Featured Issue Briefs

The Battle on the Home Front: Jonathan Gadsden's Story

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

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

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

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Date Issue Briefs Topic
Aug 9, 2012

Human Health and Industrial Farming 101

Are you interested in writing about the overuse of drugs in food animal production? Below you can find background information, key facts, photos, and other resources.

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Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Feb 8, 2010

Important Human Medicines Used on Industrial Farms

Industrial animal farms commonly administer low doses of antibiotics and other antimicrobials (drugs that fight microorganisms like bacteria and viruses) to pigs, cows, chickens, sheep, and other food animal species for the purpose of growth promotion or weight gain. Typically, these sub-therapeutic doses, which are generally not high enough to fight active diseases or infections, are given directly to animals in their feed or water.

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Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Jun 22, 2012

Improving Medical Device Safety Through Better Surveillance

In 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.

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Medical Safety

Feb 8, 2010

Industrial Farms and Antibiotic Resistance

Basic information on antibiotics, their use on industrial animal farms, and the problem of antibiotic resistance from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming.

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Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Feb 17, 2012

Joint Comments with Medtronic to CMS on Sunshine Implementation

The Pew Charitable Trusts “Pew” and Medtronic, Inc. are pleased to jointly comment on the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed rule implementing Section 6002 of the Affordable Care Act.

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Conflicts of Interest

Jun 9, 2011

Joint letter on pending FDA rule to ban the extra-label use of cephalosporins in food animal production

We, the undersigned groups, are writing to ask you to quickly move forward with issuing a revised order of prohibition on extra-label use of cephalosporin drugs in food-producing animals as stated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Strategic Priorities for 2011-2015.

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Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Sep 6, 2011

Joint letter on State of the Science Regarding Antibiotic Use in Food Animals

The undersigned medical and public health organizations wish to clarify misinformation and confusion about the state of scientific knowledge concerning the contribution of animal agriculture to human antibiotic resistance.

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Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Oct 25, 2011

Joint Letter to HHS on Sunshine Implementation

Dear Secretary Sebelius: We are writing to urge you to fully implement Section 1128G of the Social Security Act, the Physician Payments Sunshine Provision, which was added as Section 6002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

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Conflicts of Interest

Jul 31, 2012

Leading Physicians and Scientists Ask FDA to Rein in Drug Use in Food Animals

Several recognized leaders in the U.S. scientific and medical community have signed a letter to President Obama and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, urging the FDA to implement stronger regulations regarding the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. More

Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Mar 22, 2010

Legislative text of Physician Payment and other transparency provisions included in H.R. 3590

Legislative text of Physician Payment and other transparency provisions included in H.R. 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009. Passed by the Senate (12/24/09) and the House (3/21/10).

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Conflicts of Interest

Dec 8, 2009

Letter from Danish Chief Veterinarian to Congress

In Denmark the termination of non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials for growth promotion has not caused any negative impact on the animal production. The Danish animal food industry has continued to improve its productivity and to increase its output.

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Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Sep 27, 2009

Letter from Danish Technical University Professor to Speaker Nancy Pelosi

We have just had the pleasure of meeting with a delegation consisting of four members of the House of Representatives, where we presented our data on the effects of the stop for nontherapeutic use of antimicrobials for food animals in Denmark.We know that various rumours and sometimes “creative” interpretations of what has taken place in Denmark have been circulated to members of the US Congress, and we are grateful for having been given this opportunity to correct some of these stories.

 

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Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Apr 25, 2013

Letter From New Democrat Health Care Task Force to FDA on Unique Device Identification System

The three co-chairs of the New Democrat Health Care task Force – Reps. Allyson Schwartz, Kurt Schrader and Bill Owens – sent FDA a letter inquiring about the status of the agency’s final regulations to establish a unique device identifier (UDI) system and database.

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Drugs and Devices at the FDA

Nov 29, 2012

Letter From Pew and Medtronic to HHS Regarding the Physician Payments Sunshine Act

The Pew Health Group and Medtronic, Inc. file a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging implementation of the Physician Payments Sunshine Provision, which will require that manufacturers of drugs, devices,biologics or medical supplies report to the agency payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals.

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Medical Safety

Jul 8, 2013

Letter from Pew and Premier to the OMB on Unique Device Identifier Rule

The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Premier healthcare alliance sent the White House Office of Management and Budget a letter regarding the review of a Food and Drug Administration rule to establish a unique device identifier (UDI) system. Given the importance of this new device identification system to improve patient care and the missed statutory deadline, in this correspondence Josh Rising of Pew and Blair Childs of Premier strongly urged the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to promptly complete review of the UDI final rule.

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Drugs and Devices at the FDA