Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Help Wanted: Recruitment Tops ARPA-H Director's Early Priorities
President Biden鈥檚 new health agency with a sweeping mandate to cure some of the system鈥檚 biggest problems has one big message: Please apply. (Owermohle, 12/7)
FDA Chief Robert Califf responds to a scathing report 鈥
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said the food side of the agency needs more attention Wednesday, the day after an agency-commissioned report recommended increasing the prominence of its food program. (Wilkerson, 12/7)
In updates from Capitol Hill 鈥
Lawmakers are facing a rapidly closing window to get key marijuana legislation across the finish line in the lame-duck session. Despite fetching broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate, opposition from GOP leadership and a tightening timeline is chipping away at the bill鈥檚 chances of passage. (Folley and Evers-Hillstrom, 12/7)
Bacteria resistant to antibiotics continue to be a problem that merits monitoring because the pathogens can possibly kick-start the next pandemic, but a bill before Congress promises to wheel new medicinal weapons into the contest. The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act, if passed, would create a public-private effort to create new antibacterial medications by reassuring pharmaceutical companies that there鈥檇 be a market for their product. (Diamond, 12/7)
The House on Thursday is set to pass a bill to codify federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages, bringing the landmark legislation one step closer to landing on President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. (Peller, 12/8)
Can Congress prevent another mess like what happened at Theranos? 鈥
Theranos, and the company鈥檚 notoriously inaccurate blood tests, could potentially have been stopped earlier if Congress had acted to fix a regulatory loophole. Lawmakers are weighing now whether it鈥檚 better late than never. (Cohrs and Owermohle, 12/8)
Ramesh 鈥淪unny鈥 Balwani, the former chief operating officer of failed blood testing startup Theranos,鈥痺as sentenced Wednesday鈥痶o nearly 13 years in prison鈥痜or fraud. It marks鈥痑n end to the stunning downfall of a high-flying Silicon Valley company that resulted in the rare convictions of two tech executives. (Thorbecke, 12/7)
