Food manufacturers will soon be banned from using the common food additive Red Dye No. 3 under an Food and Drug Administration rule released on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The move comes two years after a petition from consumer advocates including the Center for Science in the Public Interest pointed to studies showing a connection between the dye and increased risk for cancer in rats.
Some ofPresident-elect Trump's highest profile Cabinet picks will be under fresh scrutiny this week as they brace for tough Senate confirmation hearings that could make or break their nominations.
Why it matters: With Democrats looking to create fireworks and the Republican party deeply divided, the hearings could escalate clashes over Trump's most controversial nominees.
UnitedHealth Group is expected to post a sizable profit on Thursday morning when it reports its fourth-quarter and year-end earnings report, despite being hit by a historically costly cyberattack and weathering ever-rising medical costs.
Why it matters: This is the first earnings report and the first time executives of UnitedHealth Group will speak publicly since the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Prospect Medical Holdings' road to bankruptcy has eerie similarities to that of Steward Health, another multistate hospital chain formerly owned by private equity.
Why it matters: The parallels — down to the way both chains sold the real estate under their hospitals to the same company and leased it back — raise questions about whether the bankruptcies were the result of bad management or what critics allege is private equity's rush to enrich itself at patients' expense.
A progressive group that bolstered Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the 2024 presidential campaign is also supporting a new war room that wants to scuttle his nomination for Health and Human Services Secretary.
Why it matters: The two tracks of support from the Sixteen Thirty Fund — which can accept unlimited and anonymous contributions— show how the dark money group takes a flexible approach to countering President-elect Trump's MAGA agenda.
The three biggest pharmacy benefit managers made more than $7.3 billion over five years marking up the prices of specialty generic drugs for cancer, HIV and other conditions, the Federal Trade Commission charged on Tuesday.
Why it matters: It's the second time the FTC has singled out CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx for driving up drug costs. The report could provide fodder if President-elect Trump opts to make good on vows to crack down on pharmacy middlemen.
Most packaged foods may soon carry front-facing nutrition labels under an 11th-hour proposal the Biden administration unveiled on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Consumer advocates say front-of-package labels have been shown in other countries to steer consumers to healthier options and incentivize food companies to reformulate their products.
The creation of ARPA-H and first-ever limits on "forever chemicals" in consumer products and drinking water are among the significant legacies of the cancer "moonshot," Biden administration officials said Monday.
Why it matters: The moonshot aimed to cut the cancer death rate by at least half and was a passion project for President Joe Biden, though skeptics said the substantial sums directed at it could have been better spent and that the regulatory regime encouraged quantity over quality.
Enrollment of first-year Black and Hispanic medical students fell sharply in the year after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education, according to new data from the institutions.
Why it matters: Research shows that a racially diverse physician workforce can improve patient outcomes.
