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STAT News – Biotech

STAT+: Bhattacharya addresses CDC director role, works to bolster staff morale in first all-hands meeting

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff gathered Wednesday for what many hoped would be an announcement of the Trump administration’s choice for a new leader of the beleaguered agency

But instead, acting Director Jay Bhattacharya told them a permanent director would likely be nominated by Thursday. 

A transcript of the hour-plus all-hands meeting, obtained by STAT, revealed tough questions for Bhattacharya, who scored points from staff on some issues — like supporting measles vaccination — but waffled on others. His defense of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he called a friend and suggested has been mischaracterized by the media, was met with some audible grumbling, one source in the room told STAT.

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STAT News – Biotech

STAT+: Amid focus on food, FDA leader briefs lawmakers on priorities

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WASHINGTON — Food and Drug Administration officials briefed senators on the agency’s plans for food policy for 2026, according to a person familiar with the meeting.

The agency plans to focus on infant formula safety, updating food labels, defining ultra-processed foods, expanding inspections of food processing plants, and bolstering seafood safety programs, according to a document shared with lawmakers, obtained by STAT.

The meeting comes amid a shift in the administration’s health agenda toward food issues and away from vaccine policy. In recent polls, food reforms have been more popular than the vaccine agenda, catching the attention of administration officials looking to sharpen their message for the midterms.

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STAT News – Biotech

STAT+: In private meetings, White House works to win pharma companies’ support for drug pricing bill

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WASHINGTON — The White House has drafted legislative text for its drug pricing policy, and officials are in the process of sharing it with more than a dozen major pharmaceutical companies, according to people familiar with the meetings.

The legislative text, according to a White House official, closely follows the outlines of the voluntary deals the administration made with pharma companies. The draft includes a policy that would allow drugs purchased in cash to count toward a patient’s deductible.

The Trump administration’s push for drug price legislation is part of a larger effort to get health reforms signed into law. The president’s focus on his affordability agenda in an election year has heightened the profile of the effort.

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STAT News – Biotech

STAT+: China’s biotech boom is rewriting everything

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Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox.

The NIH’s foreign subaward crackdown is scrambling global collaborations, while China’s rapid ascent is reshaping drug development. Meanwhile, Wave Life Sciences sheds half its value on underwhelming obesity results.

Also, breaking: I’m adopting a rogue backyard tortoise and will name it Philbert.

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