Category: fda

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.

New Heart Drug Spotlights Troubling Trends In Drug Marketing

Critics worry the marketing of Vascepa, a purified fish oil product, could prove a fish story.

Hidden Drugs And Danger Lurk In Over-The-Counter Supplements, Study Finds

Dieters and gym rats, beware. Some dietary supplements promising weight loss or more muscle may contain active ingredients not listed on the label that fly under the radar of the Food and Drug Administration. The California Department of Public Health analyzed public data maintained by the FDA to suss out trends among tainted products, raising red flags.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Falling Premiums And Rising Political Tensions

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News discuss the Trump administration’s announcement that average premium prices are falling on the Obamacare marketplaces, the effort by Senate Democrats to reverse rules on short-term health insurance and the focus on protections for people with preexisting conditions in the run-up to midterm elections.

The Feds’ Termination Of A Tiny Contract Inflames Bitter Fight Over Fetal Tissue

Just weeks before midterm elections, a move by federal health officials spotlights a contentious issue: the use of human fetal tissue in research. Here’s what you need to know to understand the debate.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Some Things Old, Some Things New

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner discuss final action on bills in Congress to address the opioid epidemic and fund federal health agencies. They also look at new efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on teen nicotine use.

Drugmakers Play The Patent Game To Lock In Prices, Block Competitors

Pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, often win patents for incremental changes with debatable value. Now there’s a twist involving an opioid treatment.

Buried In Congress’ Opioid Bill Is Protection For Personal Drug Imports

The protection is a win for people who get their needed, legitimate drugs from overseas.

As States Try To Rein In Drug Spending, Feds Slap Down One Bold Medicaid Move

Medicaid drug spending doubled in five years in Massachusetts. The state wanted to exclude expensive drugs that weren’t proven to work better than existing alternatives from its Medicaid plan, but the federal government blocked the effort.

Half As Many People Are Trying Heroin, But Marijuana Use Grows

An annual government survey of drug use and health shows a dramatic drop in the number of people who tried heroin but an uptick in pot use.