A blueprint for health
The unveiling today of a National Prevention Strategy marks a new level of federal coordination aimed at improving American’s health and reducing health care costs. The plan goes far beyond vaccines and blood-pressure tests to stress the importance of add
Cross-Post: Got Coverage? 1,479 More Kids in MA Do Now!
Massachusetts health advocacy organization Health Care for All (HCFA) sponsored a month-long campaign to enroll as many uninsured children in health coverage as possible. HCFA enlisted 66 organizations across the state to participate in its Statewide Enro
Health care's hidden crisis: An interview with Prabir Basu
At the After Heparin conference in March, Prabir Basu of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education spoke about the slipping security in U.S. pharmaceuticals, and ways we can use science to mitigate the risks that have come with an
The Complexity of Covering Children
Positive trends in children’s coverage made the news last week, with the Urban Institute reporting that 1.1 million children gained health coverage through Medicaid and CHIP between 2007 and 2009. While these coverage gains are quite impressive, they may
A Loophole in the ACA on Association Health Plans: It’s Time to Pay Attention
No one ever said the ACA was perfect – any time you try to reform a system that’s as fractured, opaque and confused as our current insurance system – you’re going to stumble across some crazy stuff, like association health plans (AHPs). These odd creature
As FDA continues investigation, jury decides for patient in Heparin case
The first Heparin verdict came down today on the side of an Illinois patient who died after being given the contaminated blood thinner in 2007. In the first of nearly 300 pending suits against drugmaker Baxter for its negligent role in the manufacture of
New FDA Super Office sharpens focus on supply chain safety
The FDA is restructuring its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to do a better job of supply chain security and manufacturing oversight, says an FDA memo from CDER Director Janet Woodcock released this week (hat-tip Pharmalot).
Elevating the current
Friday Round-Up of Blogs Worth Checking Out
• Mark Senak over at Eye on FDA says, "Wait, wait, wait... WHAT?" to news that FDA is working on an industry guidance for Apps:
"There is no direct quote from anyone at FDA on this, but the report is certainly a surprise, to say the least, to anyone wh
FDA enforcement and info-sharing up, but so are recalls
Good news, with caveats: New enforcement numbers out from FDA and a new searchable inspection database suggest the agency has ramped up its crackdown on unsafe and substandard food and drugs.
The number of warning letters, injunctions and seizures, the ag