By Joanna Sax On November 19, 2015, the FDA de-regulated the AquAdvantage Salmon. This salmon is genetically engineered to grow faster. This is the first time the FDA has de-regulated a genetically engineered animal. Let me just say from the outset that the scientific consensus is clear that genetically engineered food is as safe as…
By Elizabeth Guo Dietary supplements are dominating headlines these days – and not in a good way. Last Wednesday, Nevada officials found basketball star Lamar Odom unconscious at a brothel after taking cocaine along , a sexual enhancement dietary supplement. That same week, the New England Journal of Medicine released an article finding that dietary…
By Joanna K. Sax [Ed. Note: Cross-posted at HealthLawProfBlog] Rhetoric that misconstrues scientific knowledge to garner support for political positions is troubling. For many years, my scholarship has focused on the debate surrounding embryonic stem cell research. One of the things that I have experienced is an incomplete understanding about what embryonic stem cell research…
By Joanna K. Sax [Ed. Note: Cross-posted on HealthLawProfBlog.] How have the massive amounts of dietary supplements on the market evaded significant regulatory oversight for so long? Dietary supplements are regulated as food, which means that for practical purposes the FDA only has the ability to pull them off the shelves upon a showing that…
[Ed. Note: Cross-posted at HealthLawProfBlog.] By Joanna Sax It probably depends on who you ask. Proponents of fracking laud the energy independence, creation of jobs, environmentally friendly nature of natural gas, national security and economic benefits. Opponents to fracking have concerns about the impact to the environment, public health issues, and water use. Each side dismisses…
By Joanna Sax [Ed Note: Cross posted at HealthLawProfBlog.] I read a lot of press and listen to the politics surrounding genetically modified (GM) foods; but it appears that there is a lack of understanding that almost all of our food supply is integrated with GM crops. I imagine that many readers of this blog…
By Joanna Sax I’ve become increasingly interested in GM crops, in general, after the recent Petrie-Flom Conference on the FDA in the 21st Century. I know there is a lot of discussion and controversy about genetically-modified (GM) crops. I want to pick-up on a topic that is related to GM crops – that is, the…
By Joanna Sax On April 29, Scott Burris blogged about a new bill that would allow Congress to set the scientific agenda, which would replace the traditional peer review process. I echo his expressed concerns, but want to add more. The idea that politicians, and not scientists, could determine the advancement of science is, frankly,…
By Joanna Sax Multiple states have statutes that protect a pharmacist from liability for refusing to fill a prescription for an FDA approved medication. Other states have laws that require pharmacists to fill prescriptions regardless of their personal beliefs. The debate surrounding conscience clause legislation falls at two opposing spectrums. Opponents to conscience clauses argue…
By Joanna Sax A recent article in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (Vol. 41:1, pp. 315-22) nicely describes the contours of Physician Payment Sunshine Act (PPSA) on pharmaceutical marketing. Similar to other policies addressing financial conflicts of interest, the lion’s share of the PPSA focuses on disclosure. That is, pharmaceutical companies will be…
