• Congress is on a District/State work break this week.

• Govexec tells us,
  • “Newly elected Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., this week formally took over for his predecessor, the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, in leading advocacy for an array of bills aimed at improving the pay and civil service protections of federal workers.” * * *
  • “The House on Tuesday granted Walkinshaw’s unanimous consent request to become lead sponsor for four bills that Connolly had previously introduced, all relating to federal personnel policy.”

• Plan Sponsor lets us know,
  • “The Senate confirmed Daniel Aronowitz as assistant secretary of labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration on Thursday.
  • “EBSA is responsible for enforcement of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and related laws and regulations, along with protecting employer-based retirement, health and welfare benefits for workers and retirees.
  • “During his June 5 confirmation hearing, the former president of Encore Fiduciary pledged to streamline retirement plan oversight and end the ‘war’ on employee stock ownership plans, also known as ESOPs.”

• OPM typically announces the next year’s FEHB / PSHB government contributions in the second half of September. OPM shares this information with Congress before making the announcement which suggests that the announcement will be made next week when Congress returns to Capitol Hill.

• Nextgov/FCW points out,
  • “The Office of Personnel Management is rolling out ChatGPT to its employees this week, its director told employees Tuesday. 
  • “This is part of our broader effort to equip you with AI tools that help you work faster, think bigger, and collaborate better,” the agency’s director, Scott Kupor, told staff in an email shared with Nextgov/FCW by the agency. 
  • “Employees already can access Microsoft 365 Copilot chat, the email says, but now they’ll have access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT-5, too. 
  • “AI is a great assistant, but you’re still the expert. I know some of you are excited, some are curious, and some are wary. In the coming weeks, [the Office of the Chief Information Officer] will host brown bag sessions to help clarify and ensure you get the most out of these tools,” the email reads. “Let’s lead the way in using AI thoughtfully and effectively — starting now.”

From the ACIP recommendations front,

• The Pharmacy Times article offers more details about the Covid vaccination decisions made at the ACIP meetings last week. 
  • “The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted 12-0 to recommend COVID-19 vaccines be administered based on individual-based decision-making, also known as shared clinical decision making, for adults aged 65 and older, rather than a universal recommendation. 
  • “They voted to recommend the same language for individuals aged 6 months through 64 years, with an emphasis that risk-benefit for vaccination is most favorable for individuals at increased risk and lowest for individuals not at increased risk.¹
  • “Another vote on the belief that state and local jurisdictions should require a prescription for the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine failed 6-6, with the chair, Martin Kulldorff, PhD, breaking a tie to ensure the vote’s failure.

• The Covid vaccine is not the first time that ACIP recommended shared decision making. The ACIP website includes an FAQ on shared decision making. A pharmacist is a healthcare provider for purposes of shared decision making. 

• From a maintaining the status quo standpoint, it’s very important that ACIP rejected a recommendation to require a prescription for Covid vaccines. 

• The New York Times reports yesterday,
  • Before the C.D.C. panel voted, CVS and Walgreens, the nation’s two largest pharmacy chains, were requiring prescriptions in some states because of laws forbidding pharmacists to administer vaccines in the absence of a recommendation from the panel.
  • But if the head of the C.D.C. adopts the panel’s recommendations, CVS will start providing the shots without prescriptions nationwide, including to people outside the F.D.A.-approved groups, according to a CVS spokeswoman, Amy Thibault.
  • Walgreens did not immediately confirm what it would do.

• ACIP’s website explains
  • “The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develops recommendations on how to use vaccines to control disease in the United States.
  • “These recommendations become official CDC policy once adopted by CDC’s Director.
  • “This page provides resources related to ACIP recommendations and lists recommendations from ACIP meetings that are pending publication in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).”

• An HHS news release on Friday states,
  • “I commend the committee for bringing overdue scientific debate on vaccination to the American people,” said Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill. A recommendation from ACIP becomes part of the CDC immunization schedule if it is adopted by the CDC director.”
• The CDC director typically adopts ACIP recommendations promptly. The FEHBlog will keep an eye out.

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• The Wall Street Journal reports,
  • “The FDA, under President Trump’s directive, is cracking down on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads.
  • “The FDA sent letters to drugmakers citing issues with ads that potentially violate drug-marketing laws.
  • “The FDA is scrutinizing ads that it says overhype drug effectiveness, not just those omitting side effects, marking a shift in enforcement.”

• The Washington Post informs us,
  • “The Trump administration is expected to unveil new efforts on Monday exploring how one medication may be linked to autism and another one can treat it, according to four people with knowledge of the plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement was not yet public.
  • “Federal health officials are expected to raise concerns about pregnant women’s use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and one of the most widely used medications globally. Officials have been reviewing previous research — including an August review by Mount Sinai and Harvard researchers — that suggests a possible link between Tylenol use early on in pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children. They plan to warn pregnant women against using Tylenol early on unless they have a fever, according to the four individuals.
  • “In addition, officials plan to tout a lesser-known drug called leucovorin as a potential autism treatment. Leucovorin is typically prescribed to counteract some medications’ side effects and to treat vitamin B9 deficiency. Early double-blind, placebo-controlled trials administering leucovorin to children with autism have shown what some scientists describe as remarkable improvements in their ability to speak and understand others. Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have recently been reviewing new language that could apply to the drug.”

From the public health front,

• The New York Times reports,
  • “Recent data suggests that around 40 percent of adults in the United States have obesity, which sets the stage for high blood pressure, various forms of cancer and some 200 other complications. Men have similar rates of obesity as women, but they are less likely to seek medical care, making up only about 20 percent of bariatric surgery patients and around 22 percent of people on anti-obesity drugs. If men do take GLP-1 medications, a recent study suggests that they are also more likely to stop using them.
  • “It’s hard to parse exactly why this treatment gap exists, but it’s probably tied to the greater societal focus on women’s bodies, and men’s general tendency to delay seeking health care, especially when it comes to weight. The consequences, however, can be severe, since obesity tends to be more deadly in men than women. And experts say that untreated obesity is one important contributor to the 5-year life expectancy gap between men and women.”

• Per Medscape,
  • “Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) was associated with a reduction in fragility fractures among older women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a retrospective analysis of data from a global health network. The results suggest that GLP-1 therapy could contribute to bone health.”
    
• Medscape also identifies benefits and risks to watch out for when older adults take GLP-1 drugs.
  • “In adults over 65, GLP-1 use has both potential benefits and risks for age-related health. Physicians should stay alert, monitor closely, and address side effects proactively.’

• NPR notes,
  • “Doctors who perform skin cancer surgeries often recommend nicotinamide — which is a form of Vitamin B3 — to their patients. It’s been shown to protect cells from UV radiation damage.
  • “Now, a new study of nearly 34,000 veterans, finds this over-the-counter supplement is linked to a reduction in non-melanoma skin cancers among people who’ve already had skin cancer. The research was published in JAMA Dermatology.
  • “The biggest reduction was seen among people who began taking the supplement after being diagnosed with their first skin cancer. Researchers found those who took 500 mg of nicotinamide, also known as niacinamide, twice daily, for at least one month, had a 54% reduced risk of developing another skin cancer, compared to patients who did not take the supplement.”