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It’s Pride Weekend in New York City, so a warm hello to everyone celebrating this June. Remember to stay hydrated!
Did Trump use Eli Lilly’s obesity drug? Democrats are asking
Lizzy Lawrence’s groundbreaking report at STAT continues to stir political debate.
Democrats are raising questions about a 79-year-old patient who gained early access in April to retatrutide, Eli Lilly’s trial obesity treatment, and are inquiring if the patient is the president.
Senator Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire wrote to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to identify the patient, while Representative Ted Lieu of California speculated in a press conference that adverse effects from the drug might have caused Trump to skip signing a bipartisan housing bill.
On Tuesday, Lizzy revealed that Eli Lilly and the FDA had provided retatrutide to a patient whose age and health profile match the president’s, under the FDA’s “compassionate use” program. Read more.
Supreme Court rules in weedkiller cancer case
The Supreme Court has dealt a setback to the Make America Healthy Again initiative by ruling that Roundup weedkiller’s manufacturer is immune from failure-to-warn lawsuits in state courts due to federal regulations deeming a cancer link improbable and not necessitating a warning label.
This decision, announced yesterday, is anticipated to prevent thousands of lawsuits claiming Bayer, the agrochemical company, failed to alert users that the product might cause cancer. Although Bayer denies cancer allegations, it has allocated $16 billion for settlements and proposed a $7.25 billion class-action settlement earlier this year. Glyphosate, an ingredient, was also removed from Roundup in the U.S.
This legal win aligns with the Trump administration’s views but highlights differences between the MAGA and MAHA movements, as the latter aims to reduce pesticide use. Read more.
An interesting month for the ‘baby designer’ crowd
The introduction of a new genome-editing tool in early embryos has shed light on a crucial gene in early human development, sparking renewed debate on whether such technology should be used to create babies.
The research, published in Nature, indicates that these next-generation genome-editing tools are more precise and less harmful than older CRISPR methods, suggesting embryos can endure editing and still develop sufficiently for uterine implantation.
This raises complex ethical questions.
Although gene editing hasn’t reached a critical point, technical challenges remain. STAT’s Megan Molteni and Andrew Joseph provide an in-depth analysis of this study and other recent publications that have reignited ethical discussions around embryonic gene editing. Read more.
The worrisome drug withdrawal popping up in jails
A potent tranquilizer is now being mixed with fentanyl in the illicit opioid market, and jails are struggling to manage the severe, complex withdrawal symptoms it causes.
Prisons, which already have a poor track record in managing withdrawal symptoms among inmates, now face the added difficulty of handling medetomidine withdrawal. Treatment requires both oral and intravenous medication, some of which are so controlled they are only available in ICU settings. Rapid urine tests also fail to detect medetomidine.
Known as “dex” or dexmedetomidine, this substance has been found in drug samples from 20 sites, with the highest occurrence in the Northeast and the lowest in the West, according to the CDC. Read more about this newly prevalent drug and efforts to manage its withdrawal symptoms.
Trump admin eyes tighter political control over CDC with new office
A proposal suggests that political appointees could gain more control over CDC information and research by establishing a separate science office within the agency.
In April, the CDC sought contractors to help create the Executive Advisory, Science, and Operations Unit. This new office would review scientific publications, including the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, meant for peer-reviewed journals, or briefings by the director on preparedness activities.
Funding has not yet been secured, but if obtained, this will further the Trump administration’s efforts to control CDC communications. Read more for an in-depth look from STAT’s Chelsea Cirruzzo.
New vaccine committee charter takes shape
Amid discussions of increased political oversight, a new charter for the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel has been unveiled, significantly altering the committee’s focus from recommending new vaccines to assessing alternative disease prevention methods.
The revised charter, posted on the CDC’s website on Thursday, mandates that the panel represents a balanced range of scientific, clinical, and public health expertise, potentially allowing those with limited vaccine policy experience to contribute.
Public health experts believe this document allows Kennedy to bypass a court challenge against his restructuring of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Read more about these changes from STAT’s Helen Branswell and Anil Oza.
What we’re reading
- White House, RFK Jr. tried to push third-party candidates out of tight House races, Washington Post
- Cassidy proposes bill to rein in 340B drug discount program, STAT
- Medical students are using a popular research tool to pump out misleading studies, Science
- At BIO 2026, industry wrestled with Washington politics, and making AI work better, STAT
- ‘Everyone who has a cervix is at risk’: Transgender people often miss out on cervical cancer screenings, CIDRAP
