Public Credits Trump for Lower Drug Costs; Eliquis Outperforms Xarelto in Clot Study

• Gov. Ron DeSantis' proposal to alter Florida's vaccine requirements for school children failed during the 2026 legislative session. • DeSantis promises continued efforts to pass these policies despite the setback and ongoing measles cases rising across the state. • The resolve strengthens public health debates on vaccination mandates amid disease outbreaks in Florida.

• A person with a genetic mutation linked to ALS warns that the second Trump administration's funding cuts have halted key research, including at Mass General and the ALLFTD project for FTD. • Cuts defunded ALS studies at Harvard and other universities, pausing longitudinal research and denying symptomatic patients access to trials like baricitinib at MGH. • Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s policies are linked to rising measles cases, potentially overburdening diagnostics and delaying ALS treatments that take a decade to reach patients.

• The North American family medicine services market, valued at $187 billion in 2025, is projected to reach $241 billion by 2030, growing at a 5% CAGR. • Growth drivers include expanding health insurance, rising chronic disease prevalence, demand for preventive and primary care, telehealth adoption, and integrated U.S.-Canada systems. • Preventive care segment expected to expand by $80 billion, chronic disease management by $43 billion, acute care by $16 billion, and others by $8 billion from 2025-2030.

• Telix Pharmaceuticals resubmitted its New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA on March 16, 2026, for TLX101-Px (Pixclara®), a PET imaging agent targeting gliomas in adults and pediatrics. • The agent received Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations from the FDA due to its potential to address unmet needs in post-treatment glioma management, with 18F-FET PET already in international guidelines but no U.S.-approved equivalent. • Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common aggressive primary brain cancer, affects about 22,000 new U.S. cases yearly, with recurrence nearly universal and median survival of 12-15 months post-diagnosis.

• UPMC, a major Pittsburgh health system, stopped providing gender care services to patients under age 19 approximately nine months ago, leaving local transgender teens struggling to find alternative care options. • The policy change has forced young patients like Moss Brinzer to scramble for medical services, creating significant gaps in access to gender-affirming healthcare for minors in the region. • The decision reflects broader tensions in U.S. healthcare around gender medicine for adolescents, with major health systems reassessing their policies amid ongoing national debate.

California's 2024 Proposition 1 mental health bond has failed to open ten promised treatment centers as of March 2026, despite initial assurances of rapid deployment. The California Department of Health Care Services attributed delays to permitting issues, site conditions, and supply-chain strain from President Trump's tariffs, though officials stated most construction remains on schedule. The $6.4 billion measure was designed to expand mental health treatment capacity, but the implementation setbacks raise questions about the state's ability to address its growing mental health crisis.

The 2025-2026 flu season is concluding with one of the lowest vaccine effectiveness rates in more than a decade, with the CDC reporting effectiveness of approximately 25-30% in preventing adults from needing medical care, according to data released Friday. A viral mismatch between the vaccine strain and dominant H3N2 variant that emerged early winter caused the poor performance, with vaccination proving more protective in children at around 40% effectiveness against medical visits. Despite low effectiveness, the CDC estimates 27 million illnesses, 350,000 hospitalizations, and 22,000 deaths from flu this season—substantially lower than the prior year's 40 million illnesses and 520,000 hospitalizations at the same point.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,362 confirmed measles cases nationwide in 2026, with 94% linked to ongoing outbreaks. South Carolina's outbreak, which began in October 2025, has decelerated to approximately 10 cases per week after peaking at 200 weekly cases in mid-January, bringing the state total to 996 cases as of March 13. Utah's outbreak, originating in June 2025, has accelerated to 405 cases as of March 10, representing a 47-case increase in one week. Both states currently host the largest active measles outbreaks in the United States.

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed Friday to relax air pollution limits on ethylene oxide, a chemical classified as a human carcinogen since 2016 and used to sterilize medical equipment including catheters and syringes. The EPA stated that current Biden-era standards "actively threaten" manufacturers' abilities to sterilize equipment and jeopardize domestic medical device supply chains. Public health advocates, including the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, warned that people living near commercial sterilization facilities face elevated lifetime cancer risks, while medical device manufacturers argue the standards could disrupt critical supplies. The proposal marks the latest EPA action under President Donald Trump to relax pollution limits and reduce costs for industry.

Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in five states are challenging bans that restrict purchases of sugary foods as part of state-level public health initiatives. The restrictions, implemented to address obesity and diet-related diseases, have sparked legal disputes from program participants who argue the limitations infringe on food choice and dignity. Public health officials supporting the bans contend that limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and processed foods reduces healthcare costs and improves nutrition outcomes. The cases highlight ongoing tensions between state efforts to promote healthy eating behaviors and individual rights to food selection within federal assistance programs.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, with the CDC identifying colorectal cancer as the third most common cancer for both men and women in the United States. Cleveland Clinic registered dietitian Julia Zumpano emphasized that a healthy, diverse microbiome reduces inflammation, which is linked to increased colorectal cancer risk, and recommended dietary changes including high-fiber foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes alongside fermented and probiotic foods such as yogurt and kimchi. In addition to dietary modifications, regular physical activity has been shown to reduce colorectal cancer risk, though individuals experiencing persistent gastrointestinal symptoms should seek medical attention. The preventive approach focuses on gradual lifestyle transitions rather than overwhelming dietary overhauls.