Products aimed at sexual dysfunction and weight loss were the most common dietary supplements that contained hidden – and potentially harmful – ingredients.
The CDC recommends the second booster for those over 50 who received their initial booster shot at least four months earlier.
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Katelyn Jetelina, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
New data on the second booster suggests the older you are, the more you need it.
The concept of placebos – which are sometimes called “sugar pills” – has been around since the 1800s.
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Drug manufacturers often shun the use of placebos in clinical trials. But research suggests that placebos could play an important role in the treatment of depression, pain and other maladies.
Nearly 80% of participants in FDA-reviewed research trials live in foreign countries.
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Regulatory loopholes for research conducted off US soil allow for questionable trials and misleading data to slip under the FDA’s radar.
Ethics are important to vaccination decisions because while science can clarify some of the costs and benefits, it cannot tell us which costs and benefits matter most to us.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
When making the decision whether to vaccinate children aged five to 11 against COVID-19, regulators in Canada must rely on sound ethics as well as sound science.
Theranos promised that a drop of blood could yield many health secrets.
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The FDA has chosen not to regulate lab-developed tests like the ones at the center of the Theranos trial.
Though drug recalls are relatively uncommon in the U.S., reduced inspections increase the likelihood of manufacturing errors that slip through the cracks.
AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool
COVID-19 has exacerbated a backlog of domestic and foreign drug manufacturing inspections that the FDA is still too short-staffed to adequately deal with.
Zoë McLaren, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The new BinaxNOW antigen test is quick, easy, accurate and cheap. It could solve the US testing problem, but the emergency use authorization only allows people with COVID-19 symptoms to get tested.
Broad and frequent screening could catch coronavirus cases before they can spread to others.
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Zoë McLaren, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Testing large numbers of people regularly would reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the US. Laboratory testing is slow and expensive, but rapid screening tests could be the answer.
Corporate boards with women on them are more likely to recall dangerous products.
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The FDA has sped up its approval process for coronavirus treatments, creating a new division to expedite the regulatory process. But is safety being sidelined for speed?
A coronavirus vaccine is coming, but when?
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Vaccine development is usually a long process. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing researchers to innovate and test potential vaccines faster than ever before.
Nearly all medical product recalls are voluntarily issued by firms, instead of mandated by the FDA.
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Every year, thousands of medical devices and drugs are recalled in the US. But the decision to recall a flawed product is often left up to the manufacturer.
Go ahead Santa, take a cookie without guilt.
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Most Americans underestimate how many calories nutritionists recommend they consume each day, which means maybe you can probably have one more treat without feeling guilty.
An FDA lab technician inspects food for contaminants in Lenexa, Kansas.
AP Photo/Todd Feeback
The Trump administration wants to streamline federal food safety efforts under one roof as part of a sweeping new plan to reorganize government.
Embedded medical devices will continue to be vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. The pacemaker depicted is not made by Abbott’s.
REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Regulatory bodies approved some medical devices to treat pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence before having data to prove their safety and efficacy.
Any antimicrobial chemicals in there?
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