Companies claim that the blanket denial of coverage of compounding ingredients is against federal law. It could also affect access to critical natural health products. Action Alert! In August we told you about pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—companies that process prescriptions for insurance companies and corporations, and use their size to negotiate low prices with drug makers and pharmacies. They […]
Researchers may now have to make clinical study results public— even if the results run counter to the interests of Big Pharma. Action Alert! In response to mounting concerns that important health data has been kept hidden from physicians and their patients, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services […]
This is yet another tangled tale of unintended consequences. Action Alert! Full spectrum light is a more natural light, more similar to what we receive in the sun. It has numerous health benefits including less stress and anxiety, improved attitude, and in classroom settings, improved health and attendance along with increased performance and academic achievement. Natural daylight reduces anxiety, helps […]
If you thought the FDA was hostile only to supplements, think again. The agency is also unfriendly to drugs no longer under patent. Aspirin is a very old drug. It is no longer under patent protection, which means there is no longer any financial windfall to be made from it. We have reservations about taking […]
Even OTC sleep meds may be hazardous—and may contribute to Alzheimer’s. One of the world’s most popular sleeping pills is also, at 40 million prescriptions per year, one of the most-prescribed medications, period. Ambien—also sold under the brand names Intermezzo, Stilnox, Stilnoct, Sublinox, Hypnogen, Zonadin, Sanval, Zolsana, and Zolfresh—is becoming better known for its disturbing side […]
—and why their decision will have far-reaching ramifications for state licensing boards. Last year we told you about the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation of the North Carolina dental board. The FTC decided the board had attempted to monopolize the teeth whitening business, and found it had illegally thwarted competition through cease-and-desist letters. The board—composed mainly of private dentists—had […]
The FDA seems to be waiting for GMO soybeans to be ready before it follows through on its promise to ban the toxic fats. A new study published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, available on the CDC’s website, shows that Americans are consuming much more trans fat than they realize. A federal loophole allows food companies […]
Last week saw an inter-agency power grab. It begins with the weakening of organic standards—and could end with the term “organic” becoming practically meaningless. Action Alert! In September, the USDA announced changes to its interpretation of the “sunset” provision in the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), an incredibly important piece of legislation that Congress passed […]
Patent protection means you get to charge whatever the market will bear. In this case, it bears a 935% increase in the price tag. Xyrem is the brand name for sodium oxybate. Sodium oxybate is the sodium salt of γ-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB—the “date rape drug.” It’s an old drug—even older than aspirin—and it’s FDA-approved […]
…and turn supplements into drugs. What is this agency thinking? Action Alert! What the FDA does about supplements is usually complicated—we think intentionally so, in order to confuse Congress and critics. Bear with us as we try to disentangle the threads. We need to get this story out now because the FDA has just opened a […]