STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about possible HIV prevention cuts, FDA warning an Africa drugmaker, and more
HHS is weighing plans to drastically cut U.S. government funding for domestic HIV prevention
Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, especially since the middle of the week is upon us. After all, we have made it this far so we are determined to hang on for another couple of days. And why not? The alternatives — at least those we can identify — are not particularly appealing, as you might imagine. So what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So grab that cup of stimulation and get started. Our choice today is peppermint mocha. And now, the time has come to get cracking. Here are a few items of interest to help you get started. We hope you have a lovely day, and do keep in touch. We will remind you that we changed our settings to accept postcards and telegrams. Back to the future, as they say. …
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department is weighing plans to drastically cut federal government funding for domestic HIV prevention, The Wall Street Journal reports. The discussions come as the Trump administration is preparing for deep cuts of personnel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, part of a reorganization of the agency. The cuts and reorganization would take advantage of a weakness in the agency’s legal underpinnings: No single law outlines its purposes and authorizes its many programs. The CDC has a department dedicated to the prevention of HIV and other infectious diseases. The department funds state and local surveillance programs for HIV, syringe services, and community-outreach initiatives. The agency spent about $1.3 billion on the prevention of HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis in the 2023 fiscal year. The news sent Gilead Sciences stock down ahead of the stock market opening, but J.P. Morgan analyst Chris Schott wrote investors that any cuts to CDC funding would not impact access to PrEP, since the CDC is not responsible for providing or reimbursing PrEP drugs, but rather works on PrEP research and education, and PrEP is largely a commercial market.
Purdue Pharma filed a new bankruptcy plan on Tuesday, a major step towards finalizing a proposed opioid settlement of at least $7.4 billion after a setback in the U.S. Supreme Court last year, Reuters notes. The payments are aimed at resolving thousands of lawsuits alleging that the company’s pain medication OxyContin caused a widespread opioid addiction crisis in the U.S. The formal bankruptcy plan fleshes out the settlement with new details about how the money will be allocated to states, local governments, and individuals harmed by the crisis. The cash value of the plan assumes full creditor participation. Purdue said it expects widespread creditor support for the deal. The company plans to begin soliciting votes and opt-in decisions from its creditors in May. After that process is concluded, the plan would be submitted to a U.S. bankruptcy judge for final approval.
