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FDA’s Top Infectious Disease Regulator to Depart Agency
The Food and Drug Administration official in charge of reviewing infectious disease products is leaving the agency, according to an email viewed by STAT. Adam Sherwat, the director of the Office of Infectious Diseases in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, told colleagues on Wednesday that his last day at the agency will be April 4.
“I have been extremely fortunate to work with and learn from colleagues who are dedicated to improving public health and who are guided by integrity, impartiality, and intellect,” he wrote. Sherwat did not respond to a request for comment. It’s not clear why he is leaving the agency.
Sherwat’s office has faced scrutiny from FDA political official Tracy Beth Høeg, who took over as drug center director in December after longtime regulator Richard Pazdur retired due to concerns about the politicization of the FDA’s scientific processes.
Hegseth Extends COVID-19 Reinstatements by One Year
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday announced a one-year extension of the Department’s COVID-19 reinstatement policy. Under Hegseth’s leadership, the Pentagon has worked to bring back members of the armed forces who were forced out of the military due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“While, I’m proud of our efforts over the past year, our obligations to make things right are not yet complete,” he said in a video. The extension will allow former military members to return to service with full reinstatement until April 1, 2027.
“Maybe you were waiting to see whether we meant it or not. We do, we hope you’ll take a look,” he said, addressing hesitant ex-service members. He further announced that the active service obligation under the guidelines would drop from four years to two years and apply retroactively to personnel who already accepted reinstatement.
US FDA Flags Seizure Risk With Certain Parkinson’s Drugs, Seeks Label Warnings
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has notified manufacturers of certain Parkinson’s disease treatments to update their prescribing information with a new warning about a potential risk of seizures.
The drugs containing the ingredients carbidopa or levodopa should state that they can cause vitamin B6 deficiency and seizures associated with it, the health regulator said.
Carbidopa and levodopa are almost always taken together to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive nervous system disorder that occurs when brain cells produce insufficient dopamine, leading to tremors, stiffness and slow movement.
The FDA said it conducted a safety review and identified 14 cases of seizures linked to vitamin B6 deficiency in patients using these drugs. These seizures usually start in one part of the brain and then spread, potentially becoming severe and prolonged.
FDA Drops Plan to Ban Tanning Beds for Minors Nationwide
U.S. News & World Report reported:
A long-debated plan to block teens from using tanning beds nationwide will not move forward. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said earlier this week it is withdrawing a proposed rule that would have banned anyone under age 18 from using tanning beds.
The rule, first proposed in 2015, would have also required adults to sign a waiver acknowledging risks like skin cancer and severe burns before using tanning devices.
Without a federal rule, regulations will continue to vary by state. Some states, including California, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas and Minnesota as well as Washington, D.C., already bar minors from using tanning beds.
Other states allow teens to use them with the consent of a parent. The FDA stressed that the “withdrawal of the proposed restrictions does not mean that exposure to UV radiation does not cause skin cancer.”
USDA Restores $59 Million Contract With Pennsylvania Sustainable Farm Group
Pasa Sustainable Agriculture has announced the reinstatement of a $59 million contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Soon after President Trump took office last year, the federal government abruptly stopped payment and then terminated the five-year agreement, which was part of the Biden administration’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program.
“I’m thrilled to say that after a year of lawsuits and appeals and repeatedly going back to USDA to renegotiate that, we did secure our contract,” said Pasa executive director Hannah Kinney Smith.
As part of the renegotiations, the contract no longer covers payments for climate and equity-focused farm investments, but still includes conservation projects, business and marketing for farms. Smith said Pasa has been able to rehire half of the 60 people it had to lay off when the contract was canceled.
FDA Moves to Formalize Alternatives to Animal Testing — but Key Regulatory Questions Persist
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on March 18, 2026, released draft guidance outlining how drug developers may validate “new approach methodologies” (NAMs) for use in place of — or alongside — traditional animal testing. Issued by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), the document signals a continued shift toward human-relevant models, including organoids, organs-on-chips, in vitro systems, and computational (in silico) approaches in preclinical development.
