FDA’s agenda in limbo as Biden’s nominee stalls in Senate

Fox13, February 9, 2022: President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration has stalled in the narrowly divided Senate, an unexpected setback that could delay decisions on electronic cigarettes and other high-profile health issues. Will all the publicity help Califf get confirmed, given the alternatives?

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Biden’s ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Turns Toward Pollution

E&E News, February 3, 2022: President Biden made an emotional pledge to “end cancer as we know it” by reinvigorating the Cancer Moonshot Initiative he first launched in 2016, just one year after his son Beau succumbed to the disease. But experts, including us, point out that there isn’t enough focus on environmental causes of cancer.

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What’s Wrong with the FDA?

Washington Monthly, January 20, 2022: If Robert Califf, the White House nominee for commissioner of the FDA, is confirmed by the Senate, he’ll take the reins of an agency with its reputation in tatters. Once revered as the global leader in drug regulation, the FDA has approved one bad drug and medical device after another over the past 30 years, leaving staff demoralized and overseas regulators scratching their heads. NCHR and other experts provide recommendations for improvements.

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Biogen Alzheimer’s Drug Coverage Threatens Minorities’ Access

Bloomberg Law, January 13, 2022: Minority groups could have a harder time accessing Aduhelm, Biogen Inc.’s Alzheimer’s drug, under Medicare’s preliminary decision to limit coverage to patients enrolled in clinical trials, policy analysts say. But we explain that it will ensure that patients understand that the drug is experimental, with proven risks but no proven benefits.

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