Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Uptick In Contaminated Drugs Recently Prompts FDA To Revamp Rules Governing How Medicines Are Manufactured
U.S. regulators plan to revamp rules governing how medicines are manufactured, in an effort to ensure the safety of the nation's drug supply as recalls of contaminated imports from developing countries widen. "We鈥檝e seen a lot of instances of adulterated products 鈥 contamination, impurities 鈥 recently,鈥 said Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who plans to leave his post next month, in an interview. 鈥淭he underlying causes have been traced back to manufacturing, inadequate quality controls and generally poor management oversight.鈥 (Edney, 3/27)
Kaiser Health News: FDA Chief Calls For Release Of All Data Tracking Problems With Medical Devices
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced in a tweet Wednesday that the agency plans to release hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of previously unpublished injury and malfunction reports tied to about 100 medical devices. 鈥淲e鈥檙e now prioritizing making ALL of this data available,鈥 Gottlieb tweeted. (Jewett, 3/27)
Kaiser Health News: Health Officials鈥 Plug For Next FDA Chief: Go Big On E-Cig Regulation
In an almost uniform response to the impending exit of Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, city and county public health officials are urging the Trump administration to go bigger in its response to adolescents鈥 growing use of e-cigarettes. The issue, they say, is reaching crisis levels and many worry the FDA鈥檚 much-touted efforts are falling short. (Luthra, 3/28)
In his almost two years as FDA Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb has overseen a crackdown on the tobacco industry and on electronic cigarettes. It's an effort he hopes the agency will continue after he steps down in April. That's because, he says, of increased e-cigarette use among America's youth. (Inskeep, 3/27)