The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday approved the production and sale of lab-grown meat for the first time, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Georgia, and Massachusetts.

• District of Columbia: USDA on Wednesday approved the production and sale of lab-grown chicken meat, marking a milestone for the alternative protein industry. The approval allows two California companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, to sell chicken produced from animal cells, making the United States the second country, after Singapore, to authorize the sale of such products. Although it will likely be years before lab-grown meat is available in grocery stores, the decision allows for the eventual sale of lab-grown meat across state lines after passing federal inspections.  "This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to our table," said Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside Foods. "It's a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future — one that preserves choice and life." According to data from Grand View Research, the lab-grown meat industry, valued at $247 million in 2022, is projected to grow to $25 billion by 2030. (Qiu, New York Times, 6/21)
• Georgia: CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices chose not to recommend that all seniors get a vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Instead, the group said that anyone ages 60 and older may choose to get one of the new vaccines being developed by GSK and Pfizer if they and their physicians believe it could be beneficial. Although the committee initially leaned toward a stronger recommendation of vaccinating all people ages 65 and older, concerns about certain data provided by the companies ultimately led to a weaker recommendation. According to STAT, the decision to say older adults "may" get the vaccine instead of "should" will likely result in a lower uptake of the shots than the companies might have anticipated. Both vaccines were approved for use in people ages 60 and older by FDA last month. (Branswell, STAT, 6/21)
• Massachusetts: Boston Medical Center (BMC) has named Alastair Bell as its permanent CEO. Bell took over as interim CEO in March and has served as BMC's president since November. Prior to joining BMC in 2012 as COO, he led the North American payer and provider practice at McKinsey & Co. Bell's appointment as permanent CEO follows Kate Walsh's departure, who was named secretary of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Health and Human Services earlier this year. BMC operates a 514-bed academic medical center, seeing 1 million patient visits annually. Its other operations include the WellSense Health Plan, a Medicaid managed-care organization with 740,000 members, and the Boston University Medical Group, which includes 800 physicians, clinicians, and educators across 18 departments. (Hudson, Modern Healthcare, 6/21)