Food and Drug Administration

The FDA is Facing an Uphill Climb in Defining What “Healthy” Food Means

As more people pay attention to what they eat, food manufacturers are trying to convince buyers that their products are healthy. But what does “healthy” really mean as it applies to food? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the process of changing the way it defines the word in response to Americans’ growing knowledge of nutrition science, fueling debate about what the new standards should be.

FDA Takes “Historic Action” Against E-Cigarette Makers and Sellers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 12 warned 5 e-cigarette manufacturers, including Juul, that they have 2 months to figure out how they’ll prove to the agency that they’ve taken steps to prevent the sale of their products to young people. [1]
Experts say there has been an “epidemic” rise in teen use of e-cigarettes, which are typically sold with liquid nicotine that comes in a variety of tantalizing flavors that appeal to young people.

Panel: The FDA Desperately Needs to Review its Approach to Opioids

In a report, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review the safety and effectiveness of opioid painkillers. The panel of experts says monumental changes are needed to the way in which physicians treat pain, their patients cope with pain, and government and private insurers support individuals’ treatment for chronic pain. [1]

FDA Hypocrisy on Marijuana and Prescription Drugs Is Worse Than We Thought

(ANTIMEDIA) One-third of FDA-approved drugs were later found to have safety risks, according to a recent analysis of drugs cleared by the agency between 2001 and 2010.
According to the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “Among 222 novel therapeutics approved by the FDA from 2001 through 2010, 71 (32.0%) were affected by a postmarket safety event.”

Trump’s Pick for FDA Chief Has Drug and Biotech Industry Ties

President Trump’s pick for head of the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, has taken more than $400,000 from drug makers in the last few years alone, and Gottlieb has deep ties to the pharmaceutical industry. [1]
Gottlieb has testified multiple times on Capitol Hill concerning complex drug pricing issues, and is largely approved of by drug companies and pharmaceutical investors for FDA head. He’s on the boards of directors of several small drug and biotech companies, while also serving as an adviser to GlaxoSmithKline PLC. [2]