As the Company Formerly Known as Twitter prepares to go public, its former CEO is raising money for a very different venture.
Driving the news: eMed, an employee telehealth company led by Linda Yaccarino, this morning announced $200 million in new funding at a post-money valuation north of $2 billion.
Trump administration health officials are giving serious consideration to a plan that would make injuries from COVID-19 vaccines a formal diagnosis that can be coded in medical records.
Why it matters: Increasing documentation of what's still a loosely defined condition could help lay the groundwork for future lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers.
The White House is indefinitely postponing its selection of a permanent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, leaving acting head Jay Bhattacharya overseeing the agency past a key deadline.
Why it matters: The punt underscores the difficulty of finding a nominee who can be confirmed by the Senate and leaves the beleaguered public health agency without a full-time political leader.
A leading anti-vaccine activist is petitioning the Department of Health and Human Services to add more than 300 conditions to a table used for vaccine injury compensation claims — and is threatening to sue the agency if it doesn't.
Why it matters: The effort is led by vaccine-injury lawyer Aaron Siri, a longtime ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was invited to brief a vaccine advisory committee in December on the childhood immunization schedule.
Multiple high-level vacancies at federal health agencies are giving the Trump administration a chance to pivot from contentious vaccine policies to a more mainstream public health strategy.
Why it matters: The anticipated nomination of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and selection of a top Food and Drug Administration vaccine regulator will be closely watched for signs the White House wants to break from the drama that characterized much of the past year.
