Rob Stein
Stories
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The FDA has canceled an important upcoming meeting about vaccines
The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee was scheduled for next month. But the agency notified committee members that the meeting had been canceled.
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Hoping to revive mammoths, scientists create 'woolly mice'
Hoping to bring the giant, ancient animal back from extinction, scientists have created a far smaller woolly creature. Woolly mice have some of the key traits of mammoths, including their thick, hairy coat.
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Nominee to run NIH faces Senate scrutiny
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford professor of health policy, appears before the Senate HELP committee, which will vet his nomination to become the next director of the National Institutes of Health.
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Five years into the pandemic, the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate and evolve
Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the virus continues to spread around the globe as the virus continues to evolve. Scientists say that's likely to continue indefinitely, as the virus finds new ways to evade the human immune system. At the moment, the virus has faded into the background of daily life even as people still get sick, end up in the hospital and sometimes die. But a new more dangerous variant could emerge at any time.
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NIH investigating agency-funded research into mRNA vaccine technology
The Trump administration has ordered the National Institutes of Health to terminate dozens of studies examining why people are hesitant about vaccines and issues related to the LGBTQ community. The NIH is also gathering information about grants that involve the mRNA technology used to create the COVID-19 vaccines.
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FDA vaccine official ousted
The FDA's top vaccine regulator says he was forced out by the Trump administration and criticizes HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "misinformation and lies" about vaccines.
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Widespread firings start at federal health agencies including many in leadership
Staffers began receiving termination notices this morning as part of a major restructuring at HHS. Some senior leadership are on their way out too.
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The richest Americans live about as long as the poorest Europeans, study says
Everyone knows that Europeans tend to live longer than Americans. But a new study has a surprising twist: Even the richest Americans only live about as long as the poorest western Europeans. Embargoed until 5 pm April 2.
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On top of layoffs, HHS ordered to cut 35% of spending on contracts
Federal health agencies have to slash their spending by more than a third, on top of the 10,000-person staffing cuts.
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NPR's health reporters catch you up on cuts to agencies and contract spending
It was a chaotic week for the nation's health agencies, as layoff notices rolled in along with an order for deep cuts to contract spending. NPR's health reporters tell us what they've learned.
