April 5, 2023: NCHR supports the additional standards to improve the safety of non-full-size cribs by regulating cords and straps that form a loop and the addition of language to prevent exemptions for cribs intended for playing. However, we also recommend revision to the proposal exempting certain products from including a mattress.
Read More »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.
FDA Accelerated Approval Pathway: Controversies and Reform
Recent controversies of drugs granted accelerated approval have raised important questions about the evidence needed to determine whether the benefits outweigh the risks in the short-term or the long-term, and what can be done to improve the pathway.
Read More »NCHR addresses proposed changes to acne medicine iPLEDGE program
March 29, 2023: NCHR testimony at an FDA advisory committee recommends changes to the iPLEDGE REMS (risk reduction) program for patients taking the acne medication isotretinoin, which causes birth defects. We recommend eliminating unnecessary barriers for women who are unable to become pregnant and strengthening contraceptive requirements for adolescents.
Read More »NCHR Comments on FDA Guidance for Lead Levels in Food for Babies and Young Children
March 27, 2023: NCHR comments on the new FDA standards for lead in food for babies and young children. Standards must be implemented as soon as possible and should be enforced.
Read More »NCHR Comment On USPSTF Draft Recommendation On Folic Acid Supplementation To Prevent Neural Tube Defects
Neural tube defects are among the most common causes of childhood mortality and disability. In its new draft recommendation, the US Preventive Services Task Force reaffirms that folic acid supplementation provides a substantial benefit for reproductive-aged women in reducing the risk of neural tube defects. The task force also highlights areas that require further study, including disparities in the prevalence of neural tube defects. We agree.
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