 By Susan F. Wood, PhD  The Journal of Womenâs Health published a special report and an editorial last month on the FDAâs Office of Womenâs Health (FDA OWH) that provide information and insight into the multiple roles of such an office, and the importance of maintaining the scientific research funded there. The special report, âThe […]
By Kristen Perosino Congress is currently considering important legislation to improve drug and medical device safety and strengthen scientific integrity at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both the House (H.R. 2900) and Senate (S. 1082) versions contain provisions that should be adopted in the final bill to better protect public health. One such provision […]
Scientific Integrity & Ethics
Refuting Tort “Reformers” Claims that Law Suits Slow Vaccine Development
By David Michaels Tort “reformers” have long contended (with little evidence) that fear of litigation has scared off vaccine manufacturers from developing new vaccines. It has been more than twenty years since Congress established the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The program was designed to ensure that anyone injured by a vaccine would be fairly […]
 by Susan F. Wood, PhD  The last week of August is full of anniversaries for me, both public and personal. On August 24, it has been one year since the partial approval of Plan B emergency contraception over-the-counter (OTC) for those over 18 years old. Two days later on August 26 is the 87th anniversary […]
Four months ago, Mr. Dale Jones, 51 and Mr. Michael Wilt, 38 were killed in a massive highwall collapse at a surface coal mine near Barton, Maryland. The two miners were buried under 93,000 tons of rock, and it took rescue crews three days to recover the men’s bodies.  This week, MSHA assessed a monetary penalty of $180,000 against the mine […]
There are several issues this week that attracted multiple bloggersâ attention: It might sound like a good idea for Medicare to stop paying to treat avoidable complications, but Chris Rangel at RangelMD, N=1 at Universal Health, and Orac at Respectful Insolence have some concerns about the this rule change. Matt Madia at Reg Watch alerts […]
If you haven’t seen it yet, go read Edward Cody’s Washington Post article on a recent Chinese mine disaster. It begins with a description from a survivor: XINTAI, China, Aug. 23 — The first sign of trouble was a stream of water that burst from a wall deep in the mine, Wang Kuitao recalled. Within […]
By Liz Borkowski Revereâs been keeping us up to date on the latest news about the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences â specifically, the stepping aside of Director Dr. David Schwartz for an NIH investigation, and the letter sent to NIEHS employees with the apparent goal of discouraging whistle-blowing. It seems like a good […]
This time, it’s not an Act of God, but instead it just that Big, Bad Mountain. Owner/operator of the Crandall Canyon mine, Mr. Bob Murray said today: “Had I known that this evil mountain, this alive mountain, would do what it did, I would never have sent the miners in here.  I’ll never go near that mountain again.” We couldn’t make […]
These three men were killed while trying to rescue six miners trapped at Crandall Canyon in Utah: Dale Ray Black, 48, of Huntington, Utah (read more about him from the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret Morning News) Brandon Kimber, 29, of Price, Utah (read more about him from USA Today and the Washington Post) Gary […]