Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration To Distribute Gilead's New HIV Meds To Millions
After months of uncertainty, the Trump administration confirmed that it will work with Gilead Sciences and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to provide a groundbreaking HIV prevention drug to up to 2 million people in low- and middle-income countries. (Silverman and Mast, 9/4)
When the nation’s top public health agency in June reinstated more than 460 laid-off workers at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not everyone walked back into the job they had abruptly exited just a few months before. Instead, many — particularly in the Division of HIV Prevention — were tasked with the unexpected mission of dismantling their own departments, according to Yolanda Jacobs, a 20-year veteran of the CDC who serves as president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883. (Tong, 9/4)
More on federal funding and health research cuts —
The president of Northwestern University announced his resignation Thursday, departing as the school contends with the Trump administration’s cuts to federal research funding and demands to address allegations of antisemitism. (McDaniel, 9/4)
A judge ruled that the Trump administration broke the law in canceling billions in federal funds for Harvard. Whether the money is returned matters for the rest of higher education. (Blinder, 9/4)
The cuts include 34 immediate layoffs, the closing of dozens of open positions and reductions made this summer in response to the elimination of federal funding for education programming. (Mullin, 9/4)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eliminated its Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics, putting the future of a critical federal program for Floridians with sickle cell in jeopardy. The Sickle Cell Data Collection (SCDC) program, active in 16 states including Florida, is the nation's only federally funded initiative tracking long-term data on people living with the disease. Florida has one of the highest numbers of sickle cell diagnoses in the country. (9/4)
On noncompete agreements —
The Federal Trade Commission asked the public to weigh in on noncompete contract provisions, even though district courts have blocked the commission’s nationwide ban on most of those agreements. The agency issued a request for information Thursday, seeking detail about employers who unfairly restrict employees from working for a rival organization through noncompetes. These agreements can stunt wage growth, limit competition, reduce innovation and inflate prices, the FTC said. (Kacik, 9/4)
