Bloomberg Law, April 11, 2022. The U.S. Covid-19 vaccine funding may have to shift from a model of free shots for all to one in which the government only subsidizes boosters for targeted populations, public health analysts say. Annual Covid-19 boosters for all Americans , would cost billions of dollars each year .“Given the much greater expense of Covid boosters compared to flu shots and the time needed to revise and manufacture Covid vaccines, we need to hope we won’t need annual shots,” said Diana Zuckerman, founder and president of the National Center for Health Research.
Read More »Author: Caroline Bradford
Narrow Aduhelm Coverage Sparks Debate Over Viability of Future Treatments
Politico, April 9th, 2022. The Biden administration’s contentious decision to only partially cover Aduhelm could reach well beyond the world of Alzheimer’s drugs, potentially affecting efforts to develop treatments for devastating diseases. “it was a defining moment for the White House and they passed with flying colors,” said Diana Zuckerman, the president of the National Center for Health Research. It “has sent a message to industry and to patient groups, and also to the FDA, that the standards had gotten too loose.”
Read More »Bella Hadid regrets getting a nose job at 14. How young is too young for plastic surgery?
USA Today, March 21, 2022: Model Bella Hadid regrets getting a nose job at 14. USA Today asks NCHR’s Dr. Diana Zuckerman how young is too young for plastic surgery, and we explain how it depends on the situation but that teenagers are unlikely to make the best decisions and parents need help from surgeons to say “let’s wait.”
Read More »Nonprofit Consumer and Public Health Organization’s Letter on MDUFA reauthorization to FDA and CDRH
February 22, 2022: We strongly urge the FDA to hold firm in the demands to strengthen pre- and post-market safety performance measures and surveillance as part of the MDUFA Commitment Letter as you enter into final negotiations with industry. MDUFA performance goals should include metrics regarding safety, and not just speed of review.
Read More »High Praise, Condemnation for CMS Aduhelm Coverage Plan
Medscape Medical News, February 16, 2022: Medicare has received a key endorsement and considerable support for its plan to restrict payment for the controversial Alzheimer’s disease drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) — but also drew pleas from other groups for more generous reimbursement of the drug.
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