groups at high risk for severe illness.

NEW - The rollout of updated Covid vaccines for healthy children and adults this fall is likely to be delayed after the FDA suggested Tuesday it will require another clinical trial before signing off on the shots.

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Kennedy sidesteps vaccine questions: ‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’ Health secretary Kennedy appeared before a House committee Wednesday morning. This afternoon he'll go before the Senate's Health, Labor, Education and Pensions committee.

Amid the ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas that's killed two kids and one adult — all unvaccinated — Kennedy has pushed unproven remedies, including the steroid budesonide, the antibiotic clarithromycin and cod liver oil. @berkeleyjr.bsky.social @nbcnews.com

Kennedy sidesteps vaccine questions: ‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’ The health secretary appeared before the House Appropriations Committee this morning. This afternoon he'll go before the Senate's Health, Labor, Education and Pensions committee.

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. sidestepped vaccine questions during his testimony before Congress: "I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me"

Story w/ @berkeleyjr.bsky.social
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'Thicket of red tape' for Medicaid in GOP bill sparks fears of coverage losses Republicans are rallying around work requirements and stricter eligibility screenings for Medicaid. Doctors and critics warn they could strip away coverage for rightful enrollees.

NEW: 'Thicket of red tape' for Medicaid in GOP bill sparks fears of coverage losses

Doctors and critics warn that the work req’ts and stricter screenings that Republicans are rallying around will adversely impact rightful beneficiaries.

w/ @berkeleyjr.bsky.social: www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Trump's drug price plan expected to push drugmakers to charge same as other countries The president is expected to sign an executive order early next week that will instruct Medicare to adopt a “most favored nation” pricing model for certain drugs.

As we reported last week, Trump tomorrow is expected to sign an executive order aimed at lowering U.S. prescription drug costs by tying the amount the government pays for some medications to prices paid abroad.

www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

HHS plan to use Medicare and Medicaid data to study autism alarms experts Federal health officials didn’t provide information on how people’s private medical data will be collected and managed.

Autism experts and advocates expressed alarm after the Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday it intends to create a database of enrolled Medicare and Medicaid patients to support a study aimed at identifying the “root causes” of autism.

Moderna’s combo Covid and flu mRNA shot outperforms current vaccines in large trial A combination shot would make it easier for people to get vaccinated against both Covid and the flu at the same time.

New: Moderna’s combined Covid and flu mRNA shot outperformed the existing standalone vaccines in a phase 3 trial, per JAMA.

But will the FDA — under Kennedy and Makary — allow it to move forward?

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Updated Covid vaccines for the fall may be in jeopardy under Kennedy's new rules If the FDA deems Pfizer’s and Moderna’s updated vaccines “new” products, it’s extremely unlikely the doses would be ready for the fall, vaccine experts say.

Kennedy wants all new vaccines to undergo placebo-controlled trials. It sounds like Covid vaccines, which are updated yearly to match the circulating strain, may fall into that category.

If that's the case, it's highly unlikely updated Covid shots will be avail by fall. @berkeleyjr.bsky.social

Updated Covid vaccines for the fall may be in jeopardy under Kennedy's new rules If the FDA deems Pfizer’s and Moderna’s updated vaccines “new” products, it’s extremely unlikely the doses would be ready for the fall, vaccine experts say.

The anticipated rollout of updated Covid vaccines this fall might be at risk after a change by HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in how vaccines are tested, experts say.

Is taking fewer medications the key to lowering drug costs in the U.S.? Experts say Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other health officials’ pronouncements to lower drug costs overlooks major key issues.

RFK Jr. and other top health officials have floated an idea for bringing down prescription drug costs: getting Americans to take fewer medications.

Experts say the approach places too much blame on patients and overlooks key issues with drug pricing.

www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...