Republicans say they’ll stop fentanyl at the border. But what are their plans for treatment?
Americans are dying of fentanyl overdoses in record numbers, and the Republican presidential candidates are…
Category: Politics
STAT+: Humana sues Biden administration over Medicare Advantage audit rule
Humana sued the federal government Friday, arguing that this year’s new rule to claw back…
Opinion: Why isn’t there any enforcement of the ACA mandate to support breastfeeding?
Eleven years ago, the Affordable Care Act codified a critical aspect of postpartum care: breastfeeding…
STAT+: The curious case of J&J’s Stelara, the unluckiest drug on Medicare’s list
WASHINGTON — Ninety-eight days may end up costing Johnson & Johnson. When Medicare this week…
Here are the 10 drugs that will be up first for Medicare price negotiation
WASHINGTON — Medicare on Tuesday announced the first 10 drugs selected for a new drug…
Opinion: Every senator should fill out a legislative advance directive
Advance directives were born in the Senate. Now they can help preserve the dignity of…
STAT+: AstraZeneca sues to immediately stop Medicare drug price negotiation program
WASHINGTON — AstraZeneca is the sixth drug maker to pile on a legal challenge to…
.jpg)
Abortion policy in the spotlight, DeSantis’ importation showdown, and new price hike analysis
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis. Sign up here to receive this newsletter…
STAT+: Drug makers already bet big on mRNA for cancer. Why is Biden going in, too?
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s fledgling health agency, designed to accelerate under-funded research, just set its…
Vivek Ramaswamy’s brashness made waves in the Republican debate. He did the same in biotech
The youngest candidate on Wednesday night’s debate stage didn’t make any friends among his fellow…
Republican presidential candidates spar over abortion bans
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidates sparred Wednesday over a question that has haunted the party…
STAT+: Ron DeSantis wants to import drugs from Canada. Biden’s FDA just blasted his plan
WASHINGTON — Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has ballyhooed a high-profile plan to…
STAT+: Eli Lilly CEO donates big to Mike Pence presidential super PAC
WASHINGTON — David Ricks, who leads Eli Lilly, made a major early donation to a…
.jpg)
Republicans love RFK Jr. What does that tell us about their health platforms in 2024?
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidates are polishing off their best barbs and attack lines for…
Appeals court upholds limits to abortion pill
A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone…
STAT+: From drug shortages to high prices, U.S. system’s shortcomings have deep roots
American medicine is a tragic paradox. An example: Cancer patients are likely dying as a…
STAT+: White House drug shortages task MIA with lawmakers while Congress works on fixes
WASHINGTON — A White House task force created to work on drug shortage reforms has…
STAT+: Genentech weighs slow-walking ovarian cancer therapy to make more money under drug pricing reform
WASHINGTON — Plenty of pharmaceutical executives have decried Democrats’ new drug pricing law as detrimental…
CDC director overhauls leadership of center that oversaw response to Covid-19
The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mandy Cohen, is overhauling…
Senators push IRS to launch nonprofit hospital probe
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators wants federal tax regulators to probe nonprofit hospitals’…
STAT+: More regulation could be coming for drug ads
WASHINGTON — Government regulators may soon decide whether to crack down on distracting visuals in…
‘Shocking’ heat waves persist through August as federal officials warn of far-ranging health risks
WASHINGTON — An already record-setting summer heat wave will continue through August and will put…
STAT+: White House drug shortage task force held rare in-person meeting with industry
WASHINGTON — A new White House task force on drug shortages held a rare in-person…
STAT+: Pharma industry showers House GOP doctor with campaign cash
WASHINGTON — The pharmaceutical industry has been flooding the campaign coffers of Rep. Larry Bucshon, a…
STAT+: Uninsured rate hits ‘record low’ — right before millions start losing Medicaid coverage
Roughly 7.7% of Americans didn’t have any health insurance as of this past March —…
Infectious disease expert Jeanne Marrazzo assumes Fauci role at NIH
WASHINGTON – University of Alabama infectious disease director Jeanne Marrazzo will be the National Institutes…
Cannabis industry scales back its lobbying in Washington
WASHINGTON – The cannabis industry is dramatically scaling back its presence in Washington. Curaleaf, one…
STAT+: Medicare wants to improve Alzheimer’s care, but sidesteps drug prices
WASHINGTON — Medicare announced today a pilot program aimed at improving dementia care and reducing…
STAT+: Vivek Ramaswamy wants to ‘gut’ the FDA. His claims don’t hold up to scrutiny
STAT readers know Vivek Ramaswamy from his time as the founder of the biotech conglomerate…
NIH begins long-delayed clinical trials for long Covid, announces new research office
WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health on Monday took long-delayed steps to begin enrolling patients…
STAT+: House GOP offers new plan to stem drug shortages, including cancer drug shortages
WASHINGTON — House Republicans have drafted drug-shortage legislation that differs significantly from the approach Democrats…
Opinion: Doctors in states that ban abortion can still refer patients elsewhere. Why are so few doing that?
For now, abortion remains accessible even in states where it’s banned — at least for…
Mental illness, drug addiction go hand in glove, Biden’s drug czar tells lawmakers
WASHINGTON — At a House oversight hearing Thursday, the Biden administration’s top drug policy official emphasized…
Lawmakers circle parents’ rights in gender-affirming care hearing
WASHINGTON — Republicans on Thursday sought to turn around transgender advocates’ arguments that gender-affirming care…
STAT+: Key Republicans nix idea to give FDA new power to regulate CBD
WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration says it needs Congress to give it more…
Mitch McConnell’s abrupt episode has an important public health takeaway
The handling of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s abrupt medical issue this week is raising…
Ending health disparities requires full federal government, National Academies panel says
To narrow the nation’s deeply entrenched health disparities, a permanent entity with regulatory powers should…
Biden announces an advanced cancer research initiative as part of the bipartisan ‘moonshot’ effort
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s administration on Thursday announced the first cancer-focused initiative under its advanced…
STAT+: Senate panel advances PBM reform — but sidesteps anything controversial
WASHINGTON — Senators on the Finance Committee on Wednesday nearly unanimously passed a bill to…
STAT+: Democrats decry a new health package as too easy on private equity
WASHINGTON — A rift between Democrats and Republicans over health care transparency was on full display…
STAT+: Democrats already want to expand Medicare’s drug price negotiation
WASHINGTON — It’s drug pricing déjà vu: Just as they did in 2019, House Democrats…
STAT+: Congress’s PBM reforms won’t end America’s drug pricing woes. Here’s what they would do
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in Congress generally agree that there’s something very broken with the way America…
STAT+: Key House panel proposes lowering out-of-pocket drug costs in Medicare
WASHINGTON — A key House committee announced their own plans to increase health care transparency…
STAT+: A new lobby shop looks to remind Congress about NIH’s translational research arm
WASHINGTON — Christopher Austin was the first director of a then-tiny National Institutes of Health…
STAT+: Lobbying spending dropped for companies that departed PhRMA
WASHINGTON — The three companies that recently left PhRMA all spent less on lobbying following…
STAT+: White House launches permanent pandemic office
WASHINGTON – The White House on Friday launched its pandemic preparedness office, half a year…
STAT+: FDA official pushes for a dedicated emerging pathogens team to prepare for the next pandemic
WASHINGTON — A top Food and Drug Administration official wants Congress to dedicate full-time staff…
STAT+: Bernie Sanders wants to replace drug patents with prizes for breakthrough medicines
WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will finally get a study of his proposal to…
STAT+: Hospitals struggle to make money on CAR-T cancer therapies, but their fortunes may change
WASHINGTON — Hospitals for years have complained that Medicare pays so little for CAR-T cancer…
Key lawmaker blasts Congress’ efforts on addiction: ‘Shame on us’
A Democratic congressman on Wednesday blasted a bipartisan set of proposals focused on addiction, arguing…