Today (June 30th) In Public Health: News Updates You Need To Know
Happy Monday readers! Today we have a few updates from some healthcare government agencies! Enjoy!
FDA Removes REMS Requirements for CAR‑T Cancer Therapies
What Happened
The FDA announced today that it is eliminating the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) requirements for several autologous CAR‑T cell therapies used to treat blood cancers. This means that six major therapy brands, including Abecma, Breyanzi, Carvykti, Kymriah, Tecartus, and Yescarta, will no longer require hospitals to be specially certified or keep immediate access to emergency drugs like tocilizumab.
Why It Matters
These therapies that are offered for diseases like leukemia and multiple myeloma, carry serious side effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurological toxicities. Previously, REMS protocols mandated strict safety measures (e.g., specialized staff training, on-site emergency medications, and patient proximity to hospital for weeks after treatment). The FDA now believes that:
Clinicians have sufficient experience to manage risks safely
Clear boxed warnings and updated labeling provide adequate guidance
Ongoing post-market monitoring and patient follow-up (up to 15 years) uphold safety
Benefits & Considerations
Greater Access & Reduced Burden
Hospitals will no longer need special certification, making it easier for community medical centers to offer these treatments. Patients can complete post-treatment monitoring closer to home, saving time and resources.Simpler Patient Guidelines
Previously, patients had to stay nearby and follow long parking restrictions. Now monitoring time is shortened to two weeks, and driving restrictions are reduced accordingly.Ongoing Safety Vigilance
While REMS programs are removed, the FDA is still mandating adverse event reporting and long-term safety studies to track possible risks like secondary malignancies.
Public Health Implications
This regulatory shift reflects confidence in clinical management of CAR‑T therapy toxicity and signals a transition to a more streamlined, community-based model of care. It could:
Increase patient access to potentially life-saving treatments in non-specialty centers
Drive a broader rollout of CAR‑T as more providers become trained
Reduce strain on urban hospitals and central treatment centers
Require vigilant post-marketing surveillance to maintain safety, especially for rare or delayed adverse events
Final Takeaway
Eliminating REMS for CAR‑T therapies marks a pivotal moment in cancer care, balancing easier access and provider flexibility with ongoing safety oversight. Yet the success of this change will depend on solid patient monitoring systems, provider education, and public transparency.
WHO Reports: 1 in 6 People Feel Lonely
The WHO Commission on Social Connection has issued its global report today, revealing that 1 in 6 people worldwide experience loneliness. This crisis is more than emotional, it’s a hidden health emergency linked to approximately 871,000 deaths every year — about 100 deaths per hour.
How Connection Impacts Your Health
Reduces inflammation and chronic disease: Social ties can lower immune-triggered inflammation and reduce risks for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cognitive decline.
Protects mental well-being: People who are lonely are twice as likely to experience depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts.
Promotes longevity: Meta-analyses show strong relationships increase survival odds by about 50%, which is on par with quitting smoking or exercising .
Improves social functioning: Connected individuals cope better with stress, perform better at work and school, and are more adaptable during emergencies .
Who’s Most Affected?
Youth & adolescents: 17–21% feel lonely, with those aged 13–29 reporting the highest incidence.
Older adults: Up to 33% experience social isolation.
Marginalized groups: Disabled persons, migrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and refugees face disproportionately high loneliness due to societal barriers .
Why This Matters for Public Health
Early life impacts: Childhood disconnection disrupts stress responses, raising long-term disease risk.
Economic toll: Loneliness leads to billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs globally.
Community resilience: Stronger social cohesion enhances community safety, disaster recovery, and collective health responsiveness .
What the WHO Is Calling For
Policy change: Member states should integrate social connection into all levels of policy from health and education to urban planning and digital access.
Measuring connection: The report proposes a global Social Connection Index to track population connection levels and progress.
Community action: Investments in public spaces, shared infrastructure (libraries, parks, cafés), and local community initiatives are critical .
Individual action: Small daily behaviors like greeting neighbors, volunteering, or unplugging during conversations can help build stronger bonds .
Takeaway for Readers
Connection is essential medicine that supports mental and physical health across one’s lifespan.
Loneliness isn’t just emotional, it’s a risk factor like smoking, obesity, or lack of exercise.
Healing is possible with evidence-based interventions ranging from national policies to small daily acts.
Suriname Becomes 1st Amazon Nation That Is Certified Malaria‑Free by WHO
What Happened
On June 30, 2025, the World Health Organization certified Suriname as malaria-free, making it the first country in the Amazon region to achieve this status after three consecutive years of zero indigenous malaria transmission.
What Led to This Success
Suriname’s journey spanned nearly 70 years and included major steps like:
Coastal area elimination in the 1960s using indoor spraying
Training community health workers (Malaria Service Deliverers) for rapid testing and treatment in remote areas
Expanding diagnostics with microscopy and rapid tests from 2005 onward, supported by the Global Fund
Widespread distribution of insecticide-treated nets and introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapies in both adults and children
Strong collaboration with PAHO/WHO, cross-border efforts, and mobile community outreach also played key roles.
Why This Is Public Health Gold
Equity in reach: Suriname succeeded in reducing malaria even in its most remote border and mining regions—overcoming significant logistical hurdles.
Model for Amazon Basin: This achievement signals that malaria elimination is possible in tropical rainforest settings, where disease transmission often thrives.
Regional momentum: As part of PAHO’s Elimination 2025 Initiative, Suriname joins other Americas countries like Argentina, Belize, El Salvador, and Paraguay that have stamped out malaria since 2018.
What Comes Next
The certification is just the beginning. Suriname remains vulnerable to imported cases, especially from neighboring endemic nations. Sustaining success means:
Continued surveillance and access to diagnostics
Border screening and rapid intervention
Cross-country partnerships to stay ahead of imported transmission
Final Takeaway
Suriname’s certification is a huge win, and not just for its citizens, but for the global fight against malaria. It proves elimination is achievable in the hardest contexts. Going forward, vigilance and sustained investment are key to preventing reintroduction and inspiring others in similar regions.
CMS Launches WISeR Model to Curb Wasteful Medicare Services
What’s New
CMS Innovation Center has unveiled the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model targeting Original (fee-for-service) Medicare. It partners with tech and AI vendors to streamline prior authorization for certain services often associated with waste or fraud, such as skin and tissue substitutes, nerve stimulators, and knee arthroscopy, while ensuring licensed clinicians make final approval decisions.
Why It Matters
Tackling waste and fraud: Up to 25% of U.S. healthcare spending is wasted, with Medicare paying nearly $5.8 billion in low‑value services in 2022.
Balancing care and protection: The model uses AI for efficiency, but licensed clinicians retain final say by aiding in the prevention of inappropriate delays in care.
Incentivizing better performance: Companies will receive payment based on their success in reducing unnecessary services while maintaining quality and timely responses.
How It Works
Targeted services are selected based on vulnerability to overuse.
Optional participation: Providers may choose to route prior authorizations through WISeR or undergo standard pre-payment review.
Geographic rollout: Companies will operate in assigned regions; CMS may eventually exempt high-performing providers.
Evaluation period: The model runs from January 1, 2026, to the end of 2031, with formal applications due July 25, 2025.
Public Health & Policy Implications
Supports patients and providers by reducing delays and improving transparency in authorization decisions.
May reduce unnecessary procedures, lowering both patient exposure to low-benefit interventions and system costs.
Real-world impact to watch: How effectively does WISeR reduce low-value care? Does it avoid unintended delays? Will CMS expand or exempt based on performance?
Bottom Line
The WISeR Model blends AI-driven efficiency with clinician-led safeguards to fight waste and misuse in Medicare. It rolls out a significant test case for how tech can modernize healthcare regulation. Its success will depend on measurable reductions in inappropriate services, timely patient care, and robust quality oversight.
324 Charged in $14.6 B Healthcare Schemes
What’s happened
In the largest-ever nationwide health care fraud takedown, the U.S. Justice Department, together with HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, CMS, and state attorneys, charged 324 defendants, including 96 licensed medical professionals, for orchestrating elaborate schemes that attempted to defraud $14.6 billion, with documented loss of about $2.9 billion to Medicare and Medicaid.
Notable schemes
Operation Gold Rush: A transnational ring allegedly submitted over $10 billion in fraudulent claims, mainly for urinary catheters, using stolen identities and foreign straw owners. Authorities successfully blocked more than 99% of Medicare payments, preventing $4.41 billion from being released.
Additional schemes targeted telemedicine, genetic testing, opioid diversion, dermatology products, and diagnostic services — totaling $1.17 billion in illegitimate telehealth/genetics claims, 15 million illicit opioid pills, and $1.84 billion in other medical fraud .
Enforcement outcomes
Agencies seized $245 million in assets (cash, cars, crypto).
CMS suspended or revoked billing privileges for 205 providers and blocked over $4 billion in fraudulent claims.
DOJ launched a Health Care Fraud Data Fusion Center to detect emerging schemes using AI and cross-agency analytics.
Why It Matters for Public Health
Protects taxpayer-funded care: Reclaiming lost funds preserves resources for genuine medical needs.
Safeguards patients: These frauds often expose patients to unnecessary procedures or harmful medication diversion.
Boosts system resilience: Proactive data tools and cross-agency cooperation highlight a shift from reactive to preventive fraud management.
Public Health Takeaways
Health systems & providers
Ramp up billing oversight, especially for telehealth, DME, and opioid prescribing.
Collaborate with federal, state, and payer audits using updated analytics and training.
Policymakers & payers
Support continued investment in data-driven fraud detection.
Consider policies that balance access to care (e.g., telehealth) with robust verification systems.
Patients & the public
Monitor Medicare Summary Notices for unfamiliar charges.
Report suspected fraud to your insurer, CMS, or fraud hotlines.
Bottom Line
This massive fraud bust, combining criminal charges, civil actions, and advanced analytics, sends a powerful message: the U.S. is committed to rooting out healthcare crime, protecting patients, and preserving the integrity of its public health systems
Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-eliminates-risk-evaluation-and-mitigation-strategies-rems-autologous-chimeric-antigen-receptor
https://www.who.int/news/item/30-06-2025-social-connection-linked-to-improved-heath-and-reduced-risk-of-early-death
https://www.who.int/news/item/30-06-2025-suriname-certified-malaria-free-by-who
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-launches-new-model-target-wasteful-inappropriate-services-original-medicare
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/national-health-care-fraud-takedown-results-324-defendants-charged-connection-over-146-billion