Simplicity is a virtue.

From Washington, DC,

• Roll Call reports,
  • “Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defied expectations and kept his fractured conference together to pass several priority items before House members jetted home on Thursday to kick off a five-week recess. 
  • “But how much of that legislation their colleagues in the Senate will take up is a different question, as divisions continue to deepen.
  • “The House adopted a GOP-backed budget resolution along party lines on Wednesday, taking the first step toward passing a $95 billion reconciliation package that’s focused mostly on the Iran war. 
  • “But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. has remained lukewarm on such a package, especially if it includes certain aspects of the so-called SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID at the polls. 
  • “I can’t count 50 right now on a budget resolution,” Thune told reporters on Thursday. He said the path to clearing the chamber’s so-called Byrd bath, which assesses compliance with reconciliation rules, “is still an open question.”

• Beckers Clinical Leadership relates,
  • “HHS has rewritten the governing charters for the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee.
  • “The ACCV charter, filed July 21, removes the standalone designated federal officer section that appeared in the previous version, which specified that a full-time federal employee would approve meeting agendas, call meetings and maintain public-facing information on the committee’s activities.
  • “In its place, the new charter refers more broadly to “the federal official responsible for ACCV oversight” calling or approving meetings. The revised charter also adds a provision allowing that federal official, if appointed by the HRSA administrator, to serve as temporary chair if ACCV members have not selected a chair and vice chair. The ACCV advises the HHS secretary on the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, including changes to the Vaccine Injury Table and how the government collects and uses vaccine adverse event data.
  • “The revised NVAC charter adds duties not previously included in the panel’s purview, directing members to weigh what it terms “non-immunization strategies,” including healthy lifestyle and disease prevention initiatives, off-label use of already approved drugs and dietary supplements marketed for immune support.”

• Govexex tells us,
  • “The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association on Thursday said the Office of Personnel Management still has not sufficiently protected federal workers and retirees as part of a plan to collect claims-level health data in an effort to root out fraud.” * * *
  • “[I]n a letter to [OPM Director Scott] Kupor Thursday, NARFE National President William Shackelford said that while his organization appreciates the steps taken thus far to shield FEHBP and PSHBP participants’ identities, he remains troubled by OPM’s insistence that it be able to re-identify employees via their health records in the future. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, health care data should be not just pseudonymized, but de-identified entirely, he wrote.
  • “NARFE’s position is straightforward. OPM has moved in the right direction,” Shackelford wrote. “But we asked for de-identified data and OPM has offered pseudonymized data, and those are not the same commitment. Pseudonymization does not remove the risk that our members’ health information will be linked back to them; it makes that linkage a matter of OPM’s discretion, exercisable by whoever holds the relevant authority in any future administration.”
  • “Additionally, most of OPM’s reassurances about privacy and the data collection’s anti-fraud purpose exist solely within Kupor’s blog post, and not the proposal published in the Federal Register last month.”
• Over 700 public comments were submitted by yesterday’s deadline. As the FEHBlog has noted, OPM is not giving FEHB and PSHB carriers and the OPM Inspector General credit for preventing most fraud, waste and abuse in these programs.

• The American Hospital Association News informs us,
  • “The U.S. Trade Representative yesterday announced it is implementing a 10% or 12.5% tariff on 60 trading partners, which became effective today. These tariffs follow an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 for lacking or failing to enforce a ban on goods produced with forced labor, according to the agency. Nations that the USTR said had made commitments to adopt and effectively enforce forced labor import prohibitions will receive a 10% tariff, while nations that the agency said had failed to adopt a forced labor import ban will receive a 12.5% tariff. The USTR notice outlines which products are excluded from the new tariffs, including products already subject to Section 232 tariffs, products qualifying under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement and certain pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients.”
• and
  • “The Consumer Product Safety Commission yesterday announced it is modernizing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the national database for tracking consumer product-related injuries. The CPSC said that it will replace its manual coding process, used since 1972, with an electronic data exchange through a Qualified Information Network. The new system, NEISS-Remodel, will expand the network to all 50 states, up from 36 under the previous system. NEISS-R is expected to become fully operational by the beginning of 2027.” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• MedTech Dive reports,
  • It’s been over two months since Dr. Marty Makary stepped down from his post as FDA commissioner, and there has yet to be visible progress toward naming his permanent successor. The gap in leadership is sparking concerns among industry watchdogs that pharma could lack clear guidance on federal priorities for weeks or months to come.
  • The Trump administration has yet to name a nominee to replace acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas — and there are currently multiple hurdles in front of any confirmation process. In particular, the Senate isn’t going to be around much in the coming months. 
    
• The Wall Street Journal relates,
  • “Biohackers, longevity enthusiasts and alternative medicine doctors want the peptide BPC-157. Now compounders may be one step closer to lawfully providing it. 
  • “The Food and Drug Administration’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted in favor of easing restrictions on six of seven peptides up for consideration, following strong warnings from the agency’s scientists. It’s now up to the FDA to decide whether to greenlight the drugs for compounding pharmacies to make—and pave the way for a peptide gold rush.
  • * * * “The committee voted against one peptide called Emideltide, evaluated for opioid withdrawal, chronic insomnia, and narcolepsy. David Pope, a pharmacist who voted affirmatively for other peptides, voted “no” on this one, citing a complex regimen and “potentially dangerous downstream consequences.”

• USA Today tells us,
  • “Consumers will soon have a new over-the-counter pain relief option that combines Tylenol with naproxen, an anti-inflammatory medication.
  • “The Food and Drug Administration on July 24 approved the non-prescription combination of 650 mg of Tylenol (acetaminophen) and 220 mg of naproxen sodium.
  • “The non-opioid tablet can be used by adults and children aged 12 and ​older for temporary relief of headaches, back pain, muscle aches, toothache, menstrual cramps and minor pain from arthritis, the FDA said.
  • ‘Kenvue, which owns Tylenol, said the tablet combination will soon be available for purchase without a prescription at major retailers.”

• Fierce Pharma informs us,
  • “With all eyes on Tavneos’ seemingly precarious approval status in the U.S., Amgen is advancing plans to defend the ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) drug it inherited in its $3.7 billion buyout of ChemoCentryx. 
  • “The California pharma on Thursday submitted data and analyses to the FDA to help secure a hearing in hopes of keeping Tavneos on the U.S. market. The package includes a third-party re-evaluation of the med’s controversial pivotal trial, real-world evidence and patient and HCP testimonials.

• Cardiovascular Business lets us know,
  • “Penumbra is recalling specific lots of its RED 68 Perfusion Catheter due to an ongoing safety concern. 
  • “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that this is a Class II recall. This means using the device without following the manufacturer’s recommendations could lead to “temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.” 
  • ‘The recall was put in place due to a risk of the catheters fracturing. Penumbra has said “manufacturing issues” are to blame, but the company is still investigating the issue to learn more.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
  • “As of July 24, 2026, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care is very low.
  • “Considering multiple data sources, COVID-19 activity is low and stable nationally but is beginning to show early signs of an increase in the West and South.
  • “RSV activity is very low in most areas of the country. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV are low but remain highest among infants and children younger than 4 years old.
  • “Seasonal influenza activity is low.
  • “Parainfluenza (PIV) is elevated nationally. Whooping cough (pertussis) continues to circulate at lower levels compared to post-pandemic peaks.”

• The American Hospital Association News reports,
  • “There have been 2,318 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. so far this year, the most in the country since 1991, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 2,289 cases in 2025. Cases this year have been reported by 45 jurisdictions. The CDC said that 93% of cases are outbreak-associated. The vaccination status of 93% of cases is unvaccinated or unknown. The agency said that 7% of cases this year have been hospitalized, lower than last year’s figure of 11%.”
    
• The Washington Post offers an opportunity to check out your county’ measles vaccination rates for kindgarteners.
  • “The share of U.S. counties where 95 percent or more of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles — the number doctors say is needed to achieve overall protection for the class, known as “herd immunity” — has dropped from 50 percent before the pandemic to 28 percent, according to The Post’s examination of the public records from 44 states and the District of Columbia.”

• The Wall Street Journal tells us,
  • “Public-health officials are investigating four additional states as part of a multistate cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce that they warn could be even broader.
  • Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania are the latest states added to the investigation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The health agency said last week it was investigating the outbreak in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. 
  • “The CDC said epidemiologic data continued to show the outbreak stemmed from the consumption of iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms. Nearly 2,000 people who ate food from Taco Bell have been sickened in those nine states during the outbreak, the agency said. Nearly 100 people have been hospitalized. 
  • “The iceberg-lettuce outbreak might be even broader than what health authorities have found. The authorities are investigating a number of food-related outbreaks, including several involving cyclospora, a parasite that causes explosive diarrhea. For now, the authorities are probing the various cyclospora outbreaks as if they are distinct, but it is possible they are related and investigators so far haven’t been able to connect them.”
• and
  • “Warmer winters and changes in land use are driving ticks carrying Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome into new areas such as Ohio and Michigan.
  • “In 2025, Lyme disease cases jumped more than 60% in Ohio and almost 80% in Michigan as blacklegged tick populations expanded.
  • “Lone-star ticks, which cause the meat allergy alpha-gal syndrome, are established in 19 counties in Ohio and five in Michigan.”

• The New York Times points out,
  • “The same chemical process that turns a baking cake golden brown is at work aging your body’s cells. Over decades, your tissues, baking steadily at 98.6 degrees, slowly accumulate compounds called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, as sugars interact with protein and fat in the bloodstream. The buildup of AGEs is a hallmark of the aging process, making tissues like collagen sticky and rigid and causing inflammation that can lead to heart disease, eye damage, kidney disease and diabetes.
  • “Researchers have tried unsuccessfully to develop medications that can stop AGEs from forming. But a new study, published on July 16 in the journal Nature Communications, describes a different tack: Scientists created an enzyme that cleans one of the most common AGEs from human tissue, helping to turn back the clock even after the aging compounds have settled in the body. This cleanse can help repair the tissue and has the potential to allow cells to act younger.
  • “It’s a small step in this bigger direction, because aging is very complicated,” said Aaron Cravens, a founder and the chief executive of Revel Pharmaceuticals, which developed the new enzyme, and the lead author of the study. “It’s the first time, I think, that anyone in the field has shown at the structural level that you can actually reverse some of these changes.”

• MedPage adds,
  • “Exceptional memory at age 80 and beyond was not due simply to good genes, an analysis of prospective data suggested.
  • “The study assessed outcomes for superagers — people 80 or older with episodic memory at least as good as adults 20 or 30 years younger — and cognitively average controls.
  • “Genotype distributions and APOE status did not differ between groups, reported Ignazio Stefano Piras, PhD, of the Translational Genomics Research Institute at City of Hope in Phoenix, and co-authors.
  • “Neither APOE nor any of three polygenic risk scores predicted whether a person would be a superager, Piras and colleagues wrote in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy. Results were similar after accounting for global non-European or African ancestry.”

• Health Day informs us,
  • “About 50% to 88% of children with autism experience motor skill challenges
  • “Organized sports — especially martial arts and aquatic training — can improve motor skills
  • “Consistently large improvements were seen in balance, coordination, overall motor skills and object control.”
• and
  • “Increases in a problematic social media use may contribute to worsening attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms during adolescence, particularly among boys, according to a study published online July 17 in JAMA Network Open.”

• The Wall Street Journal notes,
  • “Ipsen said its drug Bylvay missed the primary objective in a late-stage clinical trial for biliary atresia, a rare liver disease affecting babies.
  • “Bylvay missed the study’s primary objective of showing an improvement in native liver survival rates compared to a placebo, Ipsen said.
  • “Ipsen said biliary atresia, the leading cause of pediatric liver transplants, has no approved therapeutic options beyond surgery or transplant.”

• Per BioPharma Dive,
  • “Sanofi is calling it quits on an experimental eczema drug that it had seen as a potential successor to its blockbuster medication Dupixent, according to a Friday announcement.
  • “Sanofi had said in January that it intended to seek clearance of the drug, amlitelimab, in atopic dermatitis despite mixed late-stage study results and signs of possible safety concerns. On Friday, though, the French pharmaceutical firm said that, during a pipeline review, it found that the “totality of efficacy and safety evidence generated to date” doesn’t support further development of amlitelimab in that indication.
  • “Sanofi’s decision follows a recent move by Amgen and Kyowa Kirin to shelve a similar experimental medicine. The pharma company will continue testing amlitelimab in celiac disease, though, and is slated to reveal data from a mid-stage study by the end of the year.”

From the U.S. healthcare business and artificial intelligence front,

• Fierce Healthcare reports,
  • “HCA Healthcare on Friday affirmed its earlier warnings about Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange subsidies fallout, telling analysts that patients who dropped off marketplace plan coverage due to increased premiums have “migrated almost one for one” to uninsurance. 
  • “The country’s largest for-profit brought in $20.23 billion in second-quarter revenue, up 8.7% year-over-year, net income of $1.69 billion, up 2.8%, and adjusted EBITDA of $4.027 billion, up 4.6%, according to financial results published Friday morning. The company also reported diluted earnings per share increasing 11.6% to $7.62 per share.
  • “In particular, a payer mix shift driven by increased uninsured volumes had an “unfavorable impact” on income of approximately $400 million before income taxes, above its estimates from earlier in the year.”
• and
  • “Clinician-led artificial intelligence platform Anterior and health tech company Stellarus entered a strategic partnership Thursday to tackle automating prior authorizations.
  • “The partnership aims to support providers through automating tasks—such as case research and policy application—to allow teams to focus on complex determinations. The companies say providers will receive quicker, first-time approvals, ultimately giving members quicker care access. 
  • “Stellarus provides the healthcare technology platform, integration expertise and operational experience to help health plans put AI into practice, while Anterior brings leading clinical AI to automate the research, documentation and policy application that support prior authorization,” said Vanessa Colella, Stellarus president and CEO.”
• and
  • “Addressing healthcare’s biggest challenges will require payers and providers working together.
  • “That’s why the team at Aetna has spent the past several years investing in ways to bridge those trust gaps and better unite the two sides of the industry that are often at odds. And a new survey suggests that work is paying off.
  • “Morning Consult polled 723 provider executives across multiple disciplines on Aetna’s behalf, and found an average provider trust score of 6.1 on a scale of one to 10. By comparison, a similar poll conducted in the first quarter found a 5.4 trust score.”

• Modern Healthcare relates,
  • “Surgery Partners plans to sell its ownership interest in two Idaho hospitals to Intermountain Health.
  • ‘The proposed transaction, which values the facilities at an estimated $1.15 billion, would include Surgery Partners’ Idaho Falls Community Hospital and Mountain View Hospital, also in Idaho Falls, along with affiliated clinics.
  • “Surgery Partners is expected to receive about $795 million in the transaction, according to a Friday news release.”
     
• MedTech Dive tells us,
  • “Edwards Lifesciences reported strong sales of its heart valves in the second quarter and outlined several upcoming catalysts expected to maintain solid growth rates, starting with an anticipated Medicare coverage expansion.
  • “Sales were better than the company expected for transcatheter aortic valve replacement devices, Edwards’ largest product line, as well as newer repair and replacement treatments for mitral and tricuspid diseases, due to increasing clinical demand, executives said on a Thursday earnings call.
  • “CEO Bernard Zovighian tied TAVR demand to growing evidence backing earlier use of the procedure to treat aortic stenosis patients and predicted the “durable” momentum would support the company’s 10% total sales growth target long term.”
    
• Fierce Pharma informs us,
  • “After a post-[July 4th] holiday lull, prescriptions for GLP-1s have more than bounced back. Weekly prescriptions for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill and Eli Lilly’s Foundayo reached new highs during the previous week, collecting 169,800 and 26,760, respectively, according to IQVIA data cited by Citi. The two oral drugs’ previous records were about 161.5K and 24.3K, respectively. 
  • “Other GLP-1 drugs also enjoyed a boost, as total GLP-1 scripts across obesity and diabetes increased 6.6% sequentially, according to Citi.
  • “Against this backdrop, Lilly’s oral Foundayo seemed to enjoy a small inflection point, with a total 24,303 scripts notably breaking away from its roughly 20K level in the prior five weeks.  
  • “Meanwhile, joining the bigger trend, Wegovy pill scripts dropped to 147.5K during the week, versus about 153K the prior week or 161.5K at its peak. But the contribution of the oral version to the overall Wegovy scripts remained stable at around a third, per Citi’s note.”