Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nation Could Be Hit With Drug Shortages After Hurricane Slams Puerto Rico
The Washington Post: FDA, Industry Step Up Efforts To Avert Drug Shortages After Puerto Rico Hurricane
Federal and industry officials are stepping up efforts to avert potentially serious drug shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria's assault on Puerto Rico, a major center for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, headed to the island Friday morning with staff from the Department of Homeland Security. Gottlieb was scheduled to meet with the FDA's 100 employees in San Juan and learn more about damage to the island's dozens of drugmaking plants. (McGinley, 9/29)
Bloomberg: The Hurricane Did One Good Thing For Puerto Rico: It Blew Away Zika
Hurricane Maria’s devastation had a silver lining for Puerto Rico: It killed, for now, most of the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus. The virus, which swept the island in 2015 and 2016, can cause severe health problems, including brain abnormalities in newborn children. It’s transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, which thrives in the tropics. But when a storm as strong as Hurricane Maria strikes, "those mosquito populations pretty much get wiped out," according to Thomas Skinner, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Flavelle, 9/29)
Miami Herald: Zika Virus: CDC Closes Zika Emergency Operations Center
With Zika waning in the Caribbean and South America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that the federal agency was deactivating the command center for monitoring and coordinating emergency response to the virus. (Chang, 9/29)
