March 4, 2015. An effective flu vaccine is critical for public health. Antiviral medications have very limited efficacy, so for many people the flu vaccine is the best line of defense to protect against infection. The CDC’s latest report calculated a 19% vaccine efficacy this year. That is simply not good enough. More importantly, this is not just one bad year. Four of the last 10 years the vaccine has been less than 40% effective.
Read More »On Medical Treatments & Products
NCHR Testimony at FDA on the Superion InterSpinous Spacer Device
February 20, 2015. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common indication for spine surgery in patients older than 65, and its prevalence in the United States is expected to rise 59% by the year 2025. That means that the FDA’s decision about whether or not to approve this device will affect the lives and health of many men and women. The Superion IDE trial shows that the Superion ISS Device is non-inferior to the X-Stop device. But does that mean it should be approved?
Read More »Testimony at the FDA on Joint Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee/Ophthalmic Devices Panel
February 24, 2015. It is clear that patients suffering from Keratoconus or Corneal ectasia need treatment options. The risk-benefit analysis may support approval of corneal cross-linking for those patients, however we are very concerned about the data presented here showing limited efficacy. We are also extremely concerned about off-label use of this risky technology. The incidence of adverse events from the cross-linking procedure is very high, so this procedure should NOT be used except for those diseases/conditions.
Read More »Letter to FDA Commissioner Hamburg on New Antibiotic Product (CAZ-AVI)
December 19, 2014. We are writing to express our strong concerns about the approval standards considered and the conflicts of interest apparent at the December 5, 2014 FDA meeting of the Anti-Infective Drugs Advisory Committee (AIDAC) regarding a new combination antibiotic product, ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI).
Read More »Comments on Reclassification of Iontophoresis Devices Intended for Any Other Purposes
December 22, 2015. As members of the Patient, Consumer, and Public Health Coalition, we strongly oppose the down classification of iontophoresis devices intended for any other purposes from Class III to Class II (special controls).
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