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good morning. Lately, when I want to concentrate at the office, I’ve been listening to the score of “I Love Boosters.” The music composed by Tune-Yards is quirky, manic, and somehow gets your heart rate up. I love it.
Diabetes experts uproar over exclusion from conference
Five days ago, five diabetes experts, including a security guard, were escorted from an American Diabetes Association meeting for handing out copies of an editorial criticizing federal research cuts. As STAT’s Elizabeth Cooney reports, criticism of the move from members of the organization continues to mount. And for many, the way the ADA leadership has defended itself only makes things worse.
“To me, it was unthinkable,” said John Beuss, former president of the ADA and co-author of the editorial in question. He wasn’t necessarily surprised by the idea that leadership might lobby members and ask them to stop distributing materials. But the involvement of police officers was “shocking”, he said. Read Liz’s article to see what kind of solutions people want.
A new era for sunscreen in America
If you’ve ever heard a friend wax poetic about the superiority of Korean skin care, you know what a big deal this is. The FDA has approved the first new sunscreen ingredient for the United States in more than 25 years. The ingredient bemotriginol has been used in sunscreens made around the world for years, but new sunscreens in the United States have been bogged down by FDA bureaucracy.
This doesn’t mean you’ll soon see Beauty of Joseon sunscreen products in locked cabinets at American pharmacies. The Dutch manufacturer will receive an 18-month exclusivity period to sell sunscreens containing bemotriginol after it first submits its application for approval to the FDA in 2024. Read more about the Associated Press decision here. And for a refresher on why people love this chemical ingredient in sunscreen, read again this first opinion essay from last spring.
NIAID appoints new acting director
The NIH has appointed researcher John Powers III as acting director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases. Leadership has been in limbo for weeks at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases following reports that former director Jeffrey Taubenberger has resigned.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) expressed concern about the lack of leadership last month, saying, “With less funding, fewer staff, and stagnant research, can we confidently say that we are better prepared for public health threats than we were a year ago?” Read more articles by Anil Oza and Helen Branswell.
Reviving an old debate about opioid treatment
Medical and public health leaders in the United States, unlike their peers, have historically been skeptical of drug treatments for opioid addiction. But as overdoses and deaths continue to rise in recent years, evidence-based treatments are finally gaining consistent support across the political spectrum. When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became federal health secretary, he explicitly acknowledged that drugs such as suboxone and methadone would remain an integral part of the nation’s response to the overdose crisis.
But over the past year, the Trump administration has taken a decidedly more passive approach to these drugs, raising alarms among public health experts, addiction doctors, and patient groups. Read more from STAT’s Lev Facher about changes in wind direction and their effects.
Department of Justice reaches second settlement regarding youth gender care
The Justice Department has reached a new settlement agreement with a U.S. hospital to stop providing gender-affirming care to children, according to a Justice Department press release on Friday. The Cleveland Clinic has not admitted any wrongdoing, but has promised “for decades” not to provide gender-affirming treatments, including puberty blockers and hormones, to minors. The facility also pledged $2 million to support “transitioners,” or people who might change their minds about receiving such care. (Existing research shows this is rare.)
Please note that the actual details of the settlement have not been made public. (If anyone has one, please DM me! I’m theresagaff.97 from Signal.) “The Justice Department’s press release should be read as their interpretation and viewed with skepticism,” attorney and independent journalist Chris Guidener noted Friday. Still, this is the second such agreement, according to the Justice Department, after Texas Children’s Hospital agreed to “permanently” discontinue gender-affirming care for children and establish a clinic for transitional care. The news comes amid a legal battle over a Justice Department subpoena for transgender medical care, with many judges siding with hospitals and families.
Abortion barriers faced by teens
Following the 2022 Dobbs decision, 10 states voted to enshrine the right to abortion in their state constitutions. Seven of these states have laws regarding parental consent and notification for minors seeking abortions. But the tide may be turning for this type of law. Last month, the Nevada Supreme Court decided to halt enforcement of the state’s parental notification law. Doctors have filed suit against a similar law in Colorado.
The motion “takes an important step toward addressing current barriers to abortion access for teens, even in states where abortion is protected,” pediatric resident Sunaya Krishnapura writes in a new first opinion essay. Read more about why she believes teens have the right to seek abortions without parental involvement and how health care providers should contribute to advocacy efforts.
what we are reading
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These popular snacks contain high levels of additives and contaminants, says Consumer Reports
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Anguished parents, crying doctors: Life in Utah’s measles outbreak, Wired
- Shortages of many U.S. drugs remain a ‘systemic’ problem, new analysis finds, STAT
- He is profiting from raw milk that is making people sick. The government isn’t stopping him, ProPublica
- European countries feel increasing pressure on drug prices as US looks on, STAT
