In keeping with the congressional practice of passing major NIH reform legislation every 10 years, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee took the first step in looking at what can be for the NIH while unburdening it from what has been over the past few years.
At a recent Cabinet meeting, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy reportedly said he expected Trumprx to probably go live within 10 days. That was Jan. 29, two days before HHS was once again forced to shut down many of its activities due to a congressional gridlock over a fiscal 2026 appropriations package to keep the department and several others open beyond Jan. 30.
The U.S. FDA is now accepting requests from biopharma companies to participate in its new Precheck pilot program, which is intended to make it faster and easier for companies to relocate their prescription drug manufacturing to the U.S.
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has been releasing guidances on vaccines for decades, the 2026 immunization schedule it issued Jan. 26 is creating some buzz given the U.S. CDC’s newly abbreviated childhood schedule that removed several routine recommendations.
After the U.S. House passed a package of spending bills Jan. 22 to fund several agencies and departments, including Health and Human Services, through fiscal 2026, the Senate was expected to quickly follow suit to ensure that no part of the federal government would shut down when the current continuing resolution expires Jan. 30. That was before a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota turned deadly over the weekend.
The U.S. NIH may be weathering the budget storm thanks to bipartisan congressional support, but another squall line is forming on the horizon over politicization of the research agency.
The good news is that the U.S. Congress is on track to pass a slate of fiscal 2026 spending bills before the current continuing resolution expires Jan. 30. So, barring any last-minute disputes or legislative hostage-taking, there should be no repeat of last year’s 43-day shutdown that impacted NIH grants and activities.
U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his “Great Healthcare Plan” Jan. 15, an initiative he said would slash prescription drug prices, maximize price transparency in the health care system and hold big insurance companies accountable.
Abbvie Inc. announced its agreement to focus on improving access and lowering the cost of medicines, becoming the latest pharma to fall in line with the Trump administration’s most-favored nation (MFN) pricing deal. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. now remains the only firm originally included in President Donald Trump’s July 31 MFN ultimatum that has yet to finalize terms.
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