WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Friday pressed Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn to grant an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day or face possible firing, two administration officials said. The vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and...
US Revokes Emergency Use of Drugs Touted by Trump vs. Virus
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Monday revoked emergency authorization for malaria drugs promoted by President Donald Trump for treating COVID-19 amid growing evidence they don’t work and could cause serious side effects. The Food and Drug Administration said the drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are unlikely to be effective in treating...
Revamped OxyContin Was Supposed to Reduce Abuse, but Has It?
WASHINGTON — Dr. Raeford Brown was uniquely positioned to help the U.S. government answer a critical question: Is a new version of the painkiller OxyContin helping fight the national opioid epidemic? An expert in pain treatment at the University of Kentucky, Brown led a panel of outside experts advising the...
US Aims to Help More Cancer Patients Try Experimental Drugs
CHICAGO — Sally Atwater's doctor spent two months on calls, messages and paperwork to get her an experimental drug he thinks can fight the lung cancer that has spread to her brain and spine. Nancy Goodman begged eight companies to let her young son try experimental medicines for a brain...
How Many Cherries in Frozen Pie? FDA May Soon Drop Rules
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump may soon be able to claim a sweet victory for his deregulation push, with officials preparing to get rid of the decades-old rules for frozen cherry pies. Emails show the Food and Drug Administration planned to start the process for revoking the standard for...
FDA Plans Strict Limits on Sale of Flavored E-Cigarettes
NEW YORK — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to require strict limits on the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes, including age verification controls for online sales, in an effort to curtail their use among children and teenagers. FDA officials told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday the actions are expected...
Calling Teen Vaping 'Epidemic,' Officials Weigh Flavor Ban
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are sounding the alarm about rising teenage use of e-cigarettes, calling the problem an "epidemic" and ordering manufacturers to reverse the trend or risk having their flavored vaping products pulled from the market. The warning from the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday cited recent...
FDA Approves Marijuana-Based Drug for Epilepsy
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved the first prescription drug made from marijuana, a milestone that could spur more research into a drug that remains illegal under federal law, despite growing legalization for recreational and medical use. The Food and Drug Administration approved the medication, called Epidiolex, to...
Senate Neglects a Life-Saving Cure for Opioid Abuse
In a recent Senate confirmation hearing for the role of secretary of Health and Human Services, nominee Alex Azar mentioned “fighting the scourge of the opioid epidemic” as one of four priorities that would guide him as head of the department. Unfortunately, Azar declined to further elaborate and the senators...
Senate Neglects a Life-Saving Cure for Opioid Abuse
In a recent Senate confirmation hearing for the role of secretary of Health and Human Services, nominee Alex Azar mentioned “fighting the scourge of the opioid epidemic” as one of four priorities that would guide him as head of the department. Unfortunately, Azar declined to further elaborate and the senators...