According to a report released today by Chairman Waxman, key FDA career officials strongly objected to Bush Administration drug labeling regulations that would preempt state liability lawsuits, asserting that the central justifications for the regulations were “false and misleading” and warning that the changes would deprive consumers of timely information about drug hazards.
Chairman Waxman requested an explanation from HHS Secretary Leavitt on why a proposed rule that would threaten access to reproductive and other health services was issued in apparent violation of an executive order requiring interagency coordination and review.
As part of the Committee’s ongoing investigation, Chairman Waxman wrote to several insurance companies and each of the state insurance commissioners seeking information about the practice of companies retroactively cancelling individual health insurance policies after policyholders submit expensive claims.
Following an April 2008 Committee hearing on healthcare-associated infections, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a “national action plan” to reduce the preventable deaths and illness that result from infections contracted by hospital patients.
Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis issued a report on hospital-associated infections. This report summarizes the results of a staff survey of state hospital associations which shows that the majority of state hospital associations have not adopted a program which could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars.
Chairman Waxman wrote to FDA Commissioner von Eschenbach to request answers to questions raised by internal FDA emails, which suggest that political appointees at the agency may be promoting industry priorities at the expense of FDA’s core public health mission.
The Committee held a hearing titled, “The Domestic Epidemic is Worse than We Thought: A Wake-Up Call for HIV Prevention” on Tuesday, September 16, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
The Committee will hold a hearing in September to consider the implications of new HIV incidence numbers announced by the Centers for Disease Control.
On August 2, 2008, Chairman Waxman delivered the Democratic Radio Address. In his address, Chairman Waxman discussed critical legislation passed by the House this week that addresses the health and safety of America’s children.
Chairman Henry A. Waxman released the following statement today upon the release of new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) HIV incidence numbers.
Chairman Waxman has been investigating the dangers of lead-contaminated toys and jewelry since 2005 and his legislation, the Lead Free Toys Act, was enacted as part of H.R. 4040, a bill to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is holding a hearing titled, “Business Practices in the Individual Health Insurance Market: Terminations of Coverage” on Thursday, July 17, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
In a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Peters, Chairman Waxman questioned a proposed rule by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that fails to ensure that automobile roofs are strong enough to protect passengers in rollover crashes. Chairman Waxman urged the Secretary to issue a strong rule that will significantly reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by the crushing of vehicle roofs during rollovers.
Following a May 14, 2008, hearing, Chairman Waxman wrote to the FDA to request documents related to the agency’s recent reversal of its long-standing position on preemption of state product liability lawsuits relating to FDA-approved drugs and medical devices.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled, “Should FDA Drug and Medical Device Regulation Bar State Liability Claims?” on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
Chairman Waxman sent letters to each of the nation’s state hospital associations requesting information about their efforts to halt the epidemic of healthcare associated infections and whether proven solutions have been implemented.
The Committee held a hearing titled, “Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs: Assessing the Evidence” on Wednesday, April 23, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
The Committee held a hearing titled, “Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Preventable Epidemic” at 11:00 a.m., on Wednesday, April 16, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Schwab, Chairman Waxman and twenty-six other Members of Congress asked that in reviewing the global state of intellectual property rights the Ambassador act upon the United States’ commitment to respecting measures that improve access to live-saving medicines in developing countries.
Chairman Henry A. Waxman released the following statement in response to EPA’s issuance of a final rule on lead renovation, repair, and painting.
In a letter to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Chairman Waxman and Rep. Barbara Lee responded to Director John Walter’s unsupported assertion that needle exchange programs “support” injection drug use. The letter cites numerous studies that found needle exchange programs help reduce the spread of HIV and other dangerous infectious diseases without encouraging or increasing drug use, and in fact provide opportunities to reduce illegal drug use.
The full Committee held a hearing at 10:00 a.m. to examine the myths and facts about performance-enhancing substances such as human growth hormone, B12 and other substances.
Reps. Henry A. Waxman, John D. Dingell, Bart Stupak, and Frank Pallone, Jr., called on members of one of FDA’s own advisory committees to provide Congress with its assessment of the resources needed to remedy the crisis at the agency stemming from years of chronic underfunding.
In a letter to FDA Commissioner von Eschenbach, Chairman Waxman requested a briefing on FDA inspections of all facilities owned by the Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group that produce drugs for the United States. The Chinese company is currently under criminal investigation in China for the production of tainted leukemia drugs and manufactures at least one drug for export to the United States.
The full Committee held a hearing on “Addressing the Screening Gap: The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.” The hearing examined the National Breast and Cervical Cancer program which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide mammograms, pap smears, and other screening exams for breast and cervical cancer to low-income women without another source of coverage.
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