Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg Ends 6-Year Run
Margaret Hamburg ended her run this week as one of the longest serving Food and Drug Administration commissioners in recent decades. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with her about her accomplishments and challenges while in office. (4/1)
The Food and Drug Administration released long-awaited guidance on how it wants drugmakers to study the efficacy of abuse-deterrent painkillers, but has punted on the thorny issue of generics for now. The document comes more than two years after the agency issued draft guidance, amid mounting pressure from Congress to speed up the process. An amendment from Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., in the year-end spending package called for the agency to release the guidance by June of this year or face the removal of $20 million in funds for salaries and expenses from the commissioner鈥檚 office. (Gustin, 4/1)
Between December and February, vaccinations to prevent measles jumped 27 percent compared with the same period last year in Washington. A high-profile outbreak at Disneyland may have contributed, health officials said. (Aleccia, 4/1)
