policy

Mostly wins for peptides at FDA advisory meeting

Adobe

After two days of meetings last week, an FDA advisory panel has recommended to ease access to six out of seven peptides it considered. In narrow, contested votes, panelists voted to allow compounding pharmacies to manufacture the peptides, despite scant evidence on safety and efficacy. Each peptide has a specific indication, but if the recommendations become policy, they would effectively become available for a range of conditions.

The FDA does not need to follow the panel’s recommendations, and in fact, agency staffers said they were against easing access for any of the peptides. Normally, the final decision would be made by those same employees, but it’s possible that Trump administration leaders could overrule them. Read more from STAT’s Lizzy Lawrence on where the final votes landed and what comes next.

infectious disease corner

Updates on measles, cyclosporiasis

You may recall that, in the U.S., 2025 was the worst year for measles in decades. By July, we’d already recorded more cases than every year since 1992, and by the end of the year, we’d reached a confirmed count of 2,289. Now, just over halfway through 2026, we have once again broken a record.

The CDC has logged 2,318 cases of measles as of Thursday, according to an agency update on Friday. And that’s almost certainly an undercount as major outbreaks spread in South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona, along with small clusters in other states. The AP has more details.

At the same time, the agency is investigating the country’s largest outbreak of cyclospora, the diarrhea-causing parasite. The list of affected states now includes Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, along with the original five: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. In a new First Opinion essay, a former FDA food safety official argues for the importance of microbial food safety when promoting, as the Trump administration does, an “Eat Real Food” agenda. Read more.

food

A trend that isn't fading, ultra-processed baby foods

And yet, speaking of real food: Over 80% of toddler foods found in grocery stores across Austin, Texas, were ultra-processed, researchers reported in a new study presented at the Nutrition 2026 conference over the weekend. The study looked at a total of 2,783 food products marketed specifically toward children ages 6-36 months, including fruit pouches, granola bars, and different types of “puff” foods. Almost 50% of foods in this study failed to meet at least one of the World Health Organization’s standards for children’s food products, which focus on limiting excessive sugar, sodium, fat, and calories. Ultra-processed foods failed the standards for sugar content most frequently.

Ultra-processed infant and toddler foods have dominated children’s food for years, as STAT’s Sarah Todd previously reported. Read more from Sarah on the call from nutrition experts for more policies around reformulating products, improved nutrition labeling, and honest marketing to help families identify healthier food choices. — Lauren Chan