Axios

Calls for more details about President Trump's drug pricing deals are intensifying, with Senate Democrats set to unveil legislation Tuesday as part of a push questioning whether the arrangements really help consumers.

Why it matters: The "most favored nation" deals with 16 pharmaceutical companies are a signature health policy accomplishment the administration is already touting ahead of the midterm elections.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — AI tools like chatbots and agents could expand access to mental health support for children, as long as protections are put into place, public health, advocacy, and technology leaders said at an April 15 Axios event.

Why it matters: Youth and adolescent mental health is a worsening crisis in the United States, and AI could augment care for a struggling population.

Axios' Maria Curi and Megan Morrone moderated the Expert Voices roundtable, which was sponsored by Roblox.

Driving the news: Courts are holding some tech giants accountable for how their platforms influence young users at the same time as AI is introducing rapidly changing, largely unregulated products into children's lives.

By the numbers: More than 50% of people who reach out to Crisis Text Line, a free text-based mental health support service, are under the age of 18, according to the nonprofit's chief health officer Shairi Turner.

• In 2025, the number one topic of conversation for that age group was suicide.
• "One in three young people under the age of 14 who texted in" were doing so to talk about potentially killing themselves, Turner said.

What they're saying: AI could help identify at-risk children and connect them with valuable resources.

• Sandy Hook Promise co-founder and co-CEO Nicole Hockley said her organization could use agents to scale the work they already do with local law enforcement and juvenile intervention to identify young people at risk for harming themselves and others.
• "I also think there is a way for us to teach the agents how to help recognize when someone needs help," she added.

Yes, but: "We've seen decades of regression when it comes to investments in mental health and youth," said Nicol Turner Lee, senior fellow and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings Institution.

• "We've sort of opened the door for certain companies to come in and to capture that attention," she warned.
• "The Silicon Valley Tech model doesn't apply to eight-year-olds," The Digital Economist CEO Navroop Kaur Sahdev added. "We're basically playing with their lives."

What's next: The industry needs to "get more stakeholders around the table and … figure out where everybody converges," Turner said.

Content from the sponsor's remarks:

"The world is increasingly complicated," Roblox CEO David Baszucki said, and "designing for the busy parent is really important" when it comes to keeping children safe online.

• "We're really excited [about] establishing what we call a global gold standard for healthy, safe, age-appropriate gaming," Baszucki added. "We continue to be optimistic about the future."

Prescription drug commercials are facing renewed scrutiny as the Trump administration and lawmakers from both parties seek new controls on ads that account for more than $10 billion in annual spending.

Why it matters: The U.S. and New Zealand are the only countries that allow direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising, which critics blame for promoting unnecessary drug use and driving up health costs.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough questions on vaccine policy and deep staff cuts at federal health agencies in a pair of House hearings Thursday that marked his first appearance before Congress in more than six months.

The big picture: Kennedy doubled down on some of his most controversial moves, but also gave some ground, acknowledging at one point that the measles vaccine could have saved the life of a child who died in an outbreak in Texas last year.

President Trump on Thursday nominated his former deputy surgeon general Erica Schwartz for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and moved to fill several other top positions at the beleaguered agency.

Why it matters: The CDC has been without a permanent political leader since Susan Monarez was fired in August after serving in the role for less than a month.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face Congress for the first time in more than six months on Thursday with his autonomy and political influence in a very different place.

Why it matters: As the White House tries to reel in his agenda, Kennedy is expected to face a gauntlet of questions about vaccines, autism and other hot-button issues at the first of seven hearings over this week and next.

Walmart is making a play to own what it calls the "last mile" of the GLP-1 boom, telling Axios exclusively it's launching a platform that goes beyond prescriptions to combine virtual care and nutrition.

Why it matters: Weight-loss treatments like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound are exploding, but the real friction is everything around them. The retail giant is betting it can simplify that fragmented system.

The Trump administration is bringing on a new official to focus on health care affordability, the Department of Health and Human Services tells Axios.

Why it matters: The personnel move suggests the administration is attempting to respond to voters' concerns about health care costs ahead of the midterm elections.

Your doctor's new prescription might be for a fishing rod, or other goods or services you won't find at a pharmacy.

The big picture: With the rise of "social prescribing," physicians are sending patients to choirs, art studios, walking clubs and lakesides. Overstretched health systems and a worsening loneliness epidemic are forcing a hard look at how social interventions can improve mental and physical health.

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson says the German crop science and drug company is hoping to move past the long-running controversy over its Roundup weedkiller in 2026.

Why it matters: Bayer — which acquired Roundup when it bought Monsanto in 2018 — recently announced a $7.25 billion settlement deal and is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling that could decide the product's fate in the U.S.