Daily Summary of Health · Final editionThursday 29 October 2026 · UTC
Health News: 29 October 2026
FDA proposes first infant formula nutrient overhaul since 1998; drug middlemen face disclosure rule
US regulators proposed the first major update to infant formula nutrient standards in nearly 30 years and released new contaminant testing data. A Labor Department rule requiring pharmacy benefit managers to disclose how they are paid was expected on Thursday, and GSK's hepatitis B treatment Hibsago won FDA approval. A ProPublica investigation raised conflict-of-interest questions about the head of ARPA-H.
FDA approves GSK's Hibsago, a six-month treatment aimed at functional cure of hepatitis B
GSK received FDA approval for Hibsago (bepirovirsen), used together with existing antiviral therapy, for adults with chronic hepatitis B who do not have cirrhosis and whose surface antigen levels are at or below 3,000 IU/mL. In two Phase III trials, 19% of patients given the drug achieved functional cure, compared with none on placebo, and the rate rose to 26% in patients with lower baseline antigen levels.
Chronic hepatitis B affects about 1.7 million people in the United States, and existing antivirals rarely allow patients to stop treatment. The drug, licensed from Ionis, is already approved in Japan.
FDA proposes first major update to infant formula nutrient standards in nearly 30 years
The FDA issued the first of three planned proposed rules from its first comprehensive review of infant formula nutrients since 1998. It would update requirements for iodine, manganese, vitamin A and vitamin D, reaffirm existing levels for chloride, potassium, selenium and sodium, and ask for public input on ingredients such as DHA, ARA and L-carnitine that are not currently required.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the plan in Des Moines, Iowa, and public comments are open until February 26, 2027. The agency also released new contaminant testing data, saying most formula samples had low or non-detectable levels of chemical contaminants.
ProPublica: ARPA-H director held stock in company that benefited from menopause policy shift
ProPublica reported that Alicia Jackson, director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, publicly praised HHS's decision last November to remove black box warnings from hormone replacement therapies. Disclosure records show she kept at least $115,000 in stock in Evernow, the menopause telehealth company she founded, plus stock options.
It is unclear what role, if any, Jackson played in the decision, which was made by the FDA, a separate agency.
Labor Department rule to force drug middlemen to disclose pricing and payments
The Trump administration was expected to release a Labor Department regulation on Thursday requiring pharmacy benefit managers to disclose how they get paid, The Wall Street Journal reported. Under the rule, the companies, which manage hundreds of billions of dollars of drug spending, would have to give their employer clients detailed information on the prices they pay for drugs and the payments they receive from drugmakers.
The administration presents the measure as part of an effort to rein in healthcare costs.
Sanford Health to end obstetric services in rural Minnesota town
Sanford Luverne will stop offering labor and delivery services in April 2027, MPR News reported, the latest cut to maternity care in rural Minnesota. The news came on the same day that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison launched the Strengthening Rural Maternal Health project to close maternal healthcare gaps across the state.
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