CDC Director Ousted After Less Than a Month on the Job

Susan Monarez has left her role as CDC director after less than a month — the shortest tenure in the agency’s history — following reported clashes with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy. This news comes amid a period of turmoil at the CDC, including a recent deadly shooting at its headquarters….

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Do people like to daydream?

Not really. At least according a study by Wilson et al. 2025 in Science. In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoyed doing mundane external activities much more, and that many preferred to…

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CMS doesn’t consider QALYs – What’s a health economist to do?

That is the title of my article out today in The Evidence Base. Here is an excerpt: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are now setting drug prices under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program. Unlike other health technology assessment (HTA) bodies worldwide, however, CMS will not consider quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) when setting drug…

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We Should Write a Really Stern Letter

By KIM BELLARD On the heels of the disastrous floods in Texas, days away from the Hurricane Katrina twenty year anniversary, and with Hurricane Erin almost becoming another Hurricane Sandy, the dedicated employees at FEMA are worried. Very worried. They’ve got a President who repeatedly has called to dismantle the agency, a DHS Secretary who…

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Duke Spinout Launches Platform to Unite Care and Clinical Research

Pluto Health launched an AI-driven digital hub that unifies fragmented health data, provides personalized care navigation and integrates clinical research opportunities to help close primary care access gaps. The platform aims to improve care coordination and make research participation more accessible, especially for patients without insurance or a regular primary care provider. The post Duke…

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Regeneron’s RNA Med for Muscle Disease Meets Trial Goals; FDA Filing Planned for Next Year

Cemdisiran, a small interfering RNA drug that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals licensed from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, met the goals of its pivotal test in generalized myasthenia gravis. The rare neuromuscular disease has several new therapies, but analysts see cemdisiran as having advantages over one particular class of drugs. The post Regeneron’s RNA Med for Muscle Disease Meets Trial…

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