FDA's Makary wants to increase drug access, reduce 'addictive' foods
"No one has been talking about the fact that food has been designed to be addictive. So when we have a crisis in our nation's children, that is, 40% have a chronic disease and 31% have prediabetes or insulin resistance, it's not their fault," Makary told Yahoo Finance in an interview Wednesday.
"We don't think that our childhood obesity epidemic is a willpower problem. We think this is something adults are doing to kids," Makary added.
He spoke with Yahoo Finance while on a nationwide tour to connect with drug industry leaders at companies big and small. But while Makary is focused on streamlining access to medicines and allowing access to some that may not be fully tested in traditional clinical trials, he is also focused on reducing the use of drugs in daily life.
"We've got to talk about school lunch programs, not just putting every 6-year-old on Ozempic," Makary said, referencing the blockbuster diabetes drug from Novo Nordisk (NVO).
"We've got to talk about sleep medicine and the quality of sleep, not just antihypertensive after antihypertensive [drugs that treat high blood pressure]. And we've gotta talk about environmental exposures that cause cancer, not just the chemo to treat it. We've got to talk about food as medicine and the microbiome," Makary said.
He has also been vocal about revamping the food pyramid, which hasn't been updated in more than a decade, and sees it as one path to regaining trust in the agency — which has declined in the years since the pandemic.
"We are going to rewrite those dietary guidelines. I think that'll go a long way too in rebuilding trust," Makary said.
Research and rebuilding trust
In addition to the FDA's work in addressing chronic diseases, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are also directing funds to do the same. When asked about cuts to health equity-focused research, including women's health, Makary defended the Trump administration's moves to cut some federally funded research, to the tune of $18 billion, or a 40% reduction.
"The NIH, when we came into office, was a mess. Fourteen percent of grants went to descriptive studies on health equity, not reducing health equities."
Meanwhile, Makary has been focused on ensuring quicker access to drugs, questioning why it takes 10 years for a drug to reach market, and more transparency about drugs that are approved. He did not specify when the public would get greater access to decision letters, but continued to promise more access.
"We're releasing the FDA decision letters so the public can see them, drug developers can see them. We can give more predictability. We're modernizing the agency. We're trying to cut some of the idle time," Makary said, noting this was key to rebuilding trust as well.
Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, provider services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. That includes GLP-1s, of course. Follow Anjalee as AnjKhem on social media platforms X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky @AnjKhem.
Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest health industry news and events impacting stock prices
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"I Was Billed Over $2m For A Week In The Hospital": 51 Horrifying Photos That Encapsulate American Healthcare
in America is genuinely dystopian. should not have to advertise for a kidney. this make sense. me again how America is the greatest country in the world? work should 100% be a part of routine or preventative care. should also be able to talk about your child's medical issues at their physical??? absolutely ridiculous to require a subscription on TOP of health insurance you already pay for. Related: people a heart transplant because they can't pay for the meds shouldn't be a thing, because the meds should be covered in the first place. is so, so bleak. is this. healthcare is so expensive and stressful that it's actually making people's mental health WORSE. a horrific cycle... just goes on and on. me to remind you that the inventors of insulin sold the patents for $1 so that everyone who needed it could afford it. 16."But private healthcare means you can choose your doctors!" policy doesn't even make sense unless you view it through a lens of greed. should NOT be a business. Related: can't possibly cost this much for the hospital to treat a rattlesnake bite. the point of an annual physical if not to check in on any issues? medical care should cost $620k. person didn't even receive any medical care and got charged almost $1.5k. someone explain why it costs $316 just to get evaluated over the phone? me how this is "cosmetic" when the person is in pain. HOURS??? are we even paying for? Related: I'm 99% positive "Nancy" is an incompetent AI bot. 28.I will never understand why ambulance rides are so expensive. This was for a few MINUTES-long ride. are literally having to refuse ambulances — that they NEED — because they're so expensive. is ridiculous. should not be legal. with this. companies are dickheads. They want to make it impossible to get a cent from them. 35.I'm asking the same question. is one of the many reasons why we should have universal healthcare that isn't tied to your job. are really out here looking for coupons for medical care, that's how bad it is. is the bad place. is such BS. If you can't read the above, it says: American Insurance (55M) Had a heart attack, died, revived and my cardiologist wouldn't let me leave the hospital without a LifeVest (portable defibulator). It automatically triggers in case of another cardiac incident. I spent two extra days in the hospital because insurance didn't want to approve the LifeVest. That cost the insurance another $20,000ish. They finally relented and let me have a LifeVest. Now, they say they don't have to pay for the LifeVest. Everyone, the American insurance system (read scam) in a single sentence!!! "Your plan doesn't provide coverage for services that are considered investigational or not medically necessary. The fact that a provider may prescribe, order, recommend or approve a service, treatment, medication, or supply does not make it Medically Necessary or a Covered Service, and does not guarantee payment. These terms are defined in the 'Definition' section of your health plan document." Related: is this. If you can't read the above, it says: Diagnosis: I26.99 Oth Pulmonary Embolism W/O Acute Cor PulmonaleDate(s) determined not to be medically necessary: 11/29/2024 - 11/30/2024 The clinical reason for our determination is:You were admitted to the hospital on 11/29/2024. The reason is blood clot to lung. We read the medical records given to us. We read the guidelines for a hospital stay. This stay does not meet the guidelines. You did not have to be admitted as an inpatient in the hospital for this care. The reason is you were watched closely in the hospital. You were stable. You had tests that did not show any problems that needed inpatient only treatment. The records showed your blood pressure was not too low. You did not need a breathing machine. You could have gotten the care you needed without being admitted inpatient at the hospital. The hospital inpatient admission is not covered. We let the hospital know that it is not covered. insurance isn't going to approve life-saving medicine, what's even the point of having insurance? was this $528??? (After insurance, too!) should not cost $15/capsule. one should have to go without life-saving care because they don't want to have to live for a medical bill. is just completely unhinged. should not be this expensive. good insurance can be great, but tell me why it's almost $40k to begin with??? healthcare is a scam. is so predatory. are you supposed to afford these rates at $9/hour? Never mind the deductibles and copays? finally, this is just genuinely bonkers. The entire system needs to change. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
CNN
40 minutes ago
- CNN
HHS: How we're fixing the organ transplant system that betrayed America
EDITOR'S NOTE: Thomas Engels is the administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Organ donation can be a profound last gift of life. I think about the future my grandson will inherit, especially when it comes to something as urgent and deeply personal as organ donation or transplant. If he or someone he loves needs an organ transplant, I want him to know the system is safe, fair and worthy of his trust. Sadly, our US Department of Health and Human Services investigation of the organ transplant system has revealed everyone's worst nightmare: a systemic disregard for the sanctity of life. We found numerous cases of medical providers starting the organ donation process on living patients. In response, we have threatened to shut down a large organ procurement organization unless it implements our corrective action requirements. We have also imposed strict reporting protocols for the organ transplant system and required that families and hospitals receive clear, complete information about the donation process. How did the organ transplant system fail to protect some of our most vulnerable Americans? It operated behind closed doors for decades, dominated by a single private contractor. Too many patients waited for answers that never came, and families whose loved ones' organs were pursued while still alive were left with nowhere to turn when such atrocities occurred. Only a sick system prioritizes profit over patients. That ended thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), we are undertaking a sweeping overhaul of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), the entity legally responsible for managing the organ waitlist and allocation nationwide. Our reforms are rooted in two fundamental truths: Patient safety is not optional, and every life is sacred. For far too long, patients, hospital staff or grieving families were forced to report serious safety concerns and misconduct to the very contractor managing the system. This left families unheard, frustrated or even silenced. That era is over. Now, under our new reforms, those concerns can come directly to the regulator HRSA. We brought federal oversight into the heart of the process, making it clear there will be no compromise on safety and accountability. We've also proposed new data requirements for organ procurement organizations (OPOs), requiring full documentation of every step in the donation process, from contact with hospitals to interactions with donor families. These reforms aren't just about performance tracking. They're about restoring safety and dignity to a system that lost sight of both. And when horrifying failures come to light, like the shocking case in Kentucky in which organ procurement was nearly performed on a patient who showed signs of life, we act immediately. For the first time, HRSA issued a corrective action plan to an OPO, and we will not hesitate to do it again. No American should ever have to wonder whether their life will be treated with reverence at the hospital. The systemic failures weren't just operational — they were structural. For nearly 40 years, OPTN was governed by a single private entity: the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). We ended a monopoly that suppressed innovation, enabled conflicts of interest and delayed reform. HRSA conducted a historic national election to establish an independent OPTN Board of Directors. This new board includes transplant surgeons, living donors, organ recipients and advocates, bringing a range of expertise and experience to the forefront of reform. We are also modernizing the transplant system by expanding the pool of best-in-class vendors to expand the capacity and performance of the system. With bipartisan support, HRSA now has the authority to directly collect OPTN registration fees from transplant hospitals, helping sustain long-term reforms and reduce reliance on any single contractor. Our work is informed by conversations with transplant surgeons, patients, donor families, advocates and hospital staff. These voices have made one thing abundantly clear: Change cannot wait. Secretary Kennedy has demanded accountability across HHS, and President Trump has shown unwavering commitment to ending complacency in systems that cost lives. The old system operated behind closed doors. We opened them up. We are building a system that is ethical, transparent and centered on the sacred sanctity of life. There is more work to do, but we are making progress quickly, just like the rest of the Trump administration. We will not rest until every registered organ donor, patient and family have confidence in our nation's transplant system. Because that's what Americans deserve and what every life demands.
Bloomberg
40 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Healthy Living Helps the Aging Brain
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association makes a compelling case that a healthy lifestyle does an aging brain good. That might sound obvious. Eat well, exercise, challenge yourself mentally, have an active social life and you'll be better off for it. Yet researchers are just starting to offer concrete data to support the theory that making conscientious lifestyle changes can lower the risk of dementia, which is estimated to affect some 6 million Americans.
