Feb 19 Lawmakers seek to help e-cigarette makers escape new regulations By Sheila Kaplan, STAT Congressional supporters of the tobacco industry have proposed legislation to help e-cigarette companies escape rules adopted under Obama. Continue reading
Jan 15 What happens if kratom becomes illegal? By PBS News Hour The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has received thousands of comments on whether it should make kratom, a popular painkiller, illegal. Continue reading
Dec 06 Watch 9:16 Major health bill would fund medical research, hasten FDA approvals By PBS News Hour In Congress, lawmakers are close to passing a major bill that would increase funding for the FDA, the NIH and the effort to fight opioid abuse. The measure would also introduce more flexible standards for drug approvals, reducing the need… Continue watching
Dec 01 Using Ecstasy to treat PTSD: ‘I felt like my soul snapped back into place’ By Caleb Hellerman, Global Health Reporting Center On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration gave an important boost to a therapy that uses MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, to treat PTSD, clearing the way for one or more large-scale research studies. Since 2004, more than 100 patients… Continue reading
Nov 27 House to vote on bill aimed at speeding approval of drugs By Associated Press The House plans to vote Wednesday on a $6.3 billion bill aimed at speeding federal approval of drugs and medical devices and boosting biomedical research. Continue reading
Nov 02 FDA to America: How much Nutella do you eat? By Megan Thielking, STAT The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is gathering information on the amount of Nutella that constitutes a reasonable serving size. Continue reading
Sep 09 FDA expresses concern over widely used ovarian cancer screening test By Sheila Kaplan, STAT The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday warned women and their doctors that current screening tests for ovarian cancer are unreliable. Continue reading
Aug 14 Have you been affected by the blood donation ban for men who have sex with men? By PBS News Hour The blood donation ban for MSM dates back to the 1980s, as the introduction of HIV/AIDS within the gay community developed into a public health crisis. Continue reading
Jul 28 Watch 5:18 What you need to know about South Florida Zika scare By PBS News Hour The Food and Drug Administration asked two South Florida counties — Miami-Dade and Broward — to immediately halt blood donations as what looks like four cases of locally transmitted, mosquito-borne Zika virus are investigated. Hari Sreenivasan talks with Dr. Anthony… Continue watching
Jun 08 FDA makes it easier for some patients to get experimental drugs By Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News The Food and Drug Administration removed an obstacle from of its “compassionate use” policy this month, eliminating some paperwork that physicians must do to obtain experimental drugs for some patients with immediately life-threatening illnesses. Continue reading