Why it matters: Eli Lilly said on Thursday that its experimental pill — called orforglipron — is showing promising results and could serve as an alternative to blockbuster injectable medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
Luigi Mangione was indicted by a New York grand jury Thursday on four federal charges, including murder through the use of a firearm, which could make him eligible for the death penalty.
The big picture: Mangione is facing both federal and state charges in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year. Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month directed the Justice Department to seek the death penalty in the case.
Eli Lilly on Thursday reported promising results for a daily pill that could serve as an alternative to injectable weight-loss and diabetes drugs.
Why it matters: One thing hampering the GLP-1 drug boom is the fact that they're shots — not oral medications — which keeps some prospective patients from taking them.
The Food and Drug Administration's decision to phase out animal testing in drug development is being hailed as a potential game changer, even though proponents say it may take years to get to a point where alternative methods can be used for all applications.
Why it matters: Pharmaceutical companies and biotechs say other methods could accelerate the process for bringing cures to market and give them more flexibility and predictability.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes autism as a disease that needs a cure, but people with autism would rather that time and money be spent allowing them to live their lives with dignity and independence.
Why it matters: Kennedy's insistence that vaccines or other environmental factors led to increased autism diagnoses in children, despite mounds of research debunking the link, undermines decades of advocacy work people with autism have done on their own behalf.
A top National Institutes of Health scientist who specializes in nutrition and metabolism announced his sudden retirement after 21 years, citing censorship at the agency now headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Why it matters: RFK pledged "radical transparency" after being confirmed as HHS secretary, but NIH senior investigator Kevin Hall said Wednesday he has "experienced censorship" of his work and not enough support on his recent research into ultra-processed food addiction.
A Trump administration budget proposal calls for eliminating programs like Head Start, funding for community mental health clinics and initiatives aimed at preventing teen pregnancy in fiscal 2026.
Why it matters: The 64-page document, called a budget passback, reveals the breadth and deep extent to which the Trump administration is eyeing cuts to the federal health bureaucracy.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the unusual step of publicly contradicting one of his own agencies' autism studies on Tuesday, suggesting at a press conference that "environmental factors" including drugs, not improved screening, were causing a spike in confirmed cases.
Why it matters: Kennedy's assertion that researchers and the media are engaging in what he called "epidemic denial" around the condition could further stoke vaccine skepticism and broader public trust in science, experts say.
