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 17, 2012 |
Obama needs to release draft food safety rules, say victims and advocacy groupsThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in six Americans (48 million people) suffer from a foodborne illness each year, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Americans will continue to get sick and even die from foodborne disease as your Administration continues to hold up the food safety rules. In fact, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) essentially ensured such an outcome last week in a letter to food industry representatives. In it, the FDA said that until final rules are issued, the agency would not enforce the FSMA requirements that food processors adopt prevention-based protections, and that importers assure the safety of the food products they send to the United States. More info |
School Food, Food Hazards |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| May 21, 2013 |
Bibliography on Antibiotic Resistance and Food Animal ProductionThis bibliography lists the latest published scientific and economic literature concerning the contribution of routine antibiotic use in food animals to the growing public health crisis of human antibiotic resistance. Research on how antibiotic use in food animal production contributes to the growing health crisis of antibiotic resistance dates back more than 30 years. More info |
Antibiotics in Food Animal Production, Moms For Antibiotic Awareness |
| 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 |
| Aug 3, 2010 |
Americans' Attitudes on Prescription Drug SafetyThis issue brief presents key findings from a nationwide survey about the safety of the U.S. drug supply among voters conducted March 29 –April 1, 2010 for the Pew Prescription Project by Hart Research Associates Public Opinion Strategies. More info |
Drug Safety, Medical Safety Policy |
| Jul 2, 2009 |
Bill Summary - Counterfeit Drug Enforcement Act of 2009This issue brief is a summary of H.R. 2726 - The Counterfeit Drug Enforcement Act of 2009, also known as the Tim Fagan Law. More info |
Drug Safety, Medical Safety Policy |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Jan 6, 2012 |
Project on Emerging NanotechnologiesMomentous change can come in tiny packages. Nanotechnologies have been hailed by many as the next industrial revolution, likely to affect everything from clothing and medical treatments to engineering. Although focused on the very small, nanotechnology—the ability to measure, manipulate and manufacture objects that are 1/100th to 1/100,000th the circumference of a human hair—offers immense promise. Whether used in cancer therapies, pollution-eating compounds or stain-resistant apparel, these atomic marvels are radically and rapidly changing the way we live. The National Science Foundation predicts that the global marketplace for goods and services using nanotechnologies will grow to $1 trillion by 2015 and employ 2 million workers. More info |
Health Topics |
