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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said on Tuesday that children ages 6 months to 23 months should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, in contrast with federal health officials. The recommendations are part of the AAP's annual childhood immunization schedule, which includes guidance for COVID, flu and RSV vaccines for those aged 18 and younger. (Kekatos and Benadjaoud, 8/19)

Financial conflicts of interest (COIs) among federal vaccine panel members have been at historical lows since the 2000s, contradicting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claim that conflicts "plague" the panels, according to a new analysis. The average prevalence rate of reported COIs among members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) dropped from 42.8% in 2000 to 5% in 2024, said Genevieve Kanter, PhD, of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues. (Rudd, 8/18)

Amid the predictable MAHA topics and industry concessions, one short section stands out for its obvious link to conspiracy theories. The draft includes a brief section on electromagnetic radiation that says the health department, along with other unnamed federal agencies, will conduct studies to find "gaps in knowledge" regarding safety and efficacy. While the section is vague, it brings to mind Kennedy's long history of falsely claiming that electromagnetic radiation, in the form of Wi-Fi and 5G, causes a variety of health problems— including cancer, autism, a variety of mental and cognitive problems, post-traumatic stress, fatigue, and Type 2 diabetes. (Mole, 8/18)

Glyphosate has long had critics—perhaps the most prominent being none other than current Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime environmental lawyer who won a landmark judgment against Monsanto in 2018 on behalf of a client who said Roundup caused his cancer. The victory opened the door to tens of thousands of similar suits, many of which are still ongoing. (Page, 8/18)

Five months after the Trump administration rolled out its grand plans for a signature “Make America Healthy Again” agency, Congress has shied away from taking steps to bring the new agency to fruition. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plan for the agency in March amid a wide-scale restructuring of the department intended to streamline duplicative efforts and cut costs. (Raman, 8/18)

Confidence in the government’s ability to ensure food safety in the U.S. has hit a new low — a drop driven largely by distrust among Democrats, according to a poll released Monday. Gallup’s latest survey of consumer habits found 53 percent of Americans said they have at least a “fair amount” of faith in federal regulators maintaining a safe food supply. Confidence had hovered around 70 percent from 2007 to 2019, based on Gallup’s previous findings, but it fell below 60 percent for the first time last year and continued to drop. (Crisp, 8/18)

Richard Schlueter, 56, was planting cucumbers and squash in his community garden plot in Greensboro, Georgia, in May when he tore open a bag of soil and heard a pop. His collarbone had snapped. In early June, a scan revealed that the cancer that started in his tonsils was racing through his bones. That day, he called a medical team at the National Institutes of Health that had created an experimental cell therapy, custom-made to attack his cancer as part of a clinical trial. He needed it. Now. (Johnson, 8/18)

Kelvin Droegemeier heard rumblings about a sweeping change in science policy long before the rest of the academic world. And once the news broke, he knew exactly whom to contact. It was February, and the veteran researcher was sitting in the office of Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the influential chair of the House appropriations committee and an old acquaintance. Droegemeier had called him up after the National Institutes of Health announced it would slash billions of dollars in payments to universities for research overhead, also known as indirect costs. (Wosen, 8/19)

Eligible self-paying patients with Type 2 diabetes will now be able to purchase their prescribed Ozempic for $499 per month, the Danish pharma announced Monday. The lower-cost doses—coming in at half the med’s list price of about $1,000—will be available for home delivery via NovoCare and from traditional pharmacies through a collaboration with GoodRx. (Park, 8/18)

The partnership between GoodRx and Novo Nordisk represents a seismic shift in the diabetes drug sector, redefining pricing power and market access for GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs). (Northwood, 8/19)

Shionogi & Co. is weighing producing its antibiotic Fetroja in the US as the pharma industry comes under pressure from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The Japanese drugmaker is “actively” considering the option, with a goal of starting supply during the Trump administration, though no decision has been made on a site or investment, according to a spokesman. The company expects the medicine - used to treat multi-drug resistance bacterial infection - to become a key product as cases of antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, increase. (Matsuyama, 8/18)

As the Trump administration moves forward with sweeping tariffs aimed at increasing U.S. manufacturing, health systems are ramping up efforts to protect patients from potential effects. At Renton, Wash.-based Providence, COO Darryl Elmouchi, MD, said the health system has implemented a supply chain risk management program to help prepare for challenges with respect to tariffs. (Murphy, 8/18)

President Trump may aggressively negotiate lower drug prices in Medicare using a program that Democrats created and Trump rarely mentions in public. (Wilkerson, 8/19)

Among the demands that President Trump has made to the pharmaceutical industry to lower drug prices, there’s been one that companies have enthusiastically supported: selling drugs directly to consumers. (Chen, 8/19)

Health systems are deploying an often-overlooked resource to combat a potential increase in uninsured patients — community health workers. Health systems hope community health workers can help prevent people from losing insurance coverage due to expiring subsidies for health insurance exchange customers and the new tax law. Providers warn a rush of uninsured people could overwhelm already overcrowded emergency departments and hospitals. (Kacik, 8/18)

The new law passed by Congress gets in the way of Idaho’s plan to tap into one tool to pay providers more for Medicaid services, by capping state-set payment rates. (Pfannenstiel, 8/18)

One hot June night, Carrie and Kristy Madden sat in their modest home on the outskirts of Los Angeles waiting for their caregivers to arrive. Their living area hummed with fans and the patter of a Dodgers baseball game. “What time are they supposed to be here today?” Carrie, 60, asked around 7.“They didn’t say,” Kristy, 64, answered. Muscular dystrophy had afflicted the sisters since birth, weakening the muscles in their trunks, arms and legs. In middle school, each could manage an awkward walk. Now neither could stand for more than a minute. Each woman had worked a full day that Thursday, writing emails, making phone calls and chatting with colleagues. But they needed help with the essentials of domestic living: bathing, dressing, cooking and cleaning. Neither could raise her elbows more than a few inches or drive to get groceries. (Valdes, 8/18)

Elevance Health is integrating its food as medicine program for Medicaid members in community health centers, the insurer announced Monday. In partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the company said it will begin training primary provider teams. Now, certain Medicaid members at risk for diet-related chronic conditions can receive personalized nutrition support, a news release said. (Tong, 8/18)

Regulators lifted an enrollment suspension of one of Centene’s Medicare Advantage contracts for the upcoming sign-up season. Last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services barred Centene’s Wellcare of Missouri from enrolling new members because the company charged too much in premiums and failed to spend enough on patient care over a three-year period. CMS requires Medicare Advantage insurance companies spend at least 85% of premiums on enrollee claims and tracks insurers’ spending through a metric known as the medical loss ratio. (Tepper, 8/18)

Legal challenges to Medicare Advantage marketing, health insurance exchange regulations and the No Surprises Act are working their way through the courts with major implications for the healthcare sector. Here are some key cases that could change how health insurance companies sell Medicare plans, how insurers and providers resolve out-of-network billing disputes, how consumers sign up for health insurance exchange plans, and how preventive healthcare is covered. (Early, 8/18)

Texas declared an end to the state’s measles outbreak on Monday, after a surge of infections this year drove the US to its highest rate in three decades. The Texas Department of State Health Services said there have been no new cases in areas with previously high transmission for 42 days, double the virus’s incubation period. Since January, the state has recorded 762 total cases. Two unvaccinated children died from measles-related complications. (Nix, 8/18)

Colorado health officials reported a second case of measles in Mesa County on Monday, deepening concern about possible silent transmission of the virus in the county. (Ingold, 8/19)

The cries of small children echoed throughout the Pikesville Middle School gym last week as scores of parents and children — pre-Kindergarteners through adolescents — waited for their turn to get their shots. No one was thrilled about attending this Aug. 11 back-to-school vaccination clinic, but parents on hand said they believe the required inoculations are necessary to keep their children safe from diseases like polio or measles. (Bazos, 8/18)

Cases of Valley fever are spiking in California, according to health officials. As of the end of July, there were 6,761 cases confirmed — which means if this pace continues, the total 2025 numbers will likely exceed the 12,595 cases seen in 2024. (Rudy, 8/18)

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) today announced that it and the state's Department of Environmental Protection are investigating a local malaria case in a resident of Morris County who has no international travel history. If confirmed, the case would mark New Jersey's first locally acquired malaria case since 1991, the NJDOH said. It added that although Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit the disease live in New Jersey, the overall risk of locally acquired malaria remains low. (Schnirring, 8/18)

A federal appeals court has upheld a law strengthening the rights of pregnant workers, vacating a judge’s earlier order that had stripped those protections from Texas state employees. The ruling was a victory for advocates of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a law that passed with bipartisan support in 2022 but quickly became embroiled in controversy over whether it covers workers seeking abortions and fertility treatments. (Olson, 8/18)

When the fall semester begins this month at the University of South Florida, the USF College of Public Health will offer a first-of-its-kind, university-based bachelor's degree in health care simulation operations. The curriculum is offered in conjunction with the USF Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), one of the world’s largest free-standing health care simulation facilities, according to the university. (Wantuck, 8/19)

About two years after the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the United States, a new study suggests that many people who may not have had access to contraception before are now using the over-the-counter option. More than a quarter – 26.2% – of people now using over-the-counter oral contraceptives were using no modern method of birth control before, according to the study published Monday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. (Howard, 8/18)

In a highly unusual move, a small biotech company has disclosed a rejection letter from the Food and Drug Administration in hopes of rallying support for regulatory approval of an ultra-rare disease drug. (Silverman, 8/18)

Gilbert Dryden probably only has enough medication to get him through the end of October, his mother, Madison, figures. Seven-month-old Gilbert has a rare genetic condition called Barth syndrome, one that can have dire consequences, like heart failure, extreme muscle weakness and a dramatically reduced life expectancy. Children who die early often don’t see their fifth birthday. Two infant deaths were reported within the past week, according to the Barth Syndrome Foundation. (Brock and Edwards, 8/18)

The Food and Drug Administration approved the weight loss drug Wegovy to treat an increasingly prevalent liver disease on Friday. Roughly 15 million people — six percent of adults in the United States — have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, known as MASH. Rates of the disease are rising. (Blum, 8/18)

A federal judge has thrown out a second case against Abbott Laboratories over the safety of its formula for babies born prematurely — a decision with potential implications for hundreds of other similar cases. In the case, Maryland woman Keosha Diggs alleged that her son developed a life-threatening intestinal disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after being fed specialized cow’s milk formula made by Abbott. Her son, who was born at 32 weeks gestation, then had to undergo surgery to remove a section of his intestine. (Schencker, 8/18)

When the Food and Drug Administration needs outside guidance, it normally turns to a trusted source: a large roster of expert advisers who are carefully vetted for their independence, credentials and judgment. But increasingly, the agency isn’t calling them. Instead, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has launched a series of ad hoc “expert panels” to discuss antidepressants, menopause drugs and other topics with physicians and researchers who often have contrarian views and financial interests in the subjects. (Perrone, 8/18)

A small UK study published last week in Nature Communications found that among a cohort of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, those who received probiotic supplements had fewer antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens in their gut than those who didn't, even when they also received antibiotics. (Dall, 8/18)

Maci Philitas is deep underwater. Diving in the inky abyss, she finds a brown treasure chest. She opens it. Inside are four framed photographs. Philitas and her husband laughing, listening to her brother giving a toast at their wedding. Her parents and in-laws getting married. And a family photo: Philitas, her husband and their two young sons. She holds the photos, feeling suspended in time. She leaves them inside the chest, far beneath the water, for safekeeping. In reality, Philitas was lying on a couch with a face mask covering her eyes in a pale blue room at the NYU Langone Health Center for Psychedelic Medicine in Manhattan. (Kadvany, 8/18)

This fall, the University of Colorado Denver's Center for Psychedelic Research will launch the nation's first state-approved program in psychedelic therapy. Once facilitators become licensed through the program, they will be able to administer psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic, or "magic," mushrooms. It is the first such program offered by a university that leads to a legal practice in the country. The program opens in the midst of a remarkable shift in the cultural, legal, and medical perception of psychedelics. (Nielsen, 8/18)

Wyoming law enforcement agencies will be better able to respond to mental health crises in their communities thanks to a $2.4 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust. The funding supports the Virtual Crisis Care program, which connects officers in the field with licensed mental health professionals for immediate help for people in crisis. (Schlump, 8/15)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: The National Suicide Hotline For LGBTQ+ Youth Went Dead. States Are Scrambling To Help

On July 17, the option went dead for LGBTQ+ youth to access specialized mental health support from the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said a month earlier that it would no longer “silo” services and would instead “focus on serving all help seekers.” That meant the elimination of the “Press 3” option, the dedicated line answered by staff specifically trained to handle LGBTQ+ youth facing mental health issues ranging from anxiety to thoughts of suicide. (Sciacca, 8/19)

A drug dealer dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” has agreed to plead guilty to five federal criminal charges, including that she provided the drug that ultimately led actor Matthew Perry to suffer a fatal overdose in October 2023, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Jasveen Sangha, 42, also admitted in her plea agreement to selling four vials of ketamine to Cody McLaury in August 2019. McLaury, 33, died hours later in his Los Angeles home from a drug overdose that included ketamine. (Winton, 8/18)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Guns, Race, And Profit: The Pain Of America’s Other Epidemic 

Less than a mile from a century-old mill that sustained generations in this small town north of New Orleans, 19-year-old Tajdryn Forbes was shot to death near his mother’s house. She found Forbes face down in the street in August 2023, two weeks before he had planned to move away from the empty storefronts, boarded-up houses, and poverty that make this one of the most troubled places in the nation. (Clasen-Kelly and Rayasam, 8/19)

A protein found in our cells could act as an early warning sign for aggressive cancers—and a new target for drugs to stop them spreading. This is the discovery of scientists from Brunel University of London, who have shown for the first time that a protein that helps a cell prepare to divide can also trigger metastasis. (Millington, 8/18)

Action must be taken to curb the use of plastic additives linked to plummeting sperm counts, a leading reproductive scientist has warned, as splits over chemical regulation contributed to the collapse of a crucial treaty on plastic pollution. Across the world, sperm counts have been declining at a rate of about 1% a year for the past 50 years, and human fertility has been diminishing at a similar rate, studies have shown. (Gayle, 8/19)

Dreamed that you forgot to wear pants? Or you lost your job? It might have something to do with what you ate before bed. New research from Canadian scientists suggests that certain foods, namely dairy products, are associated with nightmares. The culprit? Gastrointestinal distress brought on after ingesting foods like cheese right before bedtime. (Woodward, 8/18)

In tech classes, seniors are learning about AI-generated images and the risks of AI scams and deepfakes — and finding their own uses for bots like ChatGPT. (Wu, 8/19)

The health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., says he wants to understand what causes autism. It’s a perfectly laudable goal and one that scientists have been pursuing for decades. But after announcing a large new federal study on the topic, he made a shocking choice by bringing in the vaccine critic David Geier as a researcher. In the scientific community, Mr. Geier is infamous for the deeply flawed studies he conducted with his father, Mark Geier, claiming that vaccines cause autism. Researchers have long called attention to the serious methodological and ethical defects in their work. (Jessica Steier, 8/19)

Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful Bill” might not have passed absent an 11th-hour provision. Worried that cutting almost $1 trillion from Medicaid might hurt rural hospitals, some lawmakers demanded a special subsidy to keep them afloat. (8/19)

In January, one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history ravaged several neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, including Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The immediate toll was staggering: at least 30 lives lost, more than 200,000 people evacuated, and more than 18,000 homes and structures destroyed. Moreover, a recent study estimated the fires were linked to more than 440 excess deaths in the region. Yet even these numbers don’t capture the full extent of the damage. The disaster’s effects on our brains are only beginning to emerge. (Burcin Ikiz and Clayton Page Aldern, 8/19)

The New York Times recently covered a new study, Baby’s First Years, which found that monthly cash transfers given to families in poverty did little to improve the children’s well-being. The study — and coverage of it — is highly misleading. And at a time when the federal government is clawing back aid intended to help kids, it’s irresponsible. (Joan Luby and Deanna Barch, 8/19)

The rapid rise of agentic artificial intelligence, systems capable of independent and complex decision-making, has the potential to usher in a new era for health systems, payers and life sciences companies. From automating claims processing to optimizing clinical workflows to speeding up target molecule discovery, agentic AI has the ability to deliver impressive gains in efficiency and scale. (Keith Figlioli, 8/19)

Increasingly, people with mental health conditions are using large language models for support, even though researchers find A.I. chatbots can encourage delusional thinking or give shockingly bad advice. (Laura Reiley, 8/19)