Providing evidence of strategic transfer pricing by vertically integrated health care firms in response to insurer profit regulations, from Pragya Kakani, Eric Yde, Genevieve P. Kanter, Richard G. Frank, and Amelia M. Bond www.nber.org/papers/w35043
Some thoughts from me on conflicts of interest in advisory committees, published in NEJM.
TLDR: Gap between what public wants vs what govt can deliver is barrier to COI reform
Link (paywall): www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Full text: caterpillar-coyote-chxz.squarespace.com/s/Kanter-Con...
1. Govt defines COIs narrowly
2. AC members can have industry ties but not be identified as having COI
3. Public trust has declined b/c public equates industry ties with COI even tho official defns are narrower
4. Can't fix public trust through COI policies alone -- need transparency in HC ecosystem
Some thoughts from me on conflicts of interest in advisory committees, published in NEJM.
TLDR: Gap between what public wants vs what govt can deliver is barrier to COI reform
Link (paywall): www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Full text: caterpillar-coyote-chxz.squarespace.com/s/Kanter-Con...
“The claim that the Trump administration is making that Americans are getting the best deal is clearly false,” says Harvard Medical School professor @asarpatwari.bsky.social
Gift link to story by on TrumpRx prices in NYTimes:
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/w...
A health technology company "built a business on scooping digital medical records of individual patients... and distributing the information to law firms." 😮
@washingtonpost.com gift link below:
wapo.st/4dteuEX
Judge Murphy ruled that ACIP membership changes violated the Administrative Procedure Act. A win for federal advisory committees. As the kids say, FACAround and find out...
R.I.P. Chris Sims
essence of him right here (start at 8:36 if link doesn't work)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVIO...
Chris Sims, brilliant macroeconomic empiricist, has died. His Nobel acceptance speech: www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018....
Free link to PDF: static1.squarespace.com/static/60efc...
We showed a 72% drop in FDA advisory committees this past year from their 20-year average. Is this a problem? A lot of folks, incl former FDA leaders and CEOs of firms that prepped for canceled meetings think so. Link to @statnews.com article below (paywall) & free link to PDF in replies.
Congress rejected massive cuts to US science budgets for 2026, but much of the money still isn’t flowing to researchers.
The culprit? The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is quietly slow-walking the release of funds. 🧵👇
The FDA is increasingly turning to ad hoc expert panels instead of federal advisory committees for external advice. FDA watchers generally agree these expert panels "are likely unlawful," USC Schaeffer's @profgenkanter.bsky.social tells Regulatory Focus.
The American Statistical Association has an organizational sign-on letter urging Congress to exempt federal statistical agencies & units from Schedule Policy/Career.
Are you a member in any orgs that value accurate, timely info about the U.S.? Please consider signing
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
One week from today!
"Trump Picks Veteran Staffer to Head Bureau of Labor Statistics: Brett Matsumoto, the next chief, has worked as an economist at the BLS since 2015."
Excellent choice! www.wsj.com/economy/trum...
bsky.app/profile/prof...
Had an in-depth conversation with Michael Gibney at PharmaVoice on politicization at the FDA and its impact on drug approvals, the pharma industry, and patients.
www.pharmavoice.com/news/fda-pol...
For more on FDA-industry relations, check out upcoming Health Affairs webinar on 2/17 (in replies)
DM me if you'd like to attend
@healthaffairs.bsky.social
@rachelsachs.bsky.social
@hollylynchez.bsky.social
Find out what's happening at the FDA at this Health Affairs webinar, "The FDA and its Changing Relationship to Industry," Feb 17, 8-9 am PT/11-12noon ET.
Panel: Rachel Sachs (Wash U St Louis), Holly Fernandez Lynch (Penn), Chris Meekins (Raymond James) + me
www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/h...
In a substantial indication of public sentiment, the “Alex Pretti is an American Hero” campaign on the GoFundMe platform surpassed its goal of $20,000 quickly after organizer Keith Edwards launched it Saturday.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Our latest study on physician-industry COI, out last week in The Oncologist.
I have often heard the rationale that "if I'm conflicted with all the companies, then I'm unbiased."
So we asked, how often DO oncologists receive payments from all competing companies?
academic.oup.com/oncolo/advan...
thanks, Liam! hope to see you there!
Something for everyone at our #ASSA2026 health care session (Sun, 1/4, 12:30-2:15 pm, Room 410).
* physician altruism and industry payments
* conflicts of interest in FDA advisory committees
* consequences of physician disciplinary actions
* immigrant enforcement and the home care industry
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Kate Ho, the John L. Weinberg Professor at Princeton and a Fellow of the Econometric Society. Kate was a brilliant IO economist and scholar whose impact on the profession will resonate for many years to come www.econometricsociety.org/publications...
NEW: FDA review staff was excluded from voting on whether to approve first priority voucher drug. Top leaders like Vinay Prasad, George Tidmarsh, and Tracy Høeg led the vote instead. Read for the full list, and expert reaction from @hollylynchez.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/t...
The entire HR department at the CDC is gone. Everyone at the IRB, which makes sure studies are conducted ethically and rigorously, and the ethics office, which oversee conflicts of interest for CDC leaders and advisory committee members, were also let go.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
USC rejects Trump education compact aimed at shifting the university to the right www.latimes.com/california/s...
