Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that US compounding pharmacies should be permitted to make peptides to prevent consumers from purchasing gray-market products manufactured in China

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Calley Means and his statement on October 22, 2026 highlighted Make America Healthy Again policy achievements, including expanding access to psychedelics, overhauling dietary guidelines, and limiting SNAP benefits for sugary drinks

President Donald Trump nominated wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means for surgeon general, but her nomination was withdrawn after Senate confirmation stalled over concerns regarding her medical experience and vaccine stances

In an October 22, 2026 statement announcing his resignation, Calley Means, a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., expressed tremendous respect for President Donald Trump and Kennedy without stating a reason

While serving at the Department of Health and Human Services, Calley Means attacked leading physician groups, federal agencies, and government scientists, claiming they protect their own interests

The U.S. Treasury Department proposed adding biotechnology to the COINS Act list of sensitive restricted industries, alongside semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing

Western pharmaceutical companies have invested tens of billions of dollars in Chinese biotechnology companies and licensing agreements to bolster their drug development pipelines

The U.S. Treasury Department cited national security concerns that American investments in Chinese biotech could be used to create biological weapons, develop brain-computer interfaces for surveillance, or cause U.S. supply chain overdependence

On October 22, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department proposed updated rules for implementing the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security (COINS) Act of 2025 to restrict U.S. investment in the Chinese biotechnology sector

The U.S. Treasury Department's proposed COINS Act regulations would require U.S. investors to notify the government regarding certain biotech transactions in China and prohibit others entirely, subjecting violators to civil penalties and divestment

The U.S. Treasury Department's proposed restrictions cover equity interest acquisitions, debt financing, joint ventures, brain-computer interfaces, biomanufacturing equipment, and life sciences tools involving Chinese entities

The U.S. Treasury Department proposal defines prohibited biotech technologies to include small molecules, polymers, vaccines, blood components, allergenics, cell and gene therapies, and monoclonal antibodies or other recombinant therapeutic proteins

The United States Medicaid program faces nearly $1 trillion in federal funding cuts over the coming decade

China halted poultry imports from Rio Grande do Sul following a 2024 Newcastle disease detection before lifting the restriction earlier in 2026

Meat industry group ABPA stated that the Brazil-China trade protocol triggers an auto-embargo on poultry shipments following a Newcastle disease outbreak before Chinese authorities decide whether restrictions apply to an entire state or limited farm area

UnitedHealth Group CFO Wayne DeVeydt stated that the Independent Dispute Resolution process under the No Surprises Act, which took effect in 2022, adds at least 100 basis points to total medical costs

In June 2026, Sciwind Biosciences reported Phase 2 SLIMMER-UP-SWITCH trial data from China showing subcutaneous ecnoglutide achieved 12.8% weight loss versus 9.5% for semaglutide at 20 weeks, 35% greater (163 patients).

The sole FDA-approved therapeutic option for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is limited to slowing the progression of the condition

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease currently has only one treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Prior to taking office, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that the Food and Drug Administration's opposition to peptides and wellness products would end

HHS's proposed interim access policy uses enforcement discretion to assure specialty compounding pharmacies that they will not face regulatory action for producing certain popular peptides, including BPC-157