Over 400 state vaccine bills, 9 new laws, 2 fed charters, and 1 step closer to a CDC director: The State of US Vaccine Policy

• An FDA advisory panel voted 10-3 on Thursday in favor of Replimune Group's experimental melanoma treatment, RP1. • The committee concluded that efficacy results from the company's IGNYTE clinical trial were both evaluable and clinically meaningful.

• A new AI tool called MEDWACS has been developed to identify undiagnosed individuals with type 2 diabetes using over 30 years of U.S. health data. • The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, highlight the tool's ability to detect the disease before patients seek medical testing.

• The nominee for the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advanced to a full Senate vote. • The federal government indicated that Medicaid work requirements will not be delayed, maintaining current policy timelines.

• The FTC and multiple states are suing telehealth company Hims & Hers for allegedly sharing sensitive patient health data with third-party advertisers. • Novo Nordisk is facing a shareholder lawsuit claiming the company misled investors regarding clinical trial results for its investigational weight-loss drug, CagriSema.

• The FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee has approved the peptides epitalon and semax for compounding. • Medical experts warn that this decision may mislead the public into believing the FDA has thoroughly evaluated the safety and efficacy of these compounds.

• An FDA advisory committee has voted in favor of RP1, an experimental melanoma drug developed by Replimune, despite the therapy being rejected in April. • The decision comes during a review meeting where experts evaluated the drug's efficacy and safety for treating melanoma patients.

• An infectious disease specialist is debunking common misconceptions about measles as U.S. cases reach a 35-year high. • The doctor draws on professional experience treating patients during the 2014-2015 Disneyland outbreak, which spread across six U.S. states and into Canada.

• The COVID-19 pandemic underscored an urgent requirement for rapid, accurate, and accessible diagnostic tools to improve clinical decision-making and public health surveillance. • Point-of-care testing (POCT) has become a vital component of decentralized healthcare, allowing for diagnostic procedures to be performed outside of traditional laboratory environments.

• Former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry links current outbreaks of measles and foodborne cyclosporiasis to significant public health funding cuts. • Houry resigned from her position one year ago to protest political interference and the leadership of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

• The FDA has issued a Class II recall for more than 12 million eye drops nationwide due to contamination concerns. • The recall was triggered by fears that the contaminated products could cause temporary damage to users' eyes or vision.

• The Trump administration has implemented a new policy ending federal support for "dangerous" gain-of-function (DGOF) research. • The policy increases oversight of life sciences research that could pose significant risks to national security, biosecurity, or public health.