What We're Reading: Surgeon General Resigns; Healthcare Vote Delay; Testing an Alzheimer's Drug

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Asked to Resign

On Friday, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, stepped down and was replaced by his deputy. Murthy, a holdover from the Obama administration, was asked to resign by the Trump administration, reported The New York Times. Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, who served as Murthy’s deputy, is now the acting surgeon general. During his time as surgeon general, Murthy drew attention to gun violence, addressed the rising incidence in addiction to opioids and other substances, and also focused on improving disease prevention.

House Won’t Rush Healthcare Vote

While the White House had been pushing for a vote on a healthcare bill this week, right around President Donald Trump’s 100-day mark, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, indicated that wasn’t likely. According to Politico, Ryan is focusing on avoiding a government shutdown first and foremost and has not promised a new timeline for a vote on the amended healthcare bill. Lawmakers have just 4 days to pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown when funding expires on Friday.

Testing an Alzheimer’s Drug in Those Without Disease

Novartis is taking a different approach to testing its 2 new Alzheimer’s drugs. The company is testing the drugs in people who don’t have the disease but whose genes put them at high risk for developing it, according to The Wall Street Journal. So far no drugs have successfully delayed the progression of Alzheimer’s, so Novartis is hoping to treat early before the disease takes hold. However, recruiting participants is tough, because even though someone has a gene putting them at risk of Alzheimer’s doesn’t mean they’ll ever develop the disease.