Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Delays Calorie Labels Requirement For Restaurants Until 2017
The Associated Press: Looking For Calorie Labels On Menus? Not Until 2017
Wondering how many calories are in that hamburger? Chain restaurants still don't have to tell you, despite a 6-year-old law requiring calorie labels on menus. Passed as part of the health care overhaul in 2010, the rules will eventually require restaurants and other establishments that sell prepared foods and have 20 or more locations to post the calorie content of food "clearly and conspicuously" on their menus, menu boards and displays. This month, the Food and Drug Administration said it will delay the rules — again — until 2017. (Jalonick, 3/28)
In other FDA news, a leading cancer expert blasts the agency for being slow to approve promising drugs —
The Miami Herald: Cancer Drugs And The FDA: Safety Vs. Saving Lives
One of America's leading cancer experts says many lives could be saved if patients got the best available treatment — and he places considerable blame on federal regulators for being slow to approve desperately needed drugs. “There are incredibly promising therapies out there,” writes Dr. Vincent T. DeVita Jr., former director of the National Cancer Institute. (Dorschner, 3/26)
