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Oxycontin Maker Purdue Pharma Set to Dissolve After Judge Approves Its Criminal Sentence
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is set to be dissolved and replaced by a company focused on the public good by the week’s end, as a massive legal settlement resolving thousands of lawsuits takes effect. A federal judge on Tuesday delivered a criminal sentence to the company to resolve a U.S. Department of Justice probe — a last necessary step to clear the way for the settlement.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo made her decision after listening to hours of impact statements from people who lost loved ones or struggled with addiction themselves and requested she reject the negotiated sentence. While she didn’t go that far, she said she sympathized with people who bore the brunt of an epidemic linked to more than 900,000 deaths in the U.S. since 1999. “It was a purposeful, intentional and sophisticated crime scheme,” she said.
In First Meeting, Federal Autism Committee Focuses on ‘Profound Autism’
The federal autism advisory committee met for the first time since Trump took office, months after health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired most of the committee’s scientific experts and replaced them with activists and advocates who more closely align with his controversial views on the link between autism, vaccines, and environmental factors.
In its first meeting in 19 months, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, which helps set the federal research agenda and the hundreds of millions that come with it, focused on how to help autistic people with the highest support needs. The group voted on Tuesday to recommend several proposals to help this population, including a directive that would change the existing scientific definition of people with “profound autism.”
Most of the substantive discussion during the meeting revolved around how to define profound autism, a diagnosis that applies to about a quarter of people on the autism spectrum. Some advocates and researchers have been eager to increase recognition for this population, which often requires around-the-clock care but has routinely been overlooked by much of the existing research.
FDA Set to Pilot Test Real-Time Tracking of Clinical Trials
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to pilot test real-time clinical trials in the hopes of expediting results and feedback, federal health officials announced on Tuesday. At least two clinical trials by pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Amgen will test the new system to alert FDA officials to study results in real time.
AstraZeneca is conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients who have not received treatment yet for mantle cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Amgen is conducting an early-stage clinical trial in patients with lung carcinoma.
Officials hope that real-time test results will allow for quicker feedback as to whether a drug or a device is providing meaningful benefits or potentially poses a safety concern to study participants. In theory, the process could allow for quicker approval of drugs and devices as well, given they continue to meet safety and efficacy criteria, the FDA said.
EPA Leader Zeldin Supports Slashing Agency Budget by Half at Contentious Congressional Hearings
A plan by President Donald Trump’s administration to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by half has been the focus of contentious congressional hearings over the future of an agency that Democrats have accused of abandoning its mission to protect the environment and public health.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will sit before a Senate committee Wednesday, the last of three budgetary hearings this week, to argue for sharply reduced funding for an agency that has already seen its staffing reduced to its lowest level in decades under his leadership. He took an aggressive approach, responding to Democratic lawmakers with his own questions and at times accusing them of being unprepared or failing to care about the agency’s track record.
Zeldin has eliminated major climate change programs, promoted deregulatory efforts he calls the biggest in American history and canceled billions of dollars in Biden-era environmental justice grants to halt what he calls “EPA’s radical diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.”
Bill Limiting ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Firefighting Foam Clears Senate Committee
The Pa. Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee have approved Senate Bill 980, a bill created to limit the use of firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”
The bipartisan legislation was jointly introduced by Sens. Gene Yaw and Nick Miller.
The bill, if passed, would restrict the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS starting this year. According to the EPA, PFAS are manmade chemicals used since the 1940s that can accumulate in the environment and human body over time, with studies linking exposure to the chemicals to adverse health effects. As the nickname “forever chemicals” suggests, these chemicals are extremely difficult to break down.
“Firefighters can face an extremely higher level of PFAS exposure compared to other emergency responders,” Yaw said. “PFAS contamination is a national public health challenge, and this bill is a commonsense response, which has already been adopted by many states. It will undoubtedly protect firefighters moving forward, while also safeguarding our ground and surface water from contamination.”
Watchdog Alleges USDA Delays and Staffing Cuts Undermine Federal Organic Oversight Board
A nonprofit watchdog group has raised concerns about staffing reductions and delayed appointments within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic oversight framework, arguing the changes could affect the operation of a federally mandated advisory board.
According to OrganicEye, recent actions tied to the US Department of Agriculture under Secretary Brooke Rollins have left vacancies on the National Organic Standards Board, which is responsible for advising on organic standards and materials allowed in certified production.
The group cited a reported 30 percent reduction in staffing within the National Organic Program, the division tasked with overseeing compliance in a sector valued at approximately $70 billion. It also pointed to five unfilled positions on the 15-member board, which Congress established under the Organic Foods Production Act to ensure representation across different segments of the organic industry.
The board is designed to include members from various categories, including farmers, environmental experts, consumer advocates, processors, retailers, scientists, and certifying agents. Terms are staggered, with new appointments typically announced early in the year to allow incoming members time to prepare for committee work ahead of scheduled meetings.
Mark A. Kastel, executive director of OrganicEye, said the current vacancies are placing additional strain on existing members. “The board is currently operating with the critical workload spread over a third fewer members,” he said, adding that any late appointments could result in individuals participating in votes without having engaged in prior review discussions.
