Hormone therapy for menopause has risks and benefits. Research results are nuanced, despite FDA Makary and RFK claims that it improves most women’s health. Both risks and benefits depend on the woman’s age and medical history and genetics, the type of hormones, and other factors .
Read More »Author: Caroline Bradford
The FDA Commissioner Is Missing the Point of Advisory Committees
MedPage Today, November 22, 2025: Diana Zuckerman’s oped in MedPage Today says FDA was never perfect but the media and public could see how the agency reviewed risks and benefits when they held public meetings where scientists and public citizens debated controversial medical products. In recent months they’ve switched to one-sided rubber stamp meetings followed by announcements of their decisions at events that feel like pep rallies. For example, research shows that hormones for menopause can be helpful or harmful, depending on your age and the type of hormones and your personal medical history. They are not safe for everyone, and can cause cancer, strokes, and dementia for many women. But the FDA expert panel focused on the benefits and ignored most of the risks.
Read More »Testimony of Dr. Diana Zuckerman at the FDA Advisory Committee On Digital Health
NCHR’s Dr. Diana Zuckerman testified at the FDA Advisory Committee meeting on Digital mental health products, expressing concerns about FDA’s failure to regulate the Chatbots and other digital products being marketed as “licensed therapists” and used as psychotherapists in ways that can be extremely harmful. She urged better research but acknowledged difficulty of studying devices that are updated frequently
Read More »NCHR Comments on Development of Non-Opioid Analgesics for Chronic Pain
National Center for Health Research submitted a written public comment to the FDA docket that advised the agency on the kinds of research needed to ensure that non-opioid pain medications are safe and effective for chronic pain and patients can make informed choices. We point out that it would be unethical to conduct studies that compare these products to opioids in clinical trials.
Read More »STAT: In an unconventional process, FDA reverses a decades-old warning for hormone therapy
STAT News, Nov. 11, 2025: STAT News describes the diversity of views on the decision to remove black
box warnings for menopausal hormone therapy, but the HHS announcement and
description of hormone therapy benefits was more PR than science, says NCHR Dr.
Diana Zuckerman