FDA Policy/General

Trump Taps Rep. Price as HHS Nominee

President-elect Donald Trump has selected House Budget Committee chair Tom Price (R-GA) to serve as HHS secretary in the next administration. Price, who also serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, is known as a fierce critic of Obamacare. By training, he is an orthopedic surgeon who spent more than 20 years caring for patients in the metro Atlanta area, and helped create one of the largest private orthopedic practices in the country.

Price has argued for the repeal of Obamacare since its inception. In the current Congress, he has introduced the Empowering Patients First Act (HR 2300) that would repeal Obamacare and start over with “patient-centered solutions.” The bill would provide age-related tax credits to help offset health insurance costs and encourage health savings account usage. It would also allow individuals to opt out of Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs and receive tax credit to purchase personal health plans instead.

Price will face opposition from Democrats and other organizations. Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) said that based on Price’s previous “devastating legislative proposals” he was concerned about the direction Price would take HHS as its secretary. “Under Price’s leadership the Budget Committee has proposed stripping health insurance away from millions of middle class Americans by repealing the Affordable Care Act, cutting $2 trillion from Medicaid that provides access to health care for our most vulnerable, and just this month he touted a plan to privatize Medicare for America’s seniors,” Pallone said. “While I am hopeful that chairman Price will rethink his dangerous proposals if he is confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services, I am prepared to fight any effort to take away American’s access to health care.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) added: “To hand the reins to someone with Congressman Price’s long record of trying to privatize Medicare is a direct betrayal of Donald Trump’s campaign promise to protect and strengthen the program for America’s seniors, and you can bet we will do everything in our power to block any attempt to hand the Medicare program that seniors have worked their whole lives for over to Wall Street.”

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome