While away, I was evaluating other news sites and found the best single one to be from The Kaiser Family Foundation.
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In the future I will cover special articles not in that newsletter or highlight special topics.
About health policy
CDC staff ordered to cut off communication with WHO “Staff across the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were ordered Monday to cut off all communications with the World Health Organization, multiple federal health officials confirmed to CBS News, to comply with President Trump's executive order last week.
Beyond calling for the U.S. to begin the yearlong process to formally withdraw from funding the U.N. health agency, Mr. Trump's executive order had also instructed federal agencies to "recall and reassign" any U.S. government personnel from working with the WHO.”
Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of scientific meetings prompts confusion, concern “A flurry of scientific gatherings and panels across federal science agencies were canceled on Wednesday, at a time of heightened sensitivity about how the Trump administration will shift the agencies’ policies and day-to-day affairs.
Several meetings of National Institutes of Health study sections, which review applications for fellowships and grants, were canceled without being rescheduled, according to agency notices reviewed by STAT. A Feb. 20-21 meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, a panel that advises the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services on vaccine policy, was also canceled. So was a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria that was scheduled for Jan. 28 and 29.”
MedPage Today: Trump's Gag Order Halts CDC Publication “For the first time in its more than 60-year history, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) did not go out as scheduled because of a communications pause at federal health agencies issued by the Trump administration. Past editors of MMWR and prior leaders of CDC lamented the lack of publication, and its potential impact on the distribution of vital public health information.”
And in a related article: ‘This is censorship’: Trump freeze on communications forces medical journal to pull HHS authors’ article “An article that was written by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services employees and slated for publication in a medical journal this spring was placed on hold last week, apparently as a result of the Trump administration freeze on communications from government agencies.
The article reviewed the responsibilities of institutions that receive federal funding for research and was to have appeared in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.”
Trump ousts at least 15 independent inspectors general in late-night purge “The White House removed the independent inspectors general of nearly every Cabinet-level agency in an unprecedented purge that could clear the way for President Donald Trump to install loyalists in the crucial role of identifying fraud, waste and abuse in the government…
The dismissals appeared to violate federal law, which requires Congress to receive 30 days’ notice of any intent to fire a Senate-confirmed inspector general. The legal uncertainty could create awkward encounters on Monday, when several watchdogs who were told they were fired planned to show up in their offices to work anyway.”
Comment: I have been following the HHS IG reports for years (and reporting on many in these postings). I have never found any hint of partisan politics in any report. They are geared to operational issues and not policy and clearly state why the report was prepared, what the findings were, and what were the recommendations.
Trump FDA officially withdraws long-delayed menthol cigarette ban “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn a rule that would have banned menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, putting a formal end to a policy that had been indefinitely delayed under the Biden administration.
A regulatory filing showed the rule had been “withdrawn” on Jan. 21, President Trump’s second day in office. The move is a significant blow to public health groups who said banning menthol had the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives, particularly among Black smokers.”
After disruption due to Trump administration communication pause, NIH told it can continue some purchasing for research “After purchasing for research at the National Institutes of Health was put on hold last week, employees have now been told they can continue working with some current vendors, according to a memo obtained by CNN.”
About health insurance/insurers
Flaws in the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings A good review of this issue.
About pharma
Top 10 most anticipated drug launches of 2025 FYI
Walgreens stock tumbles on report that private equity deal is unlikely ‘Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance tumbled today following a CNBC report that the Deerfield-based pharmacy chain was unlikely to sell itself to a private-equity firm.”
China investigates generic drugs over safety concerns “Chinese regulators are investigating the quality of domestic generic drugs after a rare public backlash against a cost-cutting campaign that prioritised their use in the national healthcare system but has led to doctors complaining about their effectiveness. The probe comes amid increasing concerns among foreign pharmaceutical companies that China’s drug procurement system, in which producers bid for bulk tenders to supply public hospitals, in effect discriminates against international competition.”
About healthcare personnel
Growth of Private Equity and Hospital Consolidation in Primary Care and Price Implications “In this cross-sectional study including 198 097 primary care physicians, in 2022, nearly half of all primary care physicians (PCPs) were hospital-affiliated, while PE-affiliated PCPs were concentrated in certain regional markets. Relative to independent PCPs, negotiated prices for office visits were 11% higher for hospital-affiliated and 8% higher for PE-affiliated PCPs.”