Latest News On FDA

Latest KFF Health News Stories

A Bitter Battle Over the ‘Orphan Drug’ Program Leaves Patients’ Pocketbooks at Risk

KFF Health News Original

Patients who depend upon special drugs to treat rare diseases are caught in the crossfire as drugmakers and the FDA battle over regulations that reward companies for developing treatments for relatively small pools of patients.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': A Health-Heavy State of the Union

Podcast

President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address leaned heavily on health care issues. Biden took a victory lap for recent accomplishments like capping prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare. He also urged Congress to make permanent the boosted premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and he sparred with Republicans on threats to cut Social Security and Medicare. Also this week, both sides in the abortion debate are bracing for a court decision out of Texas that could, at least temporarily, make the abortion pill mifepristone illegal nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate Baicker of the University of Chicago about a possible middle ground in the effort to get universal health insurance coverage.

‘We Ain’t Gonna Get It’: Why Bernie Sanders Says His ‘Medicare for All’ Dream Must Wait

KFF Health News Original

As he takes the reins of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, the independent from Vermont and implacable champion of “Medicare for All” maps out his strategy for negotiating with Republicans — and Big Pharma.

FDA Experts Are Still Puzzled Over Who Should Get Which Covid Shots and When

KFF Health News Original

A single booster seems to prevent death and hospitalization in most people, but protection from the current vaccines wanes within months. FDA experts say they need to know more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to decide the best long-term strategy.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Part I: The State of the Abortion Debate 50 Years After ‘Roe’

Podcast

In Part I of this special two-part episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Varney of KHN join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss how the abortion debate has evolved since the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to abortion in 2022, and what might be the flashpoints for 2023. Also in this episode, Rovner interviews Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, about changing reproductive policies in the states.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': GOP House Opens With Abortion Agenda

Podcast

Leaders of the new Republican-led U.S. House kicked off their legislative agenda with two bills supported by anti-abortion groups. While neither is likely to become law, the move demonstrates how abortion will continue to be an issue in Washington. Meanwhile, as open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act nears its end in most states, the number of Americans covered by the plans hits a new high. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Estados desafían a Biden a que baje precios de medicamentos permitiendo importaciones desde Canadá

KFF Health News Original

En Estados Unidos se pagan unos de los precios más altos del mundo por los productos farmacéuticos de marca. Los medicamentos son generalmente menos caros en el vecino Canadá, donde el gobierno controla los precios.

States Challenge Biden to Lower Drug Prices by Allowing Imports From Canada

KFF Health News Original

Colorado has joined Florida, New Hampshire, and New Mexico in seeking federal permission to import prescription drugs from Canada. President Joe Biden endorsed the approach in his 2020 campaign but has yet to approve any state plan.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Congress Races the Clock

KFF Health News Original

Sen. Raphael Warnock’s re-election in Georgia will give Democrats a clear-cut Senate majority for the first time in nearly a decade. Meanwhile, the current Congress has only days left to tackle major unfinished business on the health agenda, including fending off scheduled pay cuts for doctors and other health providers in the Medicare program. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Empresas de capital riesgo invierten en el negocio de los ensayos clínicos de medicamentos. ¿Cuál es el riesgo para los pacientes?

KFF Health News Original

Para lanzar un nuevo fármaco al mercado, la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos (FDA) exige a las farmacéuticas estudios exhaustivos para demostrar su seguridad y eficacia. Conseguir que un medicamento salga al mercado unos meses antes, y con menos gastos de lo habitual, puede traducirse en beneficios millonarios para el fabricante.

As STDs Proliferate, Companies Rush to Market At-Home Test Kits. But Are They Reliable?

KFF Health News Original

The popularity of at-home covid tests has amplified calls from public health researchers and diagnostic companies to make home testing similarly routine for sexually transmitted diseases. But FDA guidelines are lagging.

California’s Proposed Flavored Tobacco Ban Gives Hookah a Pass

KFF Health News Original

Californians will decide Nov. 8 whether to approve a statewide ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. But the measure, known as Proposition 31, exempts hookah tobacco. Anti-smoking activists criticize the carve-out, calling it the latest example of businesses using identity politics to profit from a deadly product.

Despite Katie Couric’s Advice, Doctors Say Ultrasound Breast Exams May Not Be Needed

KFF Health News Original

When Katie Couric announced she had breast cancer, she urged women to get a mammogram — and, if they have dense breasts, to get supplemental screening by ultrasound. But medical experts point out that ultrasound and other auxiliary screenings haven’t been proven to do more than regular mammography in reducing mortality.

Comienzan a estar disponibles audífonos de venta libre desde $199

KFF Health News Original

Los audífonos de venta libre cuestan menos en parte porque no incluyen los servicios de un experto para una evaluación auditiva, ajuste y afinación del dispositivo. En cambio, los nuevos dispositivos deben ser configurados por los propios consumidores.

Say What? Hearing Aids Available Over-the-Counter for as Low as $199, and Without a Prescription

KFF Health News Original

The cheaper over-the-counter aids are for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss — a market of tens of millions of people, many of whom have until now been priced out because prescription devices can cost thousands of dollars.