The Big Story 

The Biden administration is suspending all federal funding to the Wuhan lab at the center of controversy over the origins of the coronavirus and is moving to cut off payments permanently.

© AP

The announcement came Monday in a memo sent sent by the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which has been probing the administration’s grants to the Wuhan Institute. 

Republican members of the panel have insisted the virus was manufactured in the Chinese facility with the aid of U.S. funding and spread worldwide because of a lab leak. 

GOP lawmakers offered no praise for the decision, saying it was long overdue.

“It’s past time that the Biden administration made this decision, but they deserve no credit for finally doing what the evidence and facts demanded. It is outrageous that it took them so long. HHS must now consider a similar debarment for EcoHealth Alliance," the GOP leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee and its subcommittees said in a statement. 

The memo from a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official said the Wuhan Institute of Virology has repeatedly refused to provide documents and answer questions from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about safety and security. HHS also told the lab it’s seeking to cut off funding permanently.

That the Wuhan Institute “likely violated protocols of the NIH regarding biosafety is undisputed,” wrote the official, whose name was redacted. “As such, there is risk that WIV not only previously violated, but is currently violating, and will continue to violate, protocols of the NIH on biosafety.”

The institute, which has not received NIH money since 2020, now has 30 days to respond to the notice. 

“Therefore, I have determined that the immediate suspension of WIV is necessary to mitigate any potential public health risk,” the HHS official wrote. 

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Maine governor expands access to abortion later in pregnancy

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine will soon expand abortion access, joining a half dozen states that leave it to doctors and patients to make the decision without restrictions on timing. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Wednesday that allows abortions at any time if deemed medically necessary by a doctor, making the law one …

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The Big Story 

Patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers may have another drug by the end of this year that could slow inevitable memory loss.

© AP

Eli Lilly said it expects the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to act by the end of the year on its application for approval of its monoclonal antibody called donanemab.

Donanemab slowed Alzheimer’s disease progression by 35 percent relative to placebo in an 18-month clinical trial that enrolled 1,700 patients with early-stage disease. 

In practical terms, that translated to delaying progression by about four months. It also means the drug performs at least as well as the newly approved Leqembi (lecanemab), which was found to reduce progression by about 27 percent.

Both donanemab and Leqembi are part of a new class of Alzheimer's drugs called anti-amyloid treatments, because they target amyloid plaque in patients' brains. They offer promise, but serious questions remain.

Both significantly reduce the levels of plaque, but there's debate about how much that will actually help.

Supporters argue that for the patients who benefit, the drugs can stave off memory loss long enough to buy them a few extra months with family and loved ones.

The main safety concern is brain swelling or bleeding, which is often mild but sometimes can be serious or even fatal. During Lilly's trial, three deaths were attributed to the drug. 

Patients using the treatments need repeated brain scans to monitor for those side effects, which can be costly if they're not covered by Medicare or private insurance.  

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday proposed to expand its coverage of PET scans that are used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, which would likely ease at least some of the cost concerns. Currently, Medicare will only cover one PET scan per lifetime of a patient, and then only if they are participating in clinical trials.

The Hill on Tuesday brought together caregivers, patients, clinical experts and lawmakers to discuss the fight against Alzheimer’s and breakthroughs in providing relief. Watch the recap here.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

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The Big Story 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday announced the approval of the first injection designed to prevent RSV infections in healthy infants and toddlers.

© National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH via AP

Beyfortus, developed by AstraZeneca and marketed by Sanofi, was cleared by the FDA for use in children up to the age of 24 months for preventing RSV infections.

This is the first RSV drug for healthy children to be approved by regulators. Earlier this year, two RSV vaccines for seniors were approved by the FDA.

The newly approved medication is a single-dose monoclonal antibody. It is not a vaccine but works in a similar way.

The drug was approved for use in newborns and infants born during or entering their first RSV season, as well as for children up to 24 months of age who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second RSV season. 

The shot will likely provide comfort to many parents following last year’s surge, when small children unexposed to the virus were infected and hospitals scrambled to find room for all of them.

While most people infected with RSV will experience some cold-like symptoms and recover with rest and care, infants and toddlers stand at a higher risk of developing respiratory diseases like pneumonia.

An existing monoclonal antibody treatment is intended only for high-risk infants with heart or lung conditions, or high-risk preemies. The most that clinicians can usually do for healthy children admitted with severe RSV is supplemental oxygen or putting them on a ventilator.

The drug will now be discussed and voted on by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s expert advisory panel on Aug. 3. The committee is likely to formalize its draft recommendations in February. 

The companies plan to make Beyfortus available ahead of the upcoming 2023-2024 RSV season.

With the approval, Sanofi and AstraZeneca officially beat out a maternal RSV vaccine developed by Pfizer that's also under review.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Essential Reads 

How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

Iowa abortion ban temporarily blocked by state court

Alzheimer’s is most prevalent in east, southeast, according to new research

Eli Lilly expects FDA approval of its Alzheimer’s drug this year

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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching:

The Hill event

Join The Hill in person: More than Memory Loss: Caring for those with Alzheimer's | National Press Club | July 18 at 8:30 a.m. ET

The Hill will bring together caregivers, patients, clinical experts and lawmakers to discuss the fight against Alzheimer’s and breakthroughs in providing relief to those who suffer from agitation and aggression.

Speakers include:

• Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), chair, Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health
• Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), lead co-sponsor, CHANGE Act
• Sue Peschin, president & CEO, Alliance for Aging Research
• Jen Pettis, director of strategic alliances, The Gerontological Society of America
• Jackie Pinkowitz, co-founder, Dementia Action Alliance
• Chad Worz, executive director, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
• Carrie Shaw, Alzheimer’s caregiver

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A heat wave in southern Europe generates health warnings for residents and tourists

ROME (AP) — Italian health officials intensified heat warnings Monday as southern Europe began a brutally hot week with temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius — or 104 degrees Fahrenheit — on a continent already sizzling under the sun and overburdened by tourists. Countries with borders on the Mediterranean Sea weren’t alone …

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