Monthly Archives: May 2017

Today's Top Story Study: One-third of newly approved drugs required FDA safety action. Nearly one-third of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2001 to 2010 had subsequent safety issues leading to some type of action by the FDA, researchers from Yale University reported in a study appearing in JAMA. The authors reported that of 222 novel therapeutics approved in those years, 71 warranted a postmarket safety event, with three of the drugs withdrawn [...]

Today's Top Story Study: MFR may be appropriate for some patients with chronic low back pain. According to a study published in the May 1 issue of the journal Spine, myofascial release (MFR) therapy may be appropriate treatment for certain patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). The authors conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial of 54 participants with nonspecific CLBP, who received either four 40-minute sessions of myofascial treatment (n = 27) or sham MFR (n = [...]

Today's Top Story House passes legislation to repeal and replace the ACA. In a 217-213 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which if enacted will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The measure now moves to the U.S. Senate, where it is expected to undergo further revision. Read more... An article in Politico summarizes some key aspects of the AHCA… The White House has posted a transcript of [...]

Today's Top Story Safety notice: Medtronic NavLock Trackers are not to be used with third-party instruments; two patient deaths reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that Medtronic has issued a safety communication regarding the use of non-Medtronic instruments with the company’s NavLock Tracker. The company states that NavLock Trackers are intended to enable navigation of Medtronic instrumentation used during spinal fusion and interbody procedures with the Medtronic StealthStation surgical navigation system, and should only be used [...]

Today's Top Story Federal budget deal includes $2 billion increase in NIH funding. STAT reports that, under a bipartisan budget deal agreed to by the U.S. Congress, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will receive a $2 billion increase in funding over the next 5 months. President Trump had previously proposed a $1.2 billion cut for the agency in the current fiscal year. The deal does not address funding for 2018; the president has previously called for a [...]