Laurie McGinley

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering health and medicine

Education: Syracuse University, BS in journalism

Laurie McGinley covers health and medicine for The Washington Post. She focuses on the Food and Drug Administration as well as cancer research and treatment. She was previously The Post's health, science and environment editor.
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Latest from Laurie McGinley

    FDA considering first over-the-counter birth control pill

    Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on May 10 unanimously endorsed making a contraceptive called Opill available for sale without a prescription.

    May 22, 2023

    Biden nominates National Cancer Institute director to lead NIH

    The NIH director position has been empty since Francis S. Collins stepped down in December 2021 after a 12-year tenure.

    May 15, 2023

    Who can donate blood? What to know about FDA’s new guidelines

    The Food and Drug Administration finalized guidelines for blood donations that do away with some long-standing disqualifications for gay and bisexual men.

    May 12, 2023

    FDA advisers back making birth control pill available over the counter

    The vote by the agency’s outside experts increased the likelihood that a contraceptive called Opill will be approved for sale without a prescription.

    May 10, 2023

    Birth control pills aren’t available over the counter in U.S. That could change.

    For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration is weighing whether to allow a daily contraceptive to be sold over the counter.

    May 4, 2023

    Lilly to seek FDA approval for Alzheimer’s drug that firm says slows decline

    The drug, donanemab, is the latest treatment to target amyloid beta, a protein that builds up in the brain and is a signature characteristic of Alzheimer’s.

    May 3, 2023

    The new face of Alzheimer’s: Early-stage patients who refuse to surrender

    For years, doctors and patients thought there was little to do when dementia was diagnosed, even at an early stage. Now, potentially sweeping changes loom.

    April 24, 2023

    White House plans to nominate cancer center chief to lead NIH

    The National Institutes of Health has not had a permanent director since December 2021, when its longtime leader stepped down.

    April 19, 2023

    FDA backs second omicron booster for high-risk groups

    The shots would be available for people who are at least 65 years old or immune-compromised.

    April 18, 2023

    Unpacking the flawed science cited in the Texas abortion pill ruling

    Texas judge ignored scientific evidence of abortion pill’s safety, citing statistics that overstate the negative physical and psychological effects of mifepristone.

    April 13, 2023