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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2012 |
Food Animal Production and Antibiotic ResistanceAntibiotics are one of the most important tools in modern medicine. These drugs can mean the difference between life and death when humans contract a bacterial infection—from staph to salmonella to bacterial pneumonia. But overuse and misuse of these drugs are making bacteria more quickly resistant to essential antibiotics. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jun 22, 2012 |
Facilitating Medical Device Innovation: De Novo ReformThe de novo process as it exists now is not achieving its purpose of streamlining the path to move new devices onto the marketplace and has instead added unnecessary and time-consuming requirements. More info |
Medical Safety |
| Jun 22, 2012 |
Improving Medical Device Safety Through Better SurveillanceIn 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the Sentinel Initiative, a national electronic system designed to “track the safety of drugs, biologics, and medical devices once they reach the market.” By proactively monitoring data from electronic health records and other sources rather than relying on spontaneous reporting from manufacturers and health care providers, the Sentinel system can more quickly identify safety issues. More info |
Medical Safety |
| May 31, 2012 |
Unmet Medical Need in Infectious DiseasesIntroduced more than 75 years ago, antibiotics have profoundly transformed health care. Thanks to these drugs and to advances in vaccines and infection control, many formerly devastating bacterial illnesses can be cured or contained. More info |
Antibiotic Innovation |
| May 21, 2012 |
Save Antibiotics May Newsletter (2012)"Supermoms" from Maine to Hawaii came to Washington, D.C., this week to press the Obama Administration and Congress to do more to rein in the overuse of antibiotics on America's industrial farms, a practice that breeds antibiotic-resistant bacteria. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| May 21, 2012 |
Moms for Antibiotic Awareness Newsletter (2012)"Supermoms" from Maine to Hawaii came to Washington, D.C., this week to press the Obama Administration and Congress to do more to rein in the overuse of antibiotics on America’s industrial farms, a practice that breeds antibiotic-resistant bacteria. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| 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 |
| May 1, 2012 |
Meet Our SupermomsWe're excited to introduce you to our "Supermoms," passionate advocates from across the country who are raising awareness about the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animal production and its impact on human health. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production, Moms For Antibiotic Awareness |
| Apr 23, 2012 |
Moms for Antibiotic Awareness April Newsletter (2012)Below is your April 2012 newsletter from Moms for Antibiotic Awareness. In this edition: FDA Takes Important Step to Curb Antibiotic Overuse in Food Animal Production. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Apr 23, 2012 |
Save Antibiotics April Newsletter (2012)Below is your April 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition: FDA Takes Important Step to Curb Antibiotic Overuse in Food Animal Production. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Apr 18, 2012 |
Testimony before the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on HealthU.S. House of Representatives PDF Download Since 1992, user fee agreements have given FDA significant and sustained resources that allow the agency to review new products quickly. In fact, preliminary findings of a study that Pew has funded show that FDA reviews new drugs faster than its cou More info |
Drug Safety |
| Apr 12, 2012 |
Reviving the Pipeline of Life-Saving AntibioticsAntibiotic-resistant infections are a growing public health threat. At the same time, antibiotic innovation is waning. Pew, the IIDSA and PhRMA hosted a one-day conference, Reviving the Pipeline of Life-Saving Antibiotics: Exploring Solutions to Spur Innovation on September 22, 2011, exploring ways to overcome the challenges that hinder the development of new antibiotics. More info |
Drug Safety, Antibiotic Innovation |
| Apr 11, 2012 |
Focus Group Findings on Prepaid Debit CardsThis fact sheet focuses on the lessons learned from consumers who purchase and use prepaid debit cards. More info |
Checking, Credit Cards |
| Apr 3, 2012 |
MRSA: A Deadly Pathogen with Fewer and Fewer Treatment OptionsStaphylococcus aureus, or staph, is a common bacterium that exists in our environment and our bodies. Most of the time it does no harm. Sometimes, however, it can cause infection and require treatment. MRSA refers to strains of S. aureus that are resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and a host of other drugs used to treat infection. More info |
Food Safety, Antibiotic Innovation |
| Mar 30, 2012 |
Antibiotic Innovation: The Threat and the PipelineThe Superbug Threat explores the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and its impact on human health, as well as the shrinking pipeline of new antibiotics. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Mar 29, 2012 |
Testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and PensionsAllan Coukell, Director of Medical Programs, Pew Health Group: Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Enzi, and members of this committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify about the importance of the user fee agreement legislation to patients. More info |
Drug Safety, Drugs and Devices at the FDA |
| 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 |
| Mar 8, 2012 |
Testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on HealthAllan Coukell, Director of Medical Programs, and Sharon Ladin, Director of the Antibiotics and Innovation Project, testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health on stimulating the development of new antibiotics urgently needed to fight serious and life-threatening bacterial infections. More info |
Drug Safety, Antibiotic Innovation |
| Mar 1, 2012 |
Moms for Antibiotic Awareness March Newsletter (2012)Below is your March 2012 newsletter from Moms for Antibiotic Awarness. In this edition: "Supermoms Against Superbugs" Take Washington By Storm Contest!; FDA Finds Rise in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on Meat and Poultry More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Mar 1, 2012 |
MRSA on the Appalachian Trail: The Story of Steve WeiselHiking the Appalachian Trail, Steve Weisel thought little of the blisters on his feet until he discovered they were infected with life-threatening methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- an increasingly common "superbug" that does not respond to first-line antibiotics. Mr. Weisel's story demonstrates the urgent need for new and innovative therapies to treat this growing threat. More info |
Antibiotic Innovation |
| Mar 1, 2012 |
Save Antibiotics March Newsletter (2012)Below is your March 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition: "Supermoms Against Superbugs" Take Washington By Storm Contest!, FDA Finds Rise in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on Meat and Poultry More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Mar 1, 2012 |
The Threat of Multidrug-Resistant Infections to ChildrenExpert testimony, research, and commentary More info |
Antibiotic Innovation |
| Mar 1, 2012 |
When Multiple Bugs Strike: The Story of Alice BrennanA healthy immune system may be all the protection someone needs to overcome a bacterial infection, but once one disease takes hold, it may beget more illnesses. Such is often the case with Clostridium difficile, a potentially deadly bacterium that can flourish in the wake of other infections. Senior citizens, such as Alice Brennan, are particularly vulnerable and serve as a reminder that new and powerful antibiotics are needed as protection from dangerous bacterial threats. More info |
Antibiotic Innovation |
| Mar 1, 2012 |
The Superbug ThreatAs Drug-resistant bacteria spread, the pipeline for antibiotics is drying up More info |
Antibiotic Innovation |
