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Good morning. We’re almost through the week. But first, we’ve got two days of an FDA peptides panel to get through. Scroll all the way down for a preview.
Ebola has killed more than 1,000 people
More than 1,000 deaths have been confirmed in the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, according to the African CDC. “These are people dying. They are dying because we don’t have vaccines, we don’t have medicine, we don’t have funding,” Jean Kaseya, director-general of the health agency, said yesterday. Read more from the AP on the situation.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this species of ebolavirus, called Bundibugyo. But as STAT’s Helen Branswell reported last night, a growing number of studies have found that a Merck vaccine designed for a different species of the virus may still offer some protection and help contain the spread. Read more on how that work is progressing.
Movement on a federal men’s health office
A bipartisan bill to establish an office of men’s health within HHS will be introduced in the Senate today, STAT’s Annalisa Merelli exclusively reports. While several similar attempts have been made in the past, there’s been unprecedented momentum this year. The Senate proposal mirrors one made in the House this year, which was the first to have bipartisan support. Read more from Nalis on the details.
Will new obstetrics payment codes help or hurt?
Historically in the U.S., the cost of having a baby — at least when it comes to doctors and hospital fees — has been presented to patients in one big bill after delivery. In March, the American Medical Association announced that this “global” fee model will be replaced at the end of the year with a pay-as-you-go strategy, with separate payment codes for services like prenatal and postpartum visits, fetal monitoring, and more.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advocated for the change and have celebrated the new billing, which it says will be easier for patients to understand and improve both the care people receive and the way we understand maternal health more broadly. In one new First Opinion essay, two ACOG leaders say “good riddance” to bundled care and explain their rationale for pushing the change.
The AMA says the change will be cost-neutral, but not everyone is so sure. In a counterpoint essay, health policy and management expert Jeff Levin-Scherz argues that the changes are likely to raise maternity care costs, and that employers that sponsor health insurance plans may bear the brunt of it. But he also says there are ways to prepare for these changes. Read more on how.
A long delay for reinstatement after refusing vaccines
In his first month back in office, President Trump signed an executive order promising to reinstate all service members who were discharged, or voluntarily left, for refusing the Covid vaccine. That order applied to nearly 8,000 active-duty and reserve troops who were involuntarily separated after refusing the shot, more than half of whom did not receive honorable discharges. And it’s not just about getting the job back — Trump also promised “full back pay.”
Leah Rosenbaum, a reporter at The War Horse, spoke with four service members trying to take the Trump administration up on its offer. All of them complained about months of bureaucratic red tape, despite being told they’d be prioritized. “It’s like a huge slap in the face,” said a Coast Guardsman, who declined their first offer as inadequate. Read more from Leah on the reality that’s borne out since the order’s ink dried.
Expect a clash at today’s peptide panel
VIDEO
Even without safety data, peptide use is surging among Americans. (“I’m a peptide princess right now,” comedian Gabby Bryan said in a podcast interview recently, explaining that she could get the six peptides she takes from a doctor, but her dealer in Arizona is cheaper.) An FDA panel will meet today and tomorrow to discuss regulatory changes that would make certain peptides more accessible through mainstream routes.
At issue is whether to allow compounding pharmacies to manufacture seven peptides that are currently designated as unsafe for them to make. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that it’s safer for patients to get them from FDA-inspected facilities rather than “very, very substandard” grey- and black-market options. Critics — including FDA staff — say that doesn’t matter if the safety of higher quality compounded peptides is still in question. Read more from STAT’s Sarah Todd and Lizzy Lawrence about what’s expected at the panel and who will get the final say.
What we’re reading
- American scientists see prosecutions as part of federal campaign against them, KFF Health News
- Cyclosporiasis cases in the United States hit record high, New York Times
- Tennis is the first major women’s sports league to require genetic testing, The 19th
- Federal judge questions Hegseth’s ‘high-T’ military plan in light of Trump’s anti-trans ban, Law Dork
- States want to bring Medicaid behind bars. Federal changes are making that harder, Tradeoffs