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.

Right To Try Fact Sheet

The Right to Try bill creates a program that is not as good as the existing FDA “Expanded Access” program, which has approved 99% of requests they received.

NCHR, NWHN, and OBOS Comments to USPSTF on Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions

March 19, 2018. We support the USPSTF draft recommendation for behavior-based interventions for weight loss to prevent obesity-related health problems and death. We further support USPSTF’s efforts to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services. As more information becomes available, we encourage the re-evaluation and potential development of additional recommendation to improve the health of individuals with weight-related health concerns.

Statement on Failure of “Right to Try” Bill

March 13, 2018. We thank Congress for rejecting the dangerous and misnamed “Right to Try” bill yesterday. The bill would harm more patients than it would help.

NCHR Testimony at the FDA on an Oral Drug for Ulcerative Colitis

March 8, 2018. We are concerned that the clinical trial data do not adequately represent the real-world population of patients who will be likely to consider this drug. We strongly recommend more persuasive data including a more diverse group of patients before making a decision about supplemental approval of the two proposed dosing regimens for induction non-responders and those with prior TNF blocker failure.

NCHR Letter to Maryland on State Funding for Artificial Turf and Playgrounds

March 5, 2018. The State of Maryland has many spending priorities and should not be spending millions of dollars for artificial turf fields and playgrounds that can exacerbate our children’s health problems now, and potentially cause them to develop cancer in the years to come. Let’s instead invest in safe, natural playing fields, unless any synthetic alternatives are proven in unbiased research to be as safe and as cost-effective as grass for fields and engineered wood fiber for playgrounds.