Now that the FDA is on board with doing away with the U.S.’ unique two-tier biosimilar pathway, the biosimilar industry is urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act, which would recognize that biosimilars and interchangeables are one and the same.

Children and adults with a type of congenital hearing loss now have a free treatment option, with the U.S. FDA’s accelerated approval of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s DB-OTO, an AAV-mediated gene therapy. Branded Otarmeni (lunsotogene parvec), it is cleared specifically for hearing loss caused by variants in the otoferlin gene.

The U.S. FDA and CMS are teaming up to give Medicare beneficiaries quicker access to breakthrough medical devices and provide manufacturers with certainty of reimbursement.

When the U.S. CMS didn’t get takers for its voluntary Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive Health (BALANCE) model to cover obesity drugs under Medicare Part D, the agency punted. It announced late April 21 that it will indefinitely delay the BALANCE model in Medicare but extend its temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge demonstration model through the end of 2027. (The Medicaid BALANCE model will still kick in this year in states that choose to participate in it.)

Timothy Leary is dead, but he could be on the outside looking in with a smile on his face as U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest executive order (EO) fuels a surge in investment in companies researching and developing psychedelic drugs to treat mental health issues. The EO, Accelerating medical treatments for serious mental illness, is intended to address the increasing burden of suicide and serious mental illness, which impacts more than 14 million Americans.

As U.S. President Donald Trump’s third nominee for CDC director, Erica Schwartz will soon find out if three times really is a charm. Trump announced the nomination on social media April 16, touting Schwartz’s credentials for the job. Calling her “incredibly talented,” Trump cited her “distinguished career” as a military doctor, in the Navy and Coast Guard, and her service as deputy surgeon general during his first term in office.

Amending his previous two-year-renewal of the standard charter for the U.S. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy made monitoring adverse vaccine events a primary function of the committee and expanded its liaison membership to include organizations that have challenged vaccine safety.>

The U.S. confirmed the agreement in principle made last December to exempt U.K. pharmaceuticals from import tariffs, as the U.K government put its commitment to spend more on patented drugs into effect.