Public Health

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Questions for FDA on Suspension of Flu Shot Manufacturer

Rep. Waxman and Chairman Davis ask for the release of documents detailing what FDA knew about problems at the manufacturing facility that was shut down last week by British regulators, triggering the flu vaccine shortage.

Members Object to Trade Agreement Restrictions on Generic Drugs in Latin America, Other Developing Regions

Reps. Waxman, Solis, Rangel, Rodriguez, Sherrod Brown, Levin, Linda Sanchez, Allen, McDermott, Grijalva, Becerra, and Stark write the President to express strong opposition to the inclusion of provisions in pending free trade agreements that would restrict access to generic drugs.

Waxman, Markey to Introduce Clinical Trial Registry Bill

Reps. Waxman and Markey will be introducing legislation to establish a mandatory registry for clinical pharmaceutical drug trials.

Drug Companies Withholding Results of Pediatric Studies

Rep. Waxman writes HHS to express concern about the pharmaceutical industry’s withholding of the results of clinical trials involving children, despite the extremely valuable six months of exclusive marketing that drug companies are granted in exchange for conducting such studies.

Youth with Mental Illness Incarcerated Unnecessarily

Rep. Waxman and Senator Collins release a Special Investigations Division report revealing that nearly 2,000 youth are incarcerated each day because community mental health services are unavailable.

HHS Restricts Communications between U.S. Scientists and WHO Officials

A new HHS policy requires the World Health Organization to submit all requests for expert scientific advice to political officials at HHS who pick which federal scientists will be permitted to respond. The new policy and two recent Administration decisions to withdraw federal scientists from major international health conferences are part of a disturbing pattern of political interference in global health issues.

Questions on Estimate of Mortality from Obesity

Responding to concerns from the scientific community, Rep. Waxman asks GAO to review the recent CDC estimate of the number of deaths attributable to obesity.

Pharmaceutical Companies Fail to Register Clinical Trials on Government Website

Rep. Waxman writes the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America regarding the failure of many pharmaceutical companies to submit information on their cancer clinical trials to www.clinicaltrials.gov – despite a federal law requiring them to do so.

U.S. Taekwondo Union Bars Head Contact for Young Athletes

Addressing safety concerns expressed by Rep. Waxman, Rep. Jackson, and Sen. Jeffords, the nation’s governing taekwondo body has moved to prohibit full head contact for athletes under 14 years of age.

Taekwondo Rule Change Raises Safety Concerns for Young Athletes

Rep. Waxman, Rep. Jackson, and Sen. Jeffords write the U.S. Olympic Committee to express concerns about a taekwondo rule change that encourages young black belts to disable opponents with kicks to the head – a rule change that medical experts say puts children at risk of serious injury.

NIH Stem Cell Director: Fewer Viable Lines Than Claimed by Administration

Reps. Waxman and Slaughter reveal that the Administration may have misinformed the public about both the number of viable human embryonic stem cell lines available for research and the motivation behind the recent dismissal of a distinguished cell biologist from the President’s Council on Bioethics.

FDA Delays Consideration of Emergency Contraception Drug

Forty eight members of Congress write FDA about the delay in the consideration of the application for over-the-counter status for the emergency contraception drug Plan B.

USDA Urged to Support WIC Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program

Reps. Waxman and Putnam urge USDA Secretary Veneman to support a pilot program to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the upcoming reauthorization of the Federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children.

Concerns About Commissioned Corps Reorganization Plan

Rep. Waxman and Chairman Davis write HHS to express concerns about the reorganization plan for the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service that appears to ignore valuable input from public health leaders and threaten the effectiveness of our nation's science-based agencies.

Objections to Commissioned Corps Plan

Rep. Waxman and Rep. Van Hollen write HHS about the HHS draft policy that could undermine the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

HHS Asked to Explain HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Audits

Rep. Waxman asks Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to explain what appears to be selective audits on government-funded HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Questions on HHS's Response on Soft Drinks and Obesity

Rep. Waxman writes HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson to question his response that there is insufficient evidence linking sugar-sweetened soft drinks to obesity.

Administration Proposes Cuts in CDC Public Health Budget

Rep. Waxman protests the Administration's proposal to cut CDC's public health budget, citing the need for a strong public health infrastructure to protect the nation from SARS and other biological threats.

New HHS Fact Sheet Finds No Link Between Abortion and Breast Cancer

One week after Rep. Waxman and 15 other members of Congress called on HHS to update its web site to reflect expert views, NCI has posted a new fact sheet stating "having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman’s subsequent risk of developing breast cancer."

Public Health Information on Federal Websites

Rep. Waxman and other members have written to HHS Secretary Thompson to protest the alteration and removal of important public health information from federal websites concerning the use of condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and the alleged association between abortion and breast cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services removed scientific fact sheets from its websites earlier this year, and has now reposted significantly altered versions which distort and suppress scientific information for ideological purposes.

Questions on U.S. Government Objections to Soft Drink and Obesity Link

Rep. Waxman writes HHS Secretary Thompson to ask why the U.S. government is objecting to a draft report from the World Health Organization that calls for a reduction in soft drink consumption as part of a global strategy to fight obesity.

HHS Actions Contradict Expert Recommendations

Rep. Waxman and Rep. Elijah Cummings, ranking Democrat of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee, along with leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus, write to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson to protest HHS actions that contradict the Institute of Medicine's expert recommendations on how to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.

New Mexico Youth Incarcerated Due to Lack of Treatment Services

Senator Jeff Bingaman, Rep. Tom Udall, and Rep. Waxman released a report revealing that hundreds of New Mexico youth suffering from mental health problems were incarcerated in juvenile detention centers because treatment spots were not available. The report finds that from January to December 2001, an estimated 718 youth were collectively incarcerated for 31.3 years even after being cleared to leave to obtain mental health services. Inadequate federal oversight of the state's Medicaid program is a key cause of this problem.

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