We’re Speaking Out on Health Issues

NCHR scientists and health policy experts provide written and oral statements on a wide range of topics.

Here are many of the ways we have been Speaking Out on Health Policy Issues for the last few years. Whether the topic is legislation intended to cure diseases, proposed bans on BPA or other chemicals that disrupt your hormones, the importance of including women, people of color, and patients over 65 in clinical trials, or many other topics, you’ll gain a better understanding of our evidence-based analyses by reading these letters, statements, and testimony.

Here are the ways we have been Speaking out on Medical Treatments and Products, such as prescription drugs and medical devices that the FDA is considering approving, or is considering taking off the market because of serious risks. Whether the topic is Chantix, Addyi, Yaz, Essure, or medical products you’ve never heard of, you can find out more about what is known and not known about the safety and effectiveness of a wide range of products by looking through this section of our website.

Patient, Consumer, and Public Health Coalition Comment to CMS on CT Quality Measures Included in the Proposed Rule for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program

June 9, 2023: We support this CT quality measure because it establishes a floor and a ceiling to provide an optimal level of radiation exposure for imaging for numerous different conditions, without reducing the diagnostic benefits of those scans.

NCHR Comments on EPA Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances National Primary Drinking Water Regulation

May 30, 2023: We agree that this proposed rule will improve public health, reducing cancer, heart disease, stroke, low birth weight, and other harms to adults and children. However, we have several recommendations to improve the proposed rule. The PFAS limit should be changed to 2 parts per trillion (ppt) and the EPA needs more explicit limits to prevent a weakening of these regulations. Finally, companies that produce PFAS should bear the financial burden.

NCHR Comments on the FDA Draft Guidance on Clinical Trial Considerations to Support Accelerated Approval of Oncology Therapeutics

May 26, 2023: FDA draft guidance contained numerous recommendations that would improve the quality of research submitted in support of accelerated approval for oncology drugs. However, we recommended the FDA explicitly specify that studies need to have a majority of patients enrolled prior to receiving accelerated approval and that they advise against the use of single-armed trials.

Under pressure from patients, FDA faces tough choices on experimental gene therapy

Boston Globe, May 22, 2023: Boston Globe quotes NCHR and other experts explaining why we are concerned that Sarepta’s gene therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy isn’t proven to work and has substantial risks. If it doesn’t work, patients who use it will not be able to try other, potentially better gene therapies in the future.

NCHR Comments on AHRQ Systematic Review of Peripheral Nerve Blocks (PNB) for Postoperative Pain Management

May 19, 2023: NCHR commented on the AHRQ Systematic Review of Peripheral Nerve Blocks (PNB) for Postoperative Pain Management. Helping patients avoid opioids in the postoperative period may prevent pain conversion from acute to chronic pain, and also avoid opioid addiction. In order to achieve these two goals, opioid-sparing pain medications must be safe and effective in the postoperative period. Peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) have the potential to reduce perioperative opioid use and its associated adverse effects.