The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to review Moderna's application for an mRNA flu vaccine, a move that surprised the vaccine maker, according to a news release late Tuesday. Simultaneously, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz anticipates the end of a federal immigration crackdown in the state within days, based on recent conversations with top Trump administration officials. Elsewhere, the global health sector saw significant advancements, including the first-ever customized CRISPR therapy and new immunotherapies that cured cancers, as highlighted by TIME.
Moderna revealed that the FDA's decision was unexpected. This comes amid what Ars Technica described as "hostility toward vaccines—and mRNA vaccines in particular—from an agency overseen by the fervent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr." In his first year in office, Kennedy has already reduced childhood vaccine recommendations and canceled $500 million in research funding for mRNA vaccines against potential pandemic threats, according to the source.
Governor Walz, speaking at a news conference, stated he spoke with border czar Tom Homan and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Monday and Tuesday morning, respectively. He indicated that Minnesota is "very much in a trust but verify mode," expecting further communication from the administration soon regarding the future of what he called an "occupation and a retribution campaign," as reported by Fortune. Homan took over the Minnesota operation in late January.
The past year has been busy for the global health sector. TIME reported on innovations such as the first-ever customized CRISPR therapy to treat a baby's genetic disease. New immunotherapies cured cancers in promising trials, and the search for cancer vaccines advanced. Novo Nordisk released the first GLP-1 pill to the market. Leaders around the world stepped up to fill funding voids after the Trump Administration cut funding for international aid and medical research, according to TIME.
In other news, the Epstein files may have significant political ramifications, potentially leading to the downfall of a government, though not the U.S. government, according to Vox. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly "hanging by a thread," according to the source.
Meanwhile, pregnant people and their healthcare providers often rely on limited or indirect data to weigh the risks of taking medications, according to Nature News. In 2021, an epidemiologist at Emory University, Kristin Wall, became pregnant and was told by her physician that little was known about the COVID-19 vaccines' safety and effectiveness in pregnant people. Observational data suggested the vaccine was safe, but she still had to weigh the risks and benefits herself.
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