Latest California Healthline Stories
Long-Stalled FDA Reform Sits On Senate’s Lame-Duck Calendar
The legislation would give federal officials more flexibility in evaluating the effectiveness and safety of drugs and devices and add billions of dollars to NIH funding. But critics say it could endanger patients’ safety and doesn’t do enough to stop spiraling drug prices.
FDA’s Drug Approval Team Copes With 700 Unfilled Jobs As Industry Lures Staff
The FDA’s drug-approval team is short more than 700 people and losing skilled staff members to the drug industry.
FDA Faults 12 Hospitals For Failing To Disclose Injuries, Deaths Linked To Medical Devices
The agency found several prominent facilities had not followed rules on reporting incidents in which patients were harmed.
Pricey New Treatment Roils Issues Of How To Treat Prostate Cancer
High-intensity focused ultrasound, often not covered by insurance, leads to discussions about which patients benefit in the real world.
Beware Of Unapproved Stem Cell Treatments
Pricey and unproven therapies that sound too good to be true probably are.
A Golden Ticket That Fast-Tracks A Drug Through The FDA
A voucher awarded to companies that find treatments for rare childhood diseases can be sold to the highest bidder — and then used to speed up approvals for much more common drugs.
When Drug Reviewers Leave The FDA, They Often Work For Pharma
Researchers examine the Food and Drug Administration’s “revolving door” regarding employees who worked on cancer and hematology drugs.
FDA Wants To Tighten The Screws On Stem Cell Clinics
As more and more clinics offer controversial treatments, especially in California, the agency is seeking to clarify its regulatory standards.
Congressman Decries Olympus’ Failure To Warn U.S. Hospitals About Tainted Scopes
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) renews his call for tightened laws that would force manufacturers to notify the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when they issue safety warnings in other countries related to the design and cleaning of their devices.
Olympus Told U.S. Executives No Broad Scope Warning Needed Despite Superbug Outbreaks
Internal emails show that after the Tokyo-based device maker alerted customers in Europe in 2013, it told its U.S. operation not to widely warn U.S. doctors and hospitals. Since then, at least 35 patients have died after being sickened in outbreaks.