HEALTH CARE WARS:
OCTOBER 2025 DASHBOARD
THE IDEOLOGICAL THEATER
Archive
HHS Influencers' focus on "Big Food" and "Big Pharma" (X data)
Notable new X followings
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz
- Alliance for Responsible Citizenship:
London-based organization aiming to become a conservative alternative to the World Economic Forum (also followed by Director Bhattacharya)
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya
- Bloom Lab:
University of Washington lab studying evolution of proteins and viruses - Sayer Ji:
Chairman of the Global Wellness Forum (also followed by Deputy Secretary O'Neill) - Leland Vittert:
NewsNation chief Washington anchor who recently published a memoir about his journey with autism
Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O'Neill
- Dave Asprey:
Self-described "father of biohacking" and host of "The Human Upgrade" podcast - Dr. Aseem Malhotra:
British cardiologist and prominent anti-COVID vaccine activist - David J Speicher:
Canadian molecular virologist who claims to have found DNA in COVID vaccines
Calley Means
- Marla Maples:
Co-founder of the Global Wellness Forum and ex-wife of President Trump
New Trump Administration hires and nominees
| Hire | Background | Pharma Perspectives | Food Perspectives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Ben Carson, National Advisor for Nutrition, Health, and Housing, USDA | Former Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, 2016 Republican presidential candidate, and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2017–2021)[1] | Embraced President Trump’s Most-Favored-Nation drug pricing initiative in May 2025; sits on the board of liver disease and cancer drug manufacturer Galectin Therapeutics[2] | Has said petroleum-based chemicals and dyes have "no nutritional value" and using them “makes no sense"; supports banning SNAP benefits from paying for "junk food"[3] |
| Nicole Kleinstreuer, Ph.D., Acting Director, Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, NIH | Biomedical researcher with nearly a decade of experience at NIH who describes herself as "dedicated to reducing and replacing animal testing"[4] | Coauthored a study on how bioengineering advances can improve the development of "novel and effective [COVID] diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines," urging cooperation between researchers, regulators, and industry[5] | N/A |
Health care op-eds published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post
THE COMMERCIAL THEATER
Meta Platforms ad spending by key health care trade and professional organizations
Corporate sponsors of health care conferences and "fly-ins"
Hypertension 2025 – American Heart Association (September 4–7)[6]
Platinum Sponsor: Medtronic
Other Sponsors: Alf Distribution GMBH, American Medical Association (Validated Device Listing), American Physiological Society, AstraZeneca, Biobeat, Calcium Digital Health, CDC Foundation, Corcept Therapeutics, emka Technologies, Data Sciences International, Idorsia Commercial Booth, Idorsia Medical Affairs Booth, Medtronic, Mineralys Therapeutics, Omron Healthcare, Pharma Smart International, Recor, Seca, Sky Labs Inc., and Spacelabs Healthcare
Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations 2025 Advocacy Conference (September 12–13)[7]
AbbVie, American Rheumatology, Amgen, AstraZeneca, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi | Regeneron, SetPoint Medical, and Zenas BioPharma
Newsletter sponsors
Axios (Vitals)
Politico – Health Care
(Pulse and Prescription Pulse)
Politico – Food/Ag
(Weekly Agriculture)
STAT News
(D.C. Diagnosis and
Morning Rounds)
- Press release, "Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., Sworn in as National Nutrition Advisor at U.S. Department of Agriculture," U.S. Department of Agriculture, September 24, 2025, https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/09/24/dr-benjamin-s-carson-sr-md-sworn-national-nutrition-advisor-us-department-agriculture.
- American Cornerstone Institute [@americancornerstoneinstitute], "It costs millions of dollars to bring a drug to fruition...," Instagram, May 14, 2025, https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJo-367tJnM; and press release, "Galectin Therapeutics Announces Nomination of Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. to Board of Directors," Galectin Therapeutics, October 12, 2023, https://investor.galectintherapeutics.com/news-releases/news-release-details/galectin-therapeutics-announces-nomination-dr-benjamin-s-carson.
- Herzog Foundation, "Ben Carson: Why Our Health Is Declining—and What No One Talks About,"
YouTube, July 2, 2025, 0:39, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFLT0FKf9cM; and NewsNation, "Dr. Ben Carson: Junk food wasn’t meant to be in SNAP benefits | On Balance," YouTube, April 18, 2025, 4:18, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR2PTTgKx2g. - Nicole Kleinstreuer, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-kleinstreuer; and Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer [@NKleinstreuer], X, https://x.com/NKleinstreuer.
- Nicole Kleinstreuer and Anthony Holmes, "Harnessing the power of microphysiological systems for COVID-19 research," Drug Discovery Today, vol. 26, no. 11 (2021), https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359644621003305.
- "Exhibitors for Hypertension 2025," American Heart Association, https://professional.heart.org/en/meetings/hypertension/exhibits/hypertension-exhibitors.
- "2025 Advocacy Conference," Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations, https://csro.info/conferences/upcoming-events/advocacy-conference.
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.
© 2025 Baron Public Affairs, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopy, recording, or any other information storage or retrieval system known now or in the future, without the express written permission of Baron Public Affairs, LLC. The brief does not constitute advice on any particular investment or commercial issue or matter. No part of this brief constitutes investment or legal advice and is not to be relied upon as such. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal and may result in civil or criminal penalties under the U.S. Copyright Act and applicable copyright law.
