An article featured in Annals of Internal Medicine highlights an ongoing effort by the Food and Drug Administration to bring more nicotine replacement therapies (often called NRTs) to market. Although rates have plummeted over the past several decades, smoking remains one of the most common causes of preventable death in the U.S.
Supply, Demand, and Wegovy
Millions of Americans have turned to weight-loss injections to help them lose weight and live healthier lives. As of May 2024, about 25,000 people have begun using Wegovy (the most common injectable weight loss treatment) each week. Similar treatments are being used off-label to help adolescents lose weight. The New York Times reports Wegovy may soon be used to treat addiction.
What Would Kamala Harris’s FDA Look Like?
After an alarmingly bad debate performance and widespread pressure to drop out, President Biden formally announced he would not pursue a second term. Shortly after his announcement, the President endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, and many joined him.
The Controversy Surrounding Microdosing Chocolate Bars
California-based company Diamond Shruumz was once one of the premier providers of microdosing products in the US. Providing “artisanal chocolates… designed for creative souls,” Diamond Shruumz offered chocolate bars, ice cream cones, gummies, and other sweets with trace amounts of psilocybin- the psychedelic found in magic mushrooms.
The FDA Is Coming After Microdosing Chocolate Bars
Diamond Shruumz chocolate bars come in various popular flavors, including dark chocolate, cookies and cream, fruity cereal, and birthday cake. Each bar costs about $25—and contains trace amounts of magic mushrooms.
Why Are So Many Food and Beverage Products Being Recalled?
A Newsweek investigation finds that at least 350 food and beverage products are under recalls mandated by the Food and Drug Administration. A short list of these products includes cookies, shellfish, cucumbers, frozen pizzas, frozen fruits, pasta, salad kits, smoked salmon, hummus, shrimp, lemonade, granola bars, cantaloupes, and ice cream.
The FDA Is Not a Referee
Last October, the Food and Drug Administration began surveying ground cinnamon products. By November, the agency identified elevated levels of lead and chromium in applesauce pouches across several producers. Suspecting the worst, the FDA mandated recalls and began investigating whether lead was intentionally added to these products.
Will the Blundering FDA Receive More Power?
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability recently hosted Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf in a hearing to discuss the agency’s recent blemishes. The Committee’s website stated that “under the Biden Administration, the FDA has stumbled from crisis to crisis.”
DEA and FDA Duke it Out Over Marijuana Scheduling
This November, Floridians will vote on an amendment that would allow citizens over 21 years old to use and possess marijuana for recreational reasons. Early polls indicate bi-partisan support. However, whether the amendment builds enough support to reach the 60 percent approval threshold in the next seven months is anyone’s guess.
You Can’t Spend Your Way Out of an Opioid Crisis
Spending more doesn’t always get you more and that includes money going towards combatting America’s ongoing opioid crisis. But don’t tell that to the Biden Administration.