Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Wants To Be Granted Expanded Authority To Intervene In Drug Shortages
The Associated Press: FDA To More Aggressively Tackle Disruptive Drug Shortages
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it wants to more aggressively fight medication shortages that have led to rationing of some drugs and disrupted patient care. The agency announced plans for a task force to find ways to improve the supply of crucial drugs. It’s a new approach for the drug regulator, which has very little control over drug makers’ operations. It generally can’t act until drug makers tell the agency that shortages are imminent or that it will stop making a drug. (7/12)
CNN: Drug Shortages Prompt FDA To Form Task Force
"It's a patient safety issue," said Dr. James Augustine, chairman of the national clinical governance board for US Acute Care Solutions, a physician group that provides staffing for emergency rooms and hospitals across the country. Some patients, he said, are "scared to death for their life." (Nedelman, 7/12)
