A second medical device sterilization plant is slated to close this year, prompting the FDA and medtech manufacturers to scramble for replacements. The FDA warned on March 1 about a potential medical device shortage due to the recent shutdown of a Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook, Ill. linked to emissions of the highly carcinogenic chemical compound ethylene oxide. […]
FDA warns of potential medical device shortage following Sterigenics plant shutdown
FDA is warning of a possible shortage of sterilized medical devices — and an accompanying threat to public health — due to the recent shutdown of a Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook, Ill. linked to emissions of the highly carcinogenic chemical compound ethylene oxide. Agency officials believe that more than 100 medtech manufacturers and hundreds of devices may be […]
‘Nightmare bacteria’ swarming the country, CDC reports
Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified more than 200 cases of bacteria that could resist nearly all antibiotics, the agency reported today. The CDC said that these “nightmare bacteria” are resistant to all or most antibiotics and are making their way through the country. In one assessment, a lab discovered that […]
The company behind Narcan looks toward a treatment for fentanyl overdoses
Despite growing attention from lawmakers and doctors, the opioid crisis is not slowing up in the U.S. A new report published last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that emergency room visits for opioid overdoses jumped 30% in 45 states from 2016 to 2017. The problem has morphed over the years […]
Needle-free flu vaccine will be back in clinics next flu season
MedImmune‘s FluMist, the only needle-free flu vaccine available in the U.S., has regained the support of an expert panel at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted to recommend the nasal spray’s use, reversing a two-year-old decision to keep the product out of clinics due to efficacy […]
With weeks left in flu season, the FDA is already working on next year’s vaccine
There are still weeks left in this year’s flu season, according to the FDA, but the agency is already planning on how to better protect the nation’s public health next year. An initial report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that this year’s flu vaccine sported a 36% efficacy rate. Although that’s […]
CDC group tackles access to birth control for women in Puerto Rico
Between May 2016 and August last year, a group organized by the CDC provided services to more than 21,000 women in Puerto Rico in an attempt to boost access to contraception, lower the rate of unintended pregnancy and lessen the number of Zika-related birth defects on the island. You can read more about women’s health […]
CDC: Overdose-related deaths in 2016 surpassed death count from peak of AIDS crisis
More than 63,000 people died from a drug overdose last year – that’s more than the number of deaths caused by AIDS in 1995, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2015 and 2016, the number of people who died from a drug overdose involving illicitly-manufactured fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, more […]
CDC campaign uses testimonials to fight prescription opioid epidemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today launched a campaign featuring real-life stories of people recovering from opioid-use disorder and people whose loved ones have died due to a prescription opioid overdose. The campaign was designed to boost awareness among Americans about the risks linked with prescription opioids. 91 people die everyday in the U.S. from an […]
Former CDC chief Frieden to head $225m anti-heart disease initiative
Previous US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden said he will head Resolve, a new public health initiative focused on fighting heart disease and stroke which has already raised $225 million in backing from a handful of private philanthropies. They were also trying to fund another disease, you can read more […]
CDC gives $12m to states to fight opioid epidemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today that it plans to award more than $12 million this week to 23 states and the District of Columbia to support their efforts in tackling the opioid overdose epidemic. The funding comes from the fiscal year 2017 omnibus appropriations bill that became law in May. States applied for […]
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