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What We're Reading: House Panel Seeks Opioid Data; Title X and STDs; Questions About Alcohol Study
Republican and Democratic members on the House Energy and Commerce Committee questioned whether the FDA's criminal investigators are effective at blocking illegal drugs, including unapproved opioids, at US ports of entry; public health officials worry proposed HHS changes to move family planning funding toward groups that may not provide reproductive health and sexual health services will cripple other federal efforts to curb a rise in sexually transmitted diseases; leaders of a now-shelved, controversial study examining whether moderate drinking is beneficial for human health may have violated federal law.
Bipartisan Letter From House Committee Seeks Info From FDA on Efforts to Stop Illegal Drugs
Public Health Officials Fear Impact of Title X Changes on STDs
Republican and Democratic members on the House Energy and Commerce Committee questioned whether the FDA's criminal investigators are doing enough to stop illegal drugs, including unapproved opioids, at US ports of entry, Reuters reported. Republican Chairman Greg Walden and leading Democrat Frank Pallone wrote to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, asking the agency to provide statistical data about the cases being generated through the port of entry initiative and its prosecution track record by June 22. The FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations has been under scrutiny after Reuters published articles in 2016 about the office’s approach to criminal investigations.Proposed HHS changes to move family planning funding toward groups that may not provide reproductive health and sexual health services and away from organizations that provide abortions could cripple other federal efforts to curb an explosion in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), some public health officials told Kaiser Health News. If rules are adopted in their current form, Title X services would have to be physically and financially separate from abortion services. Title X grants fund family planning, STD screening, and breast and cervical cancer screening at nearly 4000 sites nationwide. Fewer funds would mean fewer resources available for STD screening, treatment, and outreach.
Researcher Claims Controversial Alcohol Study Lacked Proper Approvals
Leaders of a now-shelved controversial study examining whether moderate drinking is beneficial for human health may have violated federal law, STAT news reported. Public health researcher Michael Siegel, MD, of Boston University, said the federal officials soliciting funding for it from alcohol beverage makers failed to seek a form of regulatory approval from the FDA intended to protect study participants and ensure they understand the possible health risks of the research. The hospital whose physician designed the trial said it was their understanding that the regulatory approval, known as an investigational new drug application, was not required.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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