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Budget Cuts Threaten FDA's Enforcement Capacity

Rep. Waxman expresses concerns to FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Lester Crawford that budget cuts proposed by the President will reduce the number of FDA employees and hamper already-faltering enforcement efforts.

FDA Enforcement Efforts Decline

There has been a sharp decline in FDA enforcement actions against misleading drug advertisements and violations of manufacturing standards by biologic drug companies since Dr. Lestor Crawford was appointed as Acting Commissioner in early 2002.

Bill Would Ban Lead in Products for Young Children

Citing the failure of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to protect children from hazardous levels of lead in consumer products, Rep. Waxman announces plans to introduce legislation to ban lead from toys, toy jewelry, and other items for children under age six.

CA Youth With Mental Illness Incarcerated When Community Services Unavailable

Rep. Waxman releases a report finding that over half of California’s juvenile detention facilities inappropriately incarcerate youth waiting for mental health treatment.

Recalls Show Need to Protect Children from Dangerous Levels of Lead in Toy Jewelry and Other Products

In a letter to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, Rep. Waxman calls for strengthened standards to protect children from dangerous levels of lead in toy jewelry and other children's products.

Company Reassurances on Drug Safety Contradict FDA

Rep. Waxman asks FDA to review the discrepancy between claims made by AstraZeneca that FDA has “no concern” about the safety of the drug Crestor, in light of top FDA officials’ statements that FDA is “very concerned” and is closely evaluating the drug.

Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Programs Teach False And Misleading Information

A report released by Rep. Waxman shows that many federally funded abstinence-only education programs use curricula that distort information about the effectiveness of contraceptives, misrepresent the risks of abortion, blur religion and science, treat stereotypes about girls and boys as scientific fact, and contain basic scientific errors.

The Facts on the Flu Vaccine Crisis

Rep. Waxman releases four new fact sheets that explain (1) how the Administration ignored years of expert recommendations on vaccine supply; (2) how the Administration failed to invest in efforts to strengthen the vaccine supply, (3) how FDA failed to respond to warning signs at the contaminated facility; and (4) how liability concerns are irrelevant to the current crisis.

FTC Asked to Begin Inquiry into Flu Vaccine Price Gouging

Rep. Waxman and Chairman Davis ask the Federal Trade Commission to examine reports that some distributors are charging exorbitant prices for the flu vaccine.

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.

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