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The Trump administration has prepared an order that would impose a 100% tariff on imports of patented medications and their active ingredients, according to a draft obtained by STAT. (Payne, 4/1)

Updates from the FDA —

The FDA is continuing its quest to speed up drug approvals and make more drugs available over the counter (OTC), FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, said Wednesday. "We want to challenge the assumption that it takes 10 to 12 years for a drug to come to market," Makary said during a press conference with reporters. "We believe it can be done faster without cutting any corners on safety. We'd like to modernize the agency with technology, while maintaining our gold-standard thresholds for approving drugs, devices, food, cosmetics, and tobacco." (Frieden, 4/1)

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary recounted his agency’s achievements and acknowledged a “challenging start” to his tenure in a speech to staff on Wednesday afternoon. (Lawrence, 4/1)

The Food and Drug Administration has often failed to share information on how it determines whether its advisory committee members have financial conflicts of interest and whether those individuals should participate in committee meetings, according to a review by the Government Accountability Office. (Silverman, 4/1)

On the immigration crisis —

President Donald Trump endorsed a plan Wednesday to end the nearly seven-week-old shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security by going around Democrats to fund parts of the agency. Trump urged Republicans to send him a party-line bill by June 1 to fund two agencies within the department — Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol — using the reconciliation process. (Beggin and Meyer, 4/1)

The Supreme Court appeared poised Wednesday to uphold the legal principle that almost everyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen, as justices heard arguments in a major case that raises fundamental questions about who is considered American. The justices seemed ready to hand President Donald Trump a significant defeat in his push to end birthright citizenship, as the president sat watching the first part of the proceedings in the the public gallery — a historic first. Trump is the only sitting chief executive known to have attended arguments before the high court. (Jouvenal, 4/1)

The medical examiner in Buffalo has ruled that the death of a nearly blind man left alone by Border Patrol agents on a frigid night was a homicide, a finding that could lead to criminal charges. Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, died in February after the agents dropped him off outside a closed Tim Hortons doughnut shop. His death triggered outrage in Buffalo and around the nation. (Ley, 4/1)

Laura stopped leaving her home weeks before she gave birth. She lived outside of Minneapolis, where many people had been taken by immigration officials. She thought of mothers separated from babies, of children taken to detention facilities. By the time she went into labor, her stress was so intense that her body had stopped producing sufficient oxytocin, her doctors told her. (Luthra, 3/31)

Two-year-old Bain Brandon has Type 1 diabetes and needs insulin to live. But even with health insurance, the price tag isn’t cheap. A one-month supply of insulin vials and a three-month supply of backup pens for the Mississippi toddler cost his parents $194 last week, according to his mom, 29-year-old Marlee Brandon. They can afford it right now — but she worries about the future. “One day, Bain will be an adult, and he won’t be able to be on our insurance anymore,” she said. “I feel like a lot of people don’t realize how much and how expensive it is.” (Swenson, 4/2)

Hospital associations have laid out their policy wish list for Congress regarding long-term care hospitals (LTCH), calling for refinements to various requirements around patient criteria and stay length that affect payments. The changes outlined by the lobbying groups, including the American Hospital Association, would relieve the “severe stress” the subsector is facing and head off facility closures that have mounted in recent years, they said. Failing to stem the loss of LTCH beds “will exacerbate growing hospital and post-acute capacity concerns in markets throughout the country,” they said. (Muoio, 4/1)

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker filed a legal brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday backing cancer patients in a high-stakes case that could determine whether thousands of lawsuits over the weedkiller Roundup can proceed — and drawing a direct contrast with the Trump administration's position. The filing, known as an amicus brief, supports a plaintiff who alleges Monsanto failed to warn consumers about cancer risks tied to Roundup, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. (Maguire, 4/1)

A year after staffing cuts, leadership disruptions and communication restrictions slowed the World Trade Center Health Program, decisions on whether to add new conditions remain unresolved, with no clear timeline, advocates told ABC News. The program serves roughly 140,000 responders and survivors with cancers, respiratory illness, and other conditions linked to 9/11 exposure. It is currently staffed well below capacity with about 83 employees, down from 93 a year ago and far short of the 120 positions authorized by the federal Office of Management and Budget, according to Ben Chevat, executive director of 9/11 Health Watch. (Neporent, 3/31)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has temporarily paused testing for rabies and pox viruses, the family of viruses that includes smallpox and mpox, according to an update to the agency’s website on Monday. The C.D.C. offers testing for dozens of pathogens to assist state and local public health laboratories that are not equipped to conduct them. The organization began evaluating its tests in late 2024 as part of an agencywide review. (Mandavilli, 4/1)

Other news about vaccines and outbreaks —

Florida aimed to become the first state in the nation to end all vaccine mandates. But lawmakers failed to agree on a path forward. (Sheridan, 4/2)

COVID-19 vaccination and boosting appeared to play an important role in protecting cancer patients against long COVID during the Omicron wave, researchers reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Dall, 4/1)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination coverage among older US adults remained low through the end of the 2024–25 respiratory virus season, according to a new study published in Vaccine. In 2024, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended RSV vaccination for adults aged 60 to 74 years who are at increased risk of severe RSV and for all adults aged ≥75 years. (Bergeson, 4/1)

As secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] has promised to take on Lyme disease, which is an even bigger problem now than it was 40 years ago. At a roundtable discussion he convened in December with patients, clinicians and researchers, he pledged greater support for improving diagnostics and treatment. (Tirrell, 3/31)

The largest measles outbreak in the United States seems to be winding down. The South Carolina Department of Public Health says the state has now gone two full weeks without a new infection. Also, no one in the state is in quarantine or isolation for measles at this time, according to Brannon Traxler, MD, MPH, South Carolina’s chief medical officer. There have been 997 reported cases of measles in South Carolina since the outbreak began in the Upstate region in October of last year. (Boden, 4/1)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, A Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines
This week, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year. Scientists with knowledge of the operation expect the agency to post heaps more in weeks to come, revealing whether the U.S. has lost its hard-won measles elimination status. The CDC withheld the data for months as a team hit hard by mass layoffs and resignations sorted through the information. (Maxmen, 4/2)

A rapidly expanding cluster of mpox caused by clade 1b virus has been identified among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Berlin, Germany, according to a rapid communication published last week in Eurosurveillance. Of the 35 identified cases from December 2025 to last month, 34 were most likely acquired locally. The sharp increase in locally acquired infections marks a shift from historic patterns in which most mpox cases in Europe were largely travel-related. (Bergeson, 4/1)

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the second GLP-1 pill for weight loss, adding another option to a rapidly growing arsenal of obesity therapies. (Tirrell, 4/1)

The rapid rise of weight-loss injections is reshaping the quantity of food people eat — leaving farmers in some areas with a growing surplus of unsold potatoes. (McGreal, 4/1)

GLP-1 medications showed a range of potential benefits and safety concerns in an umbrella review of non-cardiometabolic outcomes, though the data quality for many remained limited. (Monaco, 3/31)

In other tech news —

Meta is entering the health wearables market with AI glasses designed to keep tabs on what you eat. The Meta AI glasses are now available for people with prescription lenses and come with hands-free food tracking as part of a software update. Via a voice prompt or photo, wearers can log what they eat, with the glasses extracting nutrition details and logging them into the Meta AI app. (Bruce, 4/1)

Millions of people with dementia work hard to complete everyday tasks, from taking medication to locking the door. For families, keeping track of these small but essential routines can be exhausting, and missing a step can have serious consequences. Seeing a need through community and family, four juniors from Mount Hebron High School — Saanvi Kakarlapudi, 16; Ahana Roy, 16; Amitha Sabbani, 16; and Tanvi Anand, 17 — developed MindLink, a wearable device designed to act as an automatic to-do list. (Yelenik, 4/1)

Scientists created virtual replicas of patients’ diseased hearts so precise that blocking a dangerous irregular heartbeat in these digital “twins” showed doctors how to better treat the real thing. One of the first clinical trials of these custom models suggests it might improve care for ventricular tachycardia, a notoriously difficult-to-treat arrhythmia that is a major cause of sudden cardiac arrest, blamed for about 300,000 U.S. deaths a year. (Neergaard, 4/1)

US companies added more jobs than expected last month, suggesting the labor market may be stabilizing. Private-sector payrolls increased by 62,000 in March after a similar advance in the prior month, according to ADP Research data out Wednesday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 40,000 advance. (Niquette, 4/1)

The combination of technology and alternative care options is slowing the growth rate of healthcare spending. In January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said healthcare expenditures rose 7.2%, to $5.3 trillion, in 2024. Healthcare spending accounted for 18% of gross domestic product in 2024, less than the 21.2% the agency projected. Advances in care delivery, reduced pricing on some treatments and payer restrictions on care utilization drove down spending, according to a recent study by public policy organization Brookings Institute. (Hudson, 4/1)

Oracle began laying off thousands of employees Tuesday, including at Oracle Health, the unit it formed following its acquisition of electronic health records company Cerner Corp. The company is eliminating about 30,000 roles, which represents 18% of the company’s workforce, CNBC reported. Many of the affected employees took to social media and LinkedIn to announce they’d been laid off and were open to work. Oracle declined comment, as it has about past layoffs. (Famakinwa, 4/1)

More health care industry developments —

Luigi Mangione‘s state and federal trials in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson were both postponed on Wednesday, with the state case delayed until September and the federal case pushed back to October. Judge Gregory Carro rescheduled the state trial from June 8 to Sept. 8, acting hours after the judge in the federal case, Margaret Garnett, moved jury selection in that matter from Sept. 8 to Oct. 5. Opening statements and testimony in the federal case will begin on Oct. 26, Garnett said. Carro did not elaborate on his decision. (Sisak and Neumeister, 4/1)

The owner of the now-shuttered West Suburban Medical Center said Wednesday he hopes to reopen the hospital this summer – but a state lawmaker who represents the area is questioning whether that plan will become a reality. (Schencker, 4/1)

The University of Connecticut Health Center Board of Directors voted on Tuesday to move forward with a plan to take over adolescent psychiatric services from the state-run Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center – South Campus in Middletown. (Tillman, 4/1)

Carelon Behavioral Health lost its motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the company maintained an inaccurate provider network, a federal district court ruled Tuesday. Three New York State Health Insurance Program beneficiaries sued the Elevance Health subsidiary in April 2025, alleging its directory of mental health providers were not all in-network as advertised. Carelon filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in August. (Tong, 4/1)

A new drone flight corridor for the aerial delivery of blood samples from Springfield to St. Louis became active on Wednesday — although the drone's ceremonial inaugural flight was rained out. St. Louis-based Mid-America Transplant says the corridor is the country's first drone pathway dedicated to health care. Blood samples from potential organ donors will be flown by drone from Springfield to St. Louis, where they'll be tested to determine their suitability for donation. (Suntrup, 4/1)

The Leapfrog Group will expand its rating system for ambulatory surgery centers. Starting in July, Leapfrog plans to use publicly reported Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data to compare safety and quality measures across nearly 4,000 ASCs, similar to how the independent watchdog group rates hospitals, according to a Tuesday news release. Leapfrog’s ASC rating system has historically been tied to its annual survey, which has fewer participants than the thousands of facilities that report data to CMS. (Kacik, 4/1)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: State-Run Insurance Plans For Foster Kids Leave Some Of Them Without Doctors
Ollie Super has moved in and out of cancer treatment since she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a toddler in foster care. Now 8, the second grader is dealing with it again. Her cancer came back late last year. Ollie’s parents, who adopted her in 2020, tried to sign her up for a clinical trial using CAR T-cell therapy — which genetically reprograms a patient’s white blood cells to help them fight cancer — at UNC Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, an hour-and-a-half drive from their home in Eden. Her mother, Britany Super, described it as Ollie’s “last option.” (Jones, 4/2)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: After Man’s Death Following Insurance Denials, West Virginia Tackles Prior Authorization
Six months after a West Virginia man died following a protracted battle with his health insurer over doctor-recommended cancer care, the state’s Republican governor signed a bill intended to curb the harm of insurance denials. (Sausser, 4/1)

Also —

Use of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled ambient documentation tools, or AI scribes, was associated with modest decreases in time spent in the electronic health record (EHR) and documentation time, a multisite study suggested. (Robertson, 4/1)

Mr. Bundy had confessed to killing Laura Ann Aime before he was executed in 1989. Investigators said DNA testing provided conclusive proof. (Levenson, 4/1)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

Texans who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will no longer be allowed to purchase sweetened drinks and candy beginning this Wednesday, April 1. In 2025, Gov. Greg Abbott requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service prohibit those purchases using SNAP to "help ensure the health and well-being of Texans." (Brown and Myers, 4/1)

Gov. Jared Polis wants to prohibit Coloradans from using food-assistance benefits to purchase soda and other sugary drinks that are bad for their health. But getting buy-in from other state leaders to put the ban in place now hinges on the governor’s broader plan for curbing soda drinking not just for low-income people, but for all Coloradans, starting with those attending taxpayer-funded events. (Brown, 4/1)

Kevin DeRonde stepped into a suite of empty offices at Mahaska Health in Oskaloosa. “This will all be gutted, and the PET CT will be housed over here,” said DeRonde, the hospital's CEO, motioning to a room filled with various cardboard boxes, storage tubs and office furniture. “Control room will be here, and then the patient intake rooms will be back behind us.” In January, the hospital found out it will receive more than $3 million from the state’s rural health transformation program fund to buy a new PET scanner, which is typically used to check for cancer. (Krebs, 4/1)

When pollution gets bad enough in the rivers supplying Iowa’s largest city with drinking water, it costs Des Moines around $16,000 a day to run a special system to filter out dangerous nitrates. It’s a fact of life in the agriculture-dependent state — and climate change is making the water quality problem even worse. The nitrates come from fertilizer and pesticides that make their way into the soil and then waterways like the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. It’s not usually a problem in winter, but this year Iowa’s capital had to filter in January and February — just the second time that’s happened in more than 30 years. (Walling, 4/1)

A Trump-appointed federal judge in South Texas this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by a woman in the Rio Grande Valley who alleged that her rights were violated after prosecutors charged her with murder in a controversial case that made global headlines after she self-induced an abortion. (Kriel, 4/1)

On the substance abuse epidemic —

Results of a voluntary wastewater monitoring program showed a highly potent opioid was found in two dozen Missouri schools, four of them in the Kansas City region. (Bauer, 4/1)

More than three years after Michigan communities began receiving millions of dollars to fight the opioid epidemic, some have yet to spend a dime. Michigan is set to receive at least $1.6 billion over 18 years from a national lawsuit settlement with drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies that were deemed partly responsible for the opioid crisis. The state is getting half that money, with the rest split between Michigan counties, townships and cities. The funds began arriving in January 2023. (French, 4/1)

Standing in the doorway of her new San Francisco apartment, Amber Richmond felt like her luck had finally changed. It was the summer of 2020, just before her 28th birthday. After years cycling between homeless shelters, hotels and the streets as she struggled with opioid addiction, she was finally moving into a studio in Lower Nob Hill thanks to a federal housing voucher. (Hodgman, 4/1)

Higher serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in midlife were tied to lower levels of subsequent tau pathology, an Alzheimer's disease biomarker, in a prospective cohort study. (George, 4/1)

Treatment with the investigational base-editing gene therapy ristoglogene autogetemcel (risto-cel) showed promise in patients with sickle cell disease, according to an interim analysis of the phase I/II BEACON study. (Bassett, 4/1)

Two drug candidates to expand oral therapy options for psoriasis had similar and consistent performances in separate phase III clinical trials reported here. (Bankhead, 4/1)

Kinesio taping -- also known as KT tape -- may dampen joint and muscle pain in the short term, but the evidence is highly uncertain, an overview of systematic reviews showed. (Henderson, 3/31)

Scientists publish more than 10 million studies and other publications a year. Some of those findings will add to humanity’s storehouse of knowledge. But some will be wrong. To assess a study, scientists can replicate it to see if they get the same result. But seven years ago, a team of hundreds of scientists set out to find a faster way to judge new scientific literature. They built artificial intelligence systems to predict whether studies would hold up to scrutiny. (Zimmer, 4/1)

Desperate patients, unable to get timely doctors’ appointments, seek help wherever they can find it. (Ilana Yurkiewicz, 4/2)

Recent weeks have brought something rare to Washington: meaningful, bipartisan progress on health care costs—progress built on a simple idea that should extend across the entire system. (Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 4/1)

The U.S. has the best health care in the world when outcomes for major illnesses are compared to those of other countries. However, the exploding costs are not sustainable. (Dr. Roger Stark, 4/2)

At 2026’s biggest gathering of cardiologists, prevention was the buzzword — but it remains unclear how to actually deliver this care to people. (Vishal Khetpal, 4/2)

Timothy Fong, an addiction psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles who has studied gambling disorder for more than two decades, argues that this reframing obscures the real risk. “You don’t actually have to ingest into your body for it to have a tremendous impact on your body, your brain, your mind, your spirit, and your wallet” he told me. The harm from gambling, he emphasized, is not just financial. It extends to physical health, mental health, family stability, and public health. (Ayesha Khan, 4/2)