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Good morning. Remember when the streets were covered in snow? Time truly flies. Here’s some news to kick off another week.
Readouts from the annual diabetes conference
The American Diabetes Association’s annual conference in New Orleans concludes today after three days filled with data presentations and a surprising police incident. Here are the main takeaways:
- On Friday, about six ADA members, including a former president, were reportedly removed from the convention center for distributing an editorial critical of Trump administration policies. According to MedPage Today, ADA’s media team stated the members breached the code of conduct. Interestingly, the editorial in question was published by ADA’s own Diabetes Care journal.
- Later that day, a senior adviser to the NIH expressed strong support for the Make America Healthy Again movement during the keynote address. Jay Bhattacharya, the NIH Director, was initially scheduled to speak but was replaced due to an urgent meeting with President Trump. Elizabeth Cooney from STAT offers more insights into the address and the subsequent reactions from attendees.
- GLP-1 drugs were a significant topic at the conference. Liz and Elaine Chen provided a briefing on Friday about the upcoming discussions over the weekend. Key points included safety and tolerability data on Eli Lilly’s next-gen obesity drug, details from a mid-stage study on Pfizer’s newly acquired obesity drug from Metsera, and fresh data on Boehringer Ingelheim’s obesity drug.
Disciplinary proceedings regarding DOJ’s trans agenda?
Federal courts are scrutinizing the Trump administration’s investigations into youth gender-affirming care. On Friday, a Rhode Island federal judge referred Justice Department lawyers for disciplinary actions after previously criticizing their “misleading, if not utterly false” representation of negotiations with a hospital over subpoenas for gender-affirming care records.
The DOJ had issued administrative subpoenas to hospitals last summer, seeking extensive records on trans health care. Currently, the agency seems to be starting a criminal investigation through the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Texas. District Judge Mary McElroy, appointed by Trump, found the DOJ had misled and withheld information in the Rhode Island case from both her court and the Texas court. Two days before ordering disciplinary proceedings, the DOJ released a statement dismissing her conclusions as “without merit.”
Meanwhile, legal challenges contesting DOJ subpoenas for patient information persist. In New York, two parents told Gothamist that Mount Sinai Health System plans to cooperate with DOJ and provide anonymized patient records.
What ‘Schedule F’ means and why it matters
Recently, President Trump issued an executive order reclassifying thousands of federal government positions, including those at HHS, as “Schedule F.” This policy, originating from Trump’s first term, would create a new group of federal employees who, although not political appointees, could be dismissed at will. This reclassification without civil service protections could expose workers to heightened political pressure.
This move is part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to transfer power from Congress to the executive branch, according to health policy experts. For more on how this could impact operations at the NIH, CDC, FDA, and CMS, read insights from a team of STAT reporters.
One clinic’s unusual strategy to save limbs
A vascular surgery clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston operates every three months, offering a unique approach to care. In collaboration with a prominent mobile clinic serving the city’s unhoused population, the program strives to prevent emergency room visits by providing preventive care. Patients present with potential issues such as blocked carotid arteries, peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms, or infected sores that could lead to sepsis, a severe systemic infection.
Elizabeth Cooney recently visited the clinic. Read her story to learn about the doctors’ distinctive approach to patient care. In one instance, a surgical resident accompanied a patient outside to smoke a cigarette and then asked passersby for a lighter.
Two experts on the Ebola outbreak response
Here are two First Opinion essays from experts with firsthand experience during the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic. Consider reading them:
Helen Branswell from STAT reports on the U.S. plan to send exposed or infected Americans to facilities in third countries like Kenya. In an essay published Friday, infectious disease doctor and former WHO medical officer Krutika Kuppalli argues that Americans with Ebola should be brought home. She worked in Sierra Leone during the outbreak a decade ago, understanding the risks. However, she expected to be brought home for the best care if necessary. “That assumption now appears to be changing,” she wrote, indicating potential consequences.
Tom Frieden, who led the CDC during Kuppalli’s time in Africa, recounts a mistake he made during that epidemic in an essay published Saturday. Despite the challenges, the previous epidemic “showed the route to success,” he notes. The current outbreak demands a comprehensive, immediate, and precise plan. “The virus has a running head start, and every minute counts.” Read more.
What we’re reading
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Scientists achieve remarkable precision in editing human embryo genes, New York Times
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Woman accused of fabricating abortion pill ‘coercion’ story allegedly concealed text messages and a second phone, Autonomy News
- Opinion: American horses face obesity issues, too, STAT
- How prediction markets could shape the future of science, Scientific American
- Opinion: The need for a financing model for $2 million gene therapy cures, STAT
