July 10, 2025
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Washington Correspondent, D.C. Diagnosis Writer

I thought the news would slow down after Republicans passed their tax bill. Judging by today’s line-up of articles, I was wrong. Tip jar: John.Wilkerson@statnews.com or via Signal at John_Wilkerson.07

vaccine policy

Radical transparency?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health department promised to release ethics forms for the seven new members Kennedy hand-picked for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices before the group’s first meeting last month. Kennedy fired all of the previous ACIP members in June. 

Those disclosures haven’t been posted, Isa Cueto reports, and an HHS spokesperson didn’t respond to questions about whether they ever will be. 

By comparison, Kennedy had HHS post a conflict-of-interest database for prior ACIP members just weeks after he took office. Read more.

advisory panels

Preventive care meeting cancelled

Kennedy abruptly canceled today’s meeting of experts who evaluate the nation’s preventive care recommendations, Chelsea Cirruzzo reports.

Less than two weeks ago, the Supreme Court affirmed that the health secretary has significant authority over the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, paving the way for Kennedy to remake the committee and reject recommendations he dislikes.

With that in mind, the cancellation alarmed some health researchers, who fear Kennedy may fire current panel members and install members loyal to him. 

Kennedy didn’t give a reason for cancelling the meeting. The court case that led to the Supreme Court ruling was brought by a group of conservative Christian employers who did not want to cover HIV prevention drugs called PrEP.

disease outbreak

Measles measles everywhere

The year is half over, and already the United States has recorded more measles cases than in any year since the turn of the century, Helen Branswell reports.

Or, as STAT’s Alex Hogan puts it in an accompanying video: “The last time reported cases of measles were this high, the Dream Team won gold at the Barcelona Olympics and Whitney Houston was topping the charts with the Bodyguard soundtrack.”

In response to the news, an HHS spokesperson stressed that vaccinating against measles is a personal choice, and that the risk of contracting measles in the United States remains lower than in many peer countries. 

However, public health experts say Kennedy should issue a more full-throated appeal to parents to vaccinate their children against measles, which after all is the standard public health response during an outbreak.

Read, or watch, more here.

fda

Adding insult to injury

After STAT's deep-dive into tanking morale at the Food and Drug Administration, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told staff they would finally receive the 2024 performance bonuses they were owed, according to a video shared with Lizzy Lawrence. The bonuses are typically paid out by April, and can be as much as $5,000. Makary apologized for the delay, which he attributed to a problem "deep in the bureaucracy of government."

On Wednesday, the agency sent out an email clarifying that the bonuses would not go to any employees "scheduled to separate" before the bonuses are paid, which includes both employees laid off in April and employees who took an early retirement offer — despite the bonuses being for work they did last year.

In response to a request for comment, HHS spokesperson Vianca Rodriguez Feliciano said, "This is false."

The move to deny some bonuses adds insult to injury, laid-off workers told STAT.

"It's one thing to be laid off, but it's another hurtful, infuriating thing to not be paid for the good work you already did," said Chanapa Tantibanchachai, a former press officer at FDA who was let go in April.

Send FDA tips to Lizzy.Lawrence@statnews.com or lizzylaw.53 on Signal.

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What we’re reading

  • Child walks again after receiving experimental treatment for rare genetic condition, STAT
  • Senate committee advances Susan Monarez to be Trump’s CDC director, AP
  • Gilead to provide HIV prevention drug to 2 million people in lower-income countries at cost, STAT
  • Medicaid middleman ships jobs, tech to India despite state rules, Bloomberg Law

Thanks for reading! More next time,