Jennifer Shutt, Ariana Figueroa President-elect Donald Trump announced his choices to lead two of the country’s top public health agencies late Friday, as well as his pick for surgeon general. Former Florida Congressman Dave Weldon will be tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Marty Makary …
Read More »FDA Approves First Over-The-Counter Oral Contraceptive
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has approved the country’s first daily birth control pill that can be used without a prescription, a move that reproductive health advocates celebrated after more than 20 years of advocating for an over-the-counter option. The contraceptive, called Opill, is a progestin-only oral pill …
Read More »Democratic Leaders Warn Abortion Pill Ruling Could Endanger Other FDA-Approved Drugs
Jennifer Shutt, Arizona Mirror U.S. Senate Democratic leaders vowed to defend reproductive rights and abortion access Saturday, less than a day after a federal judge in Texas ruled the federal government needs to pull the abortion pill off the market within a week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New …
Read More »Federal Judge Could Decide As Soon As February To Yank Abortion Pill Nationwide
Jennifer Shutt, Michigan Advance January 23, 2023 WASHINGTON — A Texas judge appointed by former President Donald Trump could decide as soon as next month whether to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pull its two-decade-old approval of the abortion pill, which accounts for more than half of …
Read More »House Report Shows Trump ‘Deliberately and Repeatedly’ Undermined Covid-19 Response
Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams White House officials during the tenure of former President Donald Trump “deliberately and repeatedly” pressured the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize unproven and potentially dangerous Covid-19 treatments, while working to derail the agency’s vaccine guidance ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a congressional report …
Read More »FDA To Allow Sale Of Hearing Aids Without Prescription
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued a final rule to improve access to hearing aids which may, in turn, lower costs for millions of Americans. This action establishes a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, enabling consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment to purchase hearing aids directly …
Read More »FDA Bans The Sale Of Juul E-Cigarettes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered Juul Labs to pull its e-cigarettes off the American market. The FDA’s order affects all of the company’s products sold in the United States, which makes up the majority of Juul’s sales, according to The New York Times. Juul has been …
Read More »CDC Recommends Pfizer, Moderna Covid Vaccines For Children Under 5
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Saturday that children as young as six months old receive Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The move follows a unanimous vote earlier in the day by an advisory panel of outside experts known as Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or …
Read More »FDA Advisers Recommend Pfizer, Moderna COVID Vaccines For Kids Under 5
Parents of children under 5 are one step closer to vaccinating their young kids against COVID-19 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s outside vaccine panel recommended emergency use authorizations of two COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday. The 21-person Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend the FDA …
Read More »Under Fire From Congress, FDA Chief Says Baby Formula Shortage Will Improve Soon
by Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder May 19, 2022 WASHINGTON — U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Robert Califf told Congress Thursday that the infant formula shortage will likely begin to improve in the coming days, though he declined to explain to unhappy lawmakers why his agency didn’t act sooner on a …
Read More »Baby Formula Maker Abbott Reaches FDA Deal To Reopen Plant In Two Weeks
Months after it stopped production and recalled its products, worsening a pandemic formula shortage, baby formula maker Abbott has entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, making way for the pharmaceutical company to reopen its infant formula plant in Michigan, Abbott announced Monday. Once the …
Read More »FDA Moves To Ban Sales Of Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Cigars
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it has begun the process of banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. “Banning menthol — the last allowable flavor — in cigarettes and banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these deadly products. With these …
Read More »FDA Authorizes First COVID-19 Breath Test
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization to a new COVID-19 test that can detect infections with only a sample of a patient’s breath, using a device that can yield results in less than three minutes. The agency says the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer will only be available for …
Read More »Biden’s Pick For FDA Commissioner Confirmed By Senate
On Tuesday, Robert Califf was confirmed as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner in a 50-46 Senate vote in which 6 Republicans supported him, and 5 Democrats voted against his confirmation. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota voted “present,” in what is called a “live pair” …
Read More »Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Full FDA Approval
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to Moderna‘s COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years of age and older. The approval makes it the second vaccine to be fully licensed in the United States. The vaccine will be marketed as Spikevax. Moderna’s messenger RNA vaccine has …
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