Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biologist Renee Wegrzyn Chosen As ARPA-H's First Director
President Joe Biden plans to appoint longtime biologist and former government scientist Renee Wegrzyn as the first director of the nascent Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. (Owermohle, 9/12)
On Monday, this group of power brokers is announcing the name of the coalition they’ve formed to attract this agency to Massachusetts: The Coalition for Health Advances & Research in Massachusetts (aka CHARM). They also unveiled a website that aims to highlight all the reasons the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, should come here — including the concentration of research hospitals, life sciences companies, and top-tier universities in Greater Boston. (Chesto, 9/12)
In FDA news —
Negotiations are intensifying over massive, multibillion-dollar legislation to fund the Food and Drug Administration, with just weeks left before the current agreement expires, four sources following the talks said. (Cohrs, 9/9)
The FDA has launched an initiative warning about over-the-counter skin lightening products after receiving reports of side effects. The agency's Skin Facts! Initiative, announced last week, is aimed at promoting safe use of skin care products, urging people to be aware of non-prescription products marketed to lighten or bleach the skin. (Hassanein, 9/10)
In USDA news —
Earlier this year, a leading animal rights group asked U.S. authorities to investigate medical research labs for allegedly violating federal law after finding numerous instances where nearly 2,000 monkeys were shipped between facilities without required veterinary inspections. (Silverman, 9/9)
