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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2011 |
Moms for Antibiotic Awareness September Newsletter (2011)Since our launch in May, we’ve had more than 15,500 individuals joined Moms for Antibiotic Awareness. More than 1,400 of you have liked us on Facebook and another 3,500 are following us on Twitter. Thanks so much for your support! More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Sep 1, 2011 |
Save Antibiotics September Newsletter (2011)The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming (HHIF) is working to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics by phasing out the overuse and misuse of these drugs in food animal production. Since our launch in May, we’ve had more than 15,500 mothers, fathers, grandparents and others concerned about their family's health, join our Moms for Antibiotic Awareness. More than 1,400 of you have liked us on Facebook and another 3,500 are following us on Twitter. Thanks so much for your support! More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Aug 18, 2011 |
Helping School Meals Make the GradeThe National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs provide meals to tens of millions of children each day, accounting for up to one-half of those students’ daily calories. However, more than 90 percent of schools serve meals that do not even meet the minimum national school meal standards. More info |
School Food |
| Aug 15, 2011 |
Regulatory Comment: Defining Larger Participants in Certain Consumer Financial Products and Services MarketsThis regulatory comment discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed rule on defining larger participants in certain markets related to related to consumer financial products and services. Based on work at the Pew Health Group by the Safe Small Dollar Loans Research Project and The Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project on small dollar loans and checking accounts, we urge the CFPB to issue an initial rule broadly covering nondepository markets. The rule should permit comprehensive supervision by the CFPB. The CFPB's supervisory authority must be broader than its rulemaking authority because examination of the market informs rulemaking needs. More info |
Banking, Lending |
| Aug 1, 2011 |
Moms for Antibiotic Awareness August Newsletter (2011)Thank you for joining Moms for Antibiotic Awareness, a group of mothers, fathers, grandparents and others concerned about their family's health. Specifically, we are dedicated to stopping a common industrial farming practice: feeding antibiotics to cows, pigs, chicken and other food animals that are not sick -- the drugs help to compensate for overcrowded and unsanitary conditions and spur faster growth. Unfortunately, this practice is breeding antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can infect people. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Aug 1, 2011 |
Save Antibiotics August Newsletter (2011)FDA can issue what’s called a guidance document and advise agricultural and pharmaceutical companies against the misuse of antibiotics on industrial farms. The agency issued a first draft of this guidance—Guidance #209, The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals—in June 2010. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jun 28, 2011 |
Save Antibiotics - The Link Fact SheetThe overuse and misuse of antibiotics have precipitated an emerging health crisis—bacteria are more quickly adapting to and resisting common antibiotics, posing a serious challenge to human health. In the U.S., entire herds or flocks of food animals are often administered antibiotics in their feed or water to promote growth and weight gain—a practice that has been identified as a contributor to antibiotic resistance. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jun 28, 2011 |
Save Antibiotics - The Challenge Fact SheetWhenever antibiotics are used, some bacteria may adapt and become resistant to these commonly used drugs. Today, the world’s leading public health and medical organizations are concerned that overuse and misuse of antibiotics are causing bacteria to develop resistance more quickly. That is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified antibiotic resistance as one of its top concerns. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jun 9, 2011 |
Joint letter on pending FDA rule to ban the extra-label use of cephalosporins in food animal productionWe, 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. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| May 24, 2011 |
Replacing Deep Fat FryersThe Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project conducted a pilot survey among food service directors in three states (Georgia, Kentucky and Wisconsin), finding that schools lack the resources and equipment to provide healthy school food to students. More info |
School Food |
| May 23, 2011 |
Changing the Menu in ChicagoIn an effort to improve the quality of foods served in its schools, CPS debuted new breakfast and lunch menus in the 2010-2011 school year which are now among the healthiest in the country. More info |
School Food |
| May 8, 2011 |
Did You Know? Get the Facts on Antibiotic ResistanceUp to 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on industrial farms in healthy food animals, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. This makes the U.S. one of the biggest users of antibiotics in food animal production in the world. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| May 8, 2011 |
What Moms Need to Know About Antibiotic Resistance and Food Animal ProductionThe antibiotics our families depend on to treat dangerous infections are rapidly losing their effectiveness, posing a particular threat to our children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. Part of the problem has been the misuse of these drugs in humans, but another key contributor is |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Apr 18, 2011 |
Tips for Writing a Letter to the EditorSend a letter to your local newspaper to stress why antibiotics are important to you and your family. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Apr 13, 2011 |
Testimony before the Committee on Energy on Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, United States House of Representatives"Chairman Stearns, Ranking Member DeGette, and members of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony about the essential steps Congress must take to protect Americans and ensure the integrity of our drug supply..." More info |
Drug Safety |
| Apr 4, 2011 |
Tools to Improve School MealsThe meals schools serve to students are an important source of nutrients kids need to grow, learn and succeed. Yet many schools don’t have the necessary tools to prepare safe and healthy meals. More info |
School Food |
| Apr 4, 2011 |
Serving Up School Meals that Make the GradeThe nutrition standards for school meals have not been updated for more than 15 years. In 2009, the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences set forth recommendations for making school meals healthier. More info |
School Food |
| Mar 30, 2011 |
Save Antibiotics - The Campaign Fact SheetAntibiotics 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 |
| Jan 21, 2011 |
Health Care and the Antibiotic Resistance CrisisMany public health officials and medical organizations are increasingly concerned about the rising incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections in the United States. According to the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance, unless antibiotic resistance ―problems are detected as they emerge—and actions are taken quickly to contain them—the world may soon be faced with previously treatable diseases that have again become untreatable, as in the pre-antibiotic era. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Nov 16, 2010 |
Nearly 200,000 Tell FDA to Save AntibioticsNearly 200,000 letters were recently submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responding to the agency’s request for comments on rules governing the use of antibiotics on industrial farms. These letters made it clear to the FDA that: |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Nov 15, 2010 |
Getting Smart About Antibiotic ResistanceThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has proclaimed November 15-21, 2010 as "Get Smart About Antibiotics Week." This event is an opportunity for Americans to learn about the importance of these life-saving drugs. |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Nov 12, 2010 |
Federal Reporting Requirements on Payments to Physicians: Impact on State LawsWith the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, all U.S. manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics or medical supplies covered under government-funded insurance programs are now required to report certain information to HHS. This fact sheet describes how these federal reporting requirements affect comparable state disclosure laws. More info |
Conflicts of Interest |
| Nov 1, 2010 |
Avoiding Antibiotic Resistance: Denmark's Ban on Growth Promoting Antibiotics in Food AnimalsRecognizing the potential for a health crisis, Denmark began restricting the administration of antibiotics used for growth promotion (i.e., non-medical uses) in cattle, broiler chickens and swine in 1998. The World Health Organization found that the ban reduced human health risk without significantly harming animal health or farmers' incomes. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Sep 27, 2010 |
Regulatory Comment: Overdraft Payment Programs and Consumer ProtectionThe Pew Health Group’s Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project responds to the FDIC’s call for comments on FIL-47-2010, Overdraft Payment Programs and Consumer Protection. The FDIC issued proposed guidance for public comment on how banking institutions it supervises should implement and maintain oversight of automated overdraft programs. More info |
Checking |
| Aug 3, 2010 |
Drug Safety and Accountability Act of 2010The Drug Safety and Accountability Act of 2010 (S.3690) seeks to strengthen industry standards to ensure the quality and safety of drugs made for the U.S. market, and to improve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) oversight abilities through modernized information systems and new authorities, such as the power to order a drug recall. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Drug Safety |