Featured Issue Briefs
The Battle on the Home Front: Jonathan Gadsden's Story
Marine Lance Corporal's story reflects the growing need for new antibiotics that can treat dangerous diseases, against which most drugs are useless. Read More
Facilitating Medical Device Innovation: De Novo Reform
The de novo process -- which requests lower-risk reclassification of medical devices and entry into the marketplace -- as it exists now is not achieving its purpose and has instead added unnecessary and time-consuming requirements. Read More
Food Products Recalled by FDA
Since President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act into law, at least 149 FDA-regulated food products have been recalled due to potential pathogenic contamination. Read More
More Issue Briefs
| Date | Issue Briefs | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2009 |
Curing Credit Card PenaltiesCongress is set to enact new legislation that will make credit cards safer and more fair for consumers. As lawmakers negotiate final details before President Obama can sign the bill, new analysis from the Pew Health Group highlights the importance of a safeguard found only in the Senate’s version of the law. More info |
Credit Cards |
| Oct 3, 2008 |
Safe Credit Card Project Regulatory Comment:In October 2008, the Pew Safe Credit Cards Project shared comments (PDF) based on its recent work on credit cards with the Federal Reserve. Select findings from the project—including information on credit card penalty re-pricing and analysis of credit cards in the market—were included. More info |
Credit Cards |
| Jun 7, 2013 |
Pew Comment Letter to the Senate HELP Committee on Compounding LegislationPew sent a comment letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the Pharmaceutical Compounding Quality and Accountability Act. This bill takes steps toward clarifying state and federal oversight of compounding, including an important increase in FDA supervision of certain activities—specifically, the compounding of sterile medicines that are shipped interstate. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
| May 23, 2013 |
Pew Testimony: Examining Drug CompoundingOn Thursday, May 23, the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing, entitled "Examining Drug Compounding." Gabrielle Cosel, a drug safety expert, testified on the need to clarify oversight of compounding pharmacies on the state and federal level. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
| Apr 25, 2013 |
Pew Testimony to House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Regarding Drug Supply ChainThe House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on April 25 entitled "Securing Our Nation’s Prescription Drug Supply Chain." Allan Coukell, a pharmacist and drug safety expert, will testify on the need to establish a national system to track and authenticate medicine. The principles outlined in his prepared testimony are supported by other stakeholders in statements from consumer, patient, public health, and industry groups. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
| May 16, 2012 |
Heparin: A Wake-Up Call on Risks to the U.S. Drug SupplyWhile the vast majority of drugs in American pharmacies and medicine cabinets are safe, globalization and reliance on outsourced manufacturing creates new risks, including deliberate tampering with ingredients and inadequate quality controls in plants that operate largely outside the scrutiny of the FDA. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
| May 16, 2012 |
Case Studies: How Unsafe Drugs Can Reach PatientsThe following case studies illustrate breaches to the pharmaceutical supply chain—the route a drug travels from its raw material origins to the delivery of a finished medicine. These examples, all of which are discussed in Pew Health Group’s report After Heparin: Protecting Consumers from the Risks of Substandard and Counterfeit Drugs, demonstrate the different ways in which contaminated, fake, or otherwise unsafe medicine can reach patients, and underscore the need for reform. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
| Mar 8, 2012 |
Testimony of Allan Coukell on the Lack of a National Pharmaceutical Tracking SystemOn March 8, 2012, Pew Health Group’s Director of Medical Programs Allan Coukell testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health regarding the drug distribution system – the risks of counterfeit and stolen drugs, and the pragmatic steps Congress can take to reduce those risks. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
| Feb 1, 2012 |
Testimony of Allan Coukell before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, United States House of Representatives"Pew has been working to identify the risks to the drug supply and advance pragmatic solutions. In July of 2011, we released a report entitled “After Heparin: Protecting Consumers from the Risks of Substandard and Counterfeit Drugs." More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
| Sep 14, 2011 |
Testimony of Allan Coukell before the Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions, United States Senate"A major focus of the Pew Health Group is identifying ways to improve the safety of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. In July of this year, we released a report entitled 'After Heparin: Protecting Consumers from the Risks of Substandard and Counterfeit Drugs.'" More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |
