Health - The Latest Reports and Analysis

Letter from Pew: Updates on the Unique Device Identifier System

A letter from Josh Rising, director of Pew's Medical Device Initiative, about updates on the unique device identifier system.

Pew Comment Letter to the Senate HELP Committee on Compounding Legislation

Pew sent a comment letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the Pharmaceutical Compounding Quality and Accountability Act. This bill takes steps toward clarifying state and federal oversight of compounding, including an important increase in FDA supervision of certain activities—specifically, the compounding of sterile medicines that are shipped interstate.

Multistate Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

In January 2011, President Barack Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law, signaling the first major update to our nation’s food safety oversight framework since the Great Depression. Despite widespread support for the legislation and its implementation, the Obama administration still has not issued all of the proposed rules under FSMA.

Letter from Pew to CMS Regarding Physician Payments Sunshine Act

Prescription project director Danny Carlat identifies issues with the Physician Payments Sunshine Act requiring further clarification and guidance. Addressing those would ensure that manufacturers can appropriately implement the final rule, and enable consumers to benefit from transparency reports published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Letter from Pew to FDA on Postmarket Surveillance Plan

FDA recently updated the national medical device postmarket surveillance plan – listing device identification and registries as the cornerstones for effective product monitoring. In this letter, medical devices director Josh Rising applauds the agency for making unique device identifiers and registries central to this plan.

Pew Testimony: Examining Drug Compounding

On Thursday, May 23, the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing, entitled "Examining Drug Compounding." Gabrielle Cosel, a drug safety expert, testified on the need to clarify oversight of compounding pharmacies on the state and federal level.

Bibliography on Antibiotic Resistance and Food Animal Production

This bibliography lists the latest published scientific and economic literature concerning the contribution of routine antibiotic use in food animals to the growing public health crisis of human antibiotic resistance. Research on how antibiotic use in food animal production contributes to the growing health crisis of antibiotic resistance dates back more than 30 years.

Pew Testimony on the Safety of Compounding Pharmacies

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on May 9 entitled "Pharmaceutical Compounding: Proposed Legislative Solution." Pew's Allan Coukell, a pharmacist and drug safety expert, testified on the need to strengthen oversight of the compounding industry.

Letter From New Democrat Health Care Task Force to FDA on Unique Device Identification System

The three co-chairs of the New Democrat Health Care task Force – Reps. Allyson Schwartz, Kurt Schrader and Bill Owens – sent FDA a letter inquiring about the status of the agency’s final regulations to establish a unique device identifier (UDI) system and database.

Pew Testimony to House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Regarding Drug Supply Chain

The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on April 25 entitled "Securing Our Nation’s Prescription Drug Supply Chain." Allan Coukell, a pharmacist and drug safety expert, will testify on the need to establish a national system to track and authenticate medicine. The principles outlined in his prepared testimony are supported by other stakeholders in statements from consumer, patient, public health, and industry groups.

Antibiotics and Industrial Farming 101

Each year, tens of thousands of Americans die and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized because of bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic overuse on industrial farms is a big part of the problem. The largest U.S. meat and poultry producers feed antibiotics to healthy animals over much of their lives to make them grow faster and to compensate for the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in which they are bred and slaughtered.

Pew Comments on Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services' Information Collection Activities Draft Guidance

The Pew Charitable Trusts appreciates this opportunity to submit comments to CMS's "Information Collection Activities" draft guidance. We suggest that both the research and non-research payment templates be modified in order to make it easier for consumers to identify which drugs, devices, biologicals, or medical supplies are associated with particular transfers of value.

Multiple Organizations - Including Pew - Support DATA Act

On behalf of the undersigned organizations representing medical, public health, scientific, agricultural, environmental, animal protection, and other organizations, we urge you to include H.R. 820, the Delivering Antimicrobial Transparency in Animals (DATA) Act, as part of the final Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA). This legislation provides a reasonable, common-sense approach to better understanding antibiotic use in agriculture.

Antibiotic Overuse by the Numbers

On Tuesday, April 16, more than 50 moms, dads, and other caregivers will participate in the second annual Supermoms Against Superbugs Advocacy Day. These doctors, chefs, farmers, and survivors of drug-resistant infections will call on President Barack Obama, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Congress to shine a light on industrial farms’ antibiotic use and to put an end to the practices that threaten our health.

Pew Comments on Draft Recommendations for Meaningful Use, Stage 3

The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted comments on preliminary recommendations regarding Stage 3 meaningful use objectives and standards for electronic health records (EHRs) to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. These comments follow remarks at recent meetings of the Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee.

Too Slow

A multistate outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections linked to ground turkey in 2011 sickened 136 people, causing 37 hospitalizations and one death. The Pew Charitable Trusts' analysis of the outbreak found numerous inadequacies in the foodborne illness surveillance system that, if addressed, could help to prevent illnesses and, in some cases, deaths.

The Rise of HIAs in the United States

The field of health impact assessments is growing quickly as more and more cities and states are finding HIAs to be a useful way to bring health ino the conversation. View the infographic for more information about the rise of HIAs in the United States.

Washington Food Leaders Urge Sen. Murray to Shine a Light on Industrial Farms' Antibiotic Use

Sixteen of Washington state’s most celebrated chefs, farmers, and other food leaders wrote a letter to Senator Patty Murray, member of the Senate HELP Committee, asking to reauthorize the Animal Drug User Fee Act and include in it provisions to help preserve the efficacy of antibiotics vital to protecting public health.

Groups Urge Obama to Take Action Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Pew and 46 other public health, medical, environmental and consumer leaders urged President Obama to take swifter action to protect the public from drug-resistant bacteria. In a joint letter, they call on his administration to eliminate industrial farms’ non-therapeutic use of medically important antibiotics and to support legislation that requires the Food and Drug Administration to shine more light on farming practices that are breeding superbugs.

Health, Science Leaders Call on Congress for More Antibiotics Data

A broad coalition of medical, public health, scientific, agricultural, consumer, environmental and humane organizations, representing more than 11 million supporters, wrote a letter urging Congress to reauthorize the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) and include in it provisions to help preserve the efficacy of antibiotics vital to protecting public health.

Calculating the Cost: A look into your child's school meal

Where does your middle school student's lunch money go? View the interactive to find out the cost of your child's school meal options under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) nutritional guidelines.

Record-High Antibiotic Sales for Meat and Poultry Production

The same antibiotics used to treat sick people are also given to healthy animals — in much greater numbers — to make them grow faster and to compensate for overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. These practices are contributing to the emergence of drug-resistant superbugs that make infections more difficult and costly to treat. In 2011, more antibiotics were sold for use in meat and poultry production than ever before.

Comments on the Health Information Technology Patient Safety Action and Surveillance Plan

In comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the American College of Cardiology, Consumers Union, the National Women's Health Network, the National Research Center for Women and Families, the Trust for America's Health, and The Pew Charitable Trusts urge the ONC to promote adoption of the unique device identification (UDI) system for medical devices to improve the safety of medical care.

Is That Sandwich Safe?

No matter how careful you are, foodborne bacteria can find a way into your child’s lunch and make him or her sick. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and fever. Children are often among the most vulnerable, and in some cases, illnesses can lead to hospitalization, long-term health complications and even death.

Comments on Stage 3 of the the Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology

In comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the American College of Cardiology and The Pew Charitable Trusts urge the ONC to incorporate medical device identifiers developed under the FDA’s unique device identification (UDI) system into both electronic health record (EHR) certification criteria and Stage 3 meaningful use (MU) objectives.

Multistate Foodborne Outbreaks: A Timeline

This interactive graphic represents the ten most widespread multistate foodborne illness outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated products since FSMA was enacted, which constitute a small portion of total foodborne illnesses reported during that period.

Letter From Pew and Medtronic to HHS Regarding the Physician Payments Sunshine Act

The Pew Health Group and Medtronic, Inc. file a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging implementation of the Physician Payments Sunshine Provision, which will require that manufacturers of drugs, devices,biologics or medical supplies report to the agency payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals.

Pew Comments on Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ''Antimicrobial Animal Drug Sales and Distribution Reporting''

The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming submitted a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, urging the FDA to strengthen regulations pertaining to record-keeping and public reporting of antibiotic use in food animal production.

Strengthening Our National System for Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance

The Medical Device Initiative submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concerning the FDA's National Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance Plan, "Strengthening Our National System for Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance."

Public Health and Consumer Groups Call for Participation in Antibiotic Use Meetings

On Nov. 2, 15 public health and consumer organizations sent a joint letter to the FDA requesting to join in discussions to consider how the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry are significant contributing factors to antibiotic resistance in humans.

Pew Comments to the FDA Regarding the Unique Device Identification System

Pew’s Medical Device Initiative, along with the American Heart Association and Trust for America’s Health, submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its proposed rule for a unique device identification (UDI) system for medical devices. Once implemented by the FDA and utilized by healthcare providers, the UDI system will be the cornerstone for significant improvements in postmarketing surveillance of medical devices.

A Look Into Multistate Foodborne Outbreaks

In January 2011, President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law, signaling the first major update to our nation’s food safety framework since the Great Depression. Despite bipartisan support, and a coalition of food safety advocates and industry representatives working for its enactment, the administration still has not issued the proposed rules needed to begin implementing this law. This interactive graphic represents the most widespread multistate foodborne illness outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated products since FSMA was enacted, which constitute a small fraction of total foodborne illnesses reported during that period.

Out of Balance: A Look at Snack Foods in Secondary Schools across the States

How healthy are the snack foods sold in secondary schools via vending machines, school stores and snack bars? A recent report on unhealthy snack foods published by the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project—a collaboration between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—suggests the issue could be more than bite-sized.

Sizing Up Snack Foods

With research indicating that the majority of snack foods and beverages sold in schools are high in calories, fat, and sugar, this graphic compares what is currently available to students with healthier options.

Pew's Comment Letter on FDA’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Data Collection

On behalf of The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew), we are writing to urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strengthen regulations pertaining to record-keeping and public reporting of antibiotic use in food animal production.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: An Assessment of the Evidence for Best Practices

A PDMP is a statewide electronic database that gathers information from pharmacies on dispensed prescriptions for controlled substances. This white paper describes what is known about PDMP best practices and documents the extent to which these practices have been implemented.

Written Statement of Record Regarding the Sunshine Act by Dr. Daniel J. Carlat of the Pew Health Group

Dr. Daniel Carlat, Director of the Pew Prescription Project, appeared before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging to testify about the importance of implementing the Physician Payments Sunshine Act as quickly as possible.

Save Antibiotics August Newsletter (2012)

What's in your Lunchbox? & Senators Call for FDA ActionAIP Generating ActBelow is your August 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. This edition features a video of Supermoms visiting Capitol Hill, a new report on

Members of Congress Write Letter to FDA About Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

Twelve United States congressmen have penned a letter to the Food and Drug Administration making recommendations on improvements to the FDA's policies on food animal production and the use of antibiotics in industrial farming.

Pew Biomedical Scholar Profile: Sohini Ramachandran

Sohini Ramachandran, a population geneticist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, received two high-profile awards this year. In June, she was named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and in February, she received a fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York. She plans to use the grants to distinguish herself in a fast-moving field.

The Battle on the Home Front: The Jonathan Gadsden Story

Since Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom began, many American servicemen and women have been infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While our men and women in uniform increasingly survive severe wounds sustained in combat, their injuries leave them susceptible to life-threatening, hard-to-treat infections. Marine Lance Corporal Jonathan Gadsden’s story reflects the growing need for new antibiotics that can treat these dangerous diseases, against which most drugs are useless.

U.S. Senators' Letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg

Thirteen U.S. Senators, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Susan Collins signed a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg calling for improvements to Guidance for Industry 209 -- which proposes voluntary reductions in the use of antibiotics in food animal production.

Human Health and Industrial Farming 101

Are you interested in writing about the overuse of drugs in food animal production? Below you can find background information, key facts, photos, and other resources.

Pew Comments on Draft Guidance for Industry Regarding Nanotechnology in Food

The Food Additives Project of the Pew Health Group strongly agrees with the FDA's draft decision to deny "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) status to nanoengineered chemicals and review them as food additives. However, they list their concerns with certain aspects of the document and question the agency's claim that it has not reviewed GRAS notifications sanctioning the use of nanoengineered chemicals.

Leading Physicians and Scientists Ask FDA to Rein in Drug Use in Food Animals

Several recognized leaders in the U.S. scientific and medical community have signed a letter to President Obama and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, urging the FDA to implement stronger regulations regarding the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals.

What Did Pew Health Group Find in its Review of the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program?

In the November 1, 2011, edition of the peer-reviewed journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (CRFS), Pew Health Group published a rigorous analysis of the U.S. food additive regulatory program. Key among the findings is that more than 10,000 chemicals were allowed in human food as of January 2011.

Review of the Scientific Basis for Safety Decisions on Hazards of Substances Added to Food

In April 2011 Pew Health Group convened a workshop bringing together more than 80 experts from government, industry, academia and public interest organizations to examine the principles underlying the development and use of scientific evidence to identify and characterize chemical hazards. Based on the workshop discussions, Pew made several important observations.

Testimony of Allan Coukell Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

Pew's Allan Coukell submitted a statement of record to the Congressional Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding concerns with the pharmaceutical supply chain. The focus of Coukell's testimony was the drug distribution system – the weaknesses in the system and the risks of counterfeit and stolen drugs.

Save Antibiotics July Newsletter (2012)

Below is your July 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition we offer two new videos highlighting chefs and farmers encouraging responsible use of antibiotics, we urge President Obama to keep his promise and fix the dangerously outdated food safety system, and much more.

Save Antibiotics June Newsletter (2012)

Here is your June 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition, we ask that you urge the FDA to strengthen its antibiotic policies, the Consumers Union asks grocery stores, "where’s the meat raised without antibiotics?" and the FDA's updated plan on food safety.

Pew Seeks More Veterinary Oversight of Antibiotic Use on Industrial Farms

Gail Hansen, a senior officer with the Pew Health Group, thanks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing draft codified language expanding the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). She also raises several concerns with the language that should be addressed.

Pew Asks FDA to Close Loopholes in New Guidelines to Protect Antibiotics From Overuse

Pew's Laura Rogers, program director of the Human Health and Industrial Farming initiative, commended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing Draft Guidance 213 for industry on antibiotics in animal feed and water and urged the agency to consider improvements that would better protect public health.

Pew Asks FDA to Strengthen Guidelines on Antibiotic Use in Food Animals

Pew's Human Health and Industrial Farming team has applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing Guide 209. However, they would like to see additional strengthening measures, which can help begin the process of making progress toward reducing the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in people.

Businesses to FDA: End Overuse of Antibiotics in Food Animals

Several business leaders, including the CEO of Chipotle, wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that the FDA increase its efforts to curtail the misuse of antibiotics in food animal production.

359 Health Professionals Ask FDA to Better Protect Antibiotics

In this letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 359 health professionals requested that the federal government accelerate and expand actions to curtail the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animal production.

Hospitals Seek Stronger Guidelines for Antibiotic Use in Food Animals

Several hospitals and medical centers across the United States joined forces in a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to accelerate and expand actions to curtail the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animal production.

58 Health and Consumer Groups Tell FDA to Close Loopholes in Antibiotic Guidelines

Over 50 health and consumer groups plead to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that the federal government accelerate and expand actions to curtail the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animal production. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that these practices threaten human health, the routine administration of antibiotics in industrial meat and poultry operations continues unabated, putting the health of all Americans at risk for dangerous antibiotic-resistant infections.

Obama needs to release draft food safety rules, say victims and advocacy groups

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in six Americans (48 million people) suffer from a foodborne illness each year, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Americans will continue to get sick and even die from foodborne disease as your Administration continues to hold up the food safety rules. In fact, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) essentially ensured such an outcome last week in a letter to food industry representatives. In it, the FDA said that until final rules are issued, the agency would not enforce the FSMA requirements that food processors adopt prevention-based protections, and that importers assure the safety of the food products they send to the United States.

Food Products Recalled By FDA

Since President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act into law, at least 149 FDA-regulated food products have been recalled due to potential pathogenic contamination. A recall is needed when a failure in the food safety program in a food facility results in contaminated food products being shipped to supermarkets and other retail and wholesale outlets. A recall is the last line of defense that protects consumers from getting sick.

Food Animal Production and Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics are one of the most important tools in modern medicine. These drugs can mean the difference between life and death when humans contract a bacterial infection—from staph to salmonella to bacterial pneumonia. But overuse and misuse of these drugs are making bacteria more quickly resistant to essential antibiotics.

Health Impact Assessment: National Nutrition Standards for Snack and a la Carte Foods and Beverages Sold in Schools

Updating national nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold in schools could help students maintain a healthy weight and increase food service revenue, according to a health impact assessment by the Kids’ Safe & Healthful Foods Project and the Health Impact Project.

Watch a video examining the impact of updated USDA standards for snack and a la carte foods and beverages.

Facilitating Medical Device Innovation: De Novo Reform

The de novo process as it exists now is not achieving its purpose of streamlining the path to move new devices onto the marketplace and has instead added unnecessary and time-consuming requirements.

Improving Medical Device Safety Through Better Surveillance

In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the Sentinel Initiative, a national electronic system designed to “track the safety of drugs, biologics, and medical devices once they reach the market.” By proactively monitoring data from electronic health records and other sources rather than relying on spontaneous reporting from manufacturers and health care providers, the Sentinel system can more quickly identify safety issues.

Unmet Medical Need in Infectious Diseases

Introduced more than 75 years ago, antibiotics have profoundly transformed health care. Thanks to these drugs and to advances in vaccines and infection control, many formerly devastating bacterial illnesses can be cured or contained.

Save Antibiotics May Newsletter (2012)

"Supermoms" from Maine to Hawaii came to Washington, D.C., this week to press the Obama Administration and Congress to do more to rein in the overuse of antibiotics on America's industrial farms, a practice that breeds antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness Newsletter (2012)

"Supermoms" from Maine to Hawaii came to Washington, D.C., this week to press the Obama Administration and Congress to do more to rein in the overuse of antibiotics on America’s industrial farms, a practice that breeds antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Heparin: A Wake-Up Call on Risks to the U.S. Drug Supply

While the vast majority of drugs in American pharmacies and medicine cabinets are safe, globalization and reliance on outsourced manufacturing creates new risks, including deliberate tampering with ingredients and inadequate quality controls in plants that operate largely outside the scrutiny of the FDA.

Case Studies: How Unsafe Drugs Can Reach Patients

The following case studies illustrate breaches to the pharmaceutical supply chain—the route a drug travels from its raw material origins to the delivery of a finished medicine. These examples, all of which are discussed in Pew Health Group’s report After Heparin: Protecting Consumers from the Risks of Substandard and Counterfeit Drugs, demonstrate the different ways in which contaminated, fake, or otherwise unsafe medicine can reach patients, and underscore the need for reform.

Meet Our Supermoms

We're excited to introduce you to our "Supermoms," passionate advocates from across the country who are raising awareness about the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animal production and its impact on human health.

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness April Newsletter (2012)

Below is your April 2012 newsletter from Moms for Antibiotic Awareness. In this edition: FDA Takes Important Step to Curb Antibiotic Overuse in Food Animal Production.

Save Antibiotics April Newsletter (2012)

Below is your April 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition: FDA Takes Important Step to Curb Antibiotic Overuse in Food Animal Production.

Testimony before the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health

U.S. House of Representatives PDF Download Since 1992, user fee agreements have given FDA significant and sustained resources that allow the agency to review new products quickly. In fact, preliminary findings of a study that Pew has funded show that FDA reviews new drugs faster than its cou

Reviving the Pipeline of Life-Saving Antibiotics

Antibiotic-resistant infections are a growing public health threat. At the same time, antibiotic innovation is waning. Pew, the IIDSA and PhRMA hosted a one-day conference, Reviving the Pipeline of Life-Saving Antibiotics: Exploring Solutions to Spur Innovation on September 22, 2011, exploring ways to overcome the challenges that hinder the development of new antibiotics.

Focus Group Findings on Prepaid Debit Cards

This fact sheet focuses on the lessons learned from consumers who purchase and use prepaid debit cards.

Legal Review Concerning the Use of Health Impact Assessments in Non-Health Sectors

This report examines the legal foundations that support incorporating health considerations into policy and programmatic decisions made in non-health fields. The findings are intended to aid public health professionals and others who seek to ensure that such decisions are made with health in mind.

MRSA: A Deadly Pathogen with Fewer and Fewer Treatment Options

Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, is a common bacterium that exists in our environment and our bodies. Most of the time it does no harm. Sometimes, however, it can cause infection and require treatment. MRSA refers to strains of S. aureus that are resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and a host of other drugs used to treat infection.

Antibiotic Innovation: The Threat and the Pipeline

The Superbug Threat explores the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and its impact on human health, as well as the shrinking pipeline of new antibiotics.

Testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Allan Coukell, Director of Medical Programs, Pew Health Group: Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Enzi, and members of this committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify about the importance of the user fee agreement legislation to patients.

Testimony of Allan Coukell on the Lack of a National Pharmaceutical Tracking System

On March 8, 2012, Pew Health Group’s Director of Medical Programs Allan Coukell testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health regarding the drug distribution system – the risks of counterfeit and stolen drugs, and the pragmatic steps Congress can take to reduce those risks.

Testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health

Allan Coukell, Director of Medical Programs, and Sharon Ladin, Director of the Antibiotics and Innovation Project, testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health on stimulating the development of new antibiotics urgently needed to fight serious and life-threatening bacterial infections.

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness March Newsletter (2012)

Below is your March 2012 newsletter from Moms for Antibiotic Awarness. In this edition: "Supermoms Against Superbugs" Take Washington By Storm Contest!; FDA Finds Rise in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on Meat and Poultry

MRSA on the Appalachian Trail: The Story of Steve Weisel

Hiking the Appalachian Trail, Steve Weisel thought little of the blisters on his feet until he discovered they were infected with life-threatening methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- an increasingly common "superbug" that does not respond to first-line antibiotics. Mr. Weisel's story demonstrates the urgent need for new and innovative therapies to treat this growing threat.

Save Antibiotics March Newsletter (2012)

Below is your March 2012 newsletter from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this edition: "Supermoms Against Superbugs" Take Washington By Storm Contest!, FDA Finds Rise in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on Meat and Poultry

The Threat of Multidrug-Resistant Infections to Children

Expert testimony, research, and commentary

When Multiple Bugs Strike: The Story of Alice Brennan

A healthy immune system may be all the protection someone needs to overcome a bacterial infection, but once one disease takes hold, it may beget more illnesses. Such is often the case with Clostridium difficile, a potentially deadly bacterium that can flourish in the wake of other infections. Senior citizens, such as Alice Brennan, are particularly vulnerable and serve as a reminder that new and powerful antibiotics are needed as protection from dangerous bacterial threats.

The Superbug Threat

As Drug-resistant bacteria spread, the pipeline for antibiotics is drying up

Clostridium difficile: Rapidly Emerging Bacteria that Flourish in the Face of Antibiotics

Nearly 45,000 Americans died from CDI between 1999 and 2009.

The Threat of Multidrug-Resistant Infections to the U.S. Military

Expert Testimony, Research, and Commentary Learn More “MDRO multidrug resistant organism infections have become an international health problem during the past several decades and now pose a challenge to the care of our wounded military personnel.” — D. Hospenthal

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness February Newsletter (2012)

In this edition: Urgent Action Opportunity: Sign "We The People" Petition, FDA Takes Measures to Preserve Effectiveness of Cephalosporins, and HHIF Staff Visits the CDC.

Save Antibiotics February Newsletter (2012)

In this edition: Urgent Action Opportunity: Sign "We The People" Petition, FDA Takes Measures to Preserve Effectiveness of Cephalosporins, and HHIF Staff Visits the CDC.

Recommendations to the FDA Regarding the Use of Antibiotics in Food Animal Production

It is estimated that up to 70 percent of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on industrial farms in healthy food animals, to promote growth and to compensate for the effects of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. This practice promotes the development of deadly strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread to humans.

Joint Comments with Medtronic to CMS on Sunshine Implementation

The Pew Charitable Trusts “Pew” and Medtronic, Inc. are pleased to jointly comment on the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed rule implementing Section 6002 of the Affordable Care Act.

Comments to CMS on Sunshine Implementation

Pew’s main goals in commenting on the proposed rule are to ensure timely implementation and to promote the interest of full transparency by ensuring that data is collected, reported, and published in the most complete, consistent and accurate manner possible.

Pew Health Group comments on the implementation of Section 6002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

"The Pew Health Group of The Pew Charitable Trusts welcomes the opportunity to submit comments regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' ("CMS") proposed rule for Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Programs; Transparency Reports and Reporting of Physician Ownership or Interests."

Testimony of Allan Coukell before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, United States House of Representatives

"Pew has been working to identify the risks to the drug supply and advance pragmatic solutions. In July of 2011, we released a report entitled “After Heparin: Protecting Consumers from the Risks of Substandard and Counterfeit Drugs."

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness January Newsletter (2012)

The January, 2012 newsletter for the Moms for Antibiotic Awareness campaign includes the latest news on a new FDA measure banning cephalosporins, a new story about Ruby, a baby affected by foodborne illness, and an update on our growing group of 23,000 supportive moms.

Save Antibiotics January Newsletter (2012)

The January, 2012 newsletter for the Save Antibiotics campaign includes the latest news on a new FDA measure, a new story about Ruby, a baby affected by foodborne illness, and an update on our growing group of 43,800 supporters.

A Look Into The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain With Examples Of Vulnerabilities

Drug manufacturers and distributors work together in a robust system to deliver high quality products, but our pharmaceutical supply has become increasingly complex in recent years. Medicines originate in factories all over the world,

Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies

Momentous change can come in tiny packages. Nanotechnologies have been hailed by many as the next industrial revolution, likely to affect everything from clothing and medical treatments to engineering. Although focused on the very small, nanotechnology—the ability to measure, manipulate and manufacture objects that are 1/100th to 1/100,000th the circumference of a human hair—offers immense promise. Whether used in cancer therapies, pollution-eating compounds or stain-resistant apparel, these atomic marvels are radically and rapidly changing the way we live. The National Science Foundation predicts that the global marketplace for goods and services using nanotechnologies will grow to $1 trillion by 2015 and employ 2 million workers.

Patient Story: Jamel Sawyer: A Young Man Fights MRSA

One of the most notorious multidrug-resistant superbugs, MRSA is responsible for an estimated 19,000 deaths and 360,000 hospitalizations each year in this country. Jamel’s story illustrates the twin dangers presented by emerging multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and the waning effectiveness and availability of drugs to treat them.

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness December Newsletter (2011)

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS), through its food provider Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, has begun serving local chicken raised without antibiotics to students in 457 schools. No other district in the nation is serving this kind of poultry regularly at such a scale.

Save Antibiotics December Newsletter (2011)

Transaction Infraction

An interactive graphic demonstrating how banks can reorder a checking account customer’s transactions in a manner that maximizes overdraft fees.

Navigating the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program

The Food Additives Amendment of 1958 is the foundation for the U.S. food additive regulatory program, which oversees most substances added to food. This article is a comprehensive review of the program, and includes original analysis of pre- and postmarket safety standards for various categories and subcategories of substances and their uses.

Fees and the Unbanked

An interactive map highlighting the checking account practices of the 10 largest U.S. banks and the percentage of people without bank accounts in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Enhancing FDA's Evaluation of Science to Ensure Chemicals Added to Human Food are Safe (Proceedings)

The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Institute of Food Technologists, and the journal Nature brought together over 80 experts in science and food policy to examine the principles underlying the development and use of scientific evidence needed to evaluate possible hazards posed by chemicals added to food.

Fees and the Unbanked

The Pew Health Group’s Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project investigated checking accounts offered by the ten largest U.S. banks, which held nearly 60 percent of the nation’s deposit volume.

View an interactive graphic presenting a state-by-state overview of Underbanked or Unbanked households.

Joint Letter to HHS on Sunshine Implementation

Dear Secretary Sebelius: We are writing to urge you to fully implement Section 1128G of the Social Security Act, the Physician Payments Sunshine Provision, which was added as Section 6002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

How Safe Are Our Food Imports?

The Pew Health Group and the Center for Science in the Public Interest address the safety of imported seafood and raw produce.

Focus On: Food Import Safety

Americans’ appetite for imported food has expanded dramatically over the past few decades. For each of the past seven years, food imports have grown by an average of 10 percent. Currently, between 10 and 15 percent of all food consumed by U.S. households is imported. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nearly two-thirds of the fruits and vegetables and 80 percent of seafood consumed domestically come from outside the United States. In this issue brief, the Pew Health Group and Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) address the safety of imported seafood and raw produce, two of the largest categories of FDA-regulated food items produced and processed abroad and then sold in the United States.

Slipping Behind

"Hidden or unexpected fees” were cited as the number one reason Greater Los Angeles’ working poor, those who are employed yet remain in relative poverty, closed bank accounts in the past year, surpassing job loss or lack of money, according to a survey of predominately Hispanic, low-income households.

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness October Newsletter (2011)

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness October Newsletter (2011) Below is your October 2011 newsletter from Moms for Antibiotic Awareness. In this issue, you will find updates on the release of an important new report on antibiotics in food animal production, information on a critical class of drugs

Save Antibiotics October Newsletter (2011)

Below is your October 2011 newsletter from The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. In this issue, you will find updates on the release of an important new report on antibiotics in food animal production, information on a critical class of drugs FDA is expected to protect from overuse on farms, and several action opportunities to tell FDA, Congress and the White House why this issue is important to you.

National Headlines Reporting on the Need for New, Lifesaving Antibiotics

National and international headlines warn that multidrug-resistant superbugs are on the rise and the pipeline of new antibiotics is running dry.

What Leading Experts are Saying about Emerging Drug-Resistant Infections and the Need for New Drugs to Treat Them

Legislators, regulators, scientists and academics agree: we are running out of antibiotics to treat drug-resistant infections—and we need new ones now. Here is what leading voices are saying about how economic, scientific and regulatory factors are impeding the development of new antibiotics, and what we can do about it.

Bill Summary: The Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now Act (H.R. 2182)

The Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act of 2011 (H.R. 2182) seeks to create incentives to encourage the development of products to treat, prevent, detect and diagnose antibiotic-resistant infections. It extends the length of time an approved drug is free from competition and clarifies the regulatory pathway for new antibiotics.

Testimony of Allan Coukell before the Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions, United States Senate

"A major focus of the Pew Health Group is identifying ways to improve the safety of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. In July of this year, we released a report entitled 'After Heparin: Protecting Consumers from the Risks of Substandard and Counterfeit Drugs.'"

New Ad: The Facts are Clear

Hundreds of scientific studies conducted over four decades have shown that feeding low doses of antibiotics to healthy food animals leads to drug-resistant infections in people. In fact, America’s leading medical, scientific and public health organizations have been warning of the danger for years.

National Research Council Report

The National Research Council report offers guidance to officials in the public and private sectors on conducting health impact assessment (HIA) to evaluate public health consequences of proposed decisions.

Joint letter on State of the Science Regarding Antibiotic Use in Food Animals

The undersigned medical and public health organizations wish to clarify misinformation and confusion about the state of scientific knowledge concerning the contribution of animal agriculture to human antibiotic resistance.

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness September Newsletter (2011)

Since our launch in May, we’ve had more than 15,500 individuals joined Moms for Antibiotic Awareness. More than 1,400 of you have liked us on Facebook and another 3,500 are following us on Twitter. Thanks so much for your support!

Save Antibiotics September Newsletter (2011)

The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming (HHIF) is working to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics by phasing out the overuse and misuse of these drugs in food animal production. Since our launch in May, we’ve had more than 15,500 mothers, fathers, grandparents and others concerned about their family's health, join our Moms for Antibiotic Awareness. More than 1,400 of you have liked us on Facebook and another 3,500 are following us on Twitter. Thanks so much for your support!

Helping School Meals Make the Grade

The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs provide meals to tens of millions of children each day, accounting for up to one-half of those students’ daily calories. However, more than 90 percent of schools serve meals that do not even meet the minimum national school meal standards.

Regulatory Comment: Defining Larger Participants in Certain Consumer Financial Products and Services Markets

This regulatory comment discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed rule on defining larger participants in certain markets related to related to consumer financial products and services. Based on work at the Pew Health Group by the Safe Small Dollar Loans Research Project and The Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project on small dollar loans and checking accounts, we urge the CFPB to issue an initial rule broadly covering nondepository markets. The rule should permit comprehensive supervision by the CFPB. The CFPB's supervisory authority must be broader than its rulemaking authority because examination of the market informs rulemaking needs.

A Look Into U.S. Drug Supply Safety

An overview of the complex pharmaceutical supply chain from manufacturing through distribution of the finished drug, and advances proposed policy solutions to help reduce the risks of counterfeit, adulterated and substandard drugs.

Moms for Antibiotic Awareness August Newsletter (2011)

Thank you for joining Moms for Antibiotic Awareness, a group of mothers, fathers, grandparents and others concerned about their family's health. Specifically, we are dedicated to stopping a common industrial farming practice: feeding antibiotics to cows, pigs, chicken and other food animals that are not sick -- the drugs help to compensate for overcrowded and unsanitary conditions and spur faster growth. Unfortunately, this practice is breeding antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can infect people.

Save Antibiotics August Newsletter (2011)

FDA can issue what’s called a guidance document and advise agricultural and pharmaceutical companies against the misuse of antibiotics on industrial farms. The agency issued a first draft of this guidance—Guidance #209, The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals—in June 2010.

After Heparin

This report provides an overview of the complex pharmaceutical supply chain from manufacturing through distribution of the finished drug, and advances proposed policy solutions to help reduce the risks of counterfeit, adulterated and substandard drugs.

Read two fact sheets describing the heparin adulteration and other examples of breaches to the U.S. drug supply.

View an interactive graphic presenting an overview of today's globalized pharmaceutical supply chain and its vulnerabilities.

Save Antibiotics - The Link Fact Sheet

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have precipitated an emerging health crisis—bacteria are more quickly adapting to and resisting common antibiotics, posing a serious challenge to human health. In the U.S., entire herds or flocks of food animals are often administered antibiotics in their feed or water to promote growth and weight gain—a practice that has been identified as a contributor to antibiotic resistance.

Save Antibiotics - The Challenge Fact Sheet

Whenever antibiotics are used, some bacteria may adapt and become resistant to these commonly used drugs. Today, the world’s leading public health and medical organizations are concerned that overuse and misuse of antibiotics are causing bacteria to develop resistance more quickly. That is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified antibiotic resistance as one of its top concerns.

Joint letter on pending FDA rule to ban the extra-label use of cephalosporins in food animal production

We, the undersigned groups, are writing to ask you to quickly move forward with issuing a revised order of prohibition on extra-label use of cephalosporin drugs in food-producing animals as stated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Strategic Priorities for 2011-2015.

Replacing Deep Fat Fryers

The Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project conducted a pilot survey among food service directors in three states (Georgia, Kentucky and Wisconsin), finding that schools lack the resources and equipment to provide healthy school food to students.

Changing the Menu in Chicago

In an effort to improve the quality of foods served in its schools, CPS debuted new breakfast and lunch menus in the 2010-2011 school year which are now among the healthiest in the country.

Business Credit Cards Place U.S. Households at Risk

Every month, millions of consumers receive offers for business credit cards which are not protected by Credit CARD Act safeguards. The large number of solicitations for less-regulated cards place American families at risk.

A New Equilibrium

Credit card holders are seeing stabilized interest rates, the elimination of overlimit penalty charges, a reduction in late fees charged by banks and minimal changes in annual fees since the Credit CARD Act of 2009 took effect.

Did You Know? Get the Facts on Antibiotic Resistance

Up to 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on industrial farms in healthy food animals, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. This makes the U.S. one of the biggest users of antibiotics in food animal production in the world.

What Moms Need to Know About Antibiotic Resistance and Food Animal Production

The antibiotics our families depend on to treat dangerous infections are rapidly losing their effectiveness, posing a particular threat to our children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. Part of the problem has been the misuse of these drugs in humans, but another key contributor is
antibiotic overuse in food animal production.

Long on Words, Short on Protections – the Need for a Disclosure Box

Based on a study of checking account terms and conditions in April 2011, Pew developed a model disclosure form for checking accounts, similar to a nutrition label for food or a Schumer Box for credit card offers.

Checking Account Risks at a Glance

A graphic illustrating checking account risks at a glance, from the report "Hidden Risks: The Case for Safe and Transparent Checking Accounts"

Hidden Risks

A checking account is the most basic and necessary financial product for American consumers. Nine out of 10 Americans have a checking account, making it the most widely utilized financial services product in the United States.

View an infographic presenting figures from the most important findings of the report.

Tips for Writing a Letter to the Editor

Send a letter to your local newspaper to stress why antibiotics are important to you and your family.

Testimony before the Committee on Energy on Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, United States House of Representatives

"Chairman Stearns, Ranking Member DeGette, and members of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony about the essential steps Congress must take to protect Americans and ensure the integrity of our drug supply..."

Enhancing FDA’s Evaluation of Science to Ensure Chemicals Added to Human Food Are Safe (Pre-Workshop Materials)

The workshop, co sponsored by Nature journal, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), and the Pew Heath Group, brought together more than 80 scientists and and policymakers to develop a shared understanding of the current system FDA uses to assess the hazards of chemicals added to human food and explore opportunities to strengthen that system.

Tools to Improve School Meals

The meals schools serve to students are an important source of nutrients kids need to grow, learn and succeed. Yet many schools don’t have the necessary tools to prepare safe and healthy meals.

Serving Up School Meals that Make the Grade

The nutrition standards for school meals have not been updated for more than 15 years. In 2009, the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences set forth recommendations for making school meals healthier.

Save Antibiotics - The Campaign Fact Sheet

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

President Barack Obama signed the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act" into law on January 4, 2011. This interactive graphic explains the key benefits from the law that consumers should expect to see in five important areas.

Health Care and the Antibiotic Resistance Crisis

Many public health officials and medical organizations are increasingly concerned about the rising incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections in the United States. According to the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance, unless antibiotic resistance ―problems are detected as they emerge—and actions are taken quickly to contain them—the world may soon be faced with previously treatable diseases that have again become untreatable, as in the pre-antibiotic era.

2010 Foodborne-Illness Outbreaks by Pathogen Linked to FDA-regulated Foods

Foodborne-illness outbreaks have been in the news all year. The recent recall of more than a half-billion eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) – which has reportedly resulted in more than 1,600 infections nationwide in 2010, to date, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – is just the latest instance in which a common food has posed a serious public-health risk.

Health Impact Assessments

Health impact assessments (HIAs) use a flexible, data-driven approach that identifies the health consequences of new policies and develops practical strategies to enhance their health benefits and minimize adverse effects.

Health Impact Assessment

Preventable health problems, including many cases of heart disease, diabetes, asthma and injuries, are taking a huge toll on American families. For the first time in U.S. history, data suggest that today’s children may live shorter lives than their parents. These problems also threaten our nation’s economic vitality.

Nearly 200,000 Tell FDA to Save Antibiotics

Nearly 200,000 letters were recently submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responding to the agency’s request for comments on rules governing the use of antibiotics on industrial farms. These letters made it clear to the FDA that:

Getting Smart About Antibiotic Resistance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has proclaimed November 15-21, 2010 as "Get Smart About Antibiotics Week." This event is an opportunity for Americans to learn about the importance of these life-saving drugs.

Federal Reporting Requirements on Payments to Physicians: Impact on State Laws

With the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, all U.S. manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics or medical supplies covered under government-funded insurance programs are now required to report certain information to HHS. This fact sheet describes how these federal reporting requirements affect comparable state disclosure laws.

Avoiding Antibiotic Resistance: Denmark's Ban on Growth Promoting Antibiotics in Food Animals

Recognizing the potential for a health crisis, Denmark began restricting the administration of antibiotics used for growth promotion (i.e., non-medical uses) in cattle, broiler chickens and swine in 1998. The World Health Organization found that the ban reduced human health risk without significantly harming animal health or farmers' incomes.

Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Governing the Growing, Packing and Handling of Fresh Produce in Countries Exporting to the U.S.

A number of major countries exporting fresh vegetables and fruit into the United States have modernized food-safety laws and regulations over the past two decades to emphasize preventive measures. The Produce Safety Project (PSP), supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, advocates for improvements in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) oversight of domestic and imported produce through the adoption of mandatory, enforceable safety standards. To provide policymakers with information on the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the growing, packing and handling of fresh produce in countries exporting to the U.S., PSP commissioned a review of those systems in fi ve of the U.S.’s largest trading partners - Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, and Peru.

Regulatory Comment: Overdraft Payment Programs and Consumer Protection

The Pew Health Group’s Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project responds to the FDIC’s call for comments on FIL-47-2010, Overdraft Payment Programs and Consumer Protection. The FDIC issued proposed guidance for public comment on how banking institutions it supervises should implement and maintain oversight of automated overdraft programs.

Drug Safety and Accountability Act of 2010

The Drug Safety and Accountability Act of 2010 (S.3690) seeks to strengthen industry standards to ensure the quality and safety of drugs made for the U.S. market, and to improve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) oversight abilities through modernized information systems and new authorities, such as the power to order a drug recall.

Americans' Attitudes on Prescription Drug Safety

This issue brief presents key findings from a nationwide survey about the safety of the U.S. drug supply among voters conducted March 29 –April 1, 2010 for the Pew Prescription Project by Hart Research Associates Public Opinion Strategies.

Effects of Banning the Use of Antibiotics as Growth Promoters in Denmark and Scandinavia

A listing of major reports and journal articles regarding the effects of banning the use of antibiotics as food animal growth promoters in Denmark and Scandinavia.

Two Steps Forward

This report presents findings of the Pew Health Group’s most recent assessment of the credit card marketplace, based on data collected in March 2010.

Unbanked By Choice

This study compares banked and unbanked families across several categories including financial behavior, economic status and perceptions of the financial service industry.

Testimony: Gail R. Hansen before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health

Antibiotics are overused in industrial farming to the detriment of human health. Antibiotic overuse has spurred generations of bacteria that are causing life threatening illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics. Effective alternatives are available to agribusiness. Congress has the opportunity to enact legislation that will curtail the use of antibiotics in industrial food animal production without having significant economic impact on the industry.

Official Text: Hearing on Antibiotic Resistance and the use of Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture

The CDC lists control over infectious disease as one of its top 10 great public health achievements of the last century, and antimicrobials are crucial to that accomplishment. And yet we must collectively be alarmed that we are undermining the power of antibiotics by failing to use them judiciously.

Supporting Materials: Hearing on Antibiotic Resistance and the use of Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture

On July 14, 2010, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to examine the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. View PDF files of some of the materials entered into the hearing record by organizations and health and agricultural professionals.

Regulatory Comment: National Unbanked and Underbanked Household Survey

The Pew Health Group’s Safe Banking Opportunities Project responds to the FDIC’s request for comment, published at 75 FR 20357, (April 13, 2010) on potential changes to the survey instrument for the National Unbanked and Underbanked Household Survey.

PSP Submits Growers' Comments

The Produce Safety Project (PSP) supports the development by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a mandatory and enforceable produce safety standard for the growing, harvesting and packing of fresh fruits and vegetables. Among other activities, PSP sponsored six stakeholder discussions around the country with the goal of providing a platform for stakeholders, with particular emphasis on growers, to discuss their expertise in promoting produce safety through their current practices and offer input for consideration by FDA as it prepares to propose a produce safety rule.

Toxic Chemicals and Reproductive Health

Over the past few decades, the reproductive health of Americans appears to have declined. Diseases, disorders and conditions that affect the development and functioning of the male and female reproductive systems—including fertility problems, miscarriages, pre-term births, low birthweights and certain birth defects—have risen. In addition, incidence rates of testicular cancer have increased, and breast and prostate cancers remain among the most common forms of cancer in the U.S.

Capitol Hill Briefing: Reducing Antibiotic Resistance

On May 5, 2010, Pew hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill in collaboration with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Louise Slaughter, and Rep. Howard Berman. Panelists included an official from the World Health Organization, a veterinarian from Denmark's Technical University, the proprietor of a Danish hog farm and a scientist from Denmark's State Serum Institute.

Building the Science Foundation of a Modern Food Safety System

During the past 20 years, those working to prevent foodborne illnesses in the United States–whether in government, industry, academia, or the consumer advocacy community–have made major progress in understanding food safety as a farm-to-fork challenge that necessitates science-based efforts throughout the system. Numerous reports have called for a more risk-informed and data-driven approach to U.S. food safety, and legislation currently being considered in Congress includes provisions to strengthen the scientific basis of the nation’s food safety system.

Avoiding Antibiotic Resistance

Denmark's Ban on Growth Promoting Antibiotics in Food Animalssaveantibiotics_org_denmark_htmlAntibiotics are the crown jewels of medicine. These life saving drugs are vital to human health—treating everything from strep throat to skin infections to bacterial pneumonia.

Comments Submitted to the Federal Reserve by the Pew Safe Credit Cards Project (Regulation Z, Reasonable and Proportional Penalty Charges and Other Rules Under the Credit CARD Act of 2009)

The Pew Health Group’s Safe Credit Cards Project submitted comments to the Federal Reserve Board regarding the Board’s proposed rules under Regulation Z (Docket No. R-1384). The rules cover “reasonable and proportional” penalty charges and other requirements under the Credit CARD Act of 2009.

Toxic Chemicals and a Child's Brain Development

Today, one in six children in the United States has a developmental or learning disability. Some experts say many of these may be due in part to early exposures to toxic chemicals. The number of children diagnosed with these disabilities has increased dramatically over the past four decades.

Physician Payments Sunshine Provisions in Health Care Reform

The Physician Payments Sunshine provisions in health care reform legislation require drug and medical device manufacturers to publicly report gifts and payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals.

Federal Reserve Issues Final Rules on Gift Cards

The Federal Reserve Board issued its Regulation E Final Rule on gift cards as required by the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009. The Pew Safe Credit Cards Project submitted a letter to the Federal Reserve during its proposed rule comment period requesting that the Fed consider limiting the amount of any such monthly fee.

Legislative text of Physician Payment and other transparency provisions included in H.R. 3590

Legislative text of Physician Payment and other transparency provisions included in H.R. 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009. Passed by the Senate (12/24/09) and the House (3/21/10).

Testimony: House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

Antibiotic-resistant infections have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the top public health challenges in the United States. Massive use of medically important antibiotics like penicillin and tetracycline in food animal production is a significant contributor to this problem.

Taking Charge (Spring 2010 Trust Magazine article)

The Pew Charitable Trusts began work to protect Americans from the credit cards’ most perilous provisions. That effort culminated in May of 2009 with the passage and presidential signature of the first major credit-card reform ever.

Pew Statement on Energy and Commerce Drug Safety Hearing

"Two years after dozens of Americans lost their lives to contaminated heparin, we are still unable to protect U.S. consumers from many of the risks of pharmaceuticals manufactured in foreign factories. It is time for Congress to take action to better protect health."

Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States

The report ranks states according to their total costs related to foodborne illness and cost per case for an individual, which is $1,850 on average nationwide. The ten states with the highest costs per case are: Hawaii, Florida, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, the District of Columbia, Mississippi, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Capitol Hill Briefing: Alternatives to Routine Antibiotic Use in Food Animals

On March 2, 2010, Pew hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill with Bill Niman, founder of Niman Ranch; Steve Ells, co-CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill; and other successful livestock producers and businesspeople who discussed how they sustain profitable ventures based on antibiotic-free meat production.

Antibiotic-Free Food Animal Production

As a result of increasing consumer demand, organic products have become more mainstream, appearing now in an estimated 73 percent of grocery stores.As availability of organic products has grown, consumption patterns have shifted to reflect this availability. Where consumption of organic goods used to be the lifestyle choice of a small group of consumers, today more than two-thirds of Americans admit to purchasing organic products occasionally.

How Antibiotic Resistance Happens

Frequent, low doses of antibiotics that are not strong enough to kill all bacteria encourage some bacteria to develop means of survival, or to become “resistant.”

Comprehensive Fact Sheet: Denmark’s Ban on Growth Promoting Antibiotics in Food Animals

In human medicine, antibiotic use is generally confined to treatment of illness. In contrast, antibiotics and other antimicrobials (drugs that kill microorganisms like bacteria) often are routinely given to food animals in the U.S. in order to grow animals faster and to compensate for unsanitary conditions on many industrial farms.

Moving Towards Safer Credit Cards

On February 22, major new consumer protections took effect as part of the second implementation phase of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009. Just two practices addressed in this second phase will save American consumers at least $10 billion a year. The Pew Health Group's Safe Credit Cards Project is looking ahead to the third and final phase of the Credit CARD Act, to take effect August 22, 2010, which will require all credit card penalties to be “reasonable and proportional” and will direct card issuers to review all interest rate increases since the beginning of 2009.

Produce Safety Project: Stakeholders' Discussion Series Meetings

The Food and Drug Administration announced in December 2009, that it was going to establish a nationwide produce safety standard for the growing, harvesting and packing of fresh fruits and vegetables and opened an official docket for comments in February 2010.

Industrial Farms and Antibiotic Resistance

Basic information on antibiotics, their use on industrial animal farms, and the problem of antibiotic resistance from the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming.

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Animals and Unnecessary Human Health Risks

In the United States, many food animals—poultry, swine and cattle—are routinely treated with antibiotics in order to grow animals faster and to compensate for unsanitary conditions on many industrial farms. Recently, major increases in antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in human populations have led to public health concerns regarding antibiotic use for non-therapeutic purposes (i.e., not used to treat disease) in animals destined for food production.

Antibiotic Resistance and the Industrial Animal Farm

Antibiotics are commonly prescribed drugs that kill bacteria or suppress their ability to grow, allowing the human immune system to respond and heal from illness. Antibiotic resistance is a dangerous bacterial trait which enables bacteria to survive and continue to grow instead of being inhibited or destroyed by therapeutic doses of the drug. As a result, antibiotic-resistant bacteria can evade the effects of the antibiotic and multiply, with severe consequences for human health.

Food Safety and the Antibiotic Resistance Crisis

According to a first-ever study by professors at the University of Regina in the United Kingdom, U.S. food safety ranks seventh or “average” among 17 other industrialized nations. At least 76 million cases of food-borne disease occur each year in the U.S. While many health problems caused by contaminated food are not serious, some food-borne infections are much more dangerous, leading to convulsions, premature delivery and miscarriage, sepsis, or even death.

Important Human Medicines Used on Industrial Farms

Industrial animal farms commonly administer low doses of antibiotics and other antimicrobials (drugs that fight microorganisms like bacteria and viruses) to pigs, cows, chickens, sheep, and other food animal species for the purpose of growth promotion or weight gain. Typically, these sub-therapeutic doses, which are generally not high enough to fight active diseases or infections, are given directly to animals in their feed or water.

Charts Displaying Denmark's Decline in Antibiotic Resistance

These charts summarize Denmark's decline in antibiotic usage and antibiotic resistance, as well as the increase of livestock and poultry production after a ban on the nontheraputic use of antibiotics and antimicrobial drugs in food production animals.

Issue Brief Series: Analyses of Possible Sources of Produce Contamination

The Produce Safety Project has commissioned a series of papers as a follow-up to its analysis and comparison of existing produce safety standards. These papers will explore in more depth issues relating to the use of compost, the quality of irrigation water, the interaction and interface of food safety standards and conservation standards, and worker hygiene measures.

Capitol Hill Briefing: Industrial Animal Farms and Worker Health and Safety

On December 17, 2009, Pew hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill in collaboration with Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Leading experts discussed the public health and sociological effects of industrial farm animal production for farm workers and rural communities.

Letter from Danish Chief Veterinarian to Congress

In Denmark the termination of non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials for growth promotion has not caused any negative impact on the animal production. The Danish animal food industry has continued to improve its productivity and to increase its output.

Student Debt Class of 2008

The Project on Student Debt's fourth annual report on the student loan debt of new college graduates. The analysis of the most recent available data found that student debt continued to rise even as it got harder for recent graduates to find jobs, and that debt levels vary considerably from state to state and college to college.

Regulatory Comment on Credit Card Disclosure Requirements

The Pew Safe Credit Cards Project submitted comments (PDF) to the Federal Reserve Board regarding the Board’s latest proposed rulemaking under Regulation Z (Docket No. R—1370). The rules implement provisions of the Credit CARD Act of 2009 that are effective February 22, 2010. Pew’s comments focused on clarifying the rights of consumers in a credit card contract and increased responsibility for and disclosure from credit card issuers.

Children and Foodborne Illness

Children are disproportionately affected by foodborne illness, a serious public health problem. Approximately half of the reported foodborne illnesses occur in children. Every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that tens of millions of Americans fall ill, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands die from foodborne illnesses.

State Surveillance of Foodborne Illness

In an effort to determine states’ capacity to track produce-related cases of foodborne illness and gain a better understanding of how states conduct investigations of outbreaks, the Produce Safety Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, commissioned Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.) to conduct a survey of state health departments. The survey was sent to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and 39 responded. The survey requested 2007 data on the types of questionnaires administered by state health departments to foodborne-illness victims, the time frame in which they were completed, the types of questions asked, and how states collected and stored the resulting data. These elements are key in the effective identification of the source of a foodborne illness.

Progress on Court Reforms

The release of the court recommendations of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care in 2004 focused greater attention on the need to enhance dependency court performance to achieve improved outcomes for children and youth in foster care and their families. As part of a first of its kind national judicial summit in 2005, states developed action plans to strengthen dependency court performance in the four critical areas identified by the Pew Commission: accountability, collaboration with child welfare agencies, judicial leadership, and constituent voice. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 provided $100 million in court improvement funds to support judicial reforms across the country.

In this review, Kids Are Waiting both examines the progress that states have made since the 2005 summit in strengthening their dependency courts and improving outcomes for children, youth, and families, and makes recommendations for continued improvements.

Still Waiting

This report presents Pew’s findings about the state of the credit card market on the eve of significant new federal regulations designed to eliminate unfair or deceptive practices and foster safer and more transparent products.

Pathways for Transferring Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria from Farm Animals to Humans

There are four major pathways in which resistant bacteria can spread from animals to humans. Most commonly, consumers or workers handling contaminated meat can acquire the bacteria on their skin or in a cut.

Getting with the Program

This report finds that nearly one in 10 community college students in the U.S. can’t get a federal loan if they need one because their schools choose not to participate in the federal loan programs.

Letter from Danish Technical University Professor to Speaker Nancy Pelosi

We have just had the pleasure of meeting with a delegation consisting of four members of the House of Representatives, where we presented our data on the effects of the stop for nontherapeutic use of antimicrobials for food animals in Denmark.We know that various rumours and sometimes “creative” interpretations of what has taken place in Denmark have been circulated to members of the US Congress, and we are grateful for having been given this opportunity to correct some of these stories.

Nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology, & Public Opinion

A groundbreaking poll finds that almost half of U.S. adults have heard nothing about nanotechnology, and nearly nine in 10 Americans say they have heard just a little or nothing at all about the emerging field of synthetic biology, according to a new report released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies and Peter D. Hart Research. Both technologies involve manipulating matter at an incredibly small scale to achieve something new.

Regulatory Comment on Credit CARD Act Rule: Advanced Notice and Cancel Requirements

The Pew Safe Credit Cards Project submitted comments (PDF) to the Federal Reserve Board regarding the Board’s interim final rules under Regulation Z (Docket No. R-1364). The rules cover advance notice and right to cancel requirements under the Credit CARD Act of 2009. Pew’s comments focused on a number of exceptions the Board proposed, which could allow issuers to raise interest rates, change minimum required payment levels and impose potentially large deferred interest charges with little or no advance warning.

Letter to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy

Our combined memberships include the country’s foremost scientific and medical experts and represent more than eleven million concerned Americans and health professionals. Our position is based on objective health interests and concerns that dangerous drug resistant infections are rapidly increasing in hospitals and community settings adding to the economic burden of the U.S. healthcare costs.

Pew letter to the FDA in response to their public recognition of animal agriculture's contribution to antimicrobial resistance

The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming (Pew) would like to extend our sincere thanks to you both for taking the time to meet with us on June 23 to discuss the contribution of animal agriculture to the growing public health crisis of antimicrobial resistance. We are deeply appreciative not only of your consideration of our viewpoints, but also the expertise and dedication that you bring to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Testimony: Robert P. Martin Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Rules

Testimony from Robert P. Martin, Senior Officer, Pew Environment Group, before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Rules regarding the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA).

Bill Comparison - Regulation of Overseas Drug Manufacturing

This issue brief from the Pew Prescription Project outlines the differences between bills from the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate regarding regulation of overseas drug manufacturing.

Bill Summary - Counterfeit Drug Enforcement Act of 2009

This issue brief is a summary of H.R. 2726 - The Counterfeit Drug Enforcement Act of 2009, also known as the Tim Fagan Law.

Regulatory Comment on Credit CARD Act Reasonable and Proportional Rule

The Pew Safe Credit Cards Project submitted comments to the Federal Reserve Board in regard to rulemaking under the Credit CARD Act of 2009. These comments focused specifically on the law’s requirement that penalty fees and charges must be reasonable and proportional to related cardholder omissions or violations.

FDA Globalization Act of 2009: Drug Safety Provisions

The Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009 (H.R.759) seeks to secure the safety of imported prescription drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients through greater FDA authority and manufacturer responsibility, and increased inspections of prescription drug and active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing sites abroad.

Legal Analysis Examines Limits to Agricultural Marketing Service's Role in Produce Safety Standards

This Legal Analysis by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Examines AMS’s Role in Produce Safety Standards.

Curing Credit Card Penalties

Congress is set to enact new legislation that will make credit cards safer and more fair for consumers. As lawmakers negotiate final details before President Obama can sign the bill, new analysis from the Pew Health Group highlights the importance of a safeguard found only in the Senate’s version of the law.

Comparison of GAPs for Fresh Produce

In the absence of mandatory federal regulations, a number of organizations and one state have stepped into the regulatory void and adopted their own standards for the growing and harvesting of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables intended to be consumed raw) aimed at minimizing microbial contamination.

Testimony of Allan Coukell, Director of the Pew Prescription Project, on Protecting Consumers from Adulterated Drugs

Protecting consumers against the risk of adulterated products is, of course, the original mission of the FDA. Today, the vast majority of pharmaceutical products sold in the United States today are not adulterated, but an increasingly complex supply chain creates new challenges and new risks – as recent events demonstrate.

Produce Safety Summit: Implications of Mandatory Safety Standards

Every year in the United States, foodborne illnesses cause sickness, death, and significant economic and social costs that extend beyond the immediate victims. In January 2007, the Government Accountability Office designated federal oversight of food safety as a high-risk area because of the need to reduce risks to public health as well as the economy. In March 2009, President Obama announced the creation of a Food Safety Working Group to address the need to reduce foodborne illness.

A number of actions are being proposed to address these issues, including mandatory safety standards for foods such as fresh produce. However, there are significant inherent challenges in the implementation and enforcement of safety standards, primarily due to multi-stakeholder involvement, increased complexities in the food production and distribution chains, and fragmentation of oversight responsibilities.

No Economic Advantage to Industrialized Pork Production

In October 2008, a panel formed to conduct a comprehensive, fact-based examination of key aspects of the farm animal industry. The report found that the current industrial method of raising pigs for food carries no economic advantage over more natural pig farming. The researchers determined that when the costs to society and communities are taken into account – particularly the costs of waste treatment - industrial animal production actually carries a higher price tag.

It's Not Flu As Usual

Every winter, the U.S. suffers a seasonal flu that kills approximately 36,000 Americans and hospitalizes more than 200,000. Terrible as that is, health experts are now warning about a far more lethal kind of flu – a pandemic flu that could kill over half a million Americans, hospitalize more than two million, cost our economy billions in lost productivity and direct medical expenses, and impact virtually every community.

Oversight of Next Generation Nanotechnology

Since 1980, the capability of the federal agencies responsible for environmental health and safety has steadily eroded. The agencies cannot perform their basic functions now, and they are completely unable to cope with the new challenges they face in the 21st century. This paper describes some of these challenges, focusing on next-generation nanotechnologies, and suggests changes that could revitalize the health and safety agencies.

Safe Credit Card Standards

Credit card companies have powers unique in the world of retail lending. After a consumer has agreed to the terms of a credit card account and used the card to make purchases or obtain cash advances, the card issuer may lawfully rewrite the agreement or demand a higher rate of interest, even on funds previously advanced. In a one-year period between 2007 and 2008, issuers used these powers to raise interest rates on nearly one quarter of cardholder accounts.

Teleconference on Legislation to Help Curtail Overuse of Antibiotics on Factory Farms

Chipotle restaurant CEO joins Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and leading antibiotic expert to discuss the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009.

The Genetic Town Hall

The Genetics and Public Policy Center’s Public Consultation Project on Genes, Environment, and Health consisted of focus groups, interviews with community leaders, a survey, and a series of town halls. This report summarizes the five town hall sessions, which took place from March-May 2008 in Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; and Portland, Oregon.

Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing

Reports of pharmaceutical and medical device industry marketing expenditures vary - pharmaceutical manufacturers spend billions annually on marketing - detailing, journal advertising, pharmaceutical samples and direct-to-consumer advertising. What can be done to protect patients, control health care costs, and bolster professionalism among physicians? The Prescription Project promotes a range of solutions for consumers, physicians, state and federal policy makers, and public and private payers.

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has tremendous potential to contribute to human flourishing in socially just and environmentally sustainable ways. However, nanotechnology is unlikely to realize its full potential unless its associated social and ethical issues are adequately attended.

Current Law Provides FDA with Authority to Mandate Safety Standards for Produce

Legal analyses by the Congressional Research Service and by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University conclude that FDA has sufficient authority under existing law to adopt produce-safety regulations.

Non-physician Prescribers and Pharmaceutical Industry Interactions

Industry marketing to non-physician prescribers has increased markedly in recent years to roughly 20 million detail visits in 2006, a 20% increase over 2004.

Converting Basic Financial Services Fees into Prosperity

12 percent of California households lack a bank account and pay fees to cash checks and pay bills, adding up to $700 annually for the typical unbanked household. The majority of these households appears to be qualified for bank accounts, but is either misinformed about the relative cost of banks or distrustful of them.

Defaulting on the Dream:Arizona

One in 18 homeowners in Arizona is estimated to be in foreclosure by the end of 2010, as a result of a subprime-related loan. Years of easily accessible credit and relatively low home prices that facilitated homeownership in the state have ended, leaving in their wake stricter lending terms and stagnating home appreciation.

FDA Responsibilities and Resources

Charged with responsibility for keeping 80% of the nation's food supply (including fresh produce) safe, the FDA receives less than 25% of federal dollars spent on food safety activities.

Produce-Related Foodborne-Illness Outbreaks

From 1990 through 2005, at least 713 produce-related outbreaks have occurred. This issue brief summarizes 15 years of produce-related illness outbreaks in the U.S.

Foodborne Pathogens Associated with Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

There are a number of foodborne microbial pathogens associated with the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables that can cause illness or death among consumers who eat contaminated produce.

This document summarizes the major foodborne microbial pathogens that may be found in fresh produce, including Cyclospora cayetanensis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Hepatitis A, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp.

Cost of Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illnesses carry with them significant economic and social costs that extend far beyond the immediate victim.

FDA Actions Regarding Produce Safety

For more than a decade, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized the challenge of making fresh produce safer. However, it has relied on voluntary guidelines. This document summarizes a decade of government initiatives that fall short of the mandatory and enforceable federal safety standards needed for domestic and imported fresh fruits and vegetables.

Lessons to Be Learned from the 2008 Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak of 2008 officially over on August 28, 2008, some three months after it began. During that time, more than 1,400 persons were reported infected, and if, as suggested by research, this represents an underreporting, the outbreak may have sickened thousands of Americans. Given the human, economic and public-health costs of this recent food borne-illness outbreak, therefore, it is critical to learn from it. This report represents the first extensive and in-depth review of the public record of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. In doing so, three areas of concern have surfaced: policy, the public-health system's organization and outbreak response, and its communications with the media and the public.

MedPAC Recommendations - Public Reporting of Physicians' Financial Relationships

Final recommendations approved by commission on November 6, 2008 - five recommendations to Congress regarding legislation about disclosure of relationships and gifts and payments made to physicians from pharmaceutical and medical device/supply manufacturers.

Safe Credit Card Project Regulatory Comment:

In October 2008, the Pew Safe Credit Cards Project shared comments (PDF) based on its recent work on credit cards with the Federal Reserve. Select findings from the project—including information on credit card penalty re-pricing and analysis of credit cards in the market—were included.

Time for Reform

Many significant improvements have been made to the foster care system over the years, and across the country, case workers and court officials have worked to facilitate better outcomes for children in the government’s care. Yet the number of foster youth aging out of care keeps rising. In 2006, the latest year for which data are available, 26,181 youth aged out of care, a 119 percent increase since 1998. On average, youth who aged out of foster care in 2006 spent five years in the system, compared with less than two years for children who left through reunification, adoption, guardianship or other means.

Top Line Poll Results

Results from Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies survey of 1002 likely voters, conducted from July 21-August 3, 2008.

Results of a National Survey on Produce Safety

A national survey of likely voters conducted for the Produce Safety Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, finds that the American voting public has significant concerns about produce safety. Voters believe that the federal government and food packagers bear the greatest responsibility for ensuring that produce is safe, and they say that neither group is doing a good job in this regard. Thus it is not surprising that most voters—across the demographic and ideological spectrums—wish to see the produce safety system significantly reformed, supporting new safety requirements even if they increase the cost of produce.

Regulating Industry Payments to Physicians

Physicians write more than 2 billion prescriptions a year, an average of 7 for every American. Several states and the District of Columbia have enacted so-called “sunshine laws” setting limits on industry payments to physicians and/or requiring disclosure of the payments. Proposed legislation in both the U.S House and Senate would require industry to disclose “transfers of value” to physicians.

Nanotechnology Oversight

The next presidential administration will face a host of complex policy issues concerning energy, the environment, food safety, consumer products and the workplace. One issue, however, that will impact virtually all of these policy areas is nanotechnology oversight.

PharmFree Scorecard

Most of the 150 U.S. medical schools are failing when it comes to building strong conflict of interest policies to limit pharmaceutical marketing on campus, according to the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) PharmFree Scorecard released today.

Consumer Survey - Disclosure of Industry Payments to Physicians

A majority of Americans say that it is important to know their physician’s financial ties to pharmaceutical companies and support legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose gifts to doctors.

Disclosure of Industry Payments to Physicians

This Prescription Project survey shows Americans are eager to understand financial ties between physicians and pharmaceutical industry.

Putting Meat on the Table

The current industrial farm animal production system often poses unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the welfare of the animals themselves, according to an extensive two and a half year examination conducted by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

Denied

An issue brief on the lack of access to federal loans by community college students. If you need to take out a loan for college, it is tough to find a better deal than a federal student loan.

Defaulting on the Dream

Few imaginable economic events send the same message of fear and foreboding in America as a housing crisis. For most Americans, their homes are their greatest asset. And for the states, industries dependent on housing are cornerstones for economic growth and fiscal stability.

Strengthening Families Through Guardianship

More than 500,000 children will close their eyes tonight as wards of the state in foster care. They are waiting for the security, stability and love of permanent families. Foster care was created as a short-term safety net for children in crisis, however, on average children will languish in care for more than two years. More than half the children leaving foster care will return home to their birth parents, and about 18 percent will leave foster care to adoptive families. For some, however, reunification with their parents or adoption is not an option.

Retirement Security for Women

As the baby boomers approach retirement, hardly a day passes without reference to concerns — in media outlets, policy discussions, and research circles — about whether households are saving enough to finance adequate living standards in retirement. Most of this discussion, however, focuses on the generation as a whole. In this paper, we explore financial prospects and problems for women and policies that could materially improve their financial security in retirement.

Statement of Hope Cooper, Senior Program Officer, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Before the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the House Committee on Ways and Means

In 2003 Pew launched a national initiative aimed at finding ways to reduce the number of children languishing in foster care without permanent families. To date, we have invested more than $23 million towards achieving this goal. The initiative began with the work of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster care. In 2004, after more than a year of intensive study, the commission issued a report with policy recommendations for state court and federal financing reforms.

AAMC: The Scientific Basis of Influence and Bias

The Association of American Medical Colleges recently published "The Scientific Basis of Influence and Bias" based on a symposium held in June 2007 in Washington D.C.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Human Health

The problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is growing in the United States and worldwide. This report explores the scope of the AMR problem and what can or should be done about AMR from the standpoint of animal agriculture.

Time for Reform: Investing In Prevention

Approximately 3.6 million children were reported to child protection authorities as possible victims of abuse and neglect in 2005. Unfortunately, few data exist about services provided to these children, but it is estimated only 2.5 percent of these children receive any kind of preventive services. We do know that, of the 899,000 confirmed cases of maltreatment, our child welfare system provides services or supports to approximately 60 percent of the children.

Home At Last: Safe, Permanent Families for Foster Children

The Pew Charitable Trusts launched the Home at Last initiative in 2003 to advance public policies that would keep children from languishing in foster care.

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Ohio State

Ohio's child welfare system is state-supervised and county-administered. A number of recent developments and converging trends may have a significant impact on child welfare financing in Ohio.

Time for Reform: Hoping for a Home for the Holidays

Each year, more than 500,000 children spend the holidays in foster care. In some cases the holidays may be spent with extended family, but more often it is spent with foster families to whom children are not related, or in group homes or institutional settings. Although foster care is an important safety net for children who have suffered abuse or neglect, being in foster care is not always easy.

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Montana

Child welfare services in Montana are administered by Child and Family Services Division (CFSD) within the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Recent events and initiatives of note are the federal CFSR in 2002 and resulting PIP, completed successfully in 2006, and a study of the child welfare system in the summer of 2006 by the legislative Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee. Both of these events have focused attention on child welfare in Montana.

E. John Wherry's Flu-Vaccine Research

Smithsonian Magazine recently featured young innovators in the arts and sciences, and one of the up-and-comers was E. John Wherry, Ph.D., an immunologist at the Wistar Institute.

Subprime Spillover

In the Center for Responsible Lending's December 2006 study, “Losing Ground,” CRL predicts that millions of American households will lose their homes to foreclosures in the subprime mortgage market.

Pandemic Influenza: Warning, Children At Risk

Experts predict a severe pandemic flu outbreak could result in up to 1.9 million deaths in the United States, approximately 9.9 million Americans needing to be hospitalized, and an economic recession with losses of over $680 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. How to treat and care for the nation’s 73.6 million children and adolescents during an influenza pandemic is a significant concern.

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Michigan State

Michigan is experiencing severe economic and fiscal problems due primarily to a downturn in the automobile industry, resulting in a budget deficit of approximately $856.4 million at the end of the state's 2007 fiscal year (September 30). Because of these issues, many of the state's budget bills are still being debated as of the date of this memo. The human services budget bill, SB 232, was passed by the Senate on August 22, 2007. The House passed an amended version of the bill on September 6, 2007. The bill is currently in conference committee. This memo will summarize those provisions in the bills that are relevant to reform of federal child welfare financing. When a budget is finally approved and signed by the Governor, this memo will be updated.

Time For Change

Academic medical centers (AMCs) form the intellectual core of medicine, training future doctors and researchers, and establishing standards that guide practicing physicians in the wider community. Where pharmaceutical industry marketing conflicts with the goals of patient care and professionalism, AMCs can provide leadership and guidance by establishing new standards on physician-industry relationships.

A Community of Beautiful Minds

More than 200 Pew Biomedical Scholars gathered earlier this year for the 20th anniversary reunion of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. It’s fair to say that they were excited.

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Tennessee State

Tennessee's child welfare system has undergone dramatic changes over the past few years. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, child welfare in Tennessee was under-funded and fragmented among six state agencies that failed to communicate with one another or coordinate their efforts. In 1996, a single state agency, the Department of Children's Services (DCS) was created by executive order to house child welfare and juvenile justice services. In 2000, Children's Rights, a national non-profit that advocates for children in foster care, filed a class action lawsuit, claiming over-utilization of emergency shelters and large group facilities, untrained caseworkers, high levels of placement instability, inadequate efforts to achieve permanency, inadequate educational services and disparate treatment of African-American children in foster care.

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Washington State

Compared to other states, child welfare is high on the list of legislative priorities in Washington. This high level of legislative activity can be attributed in part to a number of recent events that are briefly described below. In addition, the legislature, particularly the House, has a number of experienced champions of children's issues, including Rep. Ruth Kagi, chair of the House Early Learning and Children's Services Committee, and Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, chair of the House Human Services Committee, among others.

Application of Biotechnology for Functional Foods

The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology final report provides an overview of functional foods—foods that are enhanced to provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition—and looks at the potential to develop these foods through the application of modern biotechnology.

U.S. Public Opinion on Uses of Genetic Information and Genetic Discrimination

While Americans are generally very supportive of the use of genetic information to improve their own health and the health of their families, 92 percent are wary that this same information could be used in ways that harm them, according to a public opinion survey by the Genetics and Public Policy Center conducted in late February and early March of 2007.

The Book 'Aging Gracefully: Ideas to Improve Retirement Security in America' (Spring 2007 Trust Magazine briefing)

A proposes legislative and administrative changes that would make saving for retirement easier for middle- and lower-income households, while at the same time offering practical savings ideas for workers. Aging Gracefully: Ideas to Improve Retirement Security in America was published by the Century Foundation Press and written by William G. Gale, J. Mark Iwry and Peter R. Orszag, Brookings Institution scholars who are principals of the Pew-supported Retirement Security Project, a partnership of Brookings and Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute.

Pandemic Flu and the Potential for U.S. Economic Recession

A pandemic flu outbreak could sicken 90 billion and kill 2 million people in the United States, according to estimates, but a recent Trust for America's Health report examines another potential casualty-- our economy. According to the report, an outbreak could deliver a $680 billion blow to the U.S. economy, leading to the second worst recession since World War II.

Time for Reform: Too Many Birthdays in Foster Care

This report provides an introduction to the foster care system and describes what life is like for the more than 500,000 children in foster care who are waiting for reforms that would help them return to their families or find new permanent families. Foster care provides a temporary place for children and youth to stay when they are removed from their families because of abuse or neglect. But what was intended as a temporary solution has become a long-term state of uncertainty for many children.

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, 2006

Ready or Not? 2006 finds that five years after September 11, public health emergency preparedness is still not at an acceptable level. Limited progress continues to be but the big-picture goals of adequate preparedness remain unmet. As a result, Americans continue to face unnecessary and unacceptably high levels of risk.

In 2002, Congress passed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Act, allocating nearly $1 billion annually to states to bolster public health emergency preparedness. Even after this investment of almost $4 billion, the government health agencies have yet to release state-by-state information to Americans or policymakers about how prepared their communities are to respond to health threats.

The Potential Effects of Retirement Security Project Proposals on Private and National Saving

This paper from The Retirement Security Project provides rough, ballpark calculations of how several recent proposals could affect private and national saving. The proposals, aimed at improving retirement security for middle- and low-income households, include automatic 401(k)s, automatic IRAs, an expanded and permanent Saver's Credit, split refund capability, and asset test reforms. With the current net national saving rate at about 2.5 percent of GDP, these proposals have the potential to raise net national saving by almost a quarter.

Pew Biomedical Scholars Win Top Awards

Two Pew Biomedical Scholars have won top science awards this fall.

Subprime Lending

Homeownership is the cornerstone of the American middle class and the foundation of the American dream. Low-interest rates, Wall Street demand for mortgage debt securities and new mortgage products have enabled millions of Americans to buy homes for the first time in their lives.

Public Health at Risk

The Human Genome Project unleashed a torrent of information about the human genome and the role of genetic variation in human health. As a result, genetic testing is now among the fastest growing areas of laboratory medicine. Today, genetic tests for about 1000 diseases are clinically available, with hundreds more available in a research setting.

IVF, Egg Donation, and Women’s Health

To date, more than one million babies have been born worldwide as a result of IVF and in 2003 U.S fertility clinics reported 112,872 IVF cycles. Although there has been considerable medical literature exploring the possible health effects of in vitro fertilization to babies born from this technology, the potential health risks to the women who undergo this process have been less extensively studied.

Automating Savings: Making Retirement Savings Easier

Industrialized societies are facing major challenges with respect to their citizens’ retirement security. Across the globe, populations are aging rapidly. At the same time, too many households are not saving adequately for their retirement and other long-term needs even though saving vehicles are available.

This policy brief summarizes major parallel efforts currently under consideration in the U.S., the UK and New Zealand to address the retirement security shortfall by expanding personal saving for retirement.

Making Good Choices (Winter 2005-2006 Trust Magazine article)

In partnership with Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute and the Brookings Institution, the two-year, $3.9-million Retirement Security Project (RSP) is backed by an advisory board that includes members of five presidential administrations. RSP is looking for practical, commonsense ways to both prompt people to save more and identify incentives to saving embedded in government programs and policies.

Notes from the President: Passages (Winter 2005-2006 Trust Magazine)

Is any institution so perfectly organized as to be immune to change? For sure, organizations must be well designed for their mission, but also adapt to changing times—not to fads, but to the deeper currents that distinguish an era. Those that reinvent themselves are more likely to be relevant to the next generation.

Using Tax Refunds to Increase Savings and Retirement Security

Allowing households to split their refunds could make saving simpler and, thus, more likely. Since federal income tax refunds total nearly $230 billion a year (more than twice the estimated annual aggregate amount of net personal saving in the United States), even a modest increase in the proportion of refunds saved every year could bring about a significant increase in savings.

This policy brief explores the important potential of refund splitting to expand savings and discusses the obstacles and practical steps needed to make the splitting of tax refunds a reality.

Creating a Genetic Testing Specialty Under CLIA

Since the inception of the Human Genome Project in 1990, genetic testing has become an increasingly integral component in the diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of numerous diseases and conditions. Today, the number of genetic tests available is rising dramatically, with new tests entering the healthcare market every day. Information gained from genetic test results has a significant impact on medical decision-making.

The Student Debt Dilemma

When student loans are the only way to pay for college, who decides how much debt a degree is worth? This paper explores how debt aversion and conflicting views about the role of student loans affect young people, their families, and those who advise them.

Leveraging Tax Refunds to Encourage Saving

One of the most auspicious ways to make it easier for households to save, for retirement and other purposes, is by allowing them to directly deposit part of their income tax refund into a savings vehicle. This policy brief examines ways of encouraging households to save at one of their most "savable" moments: when they learn they will receive a substantial federal tax refund.

Retirement Security For Latinos

Too many Americans — and too many Latinos in particular — are not saving adequately for retirement. Half of all households nearing retirement have only $10,000 or less in an employer-based 401(k)-type plan or Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Among Hispanics, the figures are even more astonishing: over half of Hispanic households aged 55 to 59 have no accumulated assets in a 401(k) or IRA. A variety of other measures confirm that Latinos are disproportionately likely to be undersaving. This report discusses ways to address this problem.

Protecting Low-Income Families' Savings

The eligibility rules for certain means-tested programs like Food Stamps and Medicaid often discourage saving for retirement by people who are potentially otherwise eligible for and may need these programs. By excluding 401(k) and IRA savings from these asset tests, we would increase the likelihood that lower-income earners will save for retirement. Those who do the right thing by saving should not be excluded from programs that help so many Americans make it through hard times.

Automatic Investment: Improving 401(k) Portfolio Investment Choices

Self-direction of investments is a common feature of 401(k) plans, but it is not working as well as it could. Employees frequently fail to diversify their investments or rebalance their portfolios over time. One concern is that workers often invest too large a share of their 401(k) savings in their employer’s stock, which can prove especially costly: if the employer falls on hard times, workers stand to lose not only their jobs but also their retirement savings. But even when the plan sponsor does not collapse, poor investment choices impose unnecessary risk on workers, threaten the level and security of retirement income, and reduce the public policy benefits from 401(k) tax preferences.

Saving Incentives for Low- and Middle-Income Families

This paper analyzes the effects of a large randomized field experiment, carried out with H&R Block, offering matching incentives for IRA contributions at the time of tax preparation. About 15,000 H&R Block clients, in 60 offices in predominantly low- and middle-income neighborhoods in St. Louis, were randomly offered a 20 percent match on IRA contributions, a 50 percent match, or no match (the control group).

The Automatic 401(k): A Simple Way to Strengthen Retirement Savings

Over the past quarter century, private pension plans in the United States have trended toward a do-it-yourself approach, in which covered workers bear more investment risk and make more of their own decisions about their retirement savings. Some workers have thrived under this more individualized approach, amassing sizable balances in 401(k)s and similar plans, which will assure them a comfortable and relatively secure retirement income.

For others, however, the 401(k) revolution has fallen short of its potential. Work, family, and other more immediate demands often distract workers from the need to save and invest for the future. A disarmingly simple concept—what we call the automatic 401(k)”—has thepotential to cut through this Gordian knot and improve retirement security for millions of workers through a set of common sense reforms.

The Savers' Credit: Expanding Retirement Savings for Middle- and Lower-Income Americans

The Saver’s Credit is the first and so far only major federal legislation directly targeted at promoting taxqualified retirement savings for middle- and lower-income workers. Although this is an important step, several options are available to improve the design, not the least of which is the credit’s scheduled expiration at the end of 2006.The first section of the paper provides background on the evolution and design of the Saver’s Credit. The second section discusses the rationale behind the Saver’s Credit and the role of such a credit in the retirement income security system as a whole. The third section examines empirical data and models of the revenue and distributional effects of the Saver’s Credit. The fourth section discusses measures that would expand the scope and improve the efficacy of the Saver’s Credit.

Common Sense Reforms to Promote Retirement Security

As the baby boomers near retirement, defects in the nation’s private pension system are becoming obvious. Only about half of workers contribute to an employer-sponsored pension plan in any given year, and Individual Retirement Account (IRA) participation rates are substantially lower. Among workers with tax-preferred retirement saving plans, few make the maximum allowable contribution. And despite the many private savings incentives, many households approach retirement with meager funds.

Tending The Fields

Not surprisingly, most states with large agricultural sectors are intensely interested in the economic promise of agricultural biotechnology. Many are eager to capture the economic development and growth potential of a new technology that could provide added value to low-priced commodity crops

Fostering the Future: Safety, Permanence and Well-Being for Children in Foster Care

All children need safe, permanent families that love, nurture, protect, and guide them. This was the starting point for the work of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care and a steady compass throughout our deliberations.

Issues in the Regulation of Genetically Engineered Plants and Animals

A range of options exists to enhance the regulatory review process to address new challenges future products of agricultural biotechnology are likely to present, although opinions vary about the need for change, according to Issues in the Regulation of Genetically Engineered Plants and Animals, a report by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.

Nation's Child Welfare System Doubles Number of Adoptions from Foster Care

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recently announced the awarding of the final round of currently authorized adoption incentive payments (totaling $14.9 million to 25 states and Puerto Rico) for increasing the number of children adopted from state-supervised foster care in fiscal year 2002. These incentive payments, announced every year at the close of the federal fiscal year, are part of a sweeping set of reforms outlined in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA). The enactment of ASFA was coupled with a call to double the number of adoptions from the nation’s child welfare system by 2002. Our nation’s child welfare system succeeded in meeting this challenge, more than doubling the number of adoptions out of foster care by 2002.

Statement of The Honorable Bill Frenzel, Chairman, Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care

For the last nine months, I have been privileged to chair the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, a task I share with my colleague, former Representative Bill Gray. This independent, nonpartisan commission, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, includes some of the wisest and most experienced individuals in the field of child welfare. You heard from one of them this morning, New York City Commissioner William Bell. The other members of our Commission are no less impressive.

Harvest on the Horizon

The increasing use of modern biotechnology in agriculture has generated significant debate, much of which centers on the rapidly growing use of food crops that have been genetically modified to make them more resistant to pests or chemical herbicides. As a result, the debate has not usually addressed the potential products of agricultural biotechnology that are on the horizon.