FDA Archives - Page 6 of 24

Less Than Two Weeks To Go

Episode 369

Oct. 24, 2024

With Election Day rapidly approaching, abortion is gaining traction as a voting issue, according to public opinion polls. Meanwhile, states with abortion bans are reviving the lawsuit — dismissed by the Supreme Court on a technicality this year — that could roll back the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Tricia Neuman, senior vice president of KFF and executive director of its Program on Medicare Policy, about Medicare open enrollment and the changes to the federal program for 2025.

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An illustration of a white mug with an orange poppy flower decoration on the side. Steam is wafting from the tea in the mug.

Poppy Seed Brew Triggers Morphine Overdose, Drawing Attention of Lawmakers

Poppy seeds contaminated with opioids can be used to make a deadly brew, a watchdog says.

By David Hilzenrath

Oct. 9, 2024

Systemic Sickness

FDA’s Promised Guidance on Pulse Oximeters Unlikely To End Decades of Racial Bias

For decades, the pulse oximeters used in hospitals, ambulances, and homes have underestimated the oxygen needs of darker-skinned patients. The FDA is preparing guidelines to fix that. But will the new rules go far enough?

By Arthur Allen

Oct. 7, 2024

Letters to the Editor

Setting the Record Straight on the FDA’s Authority Over Drug Ads

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Oct. 2, 2024

Health Brief

Unpacking the FDA’s Non-Recall Recalls

By David Hilzenrath

Sept. 18, 2024

A hand is holding a remote control, there is a blurred TV screen in the background.

Perspective

With TV Drug Ads, What You See Is Not Necessarily What You Get

The pharmaceutical industry has invented a new art form: finding ways to make their wares seem like joyous must-have treatments, while often minimizing lackluster efficacy and risks.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

Sept. 9, 2024

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Discuss African Mpox Upsurge, EpiPen Alternative, and Medicaid Unwinding

KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and state media this week to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Aug. 17, 2024

The FDA Calls Them ‘Recalls,’ Yet the Targeted Medical Devices Often Remain in Use

With medical devices, recalls are not always what they seem. In some recalls, including some of the most serious, the FDA and the manufacturers let doctors and hospitals continue to use the devices.

By David Hilzenrath

Aug. 15, 2024

Inside Project 2025: Former Trump Official Outlines Hard Right Turn Against Abortion

Former President Donald Trump has distanced himself from a Heritage Foundation document that outlines positions on abortion and a range of other social issues. But Democrats view it as a window into the far right’s to-do list and a clear opening for political attack.

By Stephanie Armour

Aug. 6, 2024

A close-up view of the sign for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The white text on the blue background reads "Department of Health & Human Services USA"

The CDC’s Test for Bird Flu Works, but It Has Issues

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promises better tests are being developed, but the episode points to vulnerabilities in the country’s defense against emerging outbreaks.

By Arthur Allen and Amy Maxmen

July 26, 2024

An illustration drawn with pencil and colored digitally shows a scientist-type man in the center of the image. He holds two halves of an Ozempic-like injector in his gloved hands and pours a mysterious liquid from one side to the other. Behind him, corporate copycats, drawn as floating heads and hands, watch to steal his formula while they manipulate their own mysterious liquid. The floating copycats repeat into the background.

Why Millions Are Trying FDA-Authorized Alternatives to Big Pharma’s Weight Loss Drugs

Although Novo Nordisk and Lilly lump together the pharmacies that compound semaglutide and tirzepatide with internet cowboys selling fake drugs, there is a distinction. The FDA has offered Americans little clarity about the vast gray and black markets for the drugs.

By Arthur Allen

July 23, 2024

A photo of Mehmet Oz standing at a podium, waving to a crowd.

When Medical Devices Malfunction

From Dr. Oz to Heart Valves: A Tiny Device Charted a Contentious Path Through the FDA

The story of MitraClip, a device Dr. Oz helped invent to treat faulty heart valves, is a cautionary tale about the science, business, and regulation of medical technology.

By David Hilzenrath and Holly K. Hacker

July 9, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

SCOTUS Term Wraps With a Bang

Episode 354

July 3, 2024

The Supreme Court has issued its final opinions for the 2023-24 term, including decisions affecting abortion access, the opioid epidemic, and how the federal government functions. In this special episode, Sarah Somers , legal director of the National Health Law Program, joins KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss how the justices disposed of the term’s health-related cases and what those decisions could mean going forward.

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A photo of the Supreme Court's exterior at sunrise.

The Supreme Court Just Limited Federal Power. Health Care Is Feeling the Shockwaves.

A Supreme Court ruling restricting federal power will likely have seismic ramifications for health policy. A flood of litigation — with plaintiffs like small businesses, drugmakers, and hospitals challenging regulations they say are too expensive or burdensome and not authorized by law — could leave the country with a patchwork of disparate health regulations.

By Stephanie Armour

July 1, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

SCOTUS Ruling Strips Power From Federal Health Agencies

Episode 353

June 28, 2024

In what will certainly be remembered as a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has overruled a 40-year-old precedent that gave federal agencies, rather than judges, the power to interpret ambiguous laws passed by Congress. Administrative experts say the decision will dramatically change the way key health agencies do business. Also, the court decided not to decide whether a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care overrides Idaho’s near-total ban on abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News

SCOTUS Rejects Abortion Pill Challenge — For Now

Episode 351

June 13, 2024

The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, ruling unanimously that the anti-abortion doctor group that filed the suit lacked standing. But abortion opponents are expected to pursue other strategies to ban or restrict the medication. Meanwhile, the Biden administration moves to stop the inclusion of medical debt on individual credit reports, and former President Donald Trump tries to claim credit for $35 insulin. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News, and Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF president and CEO Drew Altman about KFF’s new “Health Policy 101” primer.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News

Nursing Home Staffing Rules Prompt Pushback

Episode 350

June 6, 2024

The nursing home industry — as well as a healthy number of Congress members — are all pushing back on the Biden administration’s new rules on nursing home staffing. Industry officials say that there are not enough workers to meet the requirements and that the costs would be prohibitive. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are trying to force Republicans to explain their exact positions on assuring access to contraceptives and in vitro fertilization. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a free cruise that turned out to be anything but.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News

Waiting for SCOTUS

Episode 349

May 30, 2024

June is when the Supreme Court typically issues rulings in the major cases it hears during that year’s term. This year, those interested in health policy are awaiting decisions in two abortion-related cases and one that could reshuffle the way health policies (and all other federal policies) are made. In this special episode, KFF’s Laurie Sobel, associate director for women’s health policy, joins Julie Rovner for a review of the cases and a preview of how the court might rule.

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A close-up photo of a packet of pills with the focus text that reads, "12.5 mg MDMA."

Psychoactive Drugs Are Having a Moment. The FDA Will Soon Weigh In.

Mounting evidence suggests psychoactive drugs including LSD, ketamine, mushrooms, and MDMA can be powerful treatments for severe depression and PTSD. But not everyone is convinced. And even if such drugs gain FDA approval, safety protocols could render them extremely expensive.

By Dawn Megli

May 29, 2024

A portrait of a mother standing outside, holding a picture of her late son.

FDA Urged To Relax Decades-Old Tissue Donation Restrictions for Gay and Bisexual Men

Federal regulations prevent gay and bisexual men from donating tissue, such as corneas, ligaments, and blood vessels. Similar restrictions have been relaxed or lifted for donated blood and organs in recent years.

By Rae Ellen Bichell

May 24, 2024

Trump 2.0

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