Recon: FDA rejects Aldeyra’s eye disease drug; Senate confirms Dr. Oz to lead CMS

• Trump administration begins mass cuts of federal health policy researchers (STAT)
• US Senate confirms Trump's Medicare and Medicaid nominee Mehmet Oz (Reuters)
• Inquiry by New York congressman reveals frustration over UnitedHealth practices in Hudson Valley (STAT)
• Five NIH institute directors and numerous lab heads ousted in unprecedented shake-up (STAT)
• Decimation of HHS comms, FOIA offices will leave Americans in the dark about urgent health matters (STAT)
• Chaotic tariff rollout leaves as many questions as answers for drugmakers (Endpoints)
• Trump’s broad tariffs exempt pharma — but for how long? (Endpoints)
• US FDA approves Amgen's Uplizna as first treatment for rare immune disorder (Reuters)
• US FDA declines to approve Aldeyra's eye disease drug (Reuters)
• US FDA misses deadline for decision on Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters)
• Cantor analysts double down on Kennedy criticism as FDA jobs cuts begin (Reuters)

• Small-town Ireland nervous as Trump seeks to lure pharma investment to US (Reuters)
• Bidding war for UK healthcare REIT Assura heats up after new $1.96 billion bid (Reuters)
• Early Randomization Among Advice On How To Meet Both EMA & HTA Needs (Pink Sheet)
• AI Could Be Used ‘In The Deliberation’ Of HTA Reviews In England, Says NICE (Pink Sheet)
• Swiss Blast US Import Tariffs As Medtechs Look For Dialog To Forestall Damage To Industry (MedTech Insight)

• Pharma stocks survive market rout on tariff exemption, but uncertainty continues (Reuters)
• The Johnson & Johnson cancer drug scandal that encapsulates corruption in health care (STAT)
• Vida Ventures brings in new leaders after co-founders’ departure (STAT)
• Sarepta, Roche pause Elevidys trials in Europe following patient death (Endpoints)
• Exclusive: Neurona bags $102M to treat epilepsy with cell therapy (Endpoints)
• Q&A: John Crowley warns biotech is 'dangerously close' to breaking, as tariff threat, markets batter industry (Endpoints)
• Novartis’ Chinook-originated kidney disease drug gets accelerated approval (Endpoints)
• FDA cuts stir buyer’s remorse for some biopharma leaders, once excited by Trump (Endpoints)
• MoonLake discloses up to $500M in financing; OSR’s deal with innovation fund (Endpoints)
• Novo Nordisk's head of commercial strategy steps down (Reuters)

• Every doctor is a writer: On the end of note-writing and meaning-making in medicine (STAT)
• Dartmouth put its AI therapy chatbot through the RCT wringer. Is it better than playing Tetris? (STAT)
• Boston Scientific’s Farapulse matches Medtronic cryoablation in trial (MedTech Dive)
• ‘Just goodbyes and crying’: CDRH hit in HHS mass layoffs (MedTech Dive)
• AI-Powered Robotics: Monogram Bets On ‘Active’ Assistance With FDA-Cleared Robotic Knee System To Outperform Stryker’s Haptics (MedTech Insight)

• Researchers Develop Predictive Model for Listeria Growth in RTE Artisanal Cheeses (Food Safety)

• What FDA cuts could mean for the future of tobacco (STAT)
• Scientists sue NIH, saying politics cut their research funding (STAT)
• Why a small journal’s ‘blueprint for NIH’ may offer clues to the agency’s future (STAT)
• Makary’s first speech to FDA staff focuses on challenging norms, fighting chronic disease (STAT)
• FTC suit over PBMs’ insulin pricing is delayed in part by Trump firings (STAT)
• Three Supreme Court health cases to keep an eye on (STAT)
• Supreme Court sides with the FDA in its dispute over sweet-flavored vaping products (STAT)