Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Women Often Get Mixed Signals About Drinking While Pregnant Even From Their Own Doctors
PBS NewsHour: Why Do Pregnant Women Get Confusing Guidance About Alcohol?
How much alcohol can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, a difficult to diagnose condition, sometimes called an "invisible disability"? Doctors don't know. While official guidelines say no amount of alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy, women often receive mixed signals, even from their own physicians. (Nawaz, 7/24)
The Associated Press: FDA Approves New Pill To Reduce Pain From Endometriosis
A new treatment for pain caused by endometriosis was approved Tuesday by U.S. regulators. The common condition involves abnormal tissue growth from the uterus that can cause severe pain and infertility. Drugmaker Abbvie said the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, Orilissa, for pain during menstruation and intercourse and at other times. Abbvie says it's the first new pill for endometriosis in a decade. (Johnson, 7/24)
Bloomberg: Bayer Essure Lawsuits Skyrocketed As FDA Pushed Stronger Warnings
The number of Essure suits has skyrocketed over the last two years after U.S. regulators forced Bayer officials to beef up warnings about the device’s risks -- including bleeding, pain and organ damage -- and put sales restrictions on the product. Bayer announced July 20 that it would stop selling the implant in the U.S. at the end of the year because of declining sales. The company had already pulled the product from all other countries. (Feeley and Fisk, 7/25)
