Category: fda

As Problems Grow With Abbott’s Fast COVID Test, FDA Standards Are Under Fire

After the FDA issues a public warning about the test, one of its senior officials says point-of-care coronavirus tests can miss 20% of cases and still be considered useful. Public health experts are split.

Easy To Say ‘Get Tested.’ Harder To Do. Here’s How.

If you’ve been in a crowd — a protest or rally — experts have advice for figuring out whether you might have been exposed to the coronavirus, and where and when to get tested for it.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: SCOTUS, Trump Collide Over Transgender Rights

The Trump administration rolled back protections for transgender patients just days before the Supreme Court cemented LGBTQ rights under the Civil Rights Act. So, what now? Meanwhile, coronavirus politics reaches beyond health care settings. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Tami Luhby of CNN and Shefali Luthra of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Hype Collides With Science As FDA Tries To Rein In ‘Wild West’ of COVID Blood Tests

Amid questions about the accuracy of the COVID-19 antibody tests flooding the market — and the usefulness of the results they provide — the FDA has belatedly stepped in to try to rein in the chaos.

Antibody Tests Were Hailed As Way To End Lockdowns. Instead, They Cause Confusion.

Some communities considered community antibody testing as a way out of lockdown. But they’ve pulled back as they realized antibody testing is the Wild West in an oversight vacuum.

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.

Abbott’s Fast COVID Test Poses Safety Issues, Lab Workers Say

HHS said this test would “save personal protective equipment.” But Abbott’s very design ― devised for mobile testing — means those working with specimens need even more protection, experts warn.

Amid Pandemic, FDA Seizes Cheaper Drugs From Canada

Many Americans order drugs from Canada and other countries because they are cheaper, but U.S. authorities appear to be cracking down on the practice.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: How Will We Reopen The Economy?

The politics of COVID-19 are pretty polarized, but health experts across the ideological spectrum agree: The U.S. will need more robust testing before it’s safe to relax social-distancing requirements. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, Congress and the nation’s governors continue to spar over who should be responsible for what. Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider, Tami Luhby of CNN and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

‘You Pray That You Got The Drug.’ Ailing Couple Gambles On Trial For COVID-19 Cure

Josie and George Taylor of Everett, Washington, are two of the first people in the U.S. to recover from novel coronavirus infections after joining a clinical trial for the antiviral drug remdesivir.