HEALTH CARE WARS:
MARCH 2026 DASHBOARD
THE IDEOLOGICAL THEATER
HHS Influencers' focus on "Big Food" and "Big Pharma" (X data)
Notable new X followings
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
- MAHA Center:
Organization that ran Super Bowl ad with Mike Tyson warning "processed food kills"
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya
- Kristin M. Collier:
Director of University of Michigan Medical School Program on Health, Spirituality, and Religion - Brian S. Kim:
Dermatologist who runs lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researching chronic itch disorders - Charlotte Kuperwasser:
Tufts University School of Medicine professor who leads breast cancer lab exploring "breast tissue dynamics" - Catherine Pakaluk:
Catholic University associate professor of political economy; author of Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth
HHS Senior Advisor Calley Means
- Linea Avey:
Cofounder of 23andMe; biotech industry investor; early advisor to Oura; member of the Stanford School of Medicine Board of Fellows - Bryan Sunderland:
President of the Cicero Institute, an Austin-based think tank pursuing "better, more affordable health care in the digital age"
New Trump Administration hires and nominees
| Hire | Background | Pharma Perspectives | Food Perspectives |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Brooks, Senior Counselor (new title), Deputy Administrator, and Chief Policy and Regulatory Officer, CMS | Held senior roles at the Domestic Policy Council during the first Trump Administration and served as a top aide to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma[1] | Named by Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz as a lead negotiator of MFN drug pricing deals[2] | N/A |
| Kyle Diamantas, Senior Counselor (new title) and Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, FDA | Practiced law for more than a decade, including as a Miami-based partner at Jones Day (2021–2025)[3] | Defended Otsuka Pharmaceutical in 2017 product liability litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida[4] | Represented Abbott Laboratories in high-profile 2024 litigation over the company’s infant formula recall[5] |
| Grace Graham, Senior Counselor (new title), and Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs, FDA | Previously served as chief health counsel for the House Energy & Commerce Committee and health policy director for the Senate HELP Committee[6] | Shared in a keynote address at the Food and Drug Law 2025 Annual Conference that “it is worth exploring… restructuring and simplifying the [Prescription Drug User Fee program]”[7] | Remarked in the same May 2025 speech: “I relate to not wanting to spend extra time and effort to understand what is in the snacks and food I hand to my kids and the impact of that on their long-term health"[8] |
Health care op-eds published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post
THE COMMERCIAL THEATER
Top health care ad spenders on Meta Platforms
Corporate sponsors of health care conferences and "fly-ins"
2026 WomenHeart Summit (February 2)[9]
Diamond: Merck
Platinum: Amgen, Medtronic, and Novartis
Gold: Bristol Myers Squibb, Bristol Myers Squibb | Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer
Silver: Bristol Myers Squibb | Pfizer, Cytokinetics, Edwards Lifesciences, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson
Bronze: Alnylam and Viatris
Hispanic Health Policy Summit – National Association of Hispanic Nurses (February 10–11)[10]
Diamond: Johnson & Johnson
Gold: Pfizer Multicultural Health Equity Collective
Silver: Amgen
Breakfast: American Nurses Association
Lunch: Planned Parenthood
2026 ZERO Prostate Cancer Advocacy Summit (February 22–24)[11]
Presenting sponsor: Pfizer
Platinum: AstraZeneca and Novartis
Gold: Blue Earth Diagnostics, Boston Scientific, and Johnson & Johnson
Silver: Profound Medical
Bronze: American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Bayer, Intuitive, Merck, and Viatris
2026 Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill – EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases (February 24–26)[12]
Presidential ($150,000): Alexion
Leadership ($100,000): Sanofi
Ranking ($80,000): Amgen, Merck, and Takeda
Champion ($50,000): Argenx and Travere Therapeutics
Co-Sponsor ($35,000): Biohaven and Harmony Biosciences
Advocate ($25,000): Beam Therapeutics, Biogen, CSL, Genentech, GSK, Pfizer, and UCB
Grassroots ($15,000): Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Amicus Therapeutics, BioCryst, BioMarin, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiese, Faegre Drinker, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck, Neurocrine Biosciences, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, PTC Therapeutics, Recordati Rare Diseases, Soleno Therapeutics, Scholar Rock, Stoke Therapeutics, Sumitomo Pharma, and Ultragenyx
Newsletter sponsors
Axios (Vitals)
Politico – Health Care
(Pulse and Prescription Pulse)
Politico – Food/Ag
(Weekly Agriculture)
STAT News
(D.C. Diagnosis and
Morning Rounds)
- “John Brooks,” U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/who-we-are/leadership/john-brooks; and David Lim and Adam Cancryn, “Trump taps Brooks to lead HHS landing team,” Politico, December 17, 2024, https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/12/17/congress/brooks-tapped-to-lead-hhs-team-00194845.
- "Remarks on Prescription Drug Prices and an Exchange with Reporters," The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara, September 30, 2025, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-prescription-drug-prices-and-exchange-with-reporters#docmedia; and "Remarks on Efforts To Reduce Prescription Drug Costs and an Exchange With Reporters," The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara, November 6, 2025, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-efforts-reduce-prescription-drug-costs-and-exchange-with-reporters.
- Kyle Diamantas, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylediamantas.
- Brey v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, et al. (FLND 3:17-cv-00580-MCR-GRJ); Fitz v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, et al. (FLND 3:17-cv-00501-MCR-GRJ); Marks v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, et al. (FLND 3:17-cv-00604-MCR-GRJ); Neal v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, et al. (FLND 3:17-cv-00505-MCR-GRJ); Patton v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, et al. (FLND 3:17-cv-00596-MCR-GRJ); Roy v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, et al. (FLND 3:17-cv-00575-MCR-GRJ); and Williams v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, et al. (FLND 3:17-cv-00487).
- Christina Jewett, “He Fought Claims of Harm From Infant Formula. Now He Regulates It.,” The New York Times, March 4, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/health/fda-infant-formula-kyle-diamantas.html.
- “Grace Graham,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-organization/grace-graham.
- “Grace Graham Keynote Address at the Food and Drug Law (FDLI) 2025 Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, May 16, 2025, https://www.fda.gov/news-events/speeches-fda-officials/grace-graham-keynote-address-food-and-drug-law-fdli-2025-annual-conference-washington-dc-05162025.
- Ibid.
- "2026 WomenHeart Summit," WomenHeart (The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease), https://www.womenheart.org/wh-summit-2026.
- "As we reflect on the success of the 2026 NAHN Hispanic Health Policy Summit," National Association of Hispanic Nurses, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nahnnurses_as-we-reflect-on-the-success-of-the-2026-activity-7430672592514215937-cwsE.
- "Thank You to All Our Sponsors," ZERO Prostate Cancer, https://zerocancer.org/take-action/advocate/summit?tab=sponsors.
- "Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill," EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, https://everylifefoundation.org/rare-advocates/rare-disease-week; and "Sponsorship Opportunities," Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill, https://everylifefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/RDWCH-SponsorshipBrochure-2026-Final-1.pdf.
About Baron
Baron has guided clients for nearly two decades through the most challenging political terrain. Applying a methodology focused on mastering the strategic competition of interests, Baron advises some of the nation's most prominent organizations, including members of the Fortune 10, several of America's largest privately held businesses, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Baron's health care sector clients have included insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, integrated health systems, and medical device firms.
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