Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the pharmaceutical giant unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements, including the polio vaccine. Details of the agreement, which was finalized in federal court […]

WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced two new members of his handpicked panel of vaccine advisers on Friday, ahead of a meeting rescheduled for March.  Kennedy said in a statement that Sean G. Downing, a primary care doctor licensed in Florida, and Angelina Farella, a pediatrician in Texas, would join the Advisory […]

WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds. Vance, who made the announcement with Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and […]

Katie Palmer covers telehealth, clinical artificial intelligence, and the health data economy — with an emphasis on the impacts of digital health care for patients, providers, and businesses. You can reach Katie on Signal at palmer.01. In the last year and a half, direct-to-consumer telehealth company Hims & Hers has become a leading voice in […]

Angus Chen covers all issues broadly related to cancer including drugs, policy, science, and equity. He joined STAT in 2021 after covering health and science at NPR and NPR affiliate stations. His work has been recognized by national Edward R. Murrow awards, the June L. Biedler prize for cancer journalism, and more. You can reach […]

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) filed a lawsuit accusing Sanofi of providing kickbacks to doctors, in the form of a free network of nurses and insurance support services, to boost prescriptions of its medicines.   By doing so, the drugmaker allegedly helps manage key aspects of patient care that a physician would otherwise have […]

WASHINGTON — Two of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top lieutenants struck decidedly different tones at a forum held Tuesday by the pharmaceutical industry group PhRMA.  The administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, had a friendly on-stage conversation with Pfizer CEO and PhRMA board chair Albert Bourla in which […]

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the starting gun in a challenge to the food industry on Sunday, announcing on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he plans to act on a plan outlined by former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler to overhaul ultra-processed foods. “We will act on David Kessler’s petition,” Kennedy said […]

BOSTON — After a full day of oral arguments in a packed courtroom, Boston federal judge Brian E. Murphy did not rule from the bench on a lawsuit from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the professional body representing the country’s pediatricians, against the Department of Health and Human Services, focused on vaccines.   The judge asked […]