Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug Companies, Walgreens Sued Over Cold Meds That Didn't Work
Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Walgreens are among several companies accused in lawsuits of deceiving consumers about cold medicines containing an ingredient that a unanimous U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel declared ineffective. Proposed class actions were filed on Wednesday and Thursday, after the panel reviewed several studies and concluded this week that the ingredient phenylephrine marketed as a decongestant was essentially no better than a placebo. (Stempel, 9/14)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it would seek public opinion before finalizing its decision to remove a decongestant widely used in cough syrups from the agency's list of ingredients for over-the-counter (OTC) use. The FDA's clarification follows a unanimous vote by its panel of outside experts on Tuesday against the effectiveness of oral OTC medicines made with phenylephrine, an ingredient widely used in cold and cough syrups. (9/14)
On the FDA's struggle with drug shortages 鈥
Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee appear no closer to resolving differences around prescription drug shortages after a legislative hearing in the Health Subcommittee on Thursday. The debate is entangled聽in a stalled reauthorization of a pandemic and emergency preparedness law that expires Sept. 30. (Clason, 9/14)
A House subcommittee took a first step Thursday toward legislation to fix drug shortages at hospitals. Don鈥檛 expect a new law soon, though. Asked if he expects the House to pass a bill on the subject this year, Energy and Commerce health subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) said drug shortages are an emergency, 鈥渂ut the proposals that have been offered aren鈥檛 going to fix it by tomorrow or the next day.鈥 (Wilkerson, 9/14)
An infant formula shortage last year that left store shelves empty and parents panicked spurred lawmakers to scramble for solutions. One year later, some think they鈥檝e found one: Donor breast milk. On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., will introduce a bill that aims to increase access to pasteurized donor milk for infants and push the FDA to regulate the practice. (Cohen, 9/14)
On drug patents 鈥
The Federal Trade Commission warned pharmaceutical companies they could face legal action if they improperly list patents for brand-name medicines in a Food and Drug Administration registry, the latest effort by the federal government to scrutinize patent moves by drugmakers. (Silverman, 9/14)
