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 20, 2012 |
Pew Asks FDA to Strengthen Guidelines on Antibiotic Use in Food AnimalsPew's Human Health and Industrial Farming team has applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing Guide 209. However, they would like to see additional strengthening measures, which can help begin the process of making progress toward reducing the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in people. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jul 20, 2012 |
Pew Asks FDA to Close Loopholes in New Guidelines to Protect Antibiotics From OverusePew's Laura Rogers, program director of the Human Health and Industrial Farming initiative, commended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing Draft Guidance 213 for industry on antibiotics in animal feed and water and urged the agency to consider improvements that would better protect public health. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jul 20, 2012 |
Pew Seeks More Veterinary Oversight of Antibiotic Use on Industrial FarmsGail Hansen, a senior officer with the Pew Health Group, thanks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing draft codified language expanding the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). She also raises several concerns with the language that should be addressed. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jul 20, 2012 |
Save Antibiotics June Newsletter (2012)Here is your June 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition, we ask that you urge the FDA to strengthen its antibiotic policies, the Consumers Union asks grocery stores, "where’s the meat raised without antibiotics?" and the FDA's updated plan on food safety. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jul 24, 2012 |
Save Antibiotics July Newsletter (2012)Below is your July 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition we offer two new videos highlighting chefs and farmers encouraging responsible use of antibiotics, we urge President Obama to keep his promise and fix the dangerously outdated food safety system, and much more. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Jul 25, 2012 |
Testimony of Allan Coukell Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and TransportationPew's Allan Coukell submitted a statement of record to the Congressional Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding concerns with the pharmaceutical supply chain. The focus of Coukell's testimony was the drug distribution system – the weaknesses in the system and the risks of counterfeit and stolen drugs. More info |
Drug Safety |
| Jul 27, 2012 |
Review of the Scientific Basis for Safety Decisions on Hazards of Substances Added to FoodIn April 2011 Pew Health Group convened a workshop bringing together more than 80 experts from government, industry, academia and public interest organizations to examine the principles underlying the development and use of scientific evidence to identify and characterize chemical hazards. Based on the workshop discussions, Pew made several important observations. More info |
Food Additives |
| Jul 27, 2012 |
What Did Pew Health Group Find in its Review of the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program?In the November 1, 2011, edition of the peer-reviewed journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (CRFS), Pew Health Group published a rigorous analysis of the U.S. food additive regulatory program. Key among the findings is that more than 10,000 chemicals were allowed in human food as of January 2011. More info |
Food Safety |
| Jul 31, 2012 |
Leading Physicians and Scientists Ask FDA to Rein in Drug Use in Food AnimalsSeveral 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 info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Aug 3, 2012 |
Pew Comments on Draft Guidance for Industry Regarding Nanotechnology in FoodThe Food Additives Project of the Pew Health Group strongly agrees with the FDA's draft decision to deny "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) status to nanoengineered chemicals and review them as food additives. However, they list their concerns with certain aspects of the document and question the agency's claim that it has not reviewed GRAS notifications sanctioning the use of nanoengineered chemicals. More info |
Food Additives |
| Aug 9, 2012 |
Human Health and Industrial Farming 101Are 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. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Aug 13, 2012 |
U.S. Senators' Letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret HamburgThirteen U.S. Senators, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Susan Collins signed a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg calling for improvements to Guidance for Industry 209 -- which proposes voluntary reductions in the use of antibiotics in food animal production. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Aug 16, 2012 |
The Battle on the Home Front: The Jonathan Gadsden StorySince Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom began, many American servicemen and women have been infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While our men and women in uniform increasingly survive severe wounds sustained in combat, their injuries leave them susceptible to life-threatening, hard-to-treat infections. Marine Lance Corporal Jonathan Gadsden’s story reflects the growing need for new antibiotics that can treat these dangerous diseases, against which most drugs are useless. More info |
Antibiotic Innovation |
| Aug 23, 2012 |
Pew Biomedical Scholar Profile: Sohini RamachandranSohini Ramachandran, a population geneticist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, received two high-profile awards this year. In June, she was named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and in February, she received a fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York. She plans to use the grants to distinguish herself in a fast-moving field. More info |
Biomedical Research |
| Aug 28, 2012 |
Members of Congress Write Letter to FDA About Antibiotics in Food Animal ProductionTwelve United States congressmen have penned a letter to the Food and Drug Administration making recommendations on improvements to the FDA's policies on food animal production and the use of antibiotics in industrial farming. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Aug 31, 2012 |
Save Antibiotics August Newsletter (2012)What's in your Lunchbox? & Senators Call for FDA ActionAIP Generating ActBelow is your August 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. This edition features a video of Supermoms visiting Capitol Hill, a new report on More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Sep 12, 2012 |
Written Statement of Record Regarding the Sunshine Act by Dr. Daniel J. Carlat of the Pew Health GroupDr. Daniel Carlat, Director of the Pew Prescription Project, appeared before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging to testify about the importance of implementing the Physician Payments Sunshine Act as quickly as possible. More info |
Drug Manufacturing and Distribution, Conflicts of Interest |
| Oct 22, 2012 |
Pew's Comment Letter on FDA’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Data CollectionOn behalf of The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew), we are writing to urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strengthen regulations pertaining to record-keeping and public reporting of antibiotic use in food animal production. More info |
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| Nov 8, 2012 |
Pew Comments to the FDA Regarding the Unique Device Identification SystemPew’s Medical Device Initiative, along with the American Heart Association and Trust for America’s Health, submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its proposed rule for a unique device identification (UDI) system for medical devices. Once implemented by the FDA and utilized by healthcare providers, the UDI system will be the cornerstone for significant improvements in postmarketing surveillance of medical devices. More info |
Drugs and Devices at the FDA |
| Nov 19, 2012 |
Public Health and Consumer Groups Call for Participation in Antibiotic Use MeetingsOn Nov. 2, 15 public health and consumer organizations sent a joint letter to the FDA requesting to join in discussions to consider how the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry are significant contributing factors to antibiotic resistance in humans. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Nov 21, 2012 |
Strengthening Our National System for Medical Device Postmarket SurveillanceThe Medical Device Initiative submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concerning the FDA's National Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance Plan, "Strengthening Our National System for Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance." More info |
Drugs and Devices at the FDA |
| Nov 21, 2012 |
Pew Comments on Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ''Antimicrobial Animal Drug Sales and Distribution Reporting''The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming submitted a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, urging the FDA to strengthen regulations pertaining to record-keeping and public reporting of antibiotic use in food animal production. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production |
| Nov 29, 2012 |
Letter From Pew and Medtronic to HHS Regarding the Physician Payments Sunshine ActThe 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. More info |
Medical Safety |
| Jan 15, 2013 |
Comments on Stage 3 of the the Meaningful Use of Health Information TechnologyIn comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the American College of Cardiology and The Pew Charitable Trusts urge the ONC to incorporate medical device identifiers developed under the FDA’s unique device identification (UDI) system into both electronic health record (EHR) certification criteria and Stage 3 meaningful use (MU) objectives. More info |
Drugs and Devices at the FDA |
| Feb 5, 2013 |
Comments on the Health Information Technology Patient Safety Action and Surveillance PlanIn comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the American College of Cardiology, Consumers Union, the National Women's Health Network, the National Research Center for Women and Families, the Trust for America's Health, and The Pew Charitable Trusts urge the ONC to promote adoption of the unique device identification (UDI) system for medical devices to improve the safety of medical care. More info |
Drugs and Devices at the FDA |
