ADA Diabetes Conference Opens in New Orleans Amid FDA Fast-Track Review Debate and Other Health Developments

The American Diabetes Association’s annual conference opened on June 5 in New Orleans. STAT’s Elizabeth Cooney will file three ADA in 30 newsletters from the site, with Elaine Chen covering newsworthy items on the weekend agenda. The Office of Human Research Protections has lost more than half its employees through reductions in force, resignations, or early retirements in little over a year.

Many top leaders have departed, and the office’s advisory committee has been disbanded. ” Drug companies and patient advocacy groups reviewed the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program at an FDA listening session on June 4. Seventeen speakers representing patient groups, drug companies, and academic organizations participated.

Most asked the agency to pause the program and reintroduce it through standard regulatory procedures that require public feedback. The program, launched about one year earlier, offers one- to two-month FDA reviews for drugs shown to align with national priorities.

The White House has used the vouchers to reward companies that help achieve political goals such as lowering prices for GLP-1 obesity drugs and infertility treatments.

U.S. Senate nominee, announced an investigation into energy drink company Celsius to protect Texas children from dangerous caffeine levels. The move follows a lawsuit by a Texas family alleging their 17-year-old child died from an enlarged heart linked to excessive caffeine from the Alani Nu drink, which contains 200 mg of caffeine.

Federal health officials confirmed on June 4 that Americans with high-risk Ebola exposures can access experimental therapy MBP-134. The antibody treatment is produced by San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceuticals with funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within HHS. The number of available doses remains unclear.